Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (15974)	11/12/2003 9:05:26 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 793690

IRON HAMMER BEGINS.......part 2 The attack on the warehouse was one of four strikes in Operation Iron Hammer. According to military sources, the other attacks were: — U.S. soldiers observed a group of people firing several mortar rounds from a truck, who then tried to drive away. An AH-64 Apache helicopter was called in to follow the fugitives and it fired on the vehicle, hitting it. Two terrorists were killed and five others were captured. Plus, Americans seized an 82mm mortar. — Infantrymen saw another enemy approach and fire three mortar rounds, aimed at harassing U.S. forces. Americans opened fire using small arms and a Bradley armored vehicle. The vehicle was hit several times but managed to disappear in traffic on a highway. — An American artillery unit fired 12 rounds of 155mm howitzers against an insurgent mortar team that had fired off a few shots in the direction of the "green zone," where the central Coalition military and civilian authority compound is located in Baghdad. This two-square-mile area had been hit by harassing mortar fire on a number of occasions during the past week. The U.S. offensive came on the same day that a truck bomb exploded at an Italian paramilitary police headquarters in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (search), which killed 18 Italians and eight Iraqis. And the U.S. action came one day after America's top soldier in Iraq said attacks against the U.S.-led coalition were increasing and he vowed a tough response. "The most important message," he continued, "is that we are going to get pretty tough ... but we will do everything possible to minimize the impact on the people of the country," Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (search) told reporters. Sanchez said the United States would "send a very clear signal that our intent is to defeat the former regime loyalists, the terrorists and those people that are attacking the coalition and the Iraqi people." In Washington, administration officials vowed to keep the finish the job of stabilizing Iraq. "It's a difficult situation," Secretary of State Colin Powell (search) said of security in Iraq. "But we are confident that our commanders will get on top of it and our intelligence experts will be able to penetrate these remnants of the old regime who are trying to destroy the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people." Analysts said the Wednesday offensive was an indication that the U.S. forces were following through on Sanchez's pledge. "It's great news because it shows we're bringing the fight to them," said retired Col. David Hunt, a Fox News military analyst. Hunt said the attack on the warehouse showed that Americans were getting better human intelligence. "It's never been a problem on the fight," Hunt said. "The problem has been finding these bad guys and this shows there has been a new offensive started." Fox News' Dana Lewis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.