Posted on 03/31/2004 6:48:51 AM PST by dennisw
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) - Angry residents armed with shovels mutilated the charred bodies of two people, believed to be foreigners, caught in an insurgents' attack and warned the rebel Iraqi town would be the "cemetery" of US occupation forces.
Dozens of residents holding shovels threw themselves on the charred bodies lying next to two four-wheel-drive vehicles attacked by insurgents in central Fallujah, west of Baghdad, said an AFP photographer on the scene.
The residents struck the bodies, cutting off parts, while shouting "long live Islam."
Moments earlier, young men stoned the vehicles which had been in flames following the attack with small arms fire by assailants who fled the scene.
One of the bodies was seen ablaze inside one of the cars before residents extracted it from the vehicle to lay it on the ground and attack it with the shovels.
"Fallujah will be the cemetery of the Americans," shouted a man, hiding his face with a scarf.
"We are ready to kill them all. We are waiting for them to return to take these bodies and cars, and we will then cut them all to pieces. Let them come back, if they are real men," he said.
"Revenge, revenge for Saddam" Hussein, the former Iraqi leader ousted by the US-led invasion troops last spring, he shouted.
The identities of the two slain people was unknown and the US coalition had no immediate comment on the incident.
Witness Hammadi al-Issawi, 28, said a third vehicle that had been traveling with the two cars evacuated more casualties, some badly burnt.
Fallujah is a Sunni Muslim bastion that witnesses near-daily attacks on US forces, their Iraqis allies and foreigners.
BUMP
I bet the next guy would think twice.
Besides our guys need the practice !!!
Iraqis Drag Bodies Through Streets After Attack
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Mar 31, 8:41 AM (ET)
By Michael Georgy
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - A crowd of cheering Iraqis dragged charred and mutilated bodies through the streets of the town of Falluja Wednesday after an ambush on two vehicles that witnesses said killed at least three foreigners.
In a separate attack five American soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb was detonated beside their convoy west of Baghdad, the U.S. army said.
The Falluja violence began when two four-wheel-drive vehicles were attacked by guerrillas on a main road in the town, 32 miles west of Baghdad. A crowd then set the vehicles ablaze and hurled stones into the burning wreckage.
Television pictures showed one incinerated body being kicked and stamped on by a member of the jubilant crowd, while others dragged a blackened body down the road by its feet.
The footage showed at least three people lying dead, while some witnesses said that four were killed.
It was not clear who had been in the vehicles, both four-wheel drives of the type used by foreign contractors, journalists, civilian members of the U.S.-led coalition and some military personnel.
As one body lay burning on the ground, an Iraqi came and doused it with petrol, sending flames soaring.
At least two bodies were tied to cars and pulled through the streets, witnesses said.
"This is the fate of all Americans who come to Falluja," said Mohammad Nafik, one of the crowd surrounding the bodies.
Some body parts were pulled off and left hanging from a telephone cable, while two incinerated bodies were later strung from a bridge and left dangling there.
A young boy beat one of the incinerated bodies after it was pulled down with his shoe as a crowd cheered.
"I am happy to see this. The Americans are occupying us so this is what will happen," said Mohammad, 12, looking on.
No U.S. soldiers or Iraqi police were seen in the area after the attack, but a U.S. fighter plane screamed overhead, prompting the crowd around one of the burned corpses to scatter.
Witnesses said they saw anywhere between four and eight people in the cars before they were attacked.
Some of the victims were wearing civilian clothes, flak jackets and were armed, witnesses said, but that was not clear from the television footage. One of those killed had fair hair and was wearing khaki trousers and a white T-shirt.
As the victims lay burning, a crowd of around 150 men chanted "Long live Islam" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") while flashing victory signs.
Falluja has been one of the most violent, restive towns in Iraq since the U.S.-led occupation began. There are almost daily attacks on U.S. military convoys in the area.
FOREIGNERS TARGETED
More than 400 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action since the start of the war, many of them in attacks using improvised explosive devices in which an explosive charge is hidden in a plastic bag, soft drink can or dead animal and wired to a simple detonator.
As well as attacks on U.S. and coalition troops, there has been a sharp increase in insurgent strikes against foreign civilians in recent weeks.
In March alone, 12 foreign civilians have been killed in drive-by shootings or similar attacks. In the most recent incident, a Briton and a Canadian, both working as security guards, were shot and killed Sunday in the city of Mosul.
Earlier in March, two Finns were killed in Baghdad, and four U.S. missionaries were shot dead in Mosul. In Hilla, south of Baghdad, two Americans working for the U.S. civilian authority were shot in a drive-by shooting.
With less than 100 days to go before U.S. authorities hand over sovereignty to an Iraqi government, the U.S. military, Iraqi police and other local security forces are still battling to bring security to the country.
Attacks occur almost every day with rockets, grenades, assault rifles, small arms or suicide bombs somewhere in Iraq. Wednesday, a car bomb blew up in Baquba, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, wounding around a dozen people, while Tuesday a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle outside the house of the chief of police in Hilla, but killed only himself.
A little extreme, isn't it?
A lot of hard work and progress down the tubes?
There are going to be setbacks this early in the process. We have to be patient.
Today was a rough one, but we have to keep on going.
Progress is being made by leaps and bounds. You just hear very little about it in the mainstream media.
Their motto should be: "DO IT OUR WAY OR WE WILL KILL YOU!"
Hoping this will wake up a few million Americans about what we are dealing with. Many of these folks are no better than a pack of wild dogs.
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