U.S. warplanes flatten ‘safe havens’ in Iraq

AP/MSNBC ^ | 1/10/2007

[Sleeping Freeper]

Military says 38 bombs dropped in 10-minute strike on Baghdad's outskirts

BAGHDAD - U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives during a 10-minute airstrike Thursday, flattening what the military called al-Qaida in Iraq safe havens on the southern outskirts of the capital.

The strikes, carried out above approaching troops, was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday against al-Qaida in Iraq.

A military statement said two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighters dropped the bombs on 40 targets in Arab Jabour in 10 strikes. Al-Qaida fighters are believed to control Arab Jabour, a Sunni district lined with citrus groves and scarred by daily violence.

“Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds,” the statement said.

The attack came a day after the U.S. military reported that nine American soldiers were killed north of the capital in the first two days of a new offensive.

[Sleeping Freeper]

This kind of action needs to take place more often....

[samtheman]

This is the kind of thing that a President MadrassaBoy, or a President Beast, or a President BreckGirl would put a quick end to.

[Slapshot68]

Any civilians killed yet?

I’m sure the MSM will focus on that more than the purpose of the op.

[Obadiah]

The old you kill one of ours and we’ll kill 20 of yours.

[Michael Knight]

Bring the Noise!

[Last Dakotan]

As a point of reference, 40,000lbs. is a semi load.

[50sDad]

Things I like about this:
1) We found out about it AFTER it was over.
2) The sarcastic implication of the words "Safe Haven".
3) No reponse yet from the hand-wringers.
4) Things That Go Boom Applied Accurately To Kill Smug Bad Guys And Break Stuff.

[TXnMA]

Awesome! (...as in "Shock and Awe"...)

I hope somebody got (and posts) some good photos and videos of this.

[JBR34]

I’m sure we hit a wedding party too.

We seem to hit a lot of those.

But no one ever can find the bodies.

[wolfpat]

I notice that the MSNBC page has 2 different links to the same story about American deaths. No media bias here. /sarc

[tobyhill]

***Al-Qaida fighters are believed to control Arab Jabour***

40,000 lbs of bombs falling on their heads doesn’t sound like control to me.

[tractorman]

Bombs away. Apply directly to the head.

[tobyhill]

Not only did we find out about it after, apparently the Iraqi troops found out about the air strikes after. I think our military leaders have finally figured out that the terrorist are getting tipped off by leaks inside the Iraqi ranks.

[pierrem15]

With 40,000 lbs of HE, we must have hit at least 10 wedding parties and 5 orphanages./s

[tortdog]

1:20 is bad. I’d suggest it should be 1:1000 at least.

[RonF]

Not only did we find out about it after, apparently the Iraqi troops found out about the air strikes after.

40,000 pounds of TNT were dropped? I think Iraqi troops found out about it during. My guess would be that it was heard for quite a distance.