A CHILLING DISCOVERY

CNN ^ | 03/30/2003 | Sundry

[Glenn]

CNN.com - Bloodied U.S. battle fatigues discovered - Mar. 30, 2003

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Bloodied U.S. battle fatigues believed to be those of some of an ambushed Army maintenance unit were found in a hospital in Nasiriya, Iraq, according to a Pentagon official.

The uniforms, found by U.S. troops who took over the hospital, appeared to have had their name tags and flag patches ripped off, perhaps to hide the identity of their owners, the official said.

The troops also discovered what appeared to be a torture device made of a metal cot and a car battery.

The uniforms appear to belong to some of the members of the Army's 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, who were ambushed March 23 in Nasiriya. Two soldiers were known to have been killed. Eight others are missing, and five were taken as prisoners of war.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that two Marines have been killed in separate incidents in Iraq.

Central Command said one Marine from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was killed late Friday night when he was hit by a Humvee during a firefight with Iraqi soldiers in south-central Iraq.

The other Marine, also from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, drowned early Friday when the Humvee in which he was riding rolled over into a canal in south-central Iraq.

Marines at the scene tried for 30 minutes to revive him, Central Command's statement said.

Overnight and into early Sunday, U.S.-led coalition airstrikes continued across Iraq, with force commanders stressing they were emphasizing precision strikes on Iraqi regime, military and "irregular" targets.

Flashes lit up the night sky above Baghdad, and Mosul and Kalak in northern Iraq, as explosions were heard in all three cities.

The bombing of the northern cities in the last 24 hours is the most intense in the area since the war started.

In Baghdad, coalition forces dropped satellite-guided munitions on two surface-to-air missile complexes. Central Command said coalition aircraft also bombed the main training facility of the Iraqi paramilitary forces in Ar Rustamiyah, eastern Baghdad. The forces in that area are in charge of security functions in eastern Baghdad, Central Command said.

The U.S. military said it also targeted command-and-control facilities at the Abu Garayb Presidential Palace and two facilities at the Karada Intelligence Complex.

The Karada complex is on the banks of the Tigris River in southern Baghdad.

A few hours later, at least four large explosions rocked a residential compound northwest of the Information Ministry, where many government officials live.

The threat from Iraqi "irregulars" was emphasized earlier Saturday when a suicide bomber blew up his car at a military checkpoint in the central Iraqi town of Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division, military officials said.

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said at a news conference Saturday that coalition forces could expect more suicide bombings and praised "every martyr that aims to protect their land." Sunday morning, Iraq TV announced that President Saddam Hussein would give the family of the man who carried out Saturday's attack 100 million dinars, or about $35,000. (Full story)

The foreign minister of Iran also aimed threatening words at the United States, warning Sunday that "the worst days are yet to come" in Iraq.

Kamal Kharrazi used as one example suicide bombings, which he said likely will escalate. He also accused U.S. officials of miscalculating how much the Iraqis would welcome the invading military.

"The reality of the truth is that regardless how much the Iraqi people are disgruntled with their regime and with their government, still they would not want or allow a government imposed on them by foreigners," he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran.

Despite those threats, U.S. Central Command Director of Operations Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart said the suicide attack would not change the coalition's operational strategy but added that it was still under review.

[AmericaUnited]

Can anyone explain to me how a 12 volt battery is used to give someone electric shocks??

[Glenn]

Can anyone explain to me how a 12 volt battery is used to give someone electric shocks??

It's not the volts. Its the amps. Starting a 200 horsepower motor from a dead stop takes some amps. It would hurt pretty good.

[NordP]

Did anyone happen to notice that the camera (when covering this story on tv one night) pulled back just far enough so you could start to read the word "FRANCE" on the side of the battery????

WE did.

Grrrrh!

NordP

[GregB]

Get a dish,screw the cable company....

[NordP]

This will teach me to read all the way through, b/4 posting my comments.

I should have known you all would be on to this!

[verity]

Why is this characterized as "chilling" when it makes the blood boil?

And your response is............

[cherry_bomb88]

This man & his close followers know no depths to which their sickness would sink...Prayer for those troops especially....for their safe return and for good treatment. They need it.

[NordP]

Hey --- did anyone notice this???

We went to the MSNBC website and looked at their video footage of this...THEY BLURRED OUT THE WORD, "FRANCE!" It was originally in red letters, and you could see it. We paused the footage and IT NO LONGER SAYS "FRANCE" ---can you believe it???

And they wonder why people watch FNC?

http://www.msnbc.com/news/889604.asp?0sl=-32&cp1=1#BODY -- sorry forgot how to do linking.

It's right after the interview with the Marine...they pan down to the battery...

My husband edits video for a living - THEY BLURRED OUT THE WORD, FRANCE....What the he!! does MSNBC have to gain by helping France???? NordP

[cherry_bomb88]

Hard to get off the "us is evil" stance when one of your LARGEST stockholders is a Saudi national....ya think there's a little biased there????? Ted Turner giving Hanoi Jane her own network for this war?????

[cherry_bomb88]

Hannity took Rangel to task about supporting the troops when he is one of the ones that helped desimate the military and gut it out during the Clinton years....Rush took a couple of those "peaceniks" who called in with their BS of "I support the troops" and asked them "who'd you vote for???....you can't support the troops if you vote for people who cut the military spending!"

[NordP]

Again, I should have KNOWN a Freeper would be "on it" immediately - thanks for the picture post!!!

[cherry_bomb88]

HOT OFF THE PRESS!! ABC Radio news just did a bit about the IRAQI people feeding the hungry Marines in Central Iraqi. ...Now, they are saying that a couple of medics warned the marines the food could have been poisoned (sad we have to be that skeptical)...they are following the story.

[cherry_bomb88]

me too, thunders...I have mixed feelings about this coming from a strong military family myself....on one hand, the "peaceniks" and doubting thomas' need to see it, on the other hand, the families don't.

[cherry_bomb88]

I agree with you, old....my biggest fear is that we do succumb to too much "hand tying" and the medias cries that this is another Vietnam comes to pass....however, I will still stand by the president...he knows what he's doing...we have to stay in the favor of the world...the rest of the Arab world is starting to hinder us in minor ways...if we do what I want (drop the MOAB right in the middle of Baghdad) then it would probably turn into WWIII...however...I think a strategically well placed MOAB right outside of Baghdad in the desert, followed by a press briefing in which Tommy Franks says "oops we missed, more on the way"...well, ya know...psychological warfare can do wonders :o)

[cherry_bomb88]

It's chilling to the people that don't want to believe this is going on....ie: peaceniks, daschle, rangle, etc.

[xJones]

Meek, this will mean that surrounded coalition troops ain't going surrender to Iraqis, no matter what. With another enemy, if placed in an impossible position it's honorable to surrender. But with Iraqis, you're gonna die anyway and probably in hideous things done to you, particularly if you're a woman. It's like the WTC jumpers, they didn't want to jump but the alternative was worse. I'd save my last bullet and use it before surrendering to an Iraqi.

[alethia]

They don't want to believe it because it's not consistent with their political philosophies or agendas. Forget about the safety and security of a nation that ALLOWS them to practice such harebrained philosophies.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here -- I had heard that there were two women with the 507th that were unaccounted for -- the 19 year old from WV and a slightly older woman who is Hopi -- in addition to POW Shoshona Johnson. No word on either of them -- or maybe there is -- I'm sure whoever found the uniforms and torture rack have some ideas. Won't sit well with our troops ...

[cherry_bomb88]

I have not heard anything either...I pray especially hard for them as I know how little regard the Iraqis have for women.

[alethia]

I am with you on that one. It is very painful to even try to project why their presence is not being reported and what's happening. My prayers are with them as well as our other brave POW's. And God be with our Troops. Without the sacrifices of the Brave there would be no "Land of the Free".

[spunkets]

They are working on open wounds with the battery. Without the skin, or a large eposed area for one electrode(the bed frame), the resistance is a lot lower, so the low voltage can push enough current to induce pain. With skin the volts has to be over 30.