Posted on 12/22/2004 6:38:54 AM PST by SLB
That Rumsfield had too many troops there, of course.
I wasn't paying that much attention, but I had imagined that most of these bases had pretty wide perimeters...
The mortar explanation seemed unusual.
When I read the Chaplain's report about the attack he mentioned that many people were injured by pellets-- I was surprised that a rocket or mortar was filled with BB's. On the other hand, the roof sure looks like it was hit from the outside. And a burned and bloodied Soviet-style ammo bandolier would sure look like a 'suicide' vest.
The odds are it was (if story true) an Iraqi plant who worked at the base. The terrorists simply plant one of their own into the ranks of normal workers, gain the trust, then set up the inside job.
This is why guerilla action is almost impossible to stop and why the Iraqis need to defend their own country. We should arm every civilian with an M-16, pull our forces out, and tell them to "have at it."
Sometimes, a civil war is best.
Must have been one of the service staff. Food carts are easy hiding places for explosives.
Yes, I recall that now. Of course, it could have been a civilian employee; and I think there were a lot of civilian contractors eating in the tent also, so I guess there were a lot of possibilities for him (or her) to slip in.
ABC is reporting that the FBI on scene investigating the explosion have found remains at the site of the explosion which indicate that a suicide bomber was involved. Nothing other than that at this time. Since there were U.S. military, U.S. civilians, and Iraqi military in the tent at the time, the theory seems to be an infiltrator in the Iraqi security forces.
The AP account made sure to let everyone know that it was Haliburton that was feeding the troops.
This was my speculation yesterday (see related thread) based on what forensic evidence I could garner from news reports and the few photos that were coming in.
The damage and casualties were not consistant, IMHO, with incoming ordnance, even though the "experts" were attributing it to a 122mM Katusha rocket.
20 - 30 casualties is not inconsistant with a Hamaas Islammakazi body-bomb in a target rich environment like an Israeli Bar Mitzvah.... or a crowded Mess Tent.
I'm disapointed (to put it mildly)that such a tactical opportunity was presented on a virtual silver platter to the enemy in that compound... it seems that lessons learned the hard way in VietNam have all but been forgotton... at least by the brass around Mosul.
The guys have felt like sitting ducks in that mess hall and other buildings in the compound ever since they got there - this attack came as no surprise. And that's from "inside information" you might say.
Let's hope some of the HQ Staff gets a clue before this becomes a habit!
Bump.
Not really hard to do. We hire local nationals to work in dining facilities, do repairs around the camp, etc. In virtually all cases, the jobs with Kellog Brown and Root (KBR) are coveted by the locals because, by local standards, they pay extremely well. KBR does a rough background check on the individuals involved (and yes, lots of folks get turned away due to questionable backgrounds. It's in KBR's best interests to have good guys working for them, because past performance is an evaluation criteria for future awards of contracts.)
Now, imagine this. We hire Hadji to work in the dining facility. The evil local thug comes to his home one night and tells Hadji that if he doesn't blow up the chow hall, Evil Local Thug will kill the man's family. Hadji refuses, and his family gets killed. Then, Evil Local Thug goes to Habib, Hadji's friend who also works for KBR and gives him the same story. Habib complies. Americans die, but Habib's family is still alive.
It's ugly but it's how it is.
Report: Mosul Attack Was a Suicide Bombing
Dec. 22, 2004 — New evidence shows the bombing of a U.S. military mess tent in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday — which killed 22 people and wounded 70 others — was a suicide attack, ABC News has learned.A backpack found by investigators at the site and remnants of a torso indicate that the attack was caused by a suicide bombing, sources told ABC News.
The attack at the mess tent in Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul was one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq since the start of the war. Early reports indicated that the massive explosion in the tent might have been the result of a rocket attack.
But a radical Sunni Muslim group, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, later claimed responsibility for the Mosul attack and said it was a "martyrdom operation," a reference to a suicide bomber.
FOX NewsChannel said a POSSIBLE suicide bomber......how in the heck could that happen? A traitor?
Even yesterday I thought this smelled like an inside job. Time for some serious (and forceful!) interrogation techniques. And NO, I'm not talking about panties.
Prairie
A co-worker's son is stationed in Baghdad and she said her son "hates the Iraqis because they cannot be trusted".
The group claiming responsibility is saying it was a "martayrdome attack". Meaning suicide bombing. There has been ZERO confirmation or presentation of any evidence that it was such.
**Early reports said that Iraqi troops also were eating lunch in the tent...**
As well as contractors.
Oh %^&#!!
This is not good.
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