No sign of Americans in Baghdad

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No sign of Americans in Baghdad
1 hour, 14 minutes ago Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!

BAGHDAD (AFP) - There was no sign of a US military presence in Baghdad despite American officials’ claim that coalition troops were in town to stay, AFP correspondents reported.

On the west bank of the Tigris river where most government buildings are based, quiet had returned after a tense morning, enforced by patrolling soldiers and other heavily armed men.

Many of them were seen heading toward Saddam International Airport on the southwestern outskirts of the city, which US forced announced they captured Friday and now held “secure”.

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf had said earlier that President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s crack Republican Guard had driven coalition forces out of the facility in a prelude to a final rout in the capital.

Navy Captain Frank Thorp, a spokesman for the US Central Command, said earlier of the early-morning thrust into Baghdad: "This wasn’t a patrol – go in and come out.

“We had the opportunity and we moved in,” Thorp said. “It was done in a deliberate way. When we had the opportunity we took it and moved forward into the middle of the city.”

The city seemed strangely normal in the afternoon.

While some militia fighters equipped with automatic weapons and anti-tank rocket launchers manned city intersections, others were less visible, holed up in entrenched positions.

Soldiers and elite Republican Guard members and militiamen were posted at a major intersection leading out of the city but appeared as steely nerved as ever.

In the Dora-Yarmuk in the southwest of the city, there were traces of combat earlier in the day, including blown-up cars and casings of heavy machine guns where Iraqi armoured tanks and anti-aircraft artillery had been that morning.

Even in the Al-Mamun district near the airport, motorists took to the roads and no explosions were heard.

Now I just dont know what to believe, yahoo reports in one hand that americans are rolling into baghdad and on the other hand it says correspondents are saying no sign of americans in baghdad. CNN reports we can roll in baghdad anytime want…

What exactly is going on?

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Here's a clue - stop listening to the Iraqi Minister of Disinformation. This report you posted is obviously outdated - it still refers to the airport as Saddam International.

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No sign of Americans in Baghdad
2 hours, 36 minutes ago Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!

Yea.. its outdated allright.:hehe:

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If you can stand it for 5 minutes, watch Fox News. They have video of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry and U.S. Marines rolling though Baghdad in tanks earlier today. It's pretty cool.

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Some of you are living in a dream world of your own. Americans are comming and going out of Baghdad as they please. I'm sure you still believe that Mullah Omar controls Afghanistan.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Seminole: *
If you can stand it for 5 minutes, watch Fox News. They have video of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry and U.S. Marines rolling though Baghdad in tanks earlier today. It's pretty cool.
[/QUOTE]

Please, anything but the western media...

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That said there are still some massive battles left with the Republican Guard. What a difference one week makes.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Proudpaki007: *
Please, anything but the western media...
[/QUOTE]
Yes, lets listen to Iraqi information minister who said two days ago that Americans are nowhere near Baghdad. What a joker!

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Proudpaki007: *

Please, anything but the western media...
[/QUOTE]

Al Jazeera is reporting it.

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Link.

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Thanks for the link. Much more updated than the first post. This one even calls the airport by its new name.

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From the link you furnished above;

"Sahaf insisted that Iraqi forces had succeeded in expelling the coalition troops from the airport, which US military officials said was under their control on Friday. He said he was planning to organise a trip for journalists to the airport to prove that the coalition troops were chased out of the airport."

Well who you gonna believe Imdud?

It's far from clear right?

I should hand out salt to a few people on this forum eh?

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What's far from clear? That coalition is doing probing attacks on Baghdad with ease? In 2 weeks, the US army can move in Baghdad is quite an accomplishment.

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After starving the country for 12 years, and being in 2 previous wars and having more bombs dropped on it than Dresden it still takes more than two weeks to drive up to the capital and poke your head up an alley in some suburb?

If thats your measure of success than yes, very successful, ver accomplished.

The airport could be taken, then again it might not be. But all thats besides the point.

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Whre do you get your information, Thap? Peter Arnett?

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Hey semolina who's this arnett guy?

Which specific information are you alluding to, the sanctions, the iran-iraq and gulf war 1 or the shock and awe campaign? I could point you to several history books and a few active web sites if you're interested.

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when u have Australia, USA, UK all world super powers, and USA using cluster bombs, and all the technology they have, and on the other hand, Iraqi's using AK-47's the "coalition of the willing" should be ashamed of its self that the war is into its 3rd week and Saddam is still appearing on Iraqi TV and the Iraqi Regime is still in place.

Iraqi's fought like lions, but when this coaltion has no regard for the death of civilialians, as they dropped bombs anywhere and everywhere they felt like, of course sooner or later, they were gonna march into Baghdad. It was only a matter of time. The British sent 2 pilots home after they didnt want to drop bombs in such civilian areas, that tells you that even they had some regard to civilian casualties.

And Thap, Peter Arnett is a journalist who tells the truth. He got fired by MSNBC, because he said it on TV that America's warplan has failed. SO much for "Freedom of Speech" in USA. btw, he got hired by Britian's "Mirror" a few hours later, to continue reporting the truth...

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And If you(seminole) want a source, I can smack it across your face and it’ll be the source you love to watch and believe, CNN/BBC/MSNBC.

And seminole, just to clairfy, have you been using these shampoos lately?

http://desimp3palace.hypermart.net/BrainWashshamp001.jpg

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How many civillians has Saddam killed? Any guesses or you just don't care?