STARTED! Baghdad Being bombed - Post made by Mr. OverclockerBloke, War Fanatic

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1827: The top official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Barham Saleh, tells the BBC that the two main Iraqi Kurdish parties have agreed to withdraw their forces from Kirkuk, starting on Friday.
 
All i will say for now, is that it is a bit disturbing that the UN Weapons Inspectors went there and said they found nothing untoward there:confused:

Also a bit worrying that there radiation meters went off the scale!
 
MOSUL FALLS WITH NO FIGHT

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The northern Iraqi city of Mosul has fallen to American-backed Kurdish forces, apparently without a fight.


The US says the entire Iraqi army 5th Corps has surrendered.

US Central Command said it was deciding whether to treat the soldiers as prisoners of war or allow them to go home.

"They have made the very wise choice of living for the future of Iraq instead of dying for this Iraqi regime," a spokesman said.

He acknowledged there may still be some Iraqi forces willing to fight in and around Mosul, but said it was "very significant" that an entire Iraqi corps had surrendered.

He said the commander of the 5th Corps had communicated his intention to surrender to US troops on the ground.

They say no followers of Saddam Hussein's regime have been found.

Jubilant celebrations have started and negotiations are under way to secure its peaceful surrender.

more
 
Originally posted by Duffman
Why is it that Turkey is complaining about the Kurds taking Iraqi cities when they didn’t let US troops use Turkey as a staging ground for attacking the north?
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Turkey have the feeling that if the Kurds in Iraq start to do well, it will cause a Kurdish uprising in Turkey. They didnt mind too much the Kurdish troops taking the cities, as long as they don't stay.
 
Britain is started to scale back its naval presence in the Gulf now, as the vast array of ships, subs etc etc are no longer needed. Ground troops, will, as always be fully supported though

:) :)
 
SUSPECT WMD Sites Found

US Marines near Baghdad are investigating what they say may be a mobile biological or chemical weapons laboratory, Fox News has reported.


The US news network said Marines may also have discovered weapons-grade plutonium in a massive underground facility south of the city.

It said Coalition forces are investigating a stash of radioactive material found at the Al Tuwaitha nuclear complex.

Two preliminary tests conducted on the material have indicated that it may be weapons-grade plutonium, Fox News said.

US Marines are also investigating what they say may be a mobile biological or chemical weapons laboratory found on a building site near the capital.

The vehicle resembled a refrigerated truck from the outside and contained guided-missile support equipment, a Fox News reporter with the Marines said.

Further examination revealed a false internal wall which concealed a remote-controlled electronic pulley-and-winch system and several open bins and containers.

Hazardous materials may have been found inside the truck as well, the reporter said.

Investigators told Fox News that the system resembled a hazardous materials lab, where substances could be mixed, cooled and heated without direct human contact.

Marines found the truck parked at what resembled a building site, but it started to drive away as they approached and refused orders to stop.

US forces fired on the truck to stop it. There was no information on the driver, but video footage of the scene showed the driver's door window shot out.

Anti-aircraft guns, a surface-to-air missile and several caches of weapons and ammunition were also found at the building site, the reporter said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he hopes United Nations weapons inspectors could return to Iraq as soon as possible. "Their mandate is still valid. It is only suspended because it became inoperable on account of the war," he said.
 
Originally posted by Stiff_Cookie
Yea he wants the weapon inspectors in there now so they can take the credit for finding the WoMD. They were usless at their job before and now that someone else has done it for them they want to get the credit:rolleyes:
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I can only agree with you mate, as i know something about Dr Blix that many don't ;)

He was the man who cleared Iraq of having any nuclear technology, capability, or even interests in 1991.

And we all know what was found a year or so later ;)

tbh, they have now had 12 years to do their job. IMO, they failed (well, yet to be seen, but we will see!)
 
Originally posted by elbows
The reason it would be better for the UN to find them is that it would stop cynics like me from pondering as to whether there was a chance any of the evidence had been falsified.
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That is a very good point, but at the same time, we have to ask ourselves questions about how good the UNMOVIC team really are.
 
Originally posted by dirtydog
Whether they are good at finding WMDs is debatable - but they were hardly helped by the Iraqis and by the US/UK's lack of intelligence.

But at the very least they should be the ones who inspect any suspect sites that are found (regardless of who finds them) so that the world can have confidence in their findings.
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Maybe a joint effort would be better. And Dr Blix should not be in charge. Many, many people see him as incompetent, and not motivless.
 
Originally posted by Custor
He's already on record as saying hes packing it in in June when his contract runs out. He could do a Clare Short though.
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Probably for the best that he leaves. This is a subject i have had an interest in for many many many years, and he seems to have always had something against the US/UK.

He is known to hhave felt sidelined because we wanted to oust Saddam, while his team were being seen to be playing games, or more so, having games played with them, but the Iraqi regime.
 
Originally posted by dirtydog
I've heard that before but do you have any evidence or examples to back up that claim?

From what I have seen, he was sceptical about both what the Iraqis said and what the US & UK said - as should be the case, as a truly independent inspector.

But I could be convinced otherwise if you have evidence :)
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Your are really going to make me work for this aren't you!!

Forgive me, but i am v v busy atm! (dissertation).

I agree, he was sceptical about both sides, but it just depends how you feel about him.

Some people would go far enough to claim he was in bed with Saddam.

That isnt my view, btw :)
 
Something about -

It is funny to see the media showing the man with the vase. I mean, you many vases did he take, 20, 30. Vase after vase after vase!

God, there must have been so many vases, i saw so many!

etc etc etc!!
 
Originally posted by elbows
Rumsfeld pops at the press all the time and tells them how to do their job, what they should be reporting and even thinking. This is probably why they enjoyed attacking him so much the otehr week.
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No that wasn't what he was doing actually.

I dont like him much, but be fair at what he is saying atm.
 
Don't you just love the way the Guardian doesn't quote the whole story, and just takes certain parts of sentences in order totry and make the whole speech sound different to what it actually was ;) ;)

Mal :)
 
US marines have advanced into the vicinity of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, American officials say.
Journalists who entered the town in northern Iraq saw no sign of organised defence - but then pulled out after they came under heavy fire.

Tikrit is believed to be a possible remaining stronghold of Saddam Hussein's regime and marines have been ordered to attack and destroy forces loyal to the deposed leader.

In cities which have already fallen to coalition forces, the US military has promised to take steps to restore law and order after the collapse of the regime led to widespread looting and violence.

On Saturday, two men shot dead a US marine who was manning a checkpoint near a hospital in Baghdad.

Fellow marines opened fire and killed one man who was found to be carrying Syrian papers. The other escaped.

Now, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Chalabi, has said "free Iraqi forces" will go to Baghdad to help US forces restore order.

Both Mosul in the north and Basra in the south are reported to be calmer on Sunday.
 
Originally posted by Yossarian
Just reading through the first few pages of this thread again is interesting, some of the misinformation from the coalition is astounding. Through all the claims and finds of strange chemicals (which turn out to be weed killer or parafin) the coalition and the Iraqi Info Minister seem to have been competing on who can tell the biggest porkies ;). Strange how these stories of "massive finds" just vapourise.
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Not really, as it hasnt been official statements from the coalition governments saying "we found chemical weapons"

They have all been statements in the press saying that some soldiers think they have found something and that tests are being carried out.

Slightly different IMO.
 
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