From Reuters (via Drudge):
U.S. soldiers killed 46 Iraqis and captured eight trying to carry out a series of attempted ambushes on U.S. convoys in the central Iraqi city of Samarra on Sunday, a U.S. military spokesman said.
“The fourth infantry division repelled multiple ambush attacks,” Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald told reporters.At least 18 attackers, five U.S. soldiers and a civilian traveling with the troops were wounded during the ambushes.
“The attacks were coordinated in locations very close to each other,” he said, adding that the ambushes were made on separate U.S. convoys using mortars, grenades and small arms fire. Three buildings, from whose roofs the attackers fired, were destroyed.
“The attackers attempted to block one of the convoy’s way with a makeshift barricade,” MacDonald said, citing three main attack points around Samarra, north of Baghdad.
“In all of the clashes coalition firepower overwhelmed the attackers resulting in significant enemy losses,” he said. “If you attempt to attack one of our convoys we’re going to use our firepower to stop that attack.”
Some of the attackers wore the attire of Fedayeen, a militia formed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before U.S.-led forces toppled him earlier this year.
Quagmire.
Emperor Misha I
4 dozen dead apes.
Wonderful.
Oliver
Certainly blows a hole in Rummy’s claims that these guys aren’t organized.
Eric Sivula
And organizing clearly helped them out. Let’s hope our boys can keep suckering them into attacking armor convoys.
Kimmitt
While any military success against the Fedayeen is good news, the likelyhood that they would repeat this particular failed tactic is probably low. The insurgents have been pretty adaptable over the past few months; the phrase which I thought was a good description was “clever, but not sophisticated.”
Slartibartfast
Yes, Kimmitt, there’s an entire universe of other failed tactics for them to try.
I’m a little confused by “the likelyhood…is probably low”, though. Probability of a probability? If I’d said that, I could chalk it up to too much beer.
Kimmitt
It’s a regionalism, I think — a lot of folks I know who were raised in the Midwest use “likelihood” for “probability.”
Emperor Misha I
Well… They certainly are organized now, Oliver. In nice little rows of plastic bags, just the way I like my terrorists to be organized.
But hey, let them continue to “adapt”. The more they “adapt”, the more of them we get to send to Hell.
TM Lutas
Misha – You’re an ass. Scum sucking tyrant wannabes they are but still human.
That being said, it’s great news that we suckered them so well that they’re walking into our guns. Hopefully they’re deeply penetrated with agents by now and we’ll keep on giving them false information on ‘easy’ targets.
ray
“The insurgents have been pretty adaptable over the past few months”
Adaptable how??
Coming up with new ways to get killed?
Emperor Misha I
No.
They’re not.