Basra: The City So Nice They Took It Twice

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I guess you just can't handle a contrary view to your own comfortable, conservative fantasy gagaland. So may it be.

No, I just find it odd because it doesn't make any sense.

Why would they use cluster bombs on a city? Not only are they inaccurate, they are very dangerous to anyone who goes into the area after (coalition troops, civilians) and aren't very effective in an urban environment to begin with.

And people are getting confused with the terminology. Some reporters may say the forces have captured a city, but until Centcom says it, it doesn't mean the US forces say they captured the city...

The cluster bombs stuff is clearly bunk as far as I'm concerned ("they're dropping cluster bombs on the civilians, oh the humanity!", etc), and the "take the city" stuff is misunderstandings.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I guess you just can't handle a contrary view to your own comfortable, conservative fantasy gagaland. So may it be.

Event x008 on the Iraqi body count website

Yes, I have seen that -- and the only sources they cite are suspect.

I searched Reuters and nothing came up about cluster bombs in Basra, for example.

[Chilean Presidentâ„¢]

Chilean tv correspondants, spanish newspapers and even France2 tv is saying that 'some' cluster bombs were used on Mosul, Basora and other regions of Iraq.
Perhaps is not the most common bomb used during the war, but the coalition use them anyway.

[Urban Ranger]

Washington Post is suspect? Whatever you say.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
They have declared Basra to be a military target. Man, I was confused. If it hadn't been one, why did they kept attacking it? With cluster bombs no less.

The CBU's weren't going after the city itself, but AAA and arty pieces in the city. Declaring the city a military target is sort of like declaring the opening day of duck season. There's a difference.

[Chilean Presidentâ„¢]

Well then maybe use them near the cities and I got that wrong. My bad

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Chilean President
Chilean tv correspondants, spanish newspapers and even France2 tv is saying that 'some' cluster bombs were used on Mosul, Basora and other regions of Iraq.
Perhaps is not the most common bomb used during the war, but the coalition use them anyway.

Hell yeah, we use them against specific types of targets, primarily SAM/AAA and arty. There are many different submunition types available, from non-lethal (flechettes) to anti-vehicular mines to self-forging anti-armor munitions.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Washington Post is suspect? Whatever you say.

Feel free to link to the WP story.

If it's anything like the Reuters story, the phrase about cluster bombs probably starts with "Iraq says"

[CrONoS]

Coalition use and have used Cluster Bomb, some "millitary" objective been destroyed by cluster bomb...

I dont have proof.... but if you look all the links I've submitted to the thread "Latest News:Part 1 and 2" you will find proof.

[Asher]

Originally posted by cronos_qc
Coalition use and have used Cluster Bomb, some "millitary" objective been destroyed by cluster bomb...

I very highly doubt they'd use it in a city the size of Basra.

No one has been able to provide a link. WP's website turns up 5 stories when searching for "cluster bombs", all 5 of which were returned because the story mentioned "cluster of homes", not cluster bombs.

For Reuters, all the "cluster bombs" quotes were prefaced with "Iraq says..."

[Felch]

I thought flechettes were either little bits of shrapnel, or dart like objects. If they're non-lethal, that can't be the case. What are they?

Also, UR, 200-300 civilians dead after hundreds of bombs have been dropped is demonstrative of the professionalism and restraint of American and British forces. I'm willing to bet that if the Chinese were involved in an invasion they would exhibit cruelty consistent with their Nationalist-Socialist ethos.

[Fidel]

Originally posted by Asher

No, I just find it odd because it doesn't make any sense.

Why would they use cluster bombs on a city? Not only are they inaccurate, they are very dangerous to anyone who goes into the area after (coalition troops, civilians) and aren't very effective in an urban environment to begin with.

And people are getting confused with the terminology. Some reporters may say the forces have captured a city, but until Centcom says it, it doesn't mean the US forces say they captured the city...

The cluster bombs stuff is clearly bunk as far as I'm concerned ("they're dropping cluster bombs on the civilians, oh the humanity!", etc), and the "take the city" stuff is misunderstandings.

well tell it to the USAF. they used cluster bombs in yugoslavia, in nis they killed people in the street near the green market. i am sure you recall the incident

[Fidel]

Originally posted by Felch X
I thought flechettes were either little bits of shrapnel, or dart like objects. If they're non-lethal, that can't be the case. What are they?

Also, UR, 200-300 civilians dead after hundreds of bombs have been dropped is demonstrative of the professionalism and restraint of American and British forces. I'm willing to bet that if the Chinese were involved in an invasion they would exhibit cruelty consistent with their Nationalist-Socialist ethos.

how convenient then that the chinese have not waged any wars of agression as of lately. au contraire

[Drake Tungsten]

how convenient then that the chinese have not waged any wars of agression as of lately.

Why would they need to? They already have plenty of people to oppress within their own borders...