85 insurgents killed in battle

[Morgeruat]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7254703/

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a suspected guerrilla training camp and killed 85 fighters, the single biggest one-day death toll for militants in months and the latest in a series of blows to the insurgency, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

"Among the dead are Arab and foreign fighters, including Sudanese, Algerians and Moroccans, as well as other nationalities," Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim told Reuters.

“An early assessment of the site indicates a facility for training anti-Iraqi forces,” said Major Richard Goldenberg of the U.S. 42nd Infantry Division, using the U.S. military’s term for insurgents. “Documentation at the facility indicates that some members of the AIF were foreign fighters.”

The U.S. military announced late Tuesday that its air and ground forces backed Iraqi commandos during a noontime raid on the suspected training camp near Lake Tharthar in central Iraq. Seven commandos died in fighting, the U.S. military said. It did not give a death toll for the militants.

Iraqi officials said Wednesday 85 insurgents died in the clash — the largest number killed in a single battle since the U.S. Marine-led November attack on the former militant stronghold of Fallujah left more than 1,000 dead.

[johnny]

Bonus points for Uncle Sam !!!

Move on to level 2.

[Stratos]

Well, this will at least send a message to the other insurgents.

[johnny]

Originally posted by Stratos: Well, this will at least send a message to the other insurgents.

Mweh..don't be ridiculous. The palestinians have had those type of messages for a couple of decades now. Maybe there's something wrong with their communications system ?

[shamrock_uk]

Oh Johnny, you have to stop making me laugh - that's been about three times tonight! And that blingosaurus thing too...so funny.

I think Stratos is right though, especially if American troops take an increasing back seat - Iraqi's respect authority - nothing will give this government more credibility and legitimacy than taking the insurgency by the scruff of the neck, the bloodier the better.

[Morgeruat]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Oh Johnny, you have to stop making me laugh - that's been about three times tonight! And that blingosaurus thing too...so funny. I think Stratos is right though, especially if American troops take an increasing back seat - Iraqi's respect authority - nothing will give this government more credibility and legitimacy than taking the insurgency by the scruff of the neck, the bloodier the better.

Exactly, the fact that it was a joint operation of Americans and Iraqis gives it a much larger impact than a raid by US Special Forces, or a bombing run on a training camp by the Air Force. As I've mentioned in a few places I've been spending the last several weeks chopping up a recruitment video from Al Zarqawi's forces for a lecture about their methods, training, and propaganda, this kind of news warms my heart after the chilling shit I've been watching and replaying for weeks now.