Somalia Part Deux

Mogadishu, October 3, 1993:

American troops are caught in caught in a well-organized
ambush by more than a 1,000 guerrillas. Two helicopters were shot down
and a third crash-landed at Mogadishu's airport. The U.S. troops
established a perimeter around the crash site, but found themselves
surrounded and under heavy fire for 11 hours. In that firefight, 18
American troops were killed, 78 were wounded and one helicopter pilot
was captured. The next day, the guerrillas celebrated a great victory
over America � dragging the bodies of the U.S. servicemen through the
streets of Mogadishu on live television.

October 7, 1993:

President Clinton declares that American troops are to be fully withdrawn from Somalia by March 31.

Fallujah, March 31, 2004 (WARNING - GRAPHIC):

A crowd of cheering Iraqis dragged the charred and
mutilated bodies of four contractors working for the U.S.-led coalition
through the streets of Falluja Wednesday after they died in an ambush.
Television pictures showed one incinerated body being kicked and
stamped on by a member of the jubilant crowd, while others dragged a
blackened body down the road by its feet. As one body lay burning on
the ground, an Iraqi came and doused it with petrol, sending flames
soaring. At least two bodies were tied to cars and pulled through the
streets, witnesses said. "This is the fate of all Americans who come to
Falluja," said Mohammad Nafik, one of the crowd surrounding the bodies.
Some body parts were pulled off and left hanging from a telephone
cable, while two incinerated bodies were later strung from a bridge and
left dangling there. A young boy beat one of the incinerated bodies
after it was pulled down with his shoe as a crowd cheered. "I am happy
to see this. The Americans are occupying us so this is what will
happen," said Mohammad, 12, looking on.

Will America pull out of Iraq ala Somalia? Doubtful. But these images
are not going to do much to increase public support of the Iraqi
debacle.

Posted by flow Frazao on March 31, 2004 at 12:25 PM | Permalink