Live firefight on CNN

Asher · March 23, 2003, 02:53

Coalition tanks and marines are firing on Iraqi troops in Umm Qasr live on news networks everywhere, with a high-quality TV camera.

Just so you know.
Lock this if you want Ming, I thought it's incredible

Nubclear · March 23, 2003, 02:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher
Coalition tanks and marines are firing on Iraqi troops in Umm Qasr live on news networks everywhere, with a high-quality TV camera.

Just so you know.
Lock this if you want Ming, I thought it's incredible

Now THIS is reality TV

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 02:58

Watching it. This war is REALLY coming into our living rooms. It's amazing!

to US and British troops for letting the reporters tag along even in situations like this (and answering questions for the reporter, like where is the dude that is shooting).

Inverse Icarus · March 23, 2003, 03:01

WOO HOO! KILL THE BROWN PEOPLE!

Drake Tungsten · March 23, 2003, 03:03

Embedded reporting is great, for the most part. Every night brings a new situation we wouldn't see without it...

Inverse Icarus · March 23, 2003, 03:03

on a quasi-serious note, is this right?

my friedn was talking about how cool it would be to make a movie out of real battle clips, but i said that's just wrong.

imagien watching your son die live on camera, and then having someone make money off his death.

plus, people would probably laugh at the movie as well, which would be real.

in saving private ryan, a media gets his arm blown off. tragic. then you see him looking in the wayer for his arm, grabs it, and throws it over his shoulder. hillarious.

Gatekeeper · March 23, 2003, 03:05

The wonders of journalism, bringing the cold, hard reality of war right into one's living rooms at night and into one's newspapers the next morning with stories and photos you would otherwise have not have ever seen as the events unfolded.

Gatekeeper

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:09

It is extraordinary.

But, I guess it must all be lies, right?

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:11

Who do you think is driving the Bronco out in front of the Humvees?

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 03:13

I really followed CNN's story of Captain Lynn (IIRC), while talking to his wife, who was back home in Georgia. They were even able to set up a phone coversation between them over a cell phone for like 30 seconds. Very cool!

And in this one, the British journalist is asking the US Marines about the situation and the Marines are giving the info that they know. It's absolutely incredible.

Drake Tungsten · March 23, 2003, 03:13

Quote:

But, I guess it must all be lies, right?

Those troops aren't really in Iraq. It's all being shot on a soundstage in San Bernadino, CA.

Ted Striker · March 23, 2003, 03:13

AC has mad blocking skills.

Asher · March 23, 2003, 03:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
I really followed CNN's story of Captain Lynn (IIRC), while talking to his wife, who was back home in Georgia. They were even able to set up a phone coversation between them over a cell phone for like 30 seconds. Very cool!

Yep, I followed that too (both nights, when she talked about her husband and the next night where they hooked them up live on TV)

GePap · March 23, 2003, 03:15

This town was reported taken on friday morning, thats approching 36 hours by now if not more, and there are still some Iraqis fighting. Why? While thankfully very few Americans and Brits have died due to better training and an utterly unequal amount of firepower, the fact that some Iraqis are still fighting should give us a bit of pause as we go forward.

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:16

Abrams engaging machine guns!

Ming · March 23, 2003, 03:16

Simply stunning... Thanks for alerting me to it.

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 03:16

Especially comparing this to '91, the leaps in technology have been great over those 12 years.

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:17

Those guys must be... something.

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 03:20

Quote:

This town was reported taken on friday morning, thats approching 36 hours by now if not more, and there are still some Iraqis fighting. Why?

This is a minor firefight. It doesn't seem like anymore than 10. There are bound to be soliders hiding out, even as the army takes cities.

Asher · March 23, 2003, 03:20

They emphasized earlier that "securing" is not the same as "making safe".

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 03:23

Exactly Asher.

Btw, on CNN right now, they have a split screen of LIVE action on both sides! The other pictures are of the 3rd and 7th Cavalry with CNN's reporter traveling with them. Good pictures of an oil fire.

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:24

The Marines prone on the hard deck of the highway is not a good idea though, in my opinion.

Why would they not be behind the protection of the embankment?

GePap · March 23, 2003, 03:24

You guys are missing the point: We constantly hear how Iraqis, specially guys in the regular military will simply give up their weapons and go home, since they don't want to fight for Hussein. We have also been told all the forces in the south are regular soldeirs. Even if its just a few guys, does not the fact that they are still shooting and did not decide to give up bring into question the given assumption that only Saddams most loyal will drae thier lives for this regime?

Asher · March 23, 2003, 03:26

What makes you say Saddam didn't put a dozen or so Republican Guards in cities to pop up a day or so after they're captured to wreak havoc?

Drake Tungsten · March 23, 2003, 03:27

They just said the guys might be Republican Guard. That may explain the increased morale...

Imran Siddiqui · March 23, 2003, 03:28

Quote:

We constantly hear how Iraqis, specially guys in the regular military will simply give up their weapons and go home, since they don't want to fight for Hussein. We have also been told all the forces in the south are regular soldeirs.

Why would ALL the regular soldiers give up and go home. Even among them, you would be certain that some would try to fight, if not for Saddam, then to keep the Americans out. It doesn't seem plausible that everyone would surrender.

Koyaanisqatsi · March 23, 2003, 03:28

This is simply surreal. A live firefight from a warzone thousands of miles away narrated by a former NATO supreme commander, while the picture-in-picture shows another unit, far separated from the first, taking prisioners and driving further into enemy territory.

Surreal. There's no other word for it.

GePap · March 23, 2003, 03:30

Have you been hearing all the reports about how the US was in talks with several commadres in Baghdad to give up their forces, so forth and so on?

For the first few days we were given a picture of how everythign was falling apart for this regme. Lets say these guys are RG: if a bunch of RG in a city surrounded totally by US forces and totally outgunned decides to put up a fight instead of just syaing "screw Saddam, lets give up", then what does that say about when we come up to really loyal people?

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:31

Quote:

Originally posted by dv8ed
Surreal. There's no other word for it.

Yes.

notyoueither · March 23, 2003, 03:32

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap
if a bunch of RG in a city surrounded totally by US forces and totally outgunned decides to put up a fight instead of just syaing "screw Saddam, lets give up", then what does that say about when we come up to really loyal people?

They'll die. It is unfortunate, but it will happen.