Didn't Hear This On the News Today

Interestingly, this AP story includes the hedge against the video that was earlier in the day the basis for claims of insurgent success in Ramadi. But it also includes a fairly big claim about numbers of suicide bombings, a claim that would suggest offensive operations near the Syrian border (or, rather, offensive operations in combination with the new "clear and hold" strategy) are having an impact. Will this assessment be part of the next report that uses file footage of a nice, big explosion?

Comments

[Enoch]

Go to www.ap.org, click on video, and look at the video entitled "insurgents attack US bases in Iraq."

Essentially, the insurgents invited AP to come make a propaganda video for them, and AP played along.

From the narration:

"Insurgents allowed an AP television crew to film them as they toted automatic rifles and rocket launchers. In the video the masked men looked relaxed and did not engage in any battles." [i.e. the whole thing was staged.] "Insurgents attacked several US bases and government offices." [and I have no doubt the reporters had no intention of warning those bases or offices]

Is it just me, or is this like the Germans inviting US news organizations to accompany the panzer spearheads during the Battle of the Bulge?

Watch the video. You will be appalled. The media actually has the gall to complain when (supposedly) the US military planted stories in the Iraqi papers, but here they are openly creating propaganda for the enemy.

If we bomb al Jazeera, we should hit al Reuters and al AP as well. (Just kidding... for the most part.)

[dauber]

Thanks for telling me where to find the video -- see the next post.