Sunday, July 1, 2007

Familiar?

Shamelessly copied in full from Rick Perlstein's blog:

Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release No. 20070622-12 June 22, 2007

Coalition Forces kill 17 al-Qaeda gunmen near Khalis Multi-National Division – North PAO

BAQOUBA, Iraq – Coalition Forces attack helicopters engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen southwest of Khalis, Friday.

Iraqi police were conducting security operations in and around the village when Coalition attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and ground forces from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, observed more than 15 armed men attempting to circumvent the IPs and infiltrate the village.

The attack helicopters, armed with missiles, engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and destroyed the vehicle they were using.

-30-

What the eyewitnesses say:

"It was like a battlefront, but with the fire going only in one direction," said a local witness. "There was no return fire."

When frightened villagers ventured out at first light, they found 11 of the village guards dead, some of their bodies cut into small pieces by the munitions used against them.

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What the press release said:

CHU LAI, VIETNAM (American IO) - For the third time in recent weeks, the Americal Division's 11th Brigade infantrymen from Task Force Barker raided a Viet COng stronghold known as 'Pinkville' six miles northeast of Quang Ngai, killing 128 enemy in a running battle...

What actually happened? I think you know.

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