Claims & Counter-Claims

This is an interesting read, if you haven't seen it before. Kind of puts this whole information war, in a bit of perspective:

http://media.guardian.co.uk/iraqandthemedia/story/0,12823,921649,00.html

example:

Claims
Monday, March 24, 1.33am
Reports surface that US forces find first cache of Saddam's chemical and biological weapons, seizing a suspected chemical factory in An Najaf. This would be a significant PR coup for Messrs Bush and Blair who justified their launch of war on the grounds that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.

Fox News and the Jerusalem Post, which had a reporter travelling with US troops, both quote unidentified Pentagon officials who said the facility was seized by US forces. About 30 Iraqi troops and their commanding general surrendered as American forces took the installation, apparently used to produce chemical weapons, according to the Jerusalem Post. It was not immediately clear what chemicals were being produced at the facility.

Officials caution it is too premature to conclude that forbidden weapons had been discovered but US central command says it is examining several sites of interest.

Claims
Monday, March 24, 2.42am
General Richard Myers, chairman of joint chiefs of staff, claims US commamdos found documents along with millions of rounds of ammunition on Saturday, saying the discovery "might save thousands of lives if we can find out exactly what they have".

We're not sure
Monday, March 24, 2.44pm
General Tommy Franks, head of the coalition forces, claims he "wasn't entirely sure" that it was a chemical factory after all. Fox News forced to back away from the story. Iraq denies it has chemical or biological weapons.

Beëlzebooze

I remember watching the news (SKY in perticular) when Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman where abducted. After Hunley and Carr had been arrested the police press officials where giving out little substantial information, and it was blatently obvious that Sky reporters where just filling air time with conjecture and guesses, and where relaying this as gospel.

The same is happening now, there is chaos, pandemonium and mayhem in Iraq, Military officials are not giving out all their battle plans, and are trying to play down the ammount of civilian casualties because after all not only do they need to win the "hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people, but also those of the eloctorate.
(b.t.w. I loath that "hearts and minds" phrase that is being used in every other sentence on the news, the hearts and minds of the Iraqi's are being blown all over the f*cking desert at the moment)

so don't expect the truth from any one, don't expect accurate reports from anyone.

The Corinthian

A British spokesman at coalition headquarters in Qatar, Group Captain Al Lockwood of the Royal Air Force, said the airport is a big strategic prize for the coalition. "It's a great strategic asset, four miles by two miles, large area of land, good runways, good facilities, gives us a lot of flexibility of options to use that piece of space for future operations," he said.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=8BA12F02-834C-41BB-B9862537DB853711&Title=US%20Troops%20Occupy%20Most%20of%20Baghdad%20Airport&db=current

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks at Central Command in Qatar also said the U.S. military's heavy aerial bombardment had rendered the runway at the city's international airport, which U.S. forces have seized, unusable for air operations.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DBT000442.htm

Hmmm...