U.S. Flag Burning Back in Baghdad

Report by YellowTimes.org
NewsFromtheFront.org

TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- Arab TV networks have in recent days shown thousands of Iraqi Shiite protestors denouncing the U.S. presence in Iraq and the Middle East.

Chants of "Death to America," which were popular during Saddam Hussein's era, have come back in full force accompanied with scenes of U.S. flag-burning.

The extreme anger vented towards U.S. forces has caught many in the Bush administration by surprise; the flowers and rice expected to be thrown at the "liberators" has turned to cold hard stares and resentment.

Iraqi sources in Amman say that the resentment is sometimes manifesting itself in random attacks on U.S. soldiers. Al Jazeera today confirmed that an intense fire fight has broken out between U.S. forces and armed Shiite militia in the Iraqi town of Kut. Al Jazeera says that three U.S. soldiers have been killed and two wounded in the fire right.

Al Arabiya TV network, however, says that the three U.S. soldiers were killed in "an accident" when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher misfired. It places the number of wounded at seven U.S. soldiers.

At press time, reports were coming in of violent demonstrations in Kut after the arrest of several Iraqi students by U.S. forces.

YellowTimes.org correspondent Firas Al-Atraqchi drafted this report.