excerpts from

 http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Transcripts/20030402.htm

The firefight is a classic!
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Q We noticed that you made no mention of the rescue of Jessica Lynch and the special operations that went on. We understand that there is video taken by a combat camera team. Can you show us that video?

GEN. BROOKS: Well, let me first resume where we left off very early this morning, and that is that coalition special operations forces did stage an operation last night into the town of An Nasiriyah. It was in the Saddam Hospital in An Nasiriyah, a facility that had been used by the regime as a military post.

We were successful in that operation last night and did retrieve PFC Jessica Lynch, bringing her away from that location of danger, clearing the building of some of the military activity that was in there. There was not a fire fight inside of the building, I will tell you, but there were fire fights outside of the building, getting in and getting out.

There were no coalition casualties as a result of this. And in the destruction that occurred inside of the building, particularly in the basement area, where the operations centers had been, we found ammunition, mortars, maps, a terrain model, and other things that make it very clear that it was being used as a military command post.

The nature of the operation was a coalition special operation that involved Army Rangers, Air Force pilots and combat controllers, U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs. It was a classic joint operation done by some of our nation's finest warriors, who are dedicated to never leaving a comrade behind.

We did have the opportunity to have a combat camera crew with the assault force. And we'll show you only the portion that has PFC Lynch being retrieved.

Do we have the tape?

(Videotape is shown.) This is a coalition Blackhawk helicopter on the ground and PFC Lynch on a stretcher being carried to safety.

This, of course, was done under blackout conditions in the compound itself, where the helicopter landed. PFC Jessica Lynch. At this point she is safe. She's been retrieved. And some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen; loyal to a creed that they know, that they'll never leave a fallen comrade and never embarrass their country.

Next question? Please.

Q (Inaudible) -- with ABC News. Could you tell us about her condition? Who exactly was holding her? Was it the regime in a larger sense or was it some tribal faction or small controlling party in the area? And also, if you would, please, the status of some of the others, the reports that bodies were also found.

GEN. BROOKS: I don't want to comment too specifically on her condition. The good news is she's alive. She's in coalition control and receiving appropriate medical attention and care and screening right now. And for her privacy, I won't go any further into that.

As to who was holding her, the regime was holding her. The regime clearly had done this. It was regime forces that had been in there. Indications are they were paramilitaries, but we don't know exactly who. They'd apparently moved most of them out before we arrived to get in, although, as I mentioned, there were buildings outside of the Saddam Hospital, where we received fire -- or the assault force received fire -- during the night.

We did unfortunately also find the remains of 11 persons who are unidentified at this point. Two of the persons were inside of a morgue within the hospital building, and the other nine were outside in a grave area inside the community.

Our coalition forces were escorted to those locations by someone who was taken into custody during the assault, and the locations were pointed out by them. At this point we're doing additional forensic examination and medical examination to determine who they might be. We don't know at this point and don't have any further comment on who it is at the current time.

Please, Mike.

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FUCK YOU COMMIE PIG

Well Saddam killed socialists and commies first then the Islamists.

Actually why Regan administration took Saddam's Iraq off the terorist sponsor states list in 1982 and armed him with everything he asked for was because he killed off the Iraqi and Kurdish commies and socialists.

But I agree the bastard was evil.