Munitions dump blown in Baghdad. Nobody talking.

Last night about 10:45 pm, I was riveted to the tube watching a munitions dump "cook off" on CNN.  Several of us hit the Post button almost simultaneously.  I was third and I deleted.  I searched for the video today but could not find it even though it was some of the most dramatic footage coming out of Iraq in a long time.  The disaster came late for most newspapers to pick it up.  Nothing in the WaPo and NYT had a few paragraphs.

Let me testify that the munitions cooking off just south of Baghdad on Forward Operating Base Falcon were massive and many--some shook the camera which was 4-5 miles away--and the blasts continued for several hours.  Shells or missiles arced high into the sky.  An army spokesman reported that a "mortar round set fire to an ammunition holding area, where material is kept before distribution to the units at Falcon."  Active military, please correct me if I am wrong.  This was not a "holding area" for daily operations.  This was a major munitions dump supporting operations in Baghdad.  More mules below.

The best account I found was on AP, an account relied upon by most news reports:

http://hosted.ap.org/...

Insurgents claimed responsibility.

My intuition tells me that we got hit very hard last night.  I think the military is withholding information (rightfully) so as not to let the insurgents know how hard they hit us.  If you can find the video, you be the judge.

FOB Falcon is a very large military post and air base housing over 2,000 soldiers and contractors, so it is possible that there were no casualties as reported.  Everyone is very spread out.  FOB Falcon is classified as one of the "enduring camps," those that are expected to remain in country when the bulk of our troops are withdrawn.  It appears to be absorbing about $800 million of our money.

The best description I could find of FOB Falcon is here:

http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/...

What heightened my suspicion of a buried story--besides the disconnect with what I saw with my own eyes on the idiot tube--was Lt. Col. Withington (public affairs) saying the attack "had no strategic effect."  Why deny what no one had yet brought up?  If there are active military blogging from Falcon, please let us know what happened last night.

Falcon is in the Baghdad ?neighborhood? called Dora.  There were numerous attacks in Dora today, likely part of a concerted effort to thwart ongoing US efforts to secure Baghdad.

Dora attacks here at NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/...

If our ammo dump was nailed, someone was negligent.  Ammunition by SOP is stored in underground bunkers, not stacked in the open air where a "mortar round" can set off three hours of explosions.  There is more story here.  Please help us find it.

•  I agree

  I posted a diary last night saying as much and was astonished at the number of Kossacks who would take the military at their word even in the face of them having a very good reason to lie about it if it was an attack.

  by tlh lib on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:52:04 PM PDT

  •  Well at the moment we just don't have

    any other sources of info to speak of which is part of the problem. Since they control most of the media there, they're able to control what we know about the incident and they sure don't want us to know the truth if it is as bad as it sounds like it could be.

    by Arken on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:54:01 PM PDT

    •  well exactly right

      but why anybody would take their statement on it as anything to rely on in the least is beyond me.   like i said last night, i'd need a ton of other sources verifying any military statement before i gave it the slightest bit of credibility in truth.

      by tlh lib on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:55:30 PM PDT

    •  You Tube links?

      anybody has youtube links?

      thank gawd, the chimpster hasn't declared war with Iran yet.

      by fugue on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:01:11 PM PDT

      •  looked but didn't find two hours ago.

        by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:02:21 PM PDT

  •  google is my friend

    Last night I googled Dora Baghdad, sounds like the people in the area have had their farms bulldozed and their vineyards destroyed, the locals have reason to be unhappy.

    Dora Farms
    At the time of the 1991 Gulf War, a chemical storage facility was reportedly located east of al-Dora [ad-Dawrah] in southeast Baghdad, bordered by the Tigris River on the east and the Dora expressway on the west. Conventional munitions were also stored at this facility.

    On 19 March 2003 communications intercepts suggested Saddam Hussein would be staying at a Tigris River facility known as Dora Farms, which was linked to his wife's family. Subsequent reconnaissance identified guards and vehicles tucked into tree lines on the farm. US forces launched the campaign on 20 March 20003 by firing more than 40 Tomahawk missiles at Dora Farms. Every structure in the compound was destroyed, except one building - the main palace - hidden behind a wall topped with electrified barbed wire. Bunker-busters dropped by F-117 stealth fighters were used on the presumption the compound had underground tunnels where Saddam could be hiding, intelligence officials said. But the weapons targeted on the central palace missed, exploding nearby. There were no bunkers in the Dora Farms area.

    Where do the people go when their is a chemical fire like the one we had recently in which many were evacuated?

    by ohcanada on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:26:56 PM PDT

•  Guess tip jar is SOP, the event is more vital.

  by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:54:47 PM PDT

•  Move along.

  Nothing to see here.

  by irate on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:55:44 PM PDT

  •  move along, move along. n/t

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:57:52 PM PDT

    •  Move Along, gawdammit!!!

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:03:18 PM PDT

•  Rummy Shocked and Awed

  by jondo on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:57:15 PM PDT

  •  "Am I in shock?"

    "Of course I am. Am I in awe? Heavens to Betsy, yes! Did I crap my pants? Certainly, but that isn't unusual for a man my age!"

    by Shiborg on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:02:52 PM PDT

•  Could the enemy have infiltrated the FOB?

  I think that's a lot more likely to have caused all the fireworks than a lucky mortar round.

  by lysias on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:57:51 PM PDT

  •  I agree but have no evidence. n/t

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:59:08 PM PDT

  •  Infiltrated yes but not a lucky shot either.

    Most likely a mortar round did cause the damage.  But it would not have been a "lucky Shot" either.  The i rA  had a "lucky shot" that missed Maggie by not much, and that was from a van parked on another street that was driven to the site and parallel parked.  

    One smart guy with a good compass could have the "lucky Shot" calculated fairly accurately.  

    Combine that with the fact that if CNN can see it,, so can everyone else.

    Combine that with the ability of a national  working on Base to help with calculations, Lucky starts too lose it's meaning.

    It seems to be a case of carefull planning and good execution.  And maybe; just a little luck.

    by bldr on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:36:16 PM PDT

    •  Astute.

      I don't underestimate these assholes.  This was right on target.

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:40:28 PM PDT

•  Slippery words

  It's probably true that having the dump blown won't have a "strategic" effect; tactically and operationally it has to be Excedrin Headache #1.  Always have to read between the lines.

  by ActivistGuy on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 03:59:51 PM PDT

  •  Operationally a big pain in the ass. N/T

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:02:53 PM PDT

    •  and it kinda looks bad

      by theyrereal on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:35:36 PM PDT

      •  ewA dna kcohS

        Shock and Awe - reversed

        by curtadams on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:47:57 PM PDT

  •  I suspect the "strategic affect" is what they are

    trying to avoid by playing the event off as a lucky strike, which hopefully is exactly what it was.  

    by epppie on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:37:38 PM PDT

•  First report I heard was a fire had caused this,

  now it appears they have admitted it was a incoming mortar
  round. To me, I can only think of : Whack a Mole - and how
  it won't work, in fact how naked it leaves our troops. Maybe
  Bush and Rummy should have their security thinned out and
  we'll see how their nerve holds up. The result I think we'd see
  would be a couple of freaked out nervous wrecks with pee
  stains in their trousers, in one case refrigerated pee stain.

  by leo joad on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:10:03 PM PDT

  •  UTBC

    Under the breath chuckle.  Nice post.

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:12:12 PM PDT

  •  Hardball played the video last night

    of the initial explosion, which was huge. I wonder if msnbc might have that footage up somewhere? The reporter speaking from baghdad was saying mortar round then.

    by jancw on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:16:49 PM PDT

•  How much did all that ammo cost?

  If this was a big dump that exploded, what is the $ cost of the loss?

  by Thom K in LA on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:19:55 PM PDT

  •  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:21:16 PM PDT

  •  Not the cost necessarily

    But how quickly can it be replaced using our typical supply lines and procurement practices?

    by kfred on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:24:07 PM PDT

    •  it's troops that have to get the stuff to base

      Running the gauntlet.  Don't know how long it takes to replace the ammo dump.  Why should we have to?  Somebody screwed up.  Pisses me off that the media aren't talking about this story.  Maybe something in the WaPo tomorrow?

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:30:59 PM PDT

      •  Can you imagine running an ammo convoy in Iraq?

        Being assigned such duty must be one way to tell that the Army doesn't think you have much career potential.

        by Shiborg on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:07:14 PM PDT

        •  AND you're considered rear echelon. nt

          by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:16:55 PM PDT

•  Baghdad is falling

  Every indication I've seen is that Baghdad is falling, and supposedly the "upcoming battle of Baghdad" will determine the outcome of the occupation.

  Which begs the question -- Didn't we already take Baghdad?

  by theyrereal on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:21:39 PM PDT

  •  elsewhere, 5 soldiers dead

    
    3 U.S. Marines, 2 soldiers die in Iraq

    and other other cheery stories:

    Violence out of control in Iraq: UN humanitarian chief

    Violence forces 1,000 Iraqis a day to flee homes: U.N.

    2,660 Iraq civilians killed in September

    So we have Loser-In-Chief until when?  2009?  Is that a "9" I see?  

    I really think we owe it to the people of our country, the people of our world, and the planet earth in general to REMOVE these scumbags from office far before that date.

    by theyrereal on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:34:03 PM PDT

    •  this is the real story. n/t

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:45:01 PM PDT

    •  BBC reports 650,000 Iraqis have been killed

      thats one in 40. this is reported by the British Medical journal "The Lancet" which has been keeping tabs.

      how many would 1 in 40 Americans dead be? Certainly in the hundreds of thousands.

      Bush rushed into this preemptive war..he should be tried at the Hague.

      by ohcanada on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:18:42 PM PDT

      •  okay. texas chainsaw massacre on ...

        an industrial level.

        by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:25:18 PM PDT

      •  1 in 40 Americans

        About 7 million.  New York City.

        by ActivistGuy on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:26:04 PM PDT

  •  How can Baghdad be falling?

    Aren't we digging trenches around it? Trenches??? It can't fall if we have trenches!

    by Shiborg on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:09:23 PM PDT

    •  Tremches are the key to all military success.

      Didn't you get the memo?

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:18:05 PM PDT

  •  Mis-accomplished. n/t

    by emmasnacker on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:33:11 PM PDT

•  Here's a Yahoo story

  http://news.yahoo.com/...

  
  BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi militia fired a mortar round into a US military base in Baghdad, triggering a thunderous series of explosions that destroyed an ammunition dump and rocked the entire city.
  ADVERTISEMENT

  The munitions store in Forward Operating Base Falcon was still burning Wednesday, more than 13 hours after the strike set off a blaze that lit up the night sky and spread panic in the already shell-shocked Iraqi capital.

  Nothingi to see here, folks, move along ...

  by theyrereal on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:25:56 PM PDT

  •  move along. n/t

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:31:53 PM PDT

  •  I wonder about Depleted Uranium...

    who really knows with the obvious news propaganda and blackout... things are bad.

    Let's hope/pray for our troops and Iraqi's who were close.

    "The biggest lesson I learned from Vietnam is not to trust [our own] government statements -

    • I had no idea until then that you could not rely on [them]."

    --James W. Fulbright (1905-1995),
    former US senator
    

    by Russgirl on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:57:53 PM PDT

    •  youagoodgurl.. nt

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:59:39 PM PDT

•  Details comming third week of November

  No bad news allowed out until the election, otherwise the terrorists win.

  by DJ Adequate on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:32:12 PM PDT

  •  you're right of course, Sad. n/t

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:36:43 PM PDT

•  This page

  has an AP Video.

  by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 04:58:54 PM PDT

•  This article

  in Aljazeera says Iraqi officials had to quell widespread panic in Baghdad.  Ordinance rained down on five neighborhoods.

  by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:03:57 PM PDT

  •  Forgot to mention...

    ...this article says the base was destroyed...was still burning 13 hours later.

    by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:05:44 PM PDT

    •  find it unlikely

      it is a VERY large post.  However, this may suggest damage we haven't seen yet.  Widespread panic would not surprise me.  Can we get some on the ground reporting?  C'mon guys/gals.

      by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:09:41 PM PDT

  •  thanx, wider than my typical web search.

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:06:20 PM PDT

•  Yes, it was spectacular--this may be one of those

  cases where there's an attempt to minimize for strategic and tactical reasons.  Not much you can do when it lights up the sky so well and for so long; the concern with resupply and normal patterns of ordnance storage and traffic need to be mixed up again.  I'm not surprised there's something of a black out on the news, but if has missed the cycle--command has to be happy about that.

  by gazingoffsouthward on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:15:09 PM PDT

  •  Agree.

    but we need to be aware at some level, don't we?

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:20:31 PM PDT

•  Hmmm....

  maybe they were po'd about this, also from Aljazeera.  Haven't heard a thing about it other than in this article.

  by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:24:01 PM PDT

  •  Here's an Iraqi blogger

    who mentions this story and the ammo dump burning: http://hammorabi.blogspot.com/

    by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:33:42 PM PDT

    •  Ok, here's an Iraqi blogger

      who has 138 comments on the ammo dump: http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/

      by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:36:57 PM PDT

      •  Hmm..the haloscan won't open for me. n/t

        by dharmafarmer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:38:07 PM PDT

  •  good point. The sky lit up. Aall I can say. mt

    by Stonewall Custer on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:35:48 PM PDT

•  Riverbend.

  Creator keep her safe.
  No posts since Aug 5, and she's still #1 on google.

  by emmasnacker on Wed Oct 11, 2006 at 05:35:15 PM PDT

  •  Riverbend

    is in my heart.  I so want to find news that she and her family are safe.

    by enough on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 02:26:00 PM PDT