Marines Encircle Fallouja (Operation Valiant Resolve commencing)

LA Times ^ | 4-4-04 | Tony Perry and Edmund Sanders

[BurbankKarl]

FALLOUJA, Iraq — Thousands of Marines surrounded this anti-American stronghold early today in preparation for a complex raid to retake control of the city and apprehend those responsible for last week's slayings of four U.S. security contractors.

The highly anticipated action, dubbed Operation Valiant Resolve, was expected to be one of the biggest military offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government a year ago.

All roads leading to this city of 300,000 were cut off and barricaded with tanks and concertina wire. Working through the cold and windy desert night, under a large moon, Marines set up camps for detainees and residents who might flee any fighting. Before dawn, several Marine positions were hit by mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard throughout the city.

[olde north church]

Did you happen to see El Cid?

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thank you for doing that.

Everyone, stop the inhouse fighting. WE are not at war with each other...let's band together and fight the REAL enemies!

Now go PRAY!!!!!

[lavrenti]

I agree with your point. However, considering the current shelf-life of Iraqi Shia clerics, Sadr probably hasn't long to go before he becomes yet another badly reproduced poster on some Baghdad slum wall, along with all the other Shia "martyrs" going back to Mohammad's sons-in-law.

I am confident somebody will take him out. At the moment he is too close to the Iranians and seriously far from God, as it were.

[agincourt1415]

RE: your Pic, My Question is why don't we have a sniper with a Barrett 50 cal rifle at a roof top somewhere to take down this idiot with a Russian Assault Rifle.

[McGavin999]

Yep, most of his "supporters" have come in from Iran. The Mad Mullahs are backing him, that's why the comments about Hamas and Hizbollah. Of the 15 million Shiias only about 10 to 20,000 are with Sadar and most of them are only with him because he's paying them.

[Travis McGee]

That picture will be a big help in target ID for our snipers. Nice of the dummies to help us out like that.

[McGavin999]

I know, but Travis is a big boy and he really doesn't need all you guys jumping to his defense. Notice how he's ignoring it? That's because he knows what he knows and doesn't need to play macho games.

[BushMeister]

Well, no- I'm not saying that there are 20-25,000 Marines available to invade Fallujah. I don't even know that all the Marines due to be rotated in have arrived in Iraq yet.

I hope we hit them with a complete package- tanks, Bradleys, Apaches, Predators, Puff the Magic Dragon, and even a few A-10s flying over in case a concentration of bad guys builds up, or a pocket of our Marines has to be rescued.

Anyone think the Army will lend a hand (besides Apaches), or will the Marines do it themselves?

[TrueBeliever9]

Everyone, stop the inhouse fighting. WE are not at war with each other...let's band together and fight the REAL enemies! Now go PRAY!!!!!

YES EVERYONE STOP AND PRAY! NOW!

[Getsmart64]

"See, the problem with the demand for "more troops" is this: the "insurgents" will simply have more targets for suicide bombings. Minimal footprint is the solution against the Islamist."

I am assuming....but you know what happens when you assume....they are not all infantry...tactics are tactics....our artillery can pinpoint a house....send in a squad of infanrty....recieve fire...direct artillery....just one of many tactics they will use....

[Redcloak]

I wonder if we can get them to name one of these "Operation: ZOT!".

[MNJohnnie]

My apologies for doubting your credentials. But HONEST professional opinion Seal. Do you REALLY think we can do this with drones and missles? Do you REALLY think we can do this without people going in on the ground? Because frankly I do not see any way this can work without people on the ground separating the wheat from the chaff.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thats a rather polite way of putting it.

[Getsmart64]

well...there have been Arab journalist killed in Iraq by coalition forces...hmm...collaboraters??

[John Lenin]

Has this story been confirmed yet? There is no news anywhere on it.

[lavrenti]

What's with these morons? Didn't they get the AQ memo to put on their ski masks?

Also, I like the gun safety training that dope is showing. I think he is another "fires gun in air at wedding" type considering the way he's holding the pistol...while holding a poster.

[Travis McGee]

It would be a big help if enemy leaders (like Sadr) who call for terrorist attacks died real soon after. Every healthy day for them after they call for the death of our troops is a victory for their side. We should have the means and the will to pinpoint target these firebrands, I would tend toward the Yassin method: a supersonic missile from the sky they can't see or hear coming.

This is far preferable to me to putting platoons of Marines into the concrete rabbit warren of Iraqi slums, looking for unrecognizable adversaries, and facing IEDs in every alley and courtyard.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That is what I suspected, Iranian money at work!

[Getsmart64]

Naaa...no help for those that have waved the white flag of surrender...

[Woahhs]

Fair enough.