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.

[fiftymegaton]

amen

[KellyAdmirer]

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.

Anyone who thinks this is "two days too late" must have missed this part. Plenty of terrorists are still in there, ready to be neutralized. If this is just a case of "termites," sounds like those termites got to the foundations and have ruined the entire structure, requiring complete reconstruction.

[DoughtyOne]

Godspeed Marines!

[ride the whirlwind]

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.

Prayers for our fighting men.

[EternalHope]

Yee Haw!!

[hoosiermama]

A chorus of Eagles Wings.....for the GOOD guys!

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."

Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.


Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.


Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.


Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.

[Delta 21]

....does this mean Ann Margrett isnt coming?

[SBprone]

I think you misunderstand our purpose today in the middle east. Our purpose here is to publicly pick fights with Arabs and other troublesome Muslims and publicly kick their stinking butts for the edification of Muslims everywhere.

With patience and determination we will teach them that it is God's will that we kick their asses whenever they take up arms against us.

[MNJohnnie]

Sign on: Johnnie777

Password 9529741580

I registered with the LA Times. Feel free to use my signon. I wanted to find all the details before I start bombarding the News Media with emails about why the TIMES has this but none of the BROADCAST newsmedia do.

[A Jovial Cad]

I hope they hit them so hard that the survivors will pass the lore down to their great-great-grand children about the day they learned one very valuable lesson: you don't mess with the U.S.
God Bless the United States Marine Corps, and all our brave troops.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Marines set up camps for detainees and residents who might flee any fighting.

Isn't this a potential suicide bomber problem?

[piasa]

Someone posted a photo before dawn yesterday of some smoldering wreckage outside of town- from a soldier over there- and it looked like things were underway then.

[MNJohnnie]

Amen!

[Spotsy]

Wow, I couldn't agree more. Kill the terrorists but forget about trying to rehabilitate.

Failed states and brutal, tyrannical regimes are swamps that breed terrorism

Best to drain the swamp and to plant something desirable

[TomasUSMC]

Marines set up camps for detainees. WHAT! DEEETAINEEEE CAMPS!

Wait lemme go back and reeeeread that. Yep thats what it says. Well so that is how its going to be. The Muslims shoot at the Christians. They get lucky and kill some Christians, then they give up and are put in DEEETAINEEEE CAMPS.

I don't recall the Islamic goons setting up deeetaineee camps for those four Americans. But.... I do remember them setting up some nice fire pits, and some meat hooks. Wow we will show them now!

I pray that we just sit outside that city and rain Arty and B52 strikes on them and let only the women and children ( 9 and under) come out.

But you just know what eventually is going to happen. All those young men from fallujah are going to fill up those DEEETAINEEE camps after they have killed more of our brave lads.

[Finalapproach29er]

Agreed. I hope the enemy losses our shown publicly.

[cherry]

they might get a 1000 hits just tonite......lol

[HiJinx]

Thanks for the ping, Star.

Our Marines are doing what needs to be done. And they'll do it right.

[Charles Henrickson]

I'm guessing the perps who actually murdered our guys (as distinguished from those who then messed with the bodies) are long gone. However, there are probably plenty of desecrators and collaborators still there. And if we can get some information, too, so much the better.

[CatOwner]

" Isn't this a potential suicide bomber problem?"

Sure sounds like it. We play too nice in this war, putting coalition troops at far too much risk.