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.

[Robert Teesdale]

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.

Damn right!

I think a Koranic quote is proper at this time:

Wherever you are, death shall certainly get to you, even if you place yourself in lofty towers. Al-Nisaa 4:78

[MNJohnnie]

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.


EXACTLY! EXACTLY! EXACTLY! VERY well said!

[Cindy]

Yep.
Heard something like this earlier today.

[Cap Huff]

Iranians???

I suppose anything is possible, but I personally think it highly unlikely that any radical Shi'ites (i.e. Iranian terrorists) would be able to last long themselves in a radical Sunni area. That's not to say that AQ Sunni types can't find shelter in Iran, or can't cooperate to some extent, but Fallujah is just not the kind of place an Iranian would be able to blend in.

My take is that the guys who pulled off the ambush were terrorists working with al-Zarqawi, and AZ I think was the guy behind the attacks a few weeks ago against the Shi'ites during their holy day celebration.

[StarCMC]

Agreed -- prayer in my heart tonight as I head for bed.

[TomasUSMC]

They will just surrender and relocate to our comfortable detainee camps. ( After firing a couple of thousand rounds and hundreds of mortar and RPG rounds at our Marines.)

[MNJohnnie]

No, we do this all the time because we are not barbarians like the people we fight. Trust the Marines Cinnamon, they know what they are doing

[piasa]

Marines in Position to Retake Control of Fallouja
Los Angeles Times (subscription), CA - 24 minutes ago
... 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 ...

(Slightly different title on this article...)

[armymarinemom]

God Bless our Marines
Prayers going out for each and every Devil Dog

[LdSentinal]

They should hand the security of those detainee camps to the Kurds.

[saquin]

If we're going in, I hope it's in overwhelming numbers. I'm sure the military commanders have it all figured out but, as far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many troops. We have to make them think twice about even thinking about attacking our guys.

[Robert Teesdale]

Two different jihadi websites are reporting Fallujah surrounded by 20,000 coalition troops and that the action has begun. No way to verify whether this report is accurate or not.

FReepmail me links to those sites, can you? I'm working on another Flash video, titled "The Religion of Peace". Any material I can use is appreciated....

And God bless the United States. God protect the U.S. Marines.

And God help the enemies of America, for Fallujah will be a monument to their folly.

Hopefully a smoking one. Fallujah delenda est!

[2rightsleftcoast]

Amen to that!

[ETERNAL WARMING]

GO TROOPS GO!!! Please everybody...pray for our men and women!

[HiJinx]

You think the perps are gone. I respectfully disagree. They've been killing us and the Iraqi police for weeks now, and they probably planned to kill some more. They in fact did try to kill some more in the last couple of days.

But you know what? Even if the original killers aren't there, their kind are going to find out that you don't get into an ass-kicking contest with the guy wearing the biggest, baddest, cowboy boots on the planet.

'Nuff said?

[LdSentinal]

This should have been done last year.

[CatOwner]

"They should hand the security of those detainee camps to the Kurds."

Now, there's a plan! Let them kill each other rather than coalition troops. Kudos to your suggestion!

[coffmg]

AMEN Amen and amen.

Don't worry about anyone getting away. The fools really thought we 'were too cowardly to retaliate.

[MNJohnnie]

20,000 Marines? Backed up by the full air support of the Coalition? These people are SCREWED. Count on it.

[MEG33]

Amen.God guide them in their mission,arm them and protect them.Help them achieve success ,Lord.Bring them safely through.