US Offensive in Fallujah intensifies

DW -World.DE ^ | 4-6-04

[TexKat]

US and Iraqi forces clash with insurgents in Fallujah

There have been heavy clashes between US troops and Iraqi insurgents on the edge of the flashpoint town of Falluja. US commanders have been vowing to pacify Fallujah after last week's killing of four US security contractors there. Meanwhile, an Italian news agency has quoted a local official in Nassiriya as saying some 15 Iraqi militiamen and civilians had been killed there in clashes with Italian soldiers. Italian officials said 12 Italian soldiers were wounded. The militiamen are said to be supporters of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, accused of leading a wave of confrontations with occupying coalition forces. 48 Iraqis and nine coalition soldiers were killed in fighting between occupying troops and Sadr's militiamen in Baghdad and Najaf on Sunday. And the US military has said attackers on Monday killed four US Marines in al-Anbar province west of Baghdad, while three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate attacks in a Shi'ite area of Baghdad on Monday and Tuesday.

[TexKat]

President George W. Bush expected to speak in a few minutes with strong language regarding the June 30 date from Arkansas per Fox News.

[AmericanInTokyo]

If done without mercy and political correctness, it will in fact be the Clean Up. Agreed.

If we cannot find it within our hearts to be Fallujah Delendre Est, we are liable to get bogged down in a world of Shiite, though, IMHO.

[Coop]

If you accessed the speech, then you know President Bush specifically said "...the mission continues..."

[Dog]

NBC is reporting the Marines are entering the city of Fallujah from three points. AC-130 gunships are above the town. And there are reports of Marines mounting foot patrols in the city.

[Travis McGee]

Our forces now have a lot of experience exploiting typical Muslim vanity. We will set up good fields of fire, and then make obvious feints in ways the enemy can't resist. The enemy will be drawn to attack our feints, and will be slaughtered in great numbers. At American rifle distance, the enemy is not even in the game.

[spoiler2]

"This is the CLEANUP Detail!!!!"

Right, this is the battle of Baghdad, simply delayed, moved out of town, and distilled down to the most concentrated group of thugs that still want to resist.

If the Battle of Fallujah turns out to be the most deciding, traditionally-fought battle of this entire conflict, then so be it!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This operation may go on for a month, you know.... The media will not be our soldiers friend....

[TomGuy]

FoxNews just reporting that Marines are starting to move into the edge (urban) areas of Fallujah and are getting heavy resistence.

[Travis McGee]

The Belmont Club piece linked at 49 is prescient. Not being privy to classified briefings (obviously) I would love to compare Wretchard's analysis to them, if I had access to them.

[Aeronaut]

The media will not be our soldiers friend....

That's where we come in.

[Travis McGee]

This is how today's media would report on June 7th, 1944:

ALLIED FORCES PINNED DOWN ON BEACHES!

FDR SILENT ON MASSIVE CASUALTIES!

DEFEAT IMMINENT: IKE'S PLAN GOES AWRY!

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

There are no embedded reporters on this one. We'll let the military do what they do best, kill the enemy without fear of public scrutiny.

As I pointed out last week, the insurgents will see the AC-130s overhead, which they never saw during the beginning stages of the war. They had no idea what we had in store for them. After seeing this however, they will think twice about riling us up again before it's all said and done.

[TomGuy]

NBC is reporting the Marines are entering the city of Fallujah from three points. AC-130 gunships are above the town. And there are reports of Marines mounting foot patrols in the city.

{whine!} I wanna see!!! Why can't we see the A-130? Where are the webcams????? [That could definitely be a 'double up on the popcorn' event.]

[Travis McGee]

One more headline:

GERMAN DEFENDERS PUT UP STRONG RESISTANCE TO STUMBLING AMERICAN ATTACK!

[boxerblues]

Sometimes its just better to let the Marines do the job we want them to do and give us the details later.

[MEG33]

I have thought many times about the press then and now.

I won't forgive the dems or the press for undermining our troops' morale and trying to break the resolve of our country and our leaders.The enemy within is at work.

[Dog]

LOL!

Sadly that is how todays media would treat D-Day.

[r9etb]

At American rifle distance, the enemy is not even in the game.

And at Marine rifle distance, they may not even know there was a game, until it's too late.

I think this is probably going to be a lot shorter and less violent than people expect. The salamikazes will notice that they're dying in unsupportable numbers, and they'll melt back into the woodwork. This will wind down into another round of area searches, weapons-hunting, and so on.

I think that the mosques will not be off-limits.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Amen!

Foxnews is now cutting away from the President....