Posted on 04/07/2004 8:02:38 AM PDT by dead
US marines pressing an offensive in this Iraqi town west of Baghdad bombed a central mosque and killed up to 40 insurgents holed up inside, a marine officer said.
The bombing came after several hours of small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) fire from insurgents, which left three marines wounded, said Lieutenant Colonel Brennan Byrne.
He said there were "as many as 40 rebels" inside the mosque. "We want to kill the people inside," he added.
The officer said a Cobra helicopter gunship fired a Hell Fire missile at the mosque and then an aircraft dropped a laser-guided precision bomb.
Fallujah residents confirmed that the Abdulaziz al-Samarai mosque was hit along with the building of the Islamic Scholars' Association.
The officer said the marines carried out the raid as precisely as they could because there were people living nearby.
US forces have claimed that the rebels who are fiercely opposed to the US-led occupation of Iraq are using mosques to fire on marines and to hide weapons.
Earlier today, all the city mosques called for a "jihad" (holy war) against occupation forces amid intense bombardments and aircraft overflights.
The insurgents claimed in a communique to have shot down three US helicopters, destroyed two jeeps and two armoured vehicles.
They also claimed they were still in control of the city and had put US forces to flight.
Meanwhile, Byrne said the marines advancing from the south reached the centre of Fallujah amid fierce fighting on the third day of "Operation Vigilant Resolve" to flush out insurgents who killed four American contractors here last week.
"The marines are now at the centre of the city," he said.
It was not immediately clear if marines advancing from the north had also reached the centre of Fallujah, which lies west of Baghdad.
Another marine officer, who did not wish to be identified, said the force suffered six injuries today.
During a battle with insurgents holed up in a mosque, five marines were slightly wounded by shrapnel when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near their Humvee, he said.
One marine was shot in the arm in a separate attack by insurgents.
The officer said a helicopter gunship shot and killed one insurgent who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade on marines today.
The slain body of an insurgent who was killed yesterday was still lying on the ground of a street in southern Fallujah.
AFP
Fallujah residents confirmed that the Abdulaziz al-Samarai mosque was hit along with the building of the Islamic Scholars' Association.
Obviously, the second building was empty.
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Think "Tank".
Hopefully a 2,000 pound bomb.
Good.
I personally am glad that he's given the military the chance to take the gloves off.
A least he is not micromanaging targets for political reasons like, say, LBJ.
Buildings can be rebuilt.
People can't.
Works for me.
The jihadists are an impulsive pile of rabble that is "organized" only in the loosest sense of the word. They lack training, tactics, and a clear strategy. This will not be a fair fight even if we keep one hand tied behind our backs (as we are doing by striving very hard to keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum).
The initial flush of excitement and high morale among the jihadists will drain away as their numbers are decimated.
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