1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE UPDATE

CENTCOM ^ | April 12, 2004

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

	NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

April 12, 2004
Release Number: 04-04-09


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE UPDATE

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq –– Marines reinforced positions yesterday by adding to the cordon encircling the city. Marines are also maintaining their defensive positions in accordance with a unilateral suspension of offensive operations.

The Coalition directed that offensive operations in Fallujah be temporarily halted to facilitate dialogue between Iraqi leaders of Fallujah and a delegation from the Iraqi Governing Council.

The Marines operating in Fallujah received consistent enemy fire throughout the day. Immediate, precise fires were returned against enemy positions. Defensive engagements resulted in a significant number of enemy dead. Approximately 20 anti-Iraq forces were detained.

A Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter also returned fire against two structures where anti-aircraft fire was originating in Fallujah. The aircrew launched rockets and missiles against the site, hitting their targets.

Iraqi Police and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps units also are supporting Operation Vigilant Resolve. Iraqi police near Ar Ramadi discovered two “daisy-chained” IEDs and reported them to Marines in the area. Both were detonated after the Iraqi police cordoned the site without any injuries.

Iraqi police near Hit in the western region of Al Anbar conducted a raid on a suspected terrorist’s house. They captured two suspects inside, one considered a high-value target involved in planning and executing attacks against Coalition Forces.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The Marines operating in Fallujah received consistent enemy fire throughout the day. Immediate, precise fires were returned against enemy positions. Defensive engagements resulted in a significant number of enemy dead. Approximately 20 anti-Iraq forces were detained.

A Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter also returned fire against two structures where anti-aircraft fire was originating in Fallujah. The aircrew launched rockets and missiles against the site, hitting their targets.

Iraqi Police and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps units also are supporting Operation Vigilant Resolve...

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

 

                

 

   Bad news for the  bad guys!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEXOKIE welcomes prayer warriors, Ooh RAH!

[Solamente]

I just don't get why we can't be positioned outside of their best weapons range and just pick them off with our snipers and longer-ranged weaponry.

Personally, I wouldn't trade one American soldier's life for the entire Middle East population, friendlies included.

I understand the big picture, but sometimes I just can't rationalize the risk to our own.

[dalebert]

Praying 24-7 for our troops. Sounds like terrorists don't know what cease fire means.

[Reborn]

They captured two suspects inside, one considered a high-value target involved in planning and executing attacks against Coalition Forces.

Hmmm, Iraqi police are working with us? O Gasp! Gee, has someone told the LIBERAL media [spin machines] this?

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

[Reborn]

They captured two suspects inside, one considered a high-value target involved in planning and executing attacks against Coalition Forces.

Hmmm, Iraqi police are working with us? O Gasp! Gee, has someone told the LIBERAL media [spin machines] this?

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

[bogdanPolska12]

Neither would I. But if we don't do it who else will. We have good coalition forces backing up marines. There is more to come later. All I can tell you is bed guys are going to be killed. Load, aim and shoot.

I hate left media so much, for their disinformation and their constant spewing of hate to wards USA. I am even disappointed with FNC sometimes, but they have cool people in their like Oliver North, and good documentary. I have stop watching Fox and Friends in a morning.

Stay safe, everything will be fine, our guys are ready.
Bogdan

[SAMWolf]

Marine Corps Bump.

[Solamente]

It's just that I can't help but think that surely we could make better use of our superior technology to deal with an unworthy swarm of subhuman mutts. That's right, sub-human mutts.

[WOSG]

I just don't get why we can't be positioned outside of their best weapons range and just pick them off with our snipers and longer-ranged weaponry. "

Maybe that is what the Marines are doing. the pace has slowed but not stopped.

And remember the key is the CORDON. Let's not call it a seige, we can let non-combatants leave. As long as the bad guys cant get out and no ammo can get in, the pace of operations agaist them is of no consequence. We will win over time.

[blackie]

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Iraqi police near Hit in the western region of Al Anbar conducted a raid on a suspected terrorist’s house. They captured two suspects inside, one considered a high-value target involved in planning and executing attacks against Coalition Forces.


This is good news. It's good to see that some of the Iraqi police force are doing their job and helping us round up the bad guys. It's only going to make life better for the average Iraqi when we can get rid of the thugs. And more important to me, it will be better for our troops!!!

[JasonC]

"why we can't be positioned outside of their best weapons range"

Terrain. The lines of sight aren't that long. If we stayed outside the city in flat, open ground, then yes we could hit them at will beyond range of reply, if any were dumb enough to come to us. But we'd give them the whole city that way. Inside it, the lines of sight to many locations are only 20 yards or so.

Use of positions with limited lines of sight is a basic tactic in warfare, especially in infantry warfare. Reverse slopes, interiors of woods, and large towns are common positions for forces with shorter ranged weapons.

We can sight down the streets, or call for air in some places. But not everywhere. A continuous web of short lines of sight requires many separate positions, when there are lots of obstacles blocking the lines between one point and another.

A bad ASC graphic will illustrate the point. Let X mean building, O mean open street, L mean a long range weapon and S mean a short range one. Then imagine the block to block layout of the buildings and big avenues in one part of the town is like this -

XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XXOXXOXXOXX

If I want to hold it with long range weapons, I put them here -

XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XLOXXOLXOLX

Trying to sight down the longer avenues. But that obviously has its limits when there are a lot of buildings. Meanwhile, if I want to hold the same terrain with short range weapons, I put them here -

XXOXXOXXOXX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XXOXXOXXOXX
XSOXXOSXOSX
XXOXXOXXOXX
OOOOOOOOOOO
XXOXXOXXOXX

Each in the middle of a block, with limited sight to the one street passing right by. In those positions, nobody will see through the rest of the block to where the Ss are, until they pull right in front of the same building. We say, the initial LOS (line of sight) is short.

Either can be set up as a continuous line of positions and so prevent the other guy from passing through without getting shot at. The second is how AKs and RPGs - with limited range - would try to hold such a line. The former is how you'd do it with heavy machineguns and long range anti-tank guided missiles.

It is easy enough to defend in the deployment you like, optimized for short range fighting or for long. But when you attack the other guy, you have to go through his chosen deployment. Effectively, he gets a serious "say" in chosing the range at which the engagement will take place.

I hope this helps.

[Solamente]

I'm very grateful for the time you spent explaining. I'll have to read it several times to make sure it all sinks in. Thanks again.

My next project is to learn whether the "Rules of Engagement" is something written in stone, or do the parameters adapt to the situation?

[JasonC]

If it helps, try laying a straight edge - a pen or a folded piece of paper will do - on either diagram, seeing how many "O"s you can pass a straight line through without touching an "X", starting from the "L" positions, or from the "S" positions. I think you will see the idea.

As for rules of engagement, higher commands pass them down to lower with some flexibility, or specifying the situation meant to be covered by them. You can use these rules if someone has been firing at you recently, else use those - for example. Or use these in built up areas, and those back at your base camp, and another while in road convoy.

[JOE43270]

God Bless them. They are the BEST of the BEST! They are in my prayers.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[SuziQ]

They captured two suspects inside, one considered a high-value target involved in planning and executing attacks against Coalition Forces.

Hmmm. I wonder who?