Posted on 04/26/2004 6:17:40 PM PDT by blam
Gunships level minaret as US cancels assault
By David Rennie in Washington and Toby Harnden in Baghdad
(Filed: 27/04/2004)
An American assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah was postponed yesterday after local commanders said bloody urban warfare could provoke retaliation across the country and protests throughout the Muslim world.
The commanders, citing progress in political negotiations on Saturday night, agreed to extend the threadbare "ceasefire" for at least two more days despite residents' failure to surrender heavy weapons as demanded.
US army vehicles wrecked by an explosion in Baghdad
But yesterday morning a fierce battle left marines "fighting like lions" for their lives.
In a potential propaganda disaster, the marines called in helicopter gunships to level a 60-ft mosque minaret allegedly being used as a firing platform by insurgents.
The decision to step back from an immediate assault was taken after President George W Bush and senior aides held a video conference with Paul Bremer, the Coalition Provisional Authority chief, and Gen John Abizaid, the senior US commander in the region.
One senior official told the New York Times Mr Bush and his aides decided that even if an invasion of Fallujah later became inevitable the delay would allow them to say they had given talks every chance. "No one is eager for the alternatives. There's not much risk in giving this more time, except that the humanitarian situation worsens every day," the official said.
Brig-Gen Mark Kimmitt, the US military spokesman in Baghdad, accused insurgents of provoking marines to open fire when they knew cameras were present, as part of a propaganda war.
A plume of smoke rises over Fallujah as fighting continues
He said: "Many times it would appear that these provocative actions on the part of the enemy are intentionally inspired for the purposes of trying to get a tank into the camera lens, an airplane in the camera lens."
Brig Gen Kimmitt said the latest fighting in Fallujah began when marines were attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from the mosque.
A search of the minaret found "a significant amount of expended shell casings".
Two hours later, marines were pinned down by more firing from the mosque and called in a quick-reaction force of air support and tanks. These "directed suppressing fire on the mosque, killing eight enemy fighters and damaging the infrastructure". One American was killed.
In Baghdad, cheering Iraqis looted burnt Humvee vehicles and carried away guns and radios yesterday after two American soldiers were killed and five wounded when a house exploded as they searched it for "chemical munitions". A woman soldier with severe burns to the face and chest was seen being taken away on a stretcher and dozens of people, mainly youths, smashed four Humvees which had been set ablaze, stripping them of weapons and equipment.
A boy climbed on top of one of the vehicles and beat it with a stick. Another youth, wielding an American rifle, denounced Mr Bush and Mr Bremer. "This is for the madman Bush, for the madman Bremer," he shouted.
Eight Iraqi civilians were injured in the blast.
Brig-Gen Kimmitt said the house was surrounded after intelligence that its owner was "suspected of producing and supplying chemical agents to insurgents". He would not specify what type of "chemical munitions" were thought to have been there.
About 200 soldiers and military policemen entered the flashpoint city of Najaf - the Shia holy site where the radical young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is holed up with armed militia fighters - moving into a base due to be vacated by Spanish and Latin American forces soon.
Loud explosions echoed through the city last night as fighting erupted between US forces and Sadr's militia between Najaf and nearby Kufa.
Mr Bremer said an "explosive situation" was developing. Militants were stockpiling weapons in mosques, schools and shrines.
I find all this very disturbing.
I only know what I read.
Over the weekend all the stories about Fallujah included the White House decision about the city.
Terrorists can't be converted!
They must be destroyed.
10,000
Agree. But the people over there think that an all out assault would cause uprisings across the country. That means LOTS of dead Marines and Soldier (and US civilians).
The optimum choice can be between bad and awful. There's nothing that says there has to be a good one.
It's possible that current Marine sniping and infiltration will result in just as many terrorists killed but very few dead Iraqi civilians. Most of the casualties are from IEDs, convoy attacks, and the booby-trapped building. Not from successful attacks against the Marines. The Marines in Fallujah are dishing out a lot more than they are taking.
The terrorists want us to lash out, kill a boatload of Iraqi civilians, and create a bunch of recruits for Michael Moron's Minutemen. I'm frustrated too but we can't play into their hands. Let them starve. Let them get gunned down every time they move. Let our troops perfect their intelligence about exactly where they are and kill only the terrorists.
If our Marines can conquer a city without leveling it, they will make military history. It will have huge implications. Hiding among civilians will no longer be a safe haven for the terrorists. They will know that, if they attack us, they village/town/city will be surrounded and they will DIE there. The civilians will know if they harbor these scum, they too will suffer. Tipping point.
Wha? You mean allied troops are still stuck in southern Italy? We still have a problem with German snipers to this day? After the attack, there might have been a few left over snipers, but all the heavy morters and massed weapons that caused the tie up to troops passing by were eliminated. We haven't had a problem with them since.
To early/soon.
It 's Like "Vietnam" if our Politicians attempt to Direct our Military.
Hopefully, our Military is allowed to Execute It's Options!
So Far, There are NO "Options" "Un-Vetted" by our Military!
Doc
Be advised that this type of warfare amounts to 'trolling for terrorists" using our guys as "bait" we patrol and lure the bad guys into ambushing our guys with RPGs...a few of our guys die...but we hopefully get a fix on the bad guys and then kill ten or twenty of them....its a war of attrition...and we must sacrifice a few of ours for more of theirs....
Success measured in "kill ratios"....I've fought in both kinds of parameters...and trolling for ambushes sucks beyond belief...it tears the heart of you....you cant do it for long without going nuts...It makes no sense to the guys who came to fight...and are forced to become bait... We wont show our flag draped coffins on the TEe Vee....and they don't get many dead babies to show on their tee vee...
The idea is we trade our boys lives for their 'so called' "civilian" lives...so as we don't have a major rebellion on our hands supported by not only all Arab nations but all Muslim nations every commie nation and all other nations who hate us anyway...but now have a real excuse to band together against us...at least in the court of world opinion....and that includes half the USA
And this is an election year.... IMO
Iraq is starting to appear like Mardi Gras in Tijuana except no beads and the only ones having fun are those drunk on unity. Some uniters and not dividers are running this war. Seems to me a little more dividing and breaking things and a lot less uniting would work nicely.
Iraqis don't unify well. Import some Libertarians to show them how to do anarchy correctly. Thats it. Deport the democrats cause their stupid or they would'nt be democrats. And import some libertarians because they want exactely what the Iraqis have now. And stand back and watch as they all get high together.. Might not work but at least the democrats will be in Germany and we can call it the Doritos and Dip for oil program.. The tourism from Hollywood would rise and we could nuke several problems at once. The democrats in Germany could see what a real Nazi looks like and could recognize the feminazis when they get back to America the Effeminate.
A boy climbed on top of one of the vehicles and beat it with a stick.
Another youth, wielding an American rifle, denounced Mr Bush and Mr Bremer.
"This is for the madman Bush, for the madman Bremer," he shouted.
Wonder where these Baghdad based thugs got the idea they could get away with such actions?
Didn't they understand Fallujah?
We solved that problem when we promised an "overwhelming response."
They better be careful or we'll promise again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.