Posted on 11/05/2004 8:51:12 AM PST by Jeff Blogworthy
American troops in Fallujah have made loudspeaker announcements and handed out leaflets urging civilians to leave the city ahead of an expected assault.
US soldier A US soldier trains at a camp outside Fallujah
The move comes as troops prepare for a major assault on rebel strongholds in Fallujah and nearby Ramadi.
The soldiers warned they would arrest any man under the age of 45 found trying to leave or enter the city.
Roads around Fallujah have been blocked and the city has been battered by US air strikes in preparation for the offensive.
Hospital officials said air strikes overnight had killed three people and wounded four others, while troops continue to shell insurgents, who have responded with rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Most of the 300,000 population of Fallujah have already fled and US marines say they are awaiting orders from President George W Bush and Ayad Allawi, the Iraqi interim prime minister, before beginning the attack.
Mr Allawi is in Europe to meet EU leaders today and is expected to return with an agreed reconstruction package.
The EU is offering Iraq an £11.5 million aid package to support the country's January elections and the criminal justice system.
Earlier, Mr Allawi met Tony Blair and both men emphasised that the elections must go ahead.
Mr Blair said: "These people that are trying to create circumstances of chaos and instability in Iraq are doing so because of their fear of the democratic process."
President Bush could have ramped up this offensive before the election and ginned up American patriotism and support of our troops and CIC. He didn't. That says a lot.
Any doubt Kerry would have?
Sorry, I probably shouldn't have included you in the comment.
You and julymoon were discussing, among other things, the need to support our men and women in Iraq. Julymoon made a comment that she was 'just thinking out loud', almost as if to dismiss her thoughts as less than worthy of discussion.
I was trying to tell her not to think that way, that many people post their thoughts on these boards and that those thoughts/ideas turn into worthwhile actions.
As far as the accuracy of what you and others are discussing, I couldn't agree with you more. You are reading dispatches on USMC.mil, and I am reading after action reports from support personnel in theater. Your read of what has been and is happening is quite accurate.
Well spent, however, if it leads to January elections in Iraq that went as smoothly as the recent elections in Afghanistan.
I'm over 45; can't hit a chickens lips but I can knock six tin cans in a row off a fence at 25 yards with a black powder six shooter.
They don't want the insurgents to slip out with the general population and regroup elsewhere.
You'll do. Get in line.
"As far as the accuracy of what you and others are discussing, I couldn't agree with you more. You are reading dispatches on USMC.mil, and I am reading after action reports from support personnel in theater. Your read of what has been and is happening is quite accurate."
Thank you for your clarification, I suspected you where an air head, sorry folks. I also get input from Marine Intel folks, yea my nephew, he just returned from the sand box.
Obviouse you are staying current. Hope you visit the OIF section of the official Marine Corps. site. It often has very current well written articles, just to name one site many of us know to be good sources.
Semper Fi.
"Hey why don't you invite a bunch of crack dealers to live in your house and take it over. Now remember if they want to rape you or cut your head off, you have no reason to not go along with their desire. Grow up to reality and pull your head out of the sand."
What? Try making sense!
How much is that in American $$?
The age limit of 45 is to curb the well known Iraqi custom of having large weddings in war zones. Men over the age of 45 are expected to be already married or too ugly for a new bride, therefore, safe.
By arresting the men of typical marrying age, preventing all of these late night weddings, we will be able to spare countless women and children.
There you have it. glad I could help ;-)
That is true, WWII did involve a heckuva lot of civilian casualties, and I am certainly not criticizing our fighting men and women for the unfortunate side effects of war. But to say that they are something other than side effects, and that we should be happily targeting women and children is barbaric. The left is looney when it equates what we do in Iraq to the brutal acts of terrorism perpetrated by the islamofacists, but if we did just start killing indiscriminately, as some on this site suggest (note: NOT what our military actually does), they might have a point.
Very good.
That's very creative!
LOL!
The residents fleeing Fallujah refused to turn over the Jordanian, Al-Sadr, when given the chance. I say the fly in the same pilot who nailed that Jersey school yesterday and tell him to warm up on the caravan. I don't feel any sympathy for the slobs, and just remember, they're all coming back as soon as the operation is over. Do any of you feel any better knowing this? They hate us.
Thanks. It's about time someone told the truth.
Prayers for our troops, and the Iraqis who are helping us to make Iraq FREE.
IW:
""Hey why don't you invite a bunch of crack dealers to live in your house and take it over. Now remember if they want to rape you or cut your head off, you have no reason to not go along with their desire. Grow up to reality and pull your head out of the sand."
To a person that felt killing children and women was not the answer to winning the SASO.
You Respond: What? Try making sense!
Ok, there are civilians left in Fallujah, that will not be able to get out OR are being held from leaving, perhaps a daughter of a local Bathest leader that has ordered innocent people to be killed in the city that object to the city being taken over by foreign and local anti-Iraqi.......
now those poor souls may become victems in the upcoming operations. I, as our military do not condone the killing of innocent people. But where does one draw the line?
How can our military and the Iraqi Army/Police guarantee that no innocent person will get killed in the up coming battle? How will we know quite frankly how many innocent people are slaughered and made to look like they where killed by our forces?
How are we to put an end once and for all to the perhaps 5000 to 10,000 anti-Iraqi elements known to be in the city
if we do not just go in and remove them by arrest are by killing them?
Maybe sir or mame you aught to write a clear desertation as to why we should not go into Fallujah and remove all those thugs and NOT welcome foreign terroist elments that continue to slaughter innocent Iraqi people?
Put your words of wisdom on this board and lets us judge the worth of your thoughts. Perhaps I and others are totally missing the most important points of how or why terrorist must be removed from some major cities in Iraq.
Thanks in advance for your upcoming words that will help educate me and others on this particular issue.
Hey this almost equals the amount the EU spends on condom research! Those generous Europeans.
I just didn't understand your post! As far as us going in, I am all for it, and understand that there are going to be civilian casualties. It is something that we should accept, but pray that it is minimal, not cheer for the killing of possible future terrorists. That's pretty much my whole point.
But I'm not very good at organizing things. Should I just post a request? I don't know how Blogger got the first one started. People signed up for a particular hour in order that prayers were being offered 24 hours a day.
Bush is taking the gloves off. Iran and NK had better pay attention.
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