Posted on 10/04/2005 2:06:28 AM PDT by jmc1969
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces launched their biggest offensive so far this year against al Qaeda guerrillas in western Iraq when 2,500 troops moved on Tuesday against militants around Haditha, the military said in a statement.
Two months after a previous bid to push Islamist fighters out of the area, Operation River Gate was intended to stop al Qaeda operating in the city and two nearby towns, Haqlaniya and Barwana, and to "free the local citizens from the terrorists' campaign of murder and intimidation", it added.
The towns are among several in the Euphrates valley where local people have said fighters have taken control and imposed Taliban-style Islamic rule, despite frequent offensives by U.S. forces.
During Operation Sword in August, about 1,000 U.S. troops fought militants in Haditha and its neighboring towns, 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Some 2,500 U.S. troops with some Iraqi soldiers were taking part in the latest crackdown, making it the biggest of the year in Anbar, the sprawling desert province of western Iraq, the military said in its statement.
Separately, about 1,000 troops have been fighting Qaeda militants near Qaim on the Syrian border, a further 120 km (75 miles) to the west, since Saturday in Operation Iron Fist.
"There are now two major operations going on simultaneously," a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said.
In its statement on Haditha, the military said: "The operation's goal is to deny al Qaeda in Iraq the ability to operate in the three Euphrates River Valley cities and to free the local citizens from the terrorists' campaign of murder and intimidation of innocent women, children and men.
(Excerpt) Read more at olympics.reuters.com ...
I hope we start applying the Bush doctrine of "your either with us, or against us" to Syria soon.
What do we make of this twist my friend?
I was just getting ready to ping you on this from a couple of posts over at The Fourth Rail:
http://billroggio.com/archives/2005/10/big_battle_in_r.php
Everyone who comes to this thread who is not familiar with the above blog by Bill Roggio ought to check it out.
Also check out Wretchard's latest at Belmont Club:
http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2005/10/squeeze-play.html
Dog,
Major operation, thus planned well in advance. I'd say Hadithah is getting the Tal Afar treatment. With the action going on at Qaim, now Hadithah, and reportedly some major stuff going on in Ramadi it gives the impression that we're cutting the snake into pieces.
Wretchard's usual insightful comments would lead one to think that the actual control of the river will gradually move up river to the frontier country near Syria.
Agreed.
Or, killing the flies stuck on the fly paper.
Give them somewhere to congregate, use one tactic one month, let them regroup to fight the last tactic, change tactics.
Good live fire training for the troops! Wait 'till they try to run to Syria and learn what snipe hunting is all about!
Thank you both. These articles and links help me keep a good handle on what is really going on in this war.
What happened to Operation Iron Fist? This is turning into a multi-battalion offensive, obviously planned for months in advance. We've been decieved! ALERT THE MSM!!! Oh wait, US troops target MSM reporters. Maybe we should focus on Taliban Cindy and wait to see how many US troops are killed before reporting anything from 10,000 miles away.
Sarcasm OFF. Sorry, I felt like venting.
Cap I just had a thought what if what is going on out on the border near al Qaim is the holding action(the blocking force) and the axis centers on Ramadi....Ramadi is the real target.
In a target-rich environment, no less!
PING!
I can't say. I'm not enough of a strategist to tell. However, Ramadi is a lot further from Qaim than Hadithah which is officially being acknowledged as the largest this year in Anbar, see MNF release posted in comment #3 here:
http://billroggio.com/archives/2005/10/big_battle_in_r.php
What I might surmise is that Qaim is an attempt to restrict the escape route back into Syria. A real whupping in Hadithah would send some toward Qaim, but that would be sort of frying pan to fire . . .
BTTT.
My sons unit is probably in this fight. He has been at the Haditha Dam for a few weeks now.
No need to apologize. We all feel like it sometimes. Just be sure to pick up after you're through . . . ;-)
Good luck for your son.
Thank you both.
The MSM is all abuzz about who is going to first report on the 2000th casualty.
The MSM is all abuzz about who is going to first report on the 2000th casualty.
Acck.. sorry for the double.
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