One Marine died in action on the 3rd day of US-Iraqi operation Steel Curtain. 36 insurgents killed.

DEBKA files ^ | November 5, 2005, 2:10 PM (GMT+02:00)

[strategofr]

One Marine died in action on the third day of US-Iraqi operation Steel Curtain in Husaybah near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Thirty-six insurgents killed

US military reports they included two al Qaeda leaders responsible for deadly attacks, known as Abu Omar and Abu Hamza. Some 2,500 US Marines and 1,000 Iraqi troops have detained 200 terrorists in house-to-house battles at Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s fighters first way station inside Iraq from Syria.

DEBKAfile Reports the operation follows Washington’s “clear, hold and build” strategy for cleansing western Iraq of terrorists.

For this offensive against al Qaeda, 2,500 US Marines and 1,000 Iraqi troops are massed at Husayba, near al Qaim, one of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s key way stations for smuggling fighters, money and equipment from Syria. Last week, US aircraft bombed Husayba, killing 5 al Qaeda leaders. The new offensive follows on last month’s Iron Fist and River Gate operations which aimed at freeing the border province from al Qaeda’s control and intimidation.

On Oct. 19, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice articulated the Bush administration’s political-military strategy before the Senate foreign relations committee as being “to clear areas of insurgent control, hold them secure and build “durable, national Iraqi institutions.”

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the coalition’s “hold” on “cleared” locations is temporary for lack of manpower, while “building” is a vision that applies to Baghdad rather than the terrorist-infested al Anbar region. For now, the immediate objective is to curb terrorist and insurgent activity as far as possible for the December 15 general election. To this end, US military operations are focusing not only on al Qaeda sanctuaries around al Qaim but also across the border to choke off the traffic at source, their Syrian bases of departure.

All the same, although a Qaeda’s foreign fighters are under pressure, they continue to stream into western Iraq from Syria. Moreover, the deepening Iranian involvement in the Iraq war has not been publicly addressed except by the British in the south.

British commander of southern Iraq Maj. Gen Jim Dutton said Friday that insurgents are still getting weapons from the other side of the border - Iran

[strategofr]

Interesting. DEBKA disputes the reality of "clear and hold", implying it is PR.

[DragonMarine]

We're WINNING....

[buzzedkingzach]

in war, one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.

[strategofr]

"We're WINNING...."

I hope you are right from the bottom of my heart. In my opinion, if we do not get the US "boots off the ground" in Falluja, Mosul, Baghdad and pretty much all the cities of the Iraqi Interior by 11/2008, a Democrat president will be elected, all US troops will be pulled out of Iraq by about 6 /2009, and we will lose.

This will not be a reflection of any failure of the US military forces in Iraq.

It will reflect a failure of US administration policy controlling the war; to wit, a failure of our administration to quickly arm the Iraqi army with heavier weaponry, a failure to encourage and assist the Iraqi government in expelling all media from the country, and a failure to accelerate the development of Iraqi control over more and more areas of Iraq without the assistance of US forces.

I envision this independent Iraqi military control by 11/2008 would still be dependent on US Armed Forces supply and maintenance support---modified as far as possible to incorporate Iraqi personnel inserted into such jobs as truck drivers, etc. to minimize the exposure of US Armed Forces personnel to IED's. The purpose of this would be to save time, during this rapid transition period and focus all of our energies on developing the Iraqi "sharp edge".

Of course,I envision a full complement of US air support being supplied to the Iraqis anywhere within Iraq that they might need help, supplied by our bases on the periphery of the country, which would also I believe, seal off the country from the possibility of invasion or illegal entry of any persons---with extremely low casualties suffered by US forces. At the same time, I would supply the Iraqis with A-10s, some helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft, and/or UAVs, et cetera.