Posted on 11/27/2007 10:06:21 AM PST by neverdem
FALLUJAH, IRAQ – “You're probably safer here than you are in New York City,” said Marine First Lieutenant Barry Edwards when I arrived in Fallujah. I raised my eyebrows at him skeptically. “How many people got shot at last night in New York City?” he said.
“Probably somebody,” I said.
“Yeah, probably somebody did,” he said. “Somewhere.”
Nobody was shot last night in Fallujah. No American has been shot anywhere in Fallujah since the 3rd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment rotated into the city two months ago. There have been no rocket or mortar attacks since the summer. Not a single of the 3/5 Marines has even been wounded.
“The only shots we've fired since we got here are warning shots,” said Lieutenant J.C. Davis. Another officer didn't agree. “We haven't even fired warning shots,” he said. “It's too dangerous.”
It's dangerous because anti-American sentiment still exists in the city, even though it is mostly passive right now. It isn't entirely passive, however. Someone has been taking pot shots at Americans. A few days ago somebody threw a hand grenade at Marines. Two weeks ago an insurgent was caught by Iraqi Police officers while planting an IED near the main station. He freaked out, accidentally connected the wires, and blew himself up. “That's what he gets,” Private Gauniel said.
(Excerpt) Read more at michaeltotten.com ...
NOW - that is funny! It is allah's way...
Excellent news.
I LOVE it when that happens!
The historians of the Iraq war will have to consult Yon and Totten and Roggio, as well as the actual Coalition troops who fought.
The Green Zone “experts” of the MSM will serve as examples of how not to cover a war.
Interesting that Totten believes we are losing in Afghanistan. To me it feels like the world jihad movement is putting greater emphasis on the Afghan war precisely because Iraq is all but closed to them now.
It is so nice to see these former dangerous places at peace.
“Has it helped us?” he said. “Extremely. What we can do is we can go in, knock out the enemy forces, and still leave forces there to remain and hold security down. We can then take our own forces, develop the Iraqi forces so that they can hold their own spot, then we can move to another one.”Michael Totten in Fallujah ping.The Marines have an extra 1,000 troops in the Fallujah area this year, but they aren't in the city. There are far fewer Marines here now than there were.
“We went from having 3,000 Marines in the city last year to down around 300 now,” the lieutenant said. “Maybe 250.”
“So you didn't surge Marines into the city,” I said.
“No,” he said. “We surged Marines around Fallujah. We either capture and kill AQI [Al Qaeda in Iraq], or they move out. If we don't kill or capture them, they move somewhere else. They avoid Fallujah now like it's the plague.”
“Even though there are only a tenth as many Marines?” I said. “Are they afraid of the Iraqis?”
“They're afraid of the Iraqis,” he said. “That's what's holding this place down. It's the citizens and the Iraqi forces. We're here as an overwatch in case something happens, but they're holding their own. They're holding their own security in the sense that if you fail, you fail your family and you fail your tribe. That's humiliating for them, and it is not going to happen.”
Thanks T4B and neverdem.
GIMF Raising Money Online for al Qaeda
*********************EXCERPT************************
The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has upped the ante in the "financial jihad" and is now raising money through a popular forum on behalf of the mujahideen of al Qaeda. Andrew Cochran believes that this is an indication of the success of the Coalition in breaking al Qaeda's financial networks.
What a GREAT photo. Could be MY son goofing around!
don’t expect the future historians to get it. they will still be the liberal academics. we have to be the historians. we have to tell the story to our kids and grandkids so that they will know what really happened.
The best way to stop that is to start telling folks that the GIMF is in fact lining their own pockets & instead of being pious muslims they are spending the money & nights in strip clubs & brothels all over Europe.
muslims looking out for their own against the islamofascist killers...that's about as good as it gets!
Excellent report. Thanks.
Good stuff in this report.
I love war blogs.
It’s the only place to go for the real news.
Thanks for the post and ping!
Hey, that’s a great picture of me. Oops...
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