Marines of Task Force Tarawa fighting today in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya. Posted on 03/24/2003 10:52:54 AM PST by Destro
Fighting Continues in Nasiriya, Nicknamed 'Ambush Alley'
Marines of Task Force Tarawa fighting today in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya.
By MICHAEL WILSON
MASIRIYA, Iraq, March 24 — Fighting continued today in and around what the marines have nicknamed "Ambush Alley," with Iraqi guerrillas jumping out of buses, pickups and taxis to join the battle.
Heavy small-arms fire kept up as sundown approached on the second day of fighting in the city, key to American advances north because of its two bridges across the Euphrates.
A second tank unit made it into Nasiriya, along with ammunition, food, fuel and water for the marines who have been fighting since Sunday morning. A third infantry unit was on the way, and by day's end the armor units of the First Marine Regiment were expected to pass through Nasiriya on the way north.
The battle's first day killed 10 marines and injured more than 50, the deadliest battle of the war so far. It was unknown whether today brought further casualties.
"Things are looking better up there," said Col. Ron Bailey, commanding officer of Task Force Tarawa's 5,000 marines.
The Iraqi fighters consist of pockets of soldiers and guerrillas known as "martyrs of Saddam," as well as civilians, or soldiers posing as civilians. The center of the battle, to the relief of the marines wary of city fighting, moved just north of Nasiriya, with Iraqis apparently catching rides from the city to the fight even as the marine numbers grew.
"If they want to come to us, that's fine, too," Chief Warrant Officer Pat Woellhof said. "Urban fighting is a meat grinder."
South of the city, four artillery batteries gave supporting fire to the infantry and the convoy that joined it. Officers in the city radioed coordinates for targets: a building that seemed to contain dozens of soldiers, a line of Iraqi tanks pulling through a traffic circle, sources of mortar and artillery fire detected by radar. The howitzers have fired more than 700 rounds since Sunday morning.
Iraqi fighters pushed women and children into the streets to serve as human shields and drive up the civilian death toll, officers said. Civilian casualty numbers were unknown.
"It's not pretty," Officer Woellhof said. "It's not surgical. You want surgical, you should have left the place alone. You try to limit collateral damage, but they want to fight. Now it's just smash mouth football."
Based on intelligence reports, there are an estimated 400 of Saddam Hussein's "martyrs" still in the city, an officer said.
A group of soldiers posing as civilians had pretended to surrender on Sunday, then fired on marines. As a result, Iraqi farmers and peasants returning to their homes today met armed, jittery marines guarding the outlying artillery units. They were searched and sent along their way.
One group was questioned further. "We searched them and they all had a wad of money in their pockets," said Lt. Matt Neely, one of the marines who oversees security at the base camps. "Who has a wad of cash in their packet and no shoes on?"
A man driving an 18-wheeler tried to drive into the makeshift base for the infantry fighting north of Nasariya. He was shot and killed. Iraqi soldiers taken prisoner told interrogators that suicide bombers were preparing to strike, but none had by day's end.
Col. Glenn Starnes of the Marine Corps, commanding officer of the artillery battalion firing on Nasiriya, said the unit did not fire cluster bombs, only high explosive point-of-impact rounds that just explode at the spot they hit.
"There are no cluster munitions at all. We are not supposed to be firing cluster munitions into the city," he said.
Colonel Starnes said he had received no information on civilian casualties.
On collateral damage, he said:
"If he puts his combat forces near hospitals, schools, or anything else that uses that area to direct fire, we will engage the enemy wherever he is shooting at us. The enemy commander is responsible for any collateral damage caused by putting enemy forces near a protected site."
He added, by the way, that the city is still part of the fight, particularly snipers in the Ambush Alley and south of town.
I'm quite sure the troops and commanders will adjust their rules of engagement as necessary. You won't get any announcements, but that's what will happen.
Well, it's about damn time someone with some sense started telling the truth. Get this Col Starnes on TV and have him state this forcefully and repeatedly. The Iraqis are committing war crimes by using civilians as shields.
God Bless the downed, God Bless the active...
SR
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