Marines Encircle Fallouja (Operation Valiant Resolve commencing)

LA Times ^ | 4-4-04 | Tony Perry and Edmund Sanders

[BurbankKarl]

FALLOUJA, Iraq — Thousands of Marines surrounded this anti-American stronghold early today in preparation for a complex raid to retake control of the city and apprehend those responsible for last week's slayings of four U.S. security contractors.

The highly anticipated action, dubbed Operation Valiant Resolve, was expected to be one of the biggest military offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government a year ago.

All roads leading to this city of 300,000 were cut off and barricaded with tanks and concertina wire. Working through the cold and windy desert night, under a large moon, Marines set up camps for detainees and residents who might flee any fighting. Before dawn, several Marine positions were hit by mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard throughout the city.

[boris]

"Fallujah, Tikrit, parts of Mosul, Balad, Habbinayah, Ramadi, Sammarra, and Baquoba should have been cordoned off destroyed after the fall of Baghdad."

[Travis McGee]

2000 troops ain't much in a hostile city of 500,000, where the bad guys will use women and children as shields.

[Getsmart64]

no....not 20K marines...we don't have that many in country...

[Getsmart64]

no....not 20K marines...we don't have that many in country...

[SBprone]

Read Wretchard's analysis posted on his blog on 4/3 about what this operation might entail. He mentions that the city is easily cut off on the North, West and East and that the city's grid layout with nothing but right-angle intersections is a deathtrap for defenders who will have to cross streets and an advantage for Marines who can blast through buildings and come at fortified positions from behind.

Look at the link he posted of the aerial view. It doesn't look like there's any way out of this place for the dead-enders.

http://belmontclub.blogspot.com

[saquin]

If I'm not mistaken, the city was sealed off almost immediately.

That's what I read too. It wasn't a complete cordon, with concertina wire, etc. But checkpoints were established on all 4 roads leading in and Marines were situated behind berms overlooking the city entrances/exits. This was all done the day after the attack. I don't know how effective it was, but it was done.

[LdSentinal]

FOX, CNN, and MSNBC are not picking this up.

Best to keep them and Reuters, AFP, AP, Al-Jazeera, etc. away from Judgement Day for Fallujah.

[Travis McGee]

Try user name and password "anonymous." It just worked for me at the LAT and the Chi Trib.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Beautiful and apropos choice! One of my favorite hymns.

[saquin]

I just hope the numbers are higher than 2,500. We have to go in with overwhelming force or this could turn out badly. And if that happens, we're screwed because the terrorists will just be emboldened.

I'm going to cross my fingers and depend on the wisdom of the military commanders to have already figured this out.

[Getsmart64]

Go cry to your local TV station and quit crying to FR....come on...I dare ya....becoem active in the way your media portrays the news...

[church16]

What on earth is that thing on top of the HUMMER? Is that the new crowd control "microwave oven" special they've been working on?

[bonfire]

"FOX, CNN, and MSNBC are not picking this up.'


Don't they have any correspondents in Iraq? And isn't there ANYONE in those newsrooms when they were anticipating this?

[teletech]

By now, all the sane thinking Americans that have seen the horrific photos realize THIS mission is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! We MUST and we WILL bring those killers to justice! I pray that God sends His Holy Angels to protect our brave soldiers as they undertake this VITAL mission.

[Ichneumon]

I think you misunderstand our purpose today in the middle east. Our purpose here is to publicly pick fights with Arabs and other troublesome Muslims and publicly kick their stinking butts for the edification of Muslims everywhere. With patience and determination we will teach them that it is God's will that we kick their asses whenever they take up arms against us.

Right on the money.

A secondary purpose is to show that we will *not* cut and run like in Somalia. Whether we catch the actual perpetrators or not, sending the message that "mess with us and we return in force" is a valuable antidote to the Clinton message of "mess with us and we turn tail and run."

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Agreed. It is cause for concern.

[Robert Teesdale]

Here's an excerpt from that blog you linked, where the reporter is questioning the US general:

Q Can I just ask one quick follow-up. Just does it not send out a rather dangerous message that these people can get away with this, pretty much do whatever they want? I mean, I was in Fallujah today and people were saying, "Yeah, the Americans were scared to come back in." Does that not send out a bad message of tolerance of violence?

GEN. KIMMITT: Ask them after the Americans have come back in.

FALLUJAH DELENDA EST

[Getsmart64]

LITENING III is coming online...and LANTIRN is still a major player....but...but...you have to give them a target.....and yes!!.....LANTIRN owns the night!!!

[txrangerette]

Thanks for the access info.

The one thing I would note, the
story claims the U.S. forces do
not intend going house-to-house
but to certain targets. They've,
however, leafleted instructions
to all. Whoever fails to heed
obviously becomes a target.

The town braggarts are saying
they'll kill us just for coming
in there, period. The Iraqis
supposedly with our forces are
begging us not to go in, saying
we'll just begat more violence.

For everyone's information...

[Orlando]

I agree, now it's SHOW-TIME !
"START you Engines,Lock-n-load, and Let's ROLL !"

I bet that alot of these P***** will be dressed like women.