U.S. Marines Battle Enemy Fighters In Fallujah

Fox News | 4/28/04

[kcvl]

It is live on Fox News now...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

He is teasing us.

[bogdanPolska12]

No Ernest my friend, I am far from teasing you guys. It is not me to tease people especially in situation going on in Iraq. Because of security and safety of our guys on a ground, some information cannot be release.

Just stay put, and be calm, and watch news, I know they give you not much info, but if you just relax, and let your imagination fly, you will see more to it then what they are reporting.

[Eagle Eye]

Is the news saying anything about AC 130 firing it's cannon a few minutes ago?

There are glowing areas almost 360 around us.

[blackie]

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[PigRigger]

Understand, just pulling your leg. From previous postings on other threads I understand your reluctance to discuss anything you might be aware of.

You have been a great addition to FR (and the US of A as well), keep up the good work.

[bogdanPolska12]

Loose lips sink a ship and last thing we need is sinking ship.

Everything will be fine. We are in full swing, with fire power that will put people who doubt American military, to shame.

AC-130 actions has being going on for some time, so are Cobras, Apaches, Abrams, F-15, F-16, everything is well coordinated and well execute it by USA military might.

All of you don't even have a doubt about our guys in there -basically put it - sobs are going to die.

God Bless America
Bogdan

[TomGuy]

AC-130 stuck approx 15 minutes ago.

Shows burning (building) in background (night in Fallujah).

[MEG33]

Yes..There was a live report..I see plumes..looks like some secondary explosions,C130 was on the job.

[Eagle Eye]

Could hear but not see it.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just pulled this off of Goggle news from Channel News Asia:

__________________________________________________________________________________

World News »

An Iraqi boy displaced from the city of Fallujah looks at a US marine

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 29 April 2004 0122 hrs

US forces hammer Iraqi insurgents as Bush vows to 'secure' Fallujah

FALLUJAH, Iraq : US forces hammered Iraqi insurgents in the city of Fallujah as President George W. Bush vowed to "take whatever action is necessary to secure" the Sunni Muslim bastion.

"Our military commanders will take whatever action is necessary to secure Fallujah on behalf of the Iraqi people," Bush said at the White House after meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson.

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US aircraft and helicopters for a second day blasted suspected insurgent positions with missile and machine gun fire as a heavy gunbattle reportedly broke out near the rail station in Fallujah, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

Fallujah has been the scene of the fiercest fighting since US-led forces invaded Iraq in March last year at the start of a war which was supported by allies such as Britain and Italy but opposed by France, Germany and others.

Scores of US soldiers have been killed since they laid siege to the city on April 5 after four US civilian contractors were killed in an ambush. The Iraqi health ministry says 280 Iraqis have died, including 24 women and 30 children, with 820 wounded, but the toll may be far higher.

Quelling the upsurge in violence has cost US forces dearly, with the number of troops killed in action in April nearing, if not already surpassing the 109 killed during the "major combat" phase of the war when US-led forces invaded Iraq, according to Pentagon figures.

Fighter jets and heavily armed AC-130 aircraft could be heard over Fallujah after several marine units, backed by tanks and mortar fire, came under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

While plumes of black smoke rose from several buildings hit in helicopter raids, US military spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told BBC radio: "We are not deliberately targeting civilians nor carrying out retribution or punitive action."

The attacks were a response to "repeated violations of ceasefire on the part of the adversary," he said.

Both US and British leaders defended the scale of force being used against rebel fighters as criticism mounted about the cost to civilians trapped inside the city.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the air strikes overnight "perfectly right and proper".

"I deeply regret any civilian deaths in Fallujah but it is necessary that order is restored and the Americans are trying to do that," Blair told parliament during his weekly question and answer period.

"It is perfectly right and proper that they take action against those insurgents," he added.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell slammed insurgents for using mosques to launch attacks on US troops.

"We are being very careful on what we are doing in Fallujah and Najaf and Karbala and elsewhere in the country," Powell told reporters on the sidelines of an international anti-Semitism conference in Berlin.

"We are being as careful as we can not to injure civilians and not to damage holy places," he said.

"There would be no problem if these murderers and thugs were not using holy places to store weapons, to use them as observation points and to shoot at our troops and to shoot at innocent civilians from these places."

US troops have also clashed with militias loyal to a radical Shiite Muslim based in the holy site of Najaf, south of the capital.

An aide to the militant radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr repeated a warning on Wednesday of a "violent response" if US troops entered Najaf.

"Our response will be violent and nobody will be able to stop it," said Husam al-Mussawi.

"If the US soldiers start patrolling Najaf, they will be attacked because their presence would defile the sanctity of the holy city," he said after US troops set up a checkpoint outside Najaf.

Despite the continuing air strikes on Fallujah, Kimmitt said US forces are still committed to a fragile ceasefire and want a peaceful end to the standoff.

"There is still a determined aspiration on the part of the coalition to maintain the ceasefire and resolve this situation by peaceful means," Kimmitt told reporters.

"If this can be solved by not putting our soldiers or marines lives at risk so much the better," he said, referring to talks between US-led coalition representatives and local community leaders.

Despite the fighting, a ceasefire remains officially in operation in Fallujah, and US civilian administrator Paul Bremer said joint US-Iraqi patrols would start in the town on Thursday, two days after they had been scheduled to begin.

But US commanders said there were no plans to patrol Jolan, a densely-packed residential area that is considered too dangerous for marines on foot.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appealed to Europe to "wake up" and halt what he called the tragedy in Iraq.

In a speech to the Belgian parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, Gaddafi urged Europe to raise its voice against "the current tragedy in Iraq."

"Europe should ask questions of other people about the reasons for this occupation ... otherwise we are heading towards the law of the jungle," he said. "It must wake up before it is too late."

Gaddafi was speaking on the second and final day of a visit to Brussels organised after Libya began to end its international isolation by renouncing weapons of mass destruction five months ago.

Spain meanwhile said it had removed its last combat troops from Iraq on Wednesday and the only Spanish soldiers still there are those tasked with organising the withdrawal ordered by the new Socialist government.

- AFP

[TomGuy]

Significantly large fire continues, after AC-130 attack

NE edge of Fallujah (not near the train station where daylight action was taking place)

[MEG33]

The bad guys try to resupply,reinforce at night..The C130 has eyes that sees and can pin point strike at a car or truck...listening to report.Position just received a pounding about 20 minutes ago..area of previous firefight..2 or 3 miles from trainstation firefight,not sure of target.Black smoke rising/large target.Drone of gunship heard,chants and recitations coming from mosques/a call to arms for holy war.Flames visable.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

CNN seems to be on the job.



Big flash just now!

Foxnews has a neat animation of a C130 with guns blazing I have seen a couple of times..

[bogdanPolska12]

God Bless America guys. If you only know how much you are all blessed and what God has given to you. Be at peace all of you.

Fire works offenses are in full swing. Be proud and strong, and at the end when everything is over, you can say to your grandkids, kiddo I didn't flush toilet in ocean, I flush it on sobs who were trying to kill you.

God Bless you all
simple polish guy from Poland
Bogdan

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

CNN Banner says Centcom believes 1500 insurgants in Falluhaj.

[MEG33]

Visible!(spell check)..Religious leaders issuing a call to arms,urging fighters on.Big plume of smoke,some fire.

[Diogenesis]

This Sunday Times reporter was interviewing terrorists last night.

Hope she had good insurance for her car.

[MEG33]

The insurgents are trying to win propaganda battle,they have yet to win a firefight.They are putting women and children between themselves and the Marines they attack.There are secondary explosions.x 15 dropped about 3 bombs about dusk in this area.No reports on casualties from either side on previous firefight today.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Unashamed plea for help for our injured troops!!!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

CNN is showing great pictures of the result of an attack from the AC130 hitting an ammo storage area or gas station..