Operation Phantom Fury Live Thread

msnbc, cnn, various ^ | epluribus_2

[epluribus_2]

NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq - More than 4,000 U.S. Marines and Army troops punched their way into northeastern Fallujah on Monday, kicking off a massive assault dubbed Operation Phantom Fury that seeks to put an end to half a year of insurgent control of the Sunni Muslim city.

The prelude to the assault on the Askari neighborhood was a crushing air and artillery bombardment of the city that rose to a crescendo by Monday evening, with U.S. strike jets dropping bombs around the clock and big guns pounding the city every few minutes with high-explosive shells.

Meanwhile, insurgents in Baghdad and nearby Ramadi tried to keep up the pressure on the coalition forces with new attacks, including one on a Catholic church in the capital.

Earlier Monday U.S. troops had fought their way into the city's western outskirts, seizing two bridges over the Euphrates River and helping Iraqi soldiers take the city's main hospital in the first stage of a major assault on the insurgent stronghold.

[No Blue States]

Thanks for the ETE (estimated time of eradication)

[No Blue States]

It didnt say, just a one liner in the article from the notoriously untrustworthy Al Jizzera.

Im not finding any confirmation. So hopefully its just more arab S*** talking.

[rampage8]

*** enemy chanting "Allah Akbar" ***
"Wasn't that also heard as Flight 93 went down on 9/11?"

I think so. Also, I believe it was heard on that Egypt Air flight that went down in the Atlantic a few years back. That investigation was swept under the rug, but knowing all we know now, I think it's safe to assume it was Al Queada.

[TexKat]

I assumed that the picture was taken just past dawn, and the smoke in the sky was left over from our Illumination rounds over night, but the problem is I'm not military, and I'm wondering if a fellow FReeper with experience can comment on the smoke in the picture.

In this raw footage you can see how it orginates

US LAUNCHES FALLUJAH OFFENSIVE

[rlmorel]

Hehehe, I like the visualization of that...:)

[King Prout]

ok, that's a valid point!

[fritzz]

What's a schlep?

[AndyTheBear]

Well, I heard that faithful Ismamists who stand boldly up and use small arms against our Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles are able to take them out.

[demlosers]

A mosque is being used to fire on US forces...in Fallujah.

A mosque soon to be turned to rubble.

[Gucho]

"smoke in the picture."?

Smoke screen in progress?

[TalonDJ]

I can just see how the planning went....

Rummy: So it will be Kerry eh? Wasn't he in Vietnam... I can think of a few things to say...
Powell: heh
Bush: No, we must be civil.
Powell: How about after the war? We should point out...
Bush: No! No we don't want to sling mud.
Rummy: Mud? I will tell you about...
Bush: No! That does it, both of you can't campaign for me!

[JonDavid]

It should be 100%. Let them all move to Canada

[JonDavid]

It should be 100%. Let them all move to Canada

[NCjim]

Mark for later...

[Jackie-O]

Thanks for the ping Dolli! Prayers to our warriors!

[JonDavid]

He is part of MSM. If there is 20,000, then we have a big kill zone. Great for us.

[American in Israel]

City leaders insist that the Jordanian-born Zarqawi, wanted for a string of deadly attacks and beheading of hostages, does not reside in Fallujah.

He is a Palestinian, born and bred. But it would be politically incorrect to point that out. You can put a dress on a pig, but it still looks stupid in high heels. My bet is at least 20% of the fighters in Iraq are Pali's. You know, our buddies, the ones we are making a State out of our Ally's land.

Is it a requirement to be brain dead to come up with foreign policy in the State Department?

[Gucho]

CNN reporting one mosque still broadcastng info on loudspeakers........Time for some precise target aquisition.

[AndyTheBear]

Michael O'Hanlon is now on CNN claiming there are between 10,000 to 20,000 insurgents in Fallujah.

Now that would be what we call a "target rich environment".