Operation Phantom Fury ~~~ Day 2 ~~~ Live thread

US troops seize third of Fallujah in battle to retake rebel city (09/11/2004)
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) US troops and crack Iraqi soldiers surged into rubble-strewn districts in the heart of Fallujah, seizing one third of the city after hours of street fighting with rebels in the largest military onslaught since the war.
The US military it was closing in on the centre of Fallujah, an insurgent stronghold long off-limits to foreigners, less than 24 hours after launching a massive operation to retake the city from insurgents.
But in a possible new setback to hopes of stabilising the country ahead of January elections, insurgents took control of the centre of the flashpoint city of Ramadi after a day of clashes with US forces, an AFP correspondent said.
US forces withdrew Tuesday around 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) from Ramadi's main streets to their bases east and west of the city, the correspondent said. The US military could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Underlining the chronic instability prevailing in Iraq's heartland, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's office also announced that a nighttime curfew would be taking effect in the capital Baghdad.
In Fallujah, black and white smoke plumed skyward as US artillery, warplanes and tanks pounded the rebel stronghold west of Baghdad, meeting minimal resistance, AFP correspondents embedded with the American military said.
The battle to reclaim the rebel enclave spread out through neighbourhoods and alleyways from the north towards the centre as marines knocked down walls, barged into houses or crouched outside.
"The military controls one third of the city," a high-ranking marine officer told AFP.
Casualty figures were unavailable from the city, where estimates for the number of its 300,000-strong population who fled ahead of the long-threatened assault vary widely from 20 to 90 percent.
"As for casualties on the insurgents' side I can tell you that they are dying. A lot of them are dying and this is a good thing," marine spokesman Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert said.
"We are downing them," said Major Todd Desgrosseilliers, an executive officer with the marines. "We are using good old American firepower."
But several countries urged the United States to exercise caution to avoid civilian casualties, with Russia saying that the action must not lead to the "suffering of the Iraqi people".
The extremist Islamic Army in Iraq also ordered militants to attack some 20 targets in Iraq in reprisal for the Fallujah offensive, a statement published on its website said.
In a two-pronged assault on Fallujah that began late Monday, thousands of US troops, followed by crack Iraqi soldiers, poured into the northwestern Jolan neighbourhood and the Askari district in the northeast.
Fearful of roadside bombs -- a favoured weapon of the insurgents -- as they entered Jolan, the marines smashed through a railway line and ploughed through fields to avoid using the main roads.
They moved house-to-house through the neighbourhood, seen as the heart of rebel activity in Fallujah, spraying rounds of machine-gun fire at buildings from where militants fought back with small arms fire.
Despite being a residential district, Jolan was a wasteland of shattered glass and rubble, with smoke filling the horizon. Not a civilian was in sight. Chickens and roosters ran around amid a constant clatter of Kalashnikov fire and mortar rounds.
A smattering of specially trained Iraqi forces accompanied the marines, while many more were poised on the outskirts of the city, preparing to enter.
Sunni and Shiite figures have condemned the assault, initially dubbed Phantom Fury but renamed Operation Dawn in deference to the Iraqi government, with one Sunni political party threatening to quit the government unless it was halted.
In Washington, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the forces would fight to the end to retake the city, after a siege there in April left hundreds dead and ended in stalemate.
Some 20,000 US and Iraqi troops have been massing around Fallujah since mid-October and the offensive finally erupted a day after the government declared a state of emergency across most of Iraq.
US commanders estimate that 2,000 to 2,500 fighters, some loyal to Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, are inside the city and its surrounding areas, ready to fight.
The military believes that another 10,000 men could join in the battle.
Outgunned but still fighting, four attackers were killed and 14 people wounded in an ambush on two Iraqi police stations Tuesday, a day after at least 13 people died when a Baghdad hospital was car bombed, officials said.

where did you hear that?

was mosque - now a base.

" HELL IS COMING TO BREAKFAST "

Here, 5th blurb down.

http://www.command-post.org/iraq_index.html

Some FReepers suggest that lighter than expected resistance is not good news, because it could mean the enemy has in part melted away before the assault.

Doubtful.

There is a 360 degree cordon around Fallujah.

In my life, I've known about two dozen Iraqis. Some of them were in the military (before Hussein) ... some were students ... some were refugees. I have never gotten any other read from them than that they were just like us as far as personal qualities like courage and patriotism go. Certainly, some of the Islamists are very concerned when a high religious leader like Sadr says "don't fight", and I can understand it. However, as the country becomes more and more unified, the sense of nationalism for IRAQ will become more evident.

When I hear the heartbreaking stories of so many Iraqis who are so brave to volunteer to be policemen and military and other government workers knowing that they place their lives on the line simply to stand in the employment queue, I have to discount fears that they will not succeed. I have known many Iraqis who have been waiting anxiously for this chance at a democratic Iraq, and I believe fervently that they will succeed in under even a single generation.
.

Battle for Fallujah continues
From correspondents in near Fallujah, Iraq
November 10, 2004

US and Iraqi troops today seized control of the northern third of the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, a high-ranking marine officer said.

The reported success came less than 24 hours after the launch of an all-out assault on the rebel Iraqi city.

The US military said three troops had been killed and another 14 wounded in and around Fallujah in the past 12 hours. A total of five US troops have died since the offensive began.

The military reported lighter-than-expected resistance in Jolan, a Sunni militant held warren of alleyways in northeastern Fallujah where the assault began.

However, residents said heavy street clashes were raging in other northern sectors amid fierce bursts of gunfire, with at least two American tanks in flames.

A Kiowa helicopter flying over southeast Fallujah took groundfire, injuring the pilot, but he returned to the US base.

By noon, US armoured units had reached the central highway in the heart of the city, crossing over into the southern part, despite a call by the militant Islamic Army in Iraq on its website for attacks on key targets.

"The once constant thunder of artillery barrages has been halted with so many troops moving inside the city's narrow alleys. The US and Iraqi forces have surrounded a mosque inside the city that was used as an arms depot and insurgent meeting point," the BBC reported.

Colonel Michael Formica, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Brigade, said a security cordon around the city would be tightened to ensure insurgents dressed in civilian clothing didn't slip out.

"My concern now is only one - not to allow any enemy to escape. As we tighten the noose around him, he will move to escape to fight another day. I do not want these guys to get out of here. I want them killed or captured as they flee," he said.

Overnight the skies over Fallujah lit up with flashes of air and artillery barrages as American forces laid siege to the city that had become the major sanctuary for Islamic extremists who fought Marines to a standstill last April.

A US military spokesman estimated that 42 insurgents were killed in bombardment and skirmishes before the main assault began yesterday. Two Marines were killed when their bulldozer flipped over into the Euphrates river near Fallujah.

The initial ground assault into Fallujah's Askari and Jolan neighbourhoods was by US Army tanks and Humvees. US Marines went up to the edge of the city, secured the area and then armoured vehicles crushed barriers and pushed into the city, with the Marines following.

The media reported orange explosions lighting up the district's palm trees, minarets and dusty roofs, and a fire burning on the city's edge.

"A US jet fired an air-to-ground missile at a building late yesterday from which US and Iraqi forces had taken fire," the US command said.

US troops cut off electricity to the city, and most private generators were not working - either because their owners wanted to conserve fuel or the wires had been damaged by explosions.

Residents said they were without running water and were worried about food shortages as most shops in the city had been closed for the past two days.

By nightfall, a civilian living in the centre of Fallujah said hundreds of houses had been destroyed.

The top US commander in Iraq, General George Casey, told reporters in Washington that 10,000 to 15,000 US troops along with a smaller number of Iraqi forces were encircling the city. The offensive was considered the most important military effort to re-establish government control over Sunni strongholds west of Baghdad before elections in January.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said large numbers of civilians would not be killed.

Yesterday, a doctor at a clinic in Fallujah, Mohammed Amer, reported 12 people were killed.

US commanders estimated that 3000 insurgents were barricaded in Fallujah.

Gen. Casey said some insurgents slipped away but others "have moved in."

US military officials believe 20 per cent of Fallujah's fighters are foreigners, who are believed to be followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Gen. Casey said 50 to 70 per cent of the city's 200,000 residents had fled. The numbers were in dispute, however, with some putting the population at 300,000.

Yesterday, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who gave the green light for the offensive, also announced a round-the-clock curfew in Fallujah and the nearby insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.

Mr Allawi has also imposed a night curfew on Baghdad for an indefinite period, from 10.30pm to 4am (6.30am to noon AEDT).

In Britain, Iraq's deputy prime minister defended the operation.

"The terrorists are mindless, they are killing our children and trying to destroy our lives and take us back to tyranny," Barham Saleh told the BBC.

The prominent Sunni party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, announced it was pulling out its single Cabinet member, Industry Minister Hajim Al-Hassani, from the Iraqi government.

"We are protesting the attack on Fallujah and the injustice that is inflicted on the innocent people of the city," said party chief Mohsen Abdel-Hamid.

US commanders have avoided any public estimate on how long it may take to capture Fallujah.

Today, more violence was reported across the country, with attacks on two police stations in the central town of Baqouba in which one attacker was killed, while two construction workers killed by a car bomb in the north.

The extremist Islamic Army in Iraq ordered its militants to attack key targets, including the US headquarters, the oil and finance ministries, military bases, embassies and major hotels.

The group is thought to be based mainly in Fallujah and follows the strict Wahabi school of Islam.

Another statement by the group denounced "the slaughter by the infidels in Iraq".

"Your enemy is arrogant. Strike him with all firmness. Make him taste humiliation and a bitter death," said the group.

The group has demanded Paris lift a controversial ban on headscarves in state schools to secure the release of French journalists, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, abducted in late August.

Since its first statements in March, the shadowy Sunni Muslim militant group has never failed to deliver on its ultimatums and has not hesitated to execute an Italian journalist and two Pakistanis it was holding.

- with Agence-France Presse

The Associated Press

Great...thanks...

The US military said the building (mosque)was being used as an arms depot and a meeting point for the leaders of the insurgency.

Of course..That is what they do..They use the minarets to spot our movements, fire on our troops and issue jihadist propaganda..
One shot out of that minaret and I hope they blow it up.

I sincerely hope you are right.

What is the number of our military that did not go back to Iraq after their two week leave? Seems I recall it being in the hundreds. Every army has some bad apples.

"A Kiowa helicopter flying over southeast Fallujah took groundfire, injuring the pilot, but he returned to the US base."..This may be the rumored shoot down.

Five U.S. Troops Died Since Offensive Began In Fallujah

U.S. Forces Work To Drive Insurgents Out

POSTED: 6:55 am EST November 9, 2004

UPDATED: 10:11 am EST November 9, 2004

NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The U.S. military says three troops are dead with another 14 wounded in the past 12 hours of fighting in Fallujah.

A total of five U.S. troops have died since the offensive began against Iraqi militants in the city, which is just west of Baghdad.

Two Marines died when their bulldozer tumbled into the Euphrates River.

The pilot of an American helicopter was injured by ground fire -- but managed to return to base.

A total of 14 Americans have been killed in the past two days across Iraq -- including the five in and around Fallujah.

Nine others have died as guerrillas launched a wave of attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere.

A senior Pentagon official said the nine others died Monday southwest of Fallujah and in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, U.S. armored units have reached the central highway in the heart of Fallujah. The move brings them into the southern part of the city: a major step in re-taking the rebel stronghold.

The relentless salvo of artillery strikes has stopped because so many U.S. troops are prowling the city's narrow alleys.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reports U.S. and Iraqi forces are surrounding a city mosque used as an arms depot and militant meeting point.

Witnesses in the Iraqi city of Fallujah say heavy street fighting is under way in the northern part of the rebel stronghold.

U.S. forces are on a major offensive aimed at driving insurgents out.

After hours of artillery and aircraft bombardment on suspected insurgent strongholds, the assault began Monday on the northwestern neighborhood of Jolan. A second prong of the attack was then launched into the northeastern Askari district. Heavy firing continued into the pre-dawn hours Tuesday.

Army and Marine units are going door-to-door in their quest, while shelling continues in the city.

Witnesses said said at least two American tanks were engulfed in flames.

As the security noose is tightened in Fallujah, an Army commander said he wants to make sure insurgents dressed in civilian clothes don't sneak out.

Col. Michael Formica said, "I do not want these guys to get out of here. I want them killed or captured as they flee."

U.S. commanders have avoided any public estimate on how long it may take to capture Fallujah, where insurgents fought the Marines to a standstill last April in a three-week siege.

A hospital official said the U.S. assault on Fallujah has killed at least a dozen Iraqis.

The doctor said a 5-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy are among more than a dozen wounded. A man in central Fallujah said hundreds of houses have also been destroyed. At least one clinic was also destroyed.

Others said they have no running water and fear a food shortage. Most city shops have been closed the past two days. U.S. troops have already cut off the city's power.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said there won't be "large numbers of civilians killed," adding that said civilians have been told about a round-the-clock curfew and other emergency measures to help them "avoid getting into trouble."

The top U.S. commander in Iraq said half to nearly three-quarters of the city's 200,000 residents have fled. That figure is in dispute because some put Fallujah's population at 300,000.

U.S. Forces Seen Entering Ramadi

Smoke is rising over the Iraqi city of Ramadi as U.S. jets and attack helicopters fly overhead.

It comes in response to hundreds of armed insurgents taking up positions in the center of the city. U.S. troops have been launching an assault on the nearby rebel stronghold of Fallujah.

Residents said U.S. forces haven't reached the heart of Ramadi, but are seen near the mayor's office.

Residents say hundreds of armed militants have set up in the center of Ramadi. The city is near Fallujah, where U.S. troops and their allies are battling militants.

Iraqis said earlier that gunmen toting Kalshnikov rifles, heavy machine guns and shoulder-fired rockets were holding the city.

Ramadi is about 70 miles west of Baghdad.

Earlier today, five U.S. troops were wounded when they fired on two suspected car bombs in Ramadi. The U.S. military said the exchange of fire killed seven rebels.

Many residents have left the city. The few remaining are subject to a curfew imposed by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

U.S. forces have been clashing with rebels all week in the city. Monday, the Allawi imposed an around-the-clock curfew there as U.S. and Iraqi forces tried to drive militants out.

Iraq's capital will be under a nighttime curfew for the first time in more than a year.

Allawi's office Tuesday said authorities are imposing the Baghdad curfew under powers granted by an emergency decree.

The office said the nighttime curfew will last "until further notice."

The U.S.-led coalition lifted its curfew of the capital Oct. 26, 2003. It had imposed the curfew after knocking Saddam Hussein from power.

U.N. 'Extremely Concerned' About Refugees From Fallujah

The U.N. refugee agency said it's "extremely concerned" about tens of thousands of people fleeing fighting between rebels and U.S. troops in Fallujah.

A U.N. official says most civilians appear to have fled before the U.S. offensive began, but because of the fighting officials don't have specific numbers.

The spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said most who fled are staying with relatives, friends and others. She said "food, shelter, water and sanitation and health care" are the most vital needs.

She said officials will continue to monitor the situation from Jordan. The group's international staff remains outside Iraq for security reasons but are "in close contact with colleagues inside the country."

Clash In Baqouba

Fallujah isn't the only violent city in Iraq Tuesday.

Militants with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades have stormed two police stations near the central Iraqi town of Baqouba.

Police returned fire, killing one attacker and wounding 10 others. Hospital officials said 11 policemen and one civilian were wounded in the attacks.

Several heavy blasts have also rocked central Baghdad. It's not yet clear what caused them.

Sunni Political Party Quitting Interim Iraqi Government

A major Sunni political party is pulling out of the interim Iraqi government in protest of the assault on Fallujah.

It has decided that its one minister in the Cabinet should quit.

The head of the Iraqi Islamic Party told The Associated Press, "We cannot be part of this attack." He called it an injustice on the innocent people of the city.

The party has significant influence over the country's Sunni community and its withdrawal from the government will likely be a blow to Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

It is the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Sunni Islamic party well established in the Middle East. The party was suppressed under Saddam Hussein's rule and returned to life after Saddam was toppled.

LOL!

Good morning TexKat.

The bad guys are boxed in.

I don't have any stats on our guys bolting.

I hope it is not true, but if some have, they WILL be held accountable.

Hope it pans out. And if one his top thugs are in Fallujah maybe Zarqari is too.

Thanks for the link.....

My point to a tee.Nothing like this report on any media station.
If one really wants to know waht is going on in Falluja,they have to log on to sites like the freepers.
IMO,this is the most important event in the Iraqi war since it began.
I am hoping that we see uprisings agaibst the terrorists by the people of Iraq.