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Forces enter Haqlaniya
 US Marines fought their way into the insurgent stronghold of Haqlaniya on Wednesday, intensifying a campaign to bring Iraq's restive western province of Al Anbar under control. A column of tanks and armoured vehicles rolled into the town, about 240km west of Baghdad on the Euphrates river, before dawn and were immediately ambushed. Marines' forces responded with heavy machinegun fire and several tank rounds. "We were hit by an IED (improvised explosive device), a daisy chain [three IEDs linked together] and then we took a rocket propelled grenade," said Sergeant Larry Long, speaking as occasional shots and blasts echoed across the western desert.Three Iraqis were killed when they drove towards a building occupied by the Marines. There were no US casualties. "A pick-up truck drove towards the building. Iraqi soldiers waved at it to stop but they didn't stop. They didn't pay attention. They turned around, and that's when we shot them," said Major Richard Seagrist. The offensive was part of Operation River Blitz, launched this week to tackle insurgents hiding out in the huge western province of Al Anbar that stretches to the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. "The situation in Al Anbar has gone too far which is why we enacted River Blitz. We don't want to present a weak spot to the insurgent," Lieutenant Colonel Greg Stevens of the 1st Marines Expeditionary Force told his troops on the eve of the assault. "We're going into the city and we're staying." Haqlaniya has been a hotspot for months. Four Marines were killed in an ambush near the town in January. The US military said it was expecting strong resistance from foreign fighters who they say have links to Al Qaida. But in the event insurgent resistance was fairly weak. "You don't bring a rifle to a tank fight," Stevens said yesterday. Posted by: Fred 2005-02-25 |
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