Article

2005-03-23 Iraq-Jordan

Fallujah: From insurgent stronghold to `safest city in Iraq'

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Posted by Fred 2005-03-23 00:00:00 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Yes, despite the seemingly positive headline, it seems the author can't quite escape from the the "quagmire" mold!

Posted by Bobby 2005-03-23 12:18:13 AM|| 2005-03-23 12:18:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Najaf is also pretty safe. Haven't heard anything from Sadr city either. Draw your conclusions.

Posted by ed 2005-03-23 12:26:56 AM|| 2005-03-23 12:26:56 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 . "They're making big piles into little piles,"

Teaching the locals Paris Island engineering techniques.

Posted by Shipman 2005-03-23 6:27:48 AM|| 2005-03-23 6:27:48 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 An Iraqi Flight School:pileit here,then pileit over there.

Posted by raptor 2005-03-23 8:52:52 AM|| 2005-03-23 8:52:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Shovelling by hand keeps the eyes engaged for the presence of IEDs.

Posted by john 2005-03-23 11:02:13 AM|| 2005-03-23 11:02:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 On March 31, 2004, four U.S. contractors were ambushed and killed here, setting off a battle when U.S. Marines tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the insurgent forces that had taken control of the city.

Uhhh, no. Had there not been a "suspension of offensive operations" declared, the Marines would have kicked the you-know-what out of the insurgents the first time around, instead of having to go through the whole thing a second time.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-03-23 1:00:12 PM|| 2005-03-23 1:00:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Very true, BaR, but the break allowed the civilians to leave and more Hard Boyz to arrive to defend their stronghold. So, while frustrating all around, this allowed the environment to be even more target rich. I seem to recall estimates of 15000 captured/killed during the recent operation, and a kill ratio of something like 100:1.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-03-23 1:33:19 PM|| 2005-03-23 1:33:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 I think the final toll was around 4,000 killed and captured in Falluja. The US lost around 130 dead and the Iraqi troops lost about 10 dead. The kill ratio was therefore 10-15:1, which is amazing for an infantry led urban assualt.

Posted by ed 2005-03-23 2:07:16 PM|| 2005-03-23 2:07:16 PM|| Front Page Top

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