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| Iraq-Jordan |
| City seizure hours away |
| 2004-11-10 |
| US MARINES expect to take complete control of the Iraqi rebel bastion of Fallujah within 48 hours if their assault continues on course, a US military officer said today. "If everything goes as planned we will take full control of the city in the next 48 hours," the officer said. He said the marines would need up to a week to make the northeast corner of Fallujah safe "and at least 10 days to clear the city." American forces said today they had taken control of 70 per cent of Fallujah in the third day of a major offensive to retake the insurgent stronghold. Major Francis Piccoli, of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said enemy fighters were bottled up in a strip of the city flanking the major east-west highway that splits Fallujah. Army and marine units had pushed south through the highway overnight, taking control of more than two-thirds of the rebel bastion, Piccoli said. "There's going to be a movement today in those areas. The heart of the city is what's in focus now," he said. The north-western neighbourhood of Jolan, the historic warren of narrow alleys where Sunni militants rigged booby traps, is now "secured and under control," he said, although marines would continue house to house sweeps in search of fighters and weapons today. Jolan was a key target for US forces during the start of the ground assault. The military said at least 71 militants were killed in intense urban combat in the city's deserted and narrow lanes, but the number was expected to rise sharply once US forces account for those killed in airstrikes. As of last night, 10 US troops and two members of the Iraqi security force had been killed, a toll that already equalled the number of American troops who died when marines besieged the city for three weeks in April. Marine reports said 25 American troops and 16 Iraqi soldiers were wounded. As the American forces crossed the highway that split Fallujah, armoured Army units stayed behind to guard the thoroughfare. The military reported no heavy fighting overnight, but a US attack helicopter wiped out an insurgent rocket launcher southwest of Fallujah. Earlier, as many as eight attack aircraft - including jets and helicopter gunships - blasted guerrilla strongholds and raked the streets with rocket, cannon and machine-gun fire ahead of US and Iraqi infantry who were advancing only one or two blocks behind the curtain of fire. Small groups of guerrillas, armed with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and machine guns, engaged US troops, then fell back. US troops inspected houses along Fallujah's streets and ran across adjoining alleyways, mindful of snipers. A psychological operations unit broadcast announcements in Arabic meant to draw out gunmen. An Iraqi translator from the group said through a loudspeaker: "Brave terrorists, I am waiting here for the brave terrorists. Come and kill us. Plant small bombs on roadsides. Attention, attention, terrorists of Fallujah." Faced with overwhelming force, resistance in Fallujah did not appear as fierce as expected, though the top US commander in Iraq said he still expected "several more days of tough urban fighting" as insurgents fell back toward the southern end of the city, perhaps for a last stand. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #11 A mosque that stores ammunition is not a mosque but an ammunition dump with towers. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-11-10 8:52:46 PM |
| #10 Thanks JFM. Nice to know a few people here know history (and physics, or physical chemistry, where I first met Carnot's equations). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-11-10 8:49:18 PM |
| #9 OldSpook For the record. The complete sentence is "De l'audace, de l'audace, toujours de l'audace et la France est sauvée" is not a quote from Napoleon but from Lazare Carnot who was France's Defence minister when Napoleon was still a mere artillery captain. Lazare Carnot organized France for total war (an unfortunate inovation) and succeeded in repelling the Armies who had invaded France after the Revolution. He was related, don't remember the degree of parenthood, with the physicist who discovered the laws of thermodynamics. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-11-10 4:39:55 PM |
| #8 Main Global Security Fallujah Maps Page - to assist in keeping everything correctly oriented... Thank you, John Pike & Co!!! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-11-10 1:24:51 PM |
| #7 My uninformed guess is that the mosque was rigged to blow when the Marines were close and the Iraqis went in, as a way to get both propoganda value (999ths holiest site in Islam) and kill a few good guys. What really amazed me about this story was the following line: "US and Iraqi troops captured two key landmarks yesterday - a mosque and neighbouring convention centre that insurgents used for launching attacks, according to a Los Angeles Times reporter embedded with US forces. " So what kind of conventions do you think they've been having in Fallujah lately? |
| Posted by: RJ Schwarz 2004-11-10 10:27:32 AM |
| #6 Even if we just flush the terrorists out of Fallujah, they have to go somewhere and in smaller groups. That somewhere is in a less inviting Iraq were more citizens will be there to point them out to both Iraqi and American forces. By systematically reducing their safe havens like this, they will be more and more exposed to detection, identification, and elimination in the greater part of Iraq which wants the peace and progress they are now witnessing. The killing of the civilians and police by the terrorist has created a hostile environment which will make it very unlikely that these butchers will be able to operate for an extended period of time beyond the level of common criminals. |
| Posted by: Don 2004-11-10 9:21:41 AM |
| #5 Not exactly OT but today is the 229th birthday of the Marine Corps. That and the probable fall of Fallujah - what a day!! Semper Fi |
| Posted by: Doc8404 2004-11-10 8:59:24 AM |
| #4 I hope you're right OS, but I'm starting to smell that the terrs will take a shot and retreat to terrorize another day. Their object is to (wisely) avoid combat with American troops so that they can return or visit another city and reestablish their reign of terror. We need to see a lot more head shots like the one yesterday. A lot more. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-11-10 8:21:28 AM |
| #3 The Mosque was probably under assult from IRAQI troops -that has been the mode of operation so far. The "Marines blow up mosque" is inflammatory propaganda most likley. Look at the history of World War 1, toward the end., and on the eastern front. Look up Brusilov, and how the Germans came up with "Stosstruppen tactics", and how they broke trench warfare, by slicing through the weak spots tih short sharp engagements, bypassed and isolated the strong spots (surrounding them with infantry) and pounding them with artillery once isolated. It revolutionized tactics and strategy, and would be reflected in the Bltizkreig of WW2, and perfected in Patton's long thrust to Paris in 1944. We are seeing a similar revolution today in MOUT combat by the US forces. They have shown the US forces not only can fight in urban terrain, but we will do so, and will do it with speed. Patton quoted Napoleon (who was said to be quoting Alexander the great) when he said "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace." And that is the nature of these tactics. Plus these terrs have never faced such an enemy. The terrs are very effective against old women, children and unarmed civilians and civil police. But against battle hardened troops, they fade like a snowflake in July. These Marines and Cavalry and Infantry troops are making history, whether the MSM realizes it or not. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-11-10 8:11:02 AM |
| #2 We will hear it was the 999th most holy site in all allanism too. Sounds like all the terrs have run away. How brave of them. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-11-10 7:33:52 AM |
| #1 Breaking: MSNBC is reporting that Marines have blown up a mosque in Fallujah, the place went sky-high probably from hidden munitions. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-11-10 7:14:07 AM |