US Offensive in Fallujah intensifies

DW -World.DE ^ | 4-6-04

[dansangel]

I am humbled by their service.

Amen

[MEG33]

Then you know the President did not declare the end of hostilities on the carrier.

[TexKat]

Shiite militias in Nassiriah give 2 hours ultimatum to italians to leave the city

15 Iraqis Killed in Clash With Italians

ROME - Italian troops and Iraqi insurgents clashed Tuesday in the southern city of Nasiriyah, killing at least 15 Iraqis and wounding 35, an Italian news agency reported.

Twelve Italians troops were slightly wounded, the Italian Defense Ministry reported.

THE Apcom agency quoted U.S.-led coalition spokeswoman Paola Della Casa as saying the Iraqi attackers used civilians as human shields during the attack. She said a woman and two children were among the dead.

According to the Defense Ministry in Rome, the fighting occurred early in the day as gunmen opened fire on Italian forces patrolling the streets and bridges over the Euphrates, trying to restore orders after violent protests in the area.

The Italians returned fire, and at the end of the gunbattle regained control of the main bridges, said a statement by the Defense Ministry.

The ministry said the coalition headquarters building in Nasiriyah also came under attack during the clashes.

Clashes between militiamen of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and U.S.-led coalition forces have raged since the weekend throughout the country, leaving scores of people dead.

[sarasota]

Will you be posting the photos to this thread?

[Sidebar Moderator]

Good graphic, deleted because way too large (2MB). You're welcome to repost as a link.

[upchuck]

First al-Sally sez this:
"I have pledged not to allow a drop of blood to be shed except my own," al-Sadr said. "I'm prepared to have my own blood shed for what is holy to me."

Then we have this:
Al-Sadr's militiamen clashed with coalition troops Sunday in Baghdad and outside the city of Najaf, to the south, in fierce fighting that killed 61 people, including eight American soldiers.

This guy must be taking lessons from John F'ing, FlipFlopping sKerry!

[Dog]

wretchard called it.....probes to keep the jihadists moving to try and cover each Marine feint.

Wear them out....and chew them up in the process..

[Polybius]

Yes. And I hope that freepers will take the time to at least read what Wretchard has conjectured about Fallujah. I doubt any of us have enough insight to say for sure whether he is or is not right, but the scenario is very plausible, and so far seems to fit what little we have seen reported.

I checked out the Fallujah/ Operation Valiant Resolve analysis by Wretchard.

I advocated such tactics on Post 17 of this 1 April 2004 thread and on an earlier thread.

Predictably, the press will call the early phase a "quagmire".

What's your opinion on the tactics of Operation Valiant Resolve, Travis?

***************************************

17 posted on 04/01/2004 10:37:01 PM PST by Polybius:

You don't need to mutilate dead bodies, MOAB women and children or act like Nazis. You merely have to identify your enemy, isolate your enemy and then kill your enemy. That is what war is all about.

Here is how I would handled this Sunni Triangle snake pit:

1. Set up a cordon sanitaire around Fallujah. Nobody goes in. The residents only go out, once, through check points to be sorted into "totally harmeless" or "in need of imprisonment".

2. Wait as long as it takes to have nobody left in the city except the Bathist die-hards.

3. Wage mechanical urban warfare on the city and the holdouts with heavy emphasis on air power and artillery and practically no emphasis on infantry.

4. Sustain the attack until there is not a stray dog left alive to roam the streets.

You have killed your enemy, spared the innocent and taught the enemy in other cities that it is unhealthy to mess with the U.S.

Rinse and repeat as often as necessary.

17 posted on 04/01/2004 10:37:01 PM PST by Polybius

[eleni121]

More and more many are thinking along the same lines as you. These are organized mobs of violent criminals organized by sick ideology and weapons and nothing more and nothing less. Their destruction is a necessity because they only understand the language of violence.

[oceanview]

it sounds good, but they would have kept most of the women and children from leaving to use them as human shields.

[Robert Drobot]

While we're at it let's have them drop Kerry supporters:

Meg Ryan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner; Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Barwaaa Streisand; Alex Baldwin; Janeane Garofalo; Al Franken; Willie Nelson; George Clooney; Sean Penn; Barbara Lee; Neil Young; Ted Kennedy; Robert Redford; Cher and Eliza Dushku;

[olorin]

The terrorist have no qualms about surprising Israli [sic] infants.

Are you saying that because terrorists kill innocent Israelis,that we should completely level Fallujah? Seems like a bit of anon-sequitir to me.

[olorin]

*anon-sequitir = a non-sequitir

[Eva]

What the US needs right now are some Iraqis to lead the movement toward democracy and freedom. Maybe some of the student activists from Iran would be helpful and starting grass roots movements among young people, if we could find enough educated young people to organize. That is the biggest problem, finding educated young people in Iraq.

[Polybius]

it sounds good, but they would have kept most of the women and children from leaving to use them as human shields.

Read the link in my prior post for Wretchard's analysis of the problems the Jihadi will have defending themselves and keeping the civilians under control at the same time over a ten mile perimeter and how the Marines will help the process along.

[Coop]

At this rate, The Prez is going to have to go back out to an aircraft carrier, and declare that hostilities in Iraq are now ON again.

Oh, brother!

What next? Will you be telling us Bush lied about WMDs? Or that he declared that Iraq was an immiment threat?

[Travis McGee]

Who is "Wretchard" of the Belmont Club blog? I'm no graduate of the war college, but he strikes me as highly thoughtful and well versed in the art of war. I really can't fault his analysis, but I claim no special credentials in this scale of operation.

[Travis McGee]

Please read the Wretchard/Belmont Club link at 49. You might want to pass it around.

[MEG33]

Here