how many insurgents can there be to "take over 5 towns"?
hey, this is an easy one - if they are evacuating the populace for us, just blow those towns to hell from the air.
there is some part of this story that is missing.
"there is some part of this story that is missing."
Perhaps not. LTC Alford of the 3rd Battalion 6th Marine Regiment at the Qaem FOB is the one that made the statements.
I think since the last major raids, two months back when the Marines pulled raids on all these towns (remember when our Marines where reporting the tribes where fighting Z-man's goons), that afterward, goons running from raids in Col Davis's Marine RCT2 AO (Haditha, Hit etc.) probably made their way northward to the Qaem area towns. Regrouped and some new ones from Syria slipping in set up the current situation. Of course this is probably the last time the goons will get away with this type thing, if the Iraqis are now going to occupy all these towns with battle hardened troops. Plus the actual border crossing now to have permenant better trained Iraqi Border police with army backup nearby should shut that crossing down. If what I say is true, Z-man's goons just are going to find it quite hard to move about let alone find cozy safehouses. All the towns and cities along the river are slowly getting cleaned out and now have permenant Iraqi forces occupying them, doing 24/7 HUMIT and cardon and search SASO. At least that is what I am lead to believe. So where do the goons go? We have to remember once one leaves that area on the western side of the river into the Al Anbar desert geography, it is remote, hardly any towns at all for thousands of square miles of desert. They can't operate that way. They are lossing the Euphrates River valley for some 250 miles down to Baggy Dad.
Things don't look good for Abu and Izzat and the rest of those scum bags.