Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Al Qaeda Flag Flies over City Where Marines Fought Largest Battle of Iraq War
Mediaite ^ | Friday, January 3, 3014 | Noah Rothman

Posted on 01/03/2014 5:13:21 PM PST by kristinn

Just over two years since American troops entirely withdrew from Iraq, the black flag of Al Qaeda flies over the city of Fallujah’s government buildings in Iraq’s western Anbar Province. It was there that several American contractors were killed and strung up over a bridge in 2004 and American Marines fought the biggest battle of the Iraq War.

“The capture of Fallujah came amid an explosion of violence across the western desert province of Anbar in which local tribes, the Iraqi security forces and al-Qaeda militants have been fighting one another for days in a confusingly chaotic three-way war,” reads a report in the Washington Post.

From the WaPo article:

...“At the moment, there is no presence of the Iraqi state in Fallujah,” said a local journalist who asked not to be named because he fears for his safety. “The police and the army have abandoned the city, al-Qaeda has taken down all the Iraqi flags and burned them, and it has raised its own flag on all the buildings.”

At Friday prayers, held outdoors and attended by thousands of people, a masked ISIS fighter took the podium and addressed the crowd, declaring the establishment of an “Islamic emirate” in Fallujah and promising to help residents fight the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Iranian allies.

“We don’t want to hurt you. We don’t want to take any of your possessions,” the masked man told the crowd, according to the journalist, who attended the prayers. “We want you to reopen the schools and institutions and return to your normal lives.”..

(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Syria; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; alqaedainiraq; alqaedairaq; anbar; bho44; bhogwot; bush; fallujah; iran; iraq; isis; islamicimperialism; obama; obamaforeignpolicy; obamalegacy; obamasfault; obamaswars; proislamist; ramadi; shia; sunni; syria; terrorism; threatmatrix; waronterror; whywefight
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-105 next last
To: FreedomPoster
You have valid points, but wars that have undefined borders and transnational support are hard to win.

Germany are Germans. Japan are Japanese[grammar]. However, Iraq and Afghanistan, are tribes. Islamists will cross borders to support such actions. War goes on forever, you would have to deIslamize the entire ME for 'victory'.

We had a similar problem in Korea and Vietnam. If those countries didn't have outside support or if we were willing to attack the countries that supported them, there would have been a chance of 'victory'. But, Vietnam had plenty of avenues of aid pouring in.

81 posted on 01/04/2014 12:32:49 PM PST by Theoria (End Socialism : No more GOP and Dem candidates)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

All those troops died for nothing.


82 posted on 01/04/2014 1:42:08 PM PST by bgill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kristinn; All

I said from the beginning that we can’t win a war when we won’t identify the enemy. When Bush said “Let’s roll”, the Joint Chiefs should have asked “Roll where and againt who?”

But, I guess it doesn’t matter. Biden and obama said in 2012 that Al Queda is practically eliminated. They said Al Queda was so weak Slow Joe could take them out with a shotgun. And they woudn’t lie, would they? /s


83 posted on 01/04/2014 2:20:24 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Trailerpark Badass

PFL


84 posted on 01/04/2014 2:32:26 PM PST by Batman11 (Obama is not American.. he has no clue what it is to be American.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: kristinn
I wonder what kind of reception Obama will get from the Marines if he goes to the gym or golfs at Marine Corps Base Hawaii tomorrow morning.

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

The one he deserves, God willing.

85 posted on 01/04/2014 2:35:50 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: trisham

Let’s see, who is the US government going to order back into Iraq. How many troops do we have..?

With the downsizing in military, the cuts in retirement pension and possible cuts in retiree Tricare who is going want to enlist to fight a war for a government who turns their back on the veterans who fought the wars in the past.

Not my descendants, nieces or nephews under the current US leadership. We have serve since the War of Independences, not no more. Good luck Mr. Obama and Democratic Party.


86 posted on 01/04/2014 2:57:25 PM PST by DEPcom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: Prince of Space
RE :.....and Rummy resigned the day after the election in 2006, so he wasn’t even around to ask Congress for funding in 2007”

Exactly, right AFTER the election. Not till after, no doubt that timing was planned months earlier,

And the post Rummy new Pelosi congress strategy was?

The surge.

GWB wouldnt want to be forcing a GOP congress BEFORE the 2006 election to come up with funding for a surge when he had been assuring Americans that the war was going fine.

That could produce nasty results at the polls,

87 posted on 01/04/2014 4:35:36 PM PST by sickoflibs (Obama : 'If you like your Doctor you can keep him, PERIOD! Don't believe the GOPs warnings')
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: phormer phrog phlyer

Thank you for your honorable service in Iraq.

It is the leadership of America and of Iraq that is not honorable.

You did the right and noble thing.

You can hold your head up high.

Now we must clean our house of the traitorous filth that inhabits it.


88 posted on 01/04/2014 4:43:35 PM PST by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: NEMDF; righttackle44

My nephew was there as well USMC. This news won’t go well with him.


89 posted on 01/04/2014 4:48:53 PM PST by EBH ( The Day of the Patriot has arrived.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: cherokee1

...”until every last grudge is settled”....

But that’s the point...they will never settle..they can’t and even if they could they wouldn’t. Their nature is to be at war with other nations, which includes their own brothers and families.

No one uses the word “Peace” as deceptively as Muslims do......the West and Europe still haven’t figured out what all Muslims are taught and well known to them...”Peace can only come through Islam”....”Peace through Islam alone” leaves no room for any other way, or compromise unless it advances their cause to dominate.

Nobody understands the ME terrorists/fighters and Muslims as our Military men and women do. They’ve lived among them...and I will take their word any day over any politician.

However History itself is consistant at what the ME countries are about...hasn’t changed over the centuries except now they fight over who gets the oil for in that comes the revenues they desire and the power it welds which they covet.


90 posted on 01/04/2014 10:18:32 PM PST by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Steve_Seattle

Great post and absolutely correct!


91 posted on 01/04/2014 10:20:42 PM PST by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: Count of Monte Fisto

Al Qaeda works for whoever pays them the most... But their loyalty is with the Muslim Brotherhood ultimately, who are over all terrorist groups in some form or another...make no mistake about that.

US/Nato deals with the Muslim Brotherhood...as do all those within the Globalist Agenda. They know the Muslims will have to have a seat at the Global Governance table, since the oil and it’s revenues are under the control of ME leaders and the Globalists want those revenues to flow through Global Control.

The Muslim Brotherhood is the only “organized” Muslim group. and has tentacles throughout the ME.... and why the Globalist continually try to get them “elected” in ME Nations. Just as was done in Egypt though it failed of course.

They really don’t need us to plant their flags....they have that representation with or without the flag.....it just gives the underlings “hope” where ever they plant it. You could put one over every American Mosque in this country and it wouldn’t be far from the truth.


92 posted on 01/04/2014 10:35:42 PM PST by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: sickoflibs

I don’t believe taking Iraq out of the hands of Saddam was a blunder at all. The International community knew this was coming...it just was a matter of timing and conditions to pull that off.

The US has the largest Embassy in the world In Iraq....and the nation will survive these attacks as they are certainly coming from Iran’s support, who still covets control of Iraq. The nation is earmarked for vast enterprises and growth...by the Globalists....which is why so much investment continues to go there.

If you want to know why we bother with the Middle East...it’s simply a Globalist push and will continue to be so...and at the rate we’re going they can handle Iraq without us at any time...but it’s always easier to call the US first.


93 posted on 01/04/2014 10:42:18 PM PST by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

“President” Barack Al-Obama LOST Iraq!!


94 posted on 01/04/2014 11:19:54 PM PST by 2harddrive
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Truth29

....”There will never be long term peace unless one faction of Muslims wins totally over all others and over all non Muslims”....

That’s coming and it won’t be any peaceful ones who win out....


95 posted on 01/04/2014 11:48:31 PM PST by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: Theoria

Our government doesn’t act like it is broke.

If it was broke, they would start cutting unconstitutional government jobs. They aren’t doing that.

So I guess they still have checks left.


96 posted on 01/05/2014 11:37:10 PM PST by donmeaker (A man can go anywhere on earth, and where man can go, he can drag a cannon.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: kristinn; Fred Nerks; LucyT; TigersEye

Thank you pretend president Obama.Long may your figgy duff rot in your White Hut.

You Mr. Obama have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

57 million Iraquis liberated by George W. Bush are about to be re-enslaved, thanks to this POS, so called “president.”

Treasonous, fascist libtard of a president, will we ever be free of him and his running dogs?


97 posted on 01/06/2014 1:18:56 AM PST by Candor7 (Obama fascism article:(http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sickoflibs

Wrong. You bit the lefty bait and scrofulated your own bippy.


98 posted on 01/06/2014 1:21:29 AM PST by Candor7 (Obama fascism article:(http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: School of Rational Thought
Never ever get involved in another war with similar rules of engagement.

The rules of engagement were fairly realistic leading up to Al-Fajr.

During the battle of Al-Fajr, the gloves came entirely off.

Even after Al-Fajr, the ROEs weren't overly restrictive; even in 2008 as everything was winding down.

99 posted on 01/06/2014 9:53:34 AM PST by Repeat Offender (What good are conservative principles if we don't stand by them?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Prince of Space; sickoflibs
We were NOT "In" Fallujah before the election.

Most major elements were staged in CAMP Fallujah prior to the election and 3/5 conducted feints against the city prior to Al-Fajr kicking off.

The election was held 02 November 2004. We were still at the ITC when they relayed the election results via radio. Al-Fajr started on 08 November 2004 with the encirclement of the city in conjunction with rotary/fixed wing strikes, MikWiks, and artillery. This was followed by major incursions into the city in the hours between 08/09 November, with a main push in the hours between 09/10 November.

To sickoflibs. The administration had wanted to avoid major causalities (on both sides) and campaigns in urban population centers. The so called "Fallujah Brigade" claimed they would control the city and maintain law, order, and peace. In reality, it was nothing more than a safe haven for terrorists and a launching point to conduct operations in the rest of Al-Anbar. That was the diplomatic approach. Following the Blackwater Bridge incident it became apparent Al-Fallujah would need to be cleared by force.

Allowing Fallujah to fester, albeit unintentionally, proved to be a smart move. It concentrated a previously unseen and hard to track enemy in one location. "We" also told "them" that if they wanted a chance to kill Americans and fight for allah, Fallujah was where the party was going down - this prompted other terrorist bastards to flock to Fallujah for their chance at glory and martyrdom.

While urban areas are brutal on conventional forces (I myself was wounded then/there) it provided us the opportunity to go toe to toe with the enemy. We killed nearly 3000 of those bastards and while a slow process was the initial major blow to the insurgency in Iraq.

And in late late October, we were briefed we WERE going into Al-Fallujah, but it would NOT be until AFTER the election.............

HOWEVER, by this point we had already conducted clearing operations in Hit, Hadithah, Ana, Rawa, Haqlaniyah, Barwana, and elsewhere - we expected gun battles to happen there - hadji just fled to Al Fallujah and waited for us there.

100 posted on 01/06/2014 10:13:53 AM PST by Repeat Offender (What good are conservative principles if we don't stand by them?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-105 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson