Operation Matador Ends, Marines Continue To Monitor Area

AFIS ^ | 05/14/05 | Jim Garamore

[smoothsailing]

Operation Matador Ends, Marines Continue to Monitor Area

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2005 – Operation Matador is over, Marine officials in Iraq announced today.

The seven-day operation concentrated on cities near the border with Syria. Pentagon officials said many foreign fighters allied with terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi slip across the porous Syrian-Iraqi border. The operation concentrated on the Euphrates River cities of Karabilah, Ramana and Ubaydi, a Marine statement said.

Nine Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2 died in the operation. Forty more were wounded. The statement said the joint-service team's Marines, soldiers and sailors "killed more than 125 terrorists, wounding many others and detaining 39 terrorists of intelligence value."

Coalition officials were concerned about the region even before fighting in Fallujah in November. The area - part of Iraq's Anbar province - is laced with smuggling routes that go back generations. Tribal loyalties extend on both sides of the border, and families often control smuggling "territory" and charge for services, said Pentagon officials.

Marine officials said terrorists use the area as a staging ground for attacks against Iraqi and coalition targets in Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad and Mosul.

The operation began May 7, and Marines killed about 70 terrorists in the first 24-hour period. "Operation Matador confirmed existing intelligence assessments focused on this region north of the Euphrates River, including knowledge of numerous cave complexes in the nearby escarpment," the Marine statement said.

The Marines will continue to monitor the area, officials said. Servicemembers discovered numerous weapons caches containing machine guns, mortar rounds and rocket materials in towns along the Syrian border. "Six vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and material used for making other improvised explosive devices were also found," the statement said.

"Regimental Combat Team 2 started and ended this operation as planned, accomplished its mission and secured all objectives," said Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck, 2nd Marine Division commander, quoted in the statement. "Coalition and Iraqi security forces will return again to this area in the future."

In the northern part of Iraq, soldiers of 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade Combat Team seized a large weapons cache May 12. Soldiers found the weapons during a cordon-and-search operation southwest of Qayyarah. The cache included 16 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, a mortar round, one case of fuses, two bags of charges, one pound of C4 explosives and a case of ammunition.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2005/20050514_1084.html

[Marine_Uncle]

"Oh ok. I thought Lima was a person. I am not familiar with military terms."

Glad to help.

[af_vet_1981]

Don't end the dance.

The music is still playing ...

[PFKEY]

It's reports like this that let me know that GWB is doing his job and this whole Iraq, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, WOT stuff is the real deal and America is far far better off having fought this war now.

[smoothsailing]

Amen.

[PFKEY]

And no slight intented for the men and woman who are actually doing the work.

I hope I continue to hear stories of flag waving homecomings and people giving their airplane seats up so a GI can get home to see his/her family.

We are a great nation and I am proud!

God bless America!

[Da Mav]

The trials of this squad were widely reported on the news as "American Combat Unit Wiped Out". There were such headlines on Yahoo News and on CNN.

Anyone looking no further than the headline would have thought the casualties were far greater than they actually were. I know my heart certainly skipped a few beats.

This is obviously not to make less of the terrible tragedy that occurs anytime any of our heroes are killed in Iraq. But it should serve as a warning to be on guard and ready to respond as the press/media seeks to turn this victory into a defeat as is its wont. The defeatists are out in strength right now.

[Spktyr]

While the loss of even one Marine is clearly not good in anyone's book, 10:1 kill ratios when city fighting in someone else's city is pretty damned good. You might want to go look up what most militaries consider to be the hardest kind of warfare and what kinds of casualties are generally expected before you say this isn't much of a success.

[MEG33]

Amen

[MEG33]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1403455/posts
another article.

[nathanbedford]

It does not matter what you, I, cilbupeR_eerF, or the Marine Corps thinks is a "success." It only matters what the MSM can get folks at home to think is a "success" or more to the point, a "quagmire."

[womcg]

125 KIA'a are only what they found with enough parts left to count. And they are still counting.Of the wounded terrs that escaped, at least 20-30% will die and another 10% won't fight no mo'. The Marines are fighting a dug in enemy on the bad guys own turf. Building/crossing a pontoon bridge under mortar fire is really on my "don't ever want to do list", but these kids did it while kicking butt. I imagine the intel value of this op will be far reaching, also. Ops are on going, the Syrians are watching, and this is a good way to see where the rats run so's to light up another nest. I mourn the loss of every one of our troops, but don't sell em' short based on MSM reports.

[Marine_Uncle]

"This is obviously not to make less of the terrible tragedy that occurs anytime any of our heroes are killed in Iraq. But it should serve as a warning to be on guard and ready to respond as the press/media seeks to turn this victory into a defeat as is its wont. The defeatists are out in strength right now."

Well said. We all have the opportunity whenever it arises to at least try to better inform those that receive the one sided negative analysis our far left and often clueless and not careing L/MSM dish out on a regular basis. Oh how they wish things would collapse so the POTUS looks like a fool war monger.

[Marine_Uncle]

"It does not matter what you, I, cilbupeR_eerF, or the Marine Corps thinks is a "success." It only matters what the MSM can get folks at home to think is a "success" or more to the point, a "quagmire."

Amen. All we can do is pursue the facts/genuine balance picture and share with others less fortunate to obtain a balanced viewpoint. So many people have nothing to gauge their opinions with so easily fall into believing the snakes carefully prepared lie sheets. Obviouse to most of us this has been going on for a long time on all continents. I often have joked with some folks off site, that the old KGB must be super enviouse of how well the American press can create public opinion swings, where they actually believe the tripe they are handed verse, those in the communist block who new it was just rubbish, but had to be tolerated, since they had no alternative. And the world turns.........

[Marine_Uncle]

ErnBatavia seems to have gone bye bye. Well said. Our Intel continues to gain in effectiveness. Your point on the pontoon bridge crossing is most appropriate. I suspect based on a few dribbles of news, that the Syrians may be actually starting to capture incoming/outgoing terrorist along the border in the vacinity of these battles. I should have posted the article, but was 2pm this morning and I was ready to sign off. We obviously know at this point that quite a few may have escaped once again. They are snakes, most are not ready to receive their 72 white grapes. Those that run appear to return to their homelands a bit dis-allusioned as to what M. Zarqawi is asking of them, once they see with their own eyes how badly it goes for them each time they are caught.

[womcg]

I have little faith in Syria doing anything worthwhile. Syrians are not scared enought- yet. But I agree with the rest of your posts. And, like you, I figure these young troops are doing a helluva job.

[Marine_Uncle]

" I have little faith in Syria doing anything worthwhile. Syrians are not scared enought- yet.."

Thanks for serving your country. I have the same sentiments concerning Syria. May I post this to you to read (realizing you may be quite aware of content) a sligthly dated sliver that did indicated Syria turned over one key member and associates of Saddam, a while back. I realize according to earlier news reports, that there are many still operating in Syria. I understand somewhat the workings of the Syrian secret police etc.. So in essence, your comment is most appropriate: their not scared enough yet. I agree. Plus even if Assad somehow became soft he has to contend with his intel operata etc.. Wrong turn and he could get a bullet in his head. But that being said:
Here's the link:

http://billroggio.com/archives/middle_east/syria/index.php

And please don't feel obligated to respond at this point.

[Ramonchito]

The resilience and tenacity of the Iraqi rebels is expected. What the press failed to emphasize is that the uprising has not reached national proportions. Apparently, the majority of Iraqis support the new government and seem to be happy that the Americans came to liberate them. During the Afghanistan war, millions of Afghans lost their lives yet the rebellion against the Russians continued. The Russians were hated by the Afghans and the Russians knew it. This is the reason why the radical Taliban rose to power. The Afghans didn't like the Russians and they were willing to support any government that could effectively kick out the Russians from their soil. In Iraq you don't hear of large battles being fought by American troops or the Iraqi military against the Iraqi insurgents. In Afghanistan, that was almost a daily occurrence in spite of the enormous causalities suffered by the Afghan rebels. The Russians tried every thing to break the will of the Afghans to fight. They resorted to genocide. They tried to destroy the food supply of the Afghan people. But the Afghans were not at all discouraged. They fought tenaciously against all impossible odds.

[smoothsailing]

You have done some solid research.

I see both the Afghanis and Iraqis as proud and determined people, and as time passes, staunch allies.

Thanks for the post, Ramonchito, this thread has taught me a great deal.

Now about those paragraphs....:^)

[Dave Elias]

If casualty ratios were the measure of success this would be an entirely different war.

Quite so. By the same measure Germany defeated the Soviet Union and the US won in Vietnam. Numbers mean jack.

[Dave Elias]

Please moderate your language. My kids peruse these boards