“Fallujah Falls??? Absolute rubbish.”
You may have a point, given how overblown most local reports usually are there.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes to clear out the remaining resistance. The ground forces commander for the operation, claimed that they would occupy the Northern neighborhoods “within hours”.
It may have been a command decision by ISIS to drop the defense and try to survive with as much future capability as possible. They get no ammo resupply, so they do face a hard stop at some point. Their losses have been high, and their hometown is being systematically demolished. As long as they resist, it is a free fire zone for heavy artillery and airstrikes.
Things definitely changed on Friday though. Some word likely went out, as the checkpoints that kept the civilians in were all abandoned within hours, unleashing a flood of refugees - maybe the last big flood that will be available, to hide within. The heavily prepared defenses around the edges have been breached, and the Iraqi Army has moved through a lot of the central part of town, with many fewer IEDs and tunnels to contend with.
Perhaps the Iraqi government is overly eager to declare victory, and fighting will go on for weeks - but it won’t change the outcome, and will only reduce more of the city to rubble.
Notice the AP story mentioned air missions by the Iraqi Air Force. Good. Hope they hit their targets but good for ground troops morale to see their own planes in action.
I wonder if any of our ops are helping the Iraqis to perform GSR testing on fleeing males from Fallujah? One good way to find out if they fired a weapon recently. Also did they just shave in violation of Islamic rules? A go d hint that they are ISIS>
Then time for an ISIS BBQ (old cages are still available). Burn, Baby, Burn.
Re one writer who asked whether the “COEXIST” bumper stickers actually worked. Well, if they were attached to bombs and rockets, then, YES. It’s how you deliver the message that counts.