Cease-fire in Fallujah frustrates some Marines

USA Today ^ | 4/19/2004

[traumer]

BAGHDAD — U.S. military commanders, frustrated by a weeklong truce and talks aimed at ending hostilities in Fallujah, say the pause in offensive operations is giving insurgents a chance to reorganize and rearm, military officers say.

"There is a sense of frustration across the board," said a high-ranking military officer who asked not to be identified. If fighting starts again, Marines say they fear they will face a stronger enemy. "You fight them now or you fight them later," the officer said.

The officer also said the discussions are elevating the status of the insurgents by implying they are equals with U.S. forces. "It's emboldened the enemy across the 'Sunni Triangle,' " he said.

[traumer]

Similarities with Vietnam...

[ClearCase_guy]

Question: In what way did the cease-fire directly benefit the US and move us closer to our ultimate goals in Iraq?

I'm not seeing it.

[Seruzawa]

You can smell those State Dept "Can't we just get along" weenies a mile away.

[blackdog]

From day#1 of the supposed cease fire and negotiations, I commented that it's purpose was for the militants to restock their ammo supplies and logistically distribute it thruout the city. Once they are rearmed and stocked they'll start the party all over again.

[jayef]

Part of the strategy here may be to let more flies into the trap.

[traumer]

Perhaps the US forces needed to re-supply too (remember it was some heavy fighting) - but, I'm not so sure.

Meanwhile supply lines from Syria and Iran....

[Bosco]

Similarities with Vietnam...

It's similarities with any conflict of any age, not just Viet Nam. If you can get the forces that are kicking your a** to stop kicking your a** for a while while you reorganize, then you do it.

The tactic was also employed by Muhammed in his quest for power in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muslims don't have a problem lying to infidels when a jihad is in progress. Sounds like westerners need to read up on the culture and tactics of the middle east so they are not "surprised" when things like this (al-Mahdi militia, etc.) happen.

Wake up, smell the coffee, don't be ignorant or naive.

[KellyAdmirer]

I personally think the US should not stop until it takes complete control of the city and makes an example of it. The jokers who claim to represent the Iraqi insurgents don't control anything but themselves. I hope the US forces are tightening the noose and preventing re-supply of the insurgents inside the city, as a lot of commentary is suggesting the only thing terrorists understand is raw power, and Fallujah is precisely the right point to demonstrate it.

[pt17]

Allowing the enemy to rearm may be the least of the ill-effects of this approach to Fallujah. Among other things, it legitimizes these thugs as a faction to be bargained with. Am I missing something or is GWB starting to go down the wrong path?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This is a mistake.

[traumer]

Unfortunately with each strategy 'mistake' - more marines die...

[Polybius]

Question: In what way did the cease-fire directly benefit the US and move us closer to our ultimate goals in Iraq? I'm not seeing it.

Disregard the window dressing about "negotiations" in Fajullah.

What has been going on in Fallujah is what is called "shaping the battlefield".

The phony "negotiations" have allowed the civilians to get out of Dodge. In the meantime, our Marine snipers are racking up kills.

After a while, Fallujah will be populated by live jihadis, dead jihadis, the stray dogs that are gorging on dead jihadi corpses and our Marines on the outskirts of the city.

In other words, the battlefield will have been "shaped" in such a manner that we can fight in a way that maximizes our advantages and minimizes their advantages. A house full of jihadis would be dealt with a 2,000 pound JDAM and not a Marine platoon trying to capture it with room to room fighting as would be the case in a city densely populated with civilians.

At the time that the battlefield shaping is completed to the satisfaction of the Marine commander, the Fallujah inside our encircling Marine lines can become a free fire zone for our artillery, armor and airpower and the live jihadis will become dog food.

Patience. It took months to shape the battlefield prior to D-Day and that included the creation of an entire fictitious Army complete with fake radio chatter, fake vehicles, fake bases, fake shoulder patches and fake commanders giving fake news interviews.

[JeeperFreeper]

Absolutely. It's disgusting. The Bush Admin. better start paying attention. We are at war; Bush says so all the time. So why is this admin. listening to the State Dept. in its conduct?? It appears that from a politician's or State Dept.'s point of view, it's much better for troops to die than one of them to be embarrassed over a 24 hour news cycle or for a State Dept. trained diplomat to ever be seen as pro-American. Instead of tending the Iraqi garden of democracy, Bremer, et. al, are fertilizing the weeds.

[pt17]

Unfortunately with each strategy 'mistake' - more marines die...

Exactly. They'd better not piss away our boy's precious lives for some ill-gotten idea you can negotiate with terrorists, to placate some temporary government or to politically posture.