Posted on 08/05/2005 3:18:17 PM PDT by 68skylark
BAGHDAD, Iraq- The American military said today it had begun a major offensive backed by fighter jets and tanks in the rebellious desert region of western Iraq, where at least 22 marines have been killed since Monday in one of the deadliest weeks of the war for the Americans.
With a first draft of the new constitution due in just 10 days, the country's most revered Shiite cleric made explicit recommendations for the first time. The cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, wants Islam to be "the main source" of legislation, supports regional autonomy and backs an electoral system that would give Sunni Arabs more representation in the next Parliament, according to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Iraqi prime minister. Mr. Jaafari met with the ayatollah for several hours in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.
Some of those viewpoints are strongly opposed by other political groups, and Ayatollah Sistani's words could set the stage for a showdown between Shiite leaders and others over the constitution. The country's major ethnic and sectarian groups are at an impasse over several crucial issues. Ayatollah Sistani has been the driving force behind Iraq's political process, pushing for direct elections against the initial wishes of the Bush administration and dispensing ruling advice to Shiite leaders like Mr. Jaafari.
The American offensive in dusty Anbar Province, the heart of the Sunni Arab insurgency, involves a sweep by more than 800 marines and nearly 200 Iraqi soldiers around the recalcitrant towns of Haditha, Haqliniyah and Barwanah. It is a volatile area 140 miles northwest of Baghdad where 20 marines were killed in two spectacular ambushes this week. On Wednesday, in the second of those attacks, 14 marines and a civilian interpreter were killed and one marine seriously injured when their lightly armored amphibious troop carrier hit three antitank....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This really bugs me -- the Times always writes about how "sophisticated" the terrorists are. It's their favorite word -- I've seen them use it four times in one article.
The Times never gets away from their script.
The bad guys are always strong and effective. The U.S. military is always weak and confused and "worried" by events that are out of control.
wait until we open up some whoop-ass cans on the North side of the river and see how "sophiticated" these "insurgents" are.
Edward Wong is a long-time Military-hating insurgent lover....since day 1 of the liberation. I would expect nothing less from the NYT.
Frankly, I'm surprised they did not have Edward dog-piling on the Roberts adoption "investigation".
I guess the word 'nuance' was so 2004.
There's a world of difference between:
"As stupid as the back end of a camel..."
or
"Sophisticated."
I propose the scum have had their rank-and-file drawn down rather drastically, leaving behind those who are marginally less stupid than the back end of a camel.
It isn't saying much.
This writer is a real cheerleader for the terrorists. I don't read any of his articles. He is more disgraceful than most.
Speculation alert) There are probably many similar operations that are taking place along the river and to its north, as per the Di Rita briefing. One of them may have been undertaken by the US Marines at Haditha, during which 21 Marines were killed. One possible reason why this operation has been kept low key, despite its size, is that it may be literally ripping up the insurgent base of support along the upper Euphrates. If the LA Times article is accurate, the insurgents essentially took the whole population of Rawah with them; if the phenomenon is being repeated elsewhere, the displacement of the Sunni population must be huge. To the north there is the unsustaining desert; to the south across the river there is the sweep of the Marines; for the insurgents to leave the population in place would risk leaving intelligence in the hands of the Americans. This has got to hurt and it is only the beginning. The LA Times notes the abandonment of RPGs, sniper rifles, mortars -- stuff you wouldn't leave behind -- not willingly. The whole point of strangling the enemy lines of communication while building support bases is to set up the stage for pursuit. And they will be pursued. The focus of newspaper coverage in the coming days may abruptly shift from 'poor helpless Marines from Ohio' to 'we're slaughtering them! We're killers!' These are the hard choices of war, and as Hemingway once wrote "all stories, if continued far enough, end in death, and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you."
If he is correct the terrorists have taken the population of Rawah with them.....which is amazing....and I will bet money wretchard is right.
Not to mention the adjective "spectacular" to describe the ambush. Dastardly, despicable, murderous, but not spectacular. Spectacular is July 4 exploding rockets, harmless and fun, I'm rambling now....piss on the Jihad cowards and the journalists that write such tripe.
Thanks for the tip on The Belmont Club.
Happy hunting, Marines.
I noticed that too. They don't even try to hide their glee.
Does that mean the insurgents read the Sunday NY Times Book Review Section and do the crossword in ink?
Amazing stuff. Thanks for the post and ping.
It's a real pleasure to see his site growing in popularity every day.
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