Marines - valuing civilian safety over their own, even though many of those same civilians want them dead - fight for Fallujah. Washington Post reporter Pamela Constable is there with the First Marine Expeditionary Force:
- U.S. Marines have established control over a significant portion of the flashpoint city of Fallujah following two days and nights of resistance from insurgents firing from rooftops, windows and doorways at Marine convoys.
The Marines fought their way deep into the city — the most hostile in Iraq's Sunni triangle — starting early Monday, taking constant fire as they entered from automatic rifles, mortars and rocket propelled grenades.
Fighting continued Tuesday morning, but the streets were deserted and Marine units were well ensconced in force at two positions, one in the north of the city and one in the southeast.
From these positions, rifle squads on foot have been moving deep into the city, 35 miles west of Baghdad, to suppress resistance, entering homes as necessary to seize weapons.
Four Marines have been killed in combat in or near the city, with at least eight wounded. In turn, they have killed at least ten Iraqi insurgents, according to an estimate by one officer, and taken an estimated 15 to 20 prisoners, some of them foreign fighters.
So far, the Marines have not reported identifying those who killed and mutilated four civilian contractors here last Wednesday.
"We have penetrated deep into Fallujah," said Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "We are solidly ensconced and my units are stiffening their grip on the area.
"What we're doing now is getting control of parts of the city.
"This is not retribution," Byrne said. "This is not a vendetta. This is about making the city livable so that the people here do not have to live in fear of the thugs taking control of it."
....Lance Cpl. Jamil Alkattan said that after the firefights, the Marines have been "going into houses to do what we had to do. We kept finding houses with guns in them that were still hot. The people tried to hide the guns or say that they had been sleeping.
"But how could they be sleeping when the sound of gunfire was so loud?"
"I guess God was on our side," during the fighting, he said. "When a mortar comes at you all you can do is pray."
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Joel
Go get 'em boys!
2 - Harald
CTRL-C, CTRL-V...
3 - Roger
SEMPER-FI
"An eye for an eye, make'em die".
4 - David Flanagan
This may be, perhaps, an opportunity to finally break the back of the loyalists in Iraq. Thankfully, most Iraqis don't support the Thug who instigated all of this.
As hokie as this sounds, I wish I were there as part of the US forces. I feel worthless here reading about all this and not being able to do my part.
I have a good friend, my best friend from high school and college, over there now. I should be there too.
David
5 - Shark
David,
--and I don't mean to be flippant -- but I really think you should be over there, too.
So what's stopping you?
Thanks
Shark
6 - David Flanagan
I really think you should be over there, too.
Age. I'm too old. And yes, you are being flippant but thats okay, I agree with you.
David
7 - Mac Diva
You are only as old as your last pro-War post, FF. Besides, there are reservists in their 50s in Iraq. You are in the reserves? No? Own a bomber jacket instead?
8 - David Flanagan
You are in the reserves? No? Own a bomber jacket instead?
No and no! Thank you for playing, better luck next time. ;-)
David
9 - Shark
David, honestly, I wasn't being flippant. I just think that anyone as dedicated to the liberation of Iraq as you are should probably be serving our country over there, especially now that we have an all-volunteer Army. I'm sure you would be a valuable asset.
No insult intended or implied. Seriously.
(I think it's an automatic with me: when I hear a young, gung-ho guy who is all for the war as an abstraction; my first thought is, "why aren't you there?" I think it's a legitimate question, given the controversial nature of this 'war'.
But as to the age thing, man, do I understand that restriction!
Best,
Shark
10 - RJ Elliott
Last I checked, the US was not seeking re-enforcements in Iraq. So why sign up?
If the government starts pleading for more people to sign up, because they need more troops in Iraq, then that's somewhat different.
Tens of millions of Americans support this war. They can't all join, can they?
11 - David Flanagan
I'm sure you would be a valuable asset.
Shark,
I appreciate the clarification and I truly appreciate the compliment. I apologize for not giving you the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks again.
David
12 - David Flanagan
RJ,
Perhaps I feel the pressure all the more because I grew up in a military town and the vast majority of my friends from high school went into the military. I didn't out of high school because I was tired of being told to stand in lines and to show my hall pass just to go to the bathroom.
I was right not to go at the time, but I wish I had gone into OCS after college. Hindsight is 20/20 of course.
Thanks.
David
13 - RJ Elliott
David:
My father was a Marine. But when I mentioned the possibility of joining the armed forces after I graduated High School, he vetoed it (I was 17).
He was probably right. I don't like being told what to do. I probably would not make a great fit for the Marines, or the Army, or any of the rest of the branches of the US military.
But I support them. And I want them to crush the enemy.
14 - Sandra Smallson
I support the War wholeheartedly but I am not ready to die for it. Therefore, I do not want to be where grenades and kalashnikovs are being used. Thank you very much. That's why we have the Army. Those who are prepared to die defending their country, join. They deserve our gratitude and thanks for such selfless acts.
If politics can be taken out of military exercise, we will not be in this position. These people were trained to kill. Defend themselves. If they are being attacked, they should defend themselves even if that means killing Iraqis. I don't care how many Iraqis are announced dead on all the networks. Hearing how many coalition soldiers have been mutilated and strung up by the Euphrates river or how many helicopers have crashed or soldiers have died, only encourages these barbarians.
As I write, the Americans admit they have lost control of Kut and Najaf. There are no innocent Iraqis. If you are killed in the battlefield and not inside your home, you aren't innocent. God speed.
If diplomats and do-gooders can just shut the fuck up and let the coalition get to it, more innocent lives will be saved rather than lost. Kill the troublemakers without mercy,, be them in Mosques. End of story.
15 - Chris Kent
Sandra,
Perhaps your term "Barbarians" is not dehumanizing the enemy enough? Why not just call these humans "Things?" Then it will be even easier to kill them.....
16 - bernard
If politics are ever taken out of military exercise, I don't think you would like the results. Although I understand you would prefer a world without diplomacy and doing good. The depth of your analasys brings tears to my eyes.
The rundown seems to be. Shut up, the liberated Iraqi people, ingratefull dogs that they are deserve to die. If you get in the way of a bullet you probably deserve to die anyway.
your halo runs a little thin when you ask for all the troublemakers to be killed. America was SAVING Iraq from the merciless, wasn't that it?
No you will tell me you need to be merciless to win peace. It's been tried, maybe true. But in the end, before good things happen you need patience, and some cultural sensitivity. America traditionally lacks both.
Maybe you just shouldn't be there.
Or maybe you will surprise me... I wonder
Wholeheartedly...
without mercy...
kill em all...
Hang THEM from bridges, or better yet find trees...
Can you feel the love, Sandra?
us good, them bad... US strong and big, they weak and little. Stomp on them.
But then again, the bigger they are.... etc.
end of story... indeed
17 - Sandra Smallson
Chris Kent: Sandra, Perhaps your term "Barbarians" is not dehumanizing the enemy enough? Why not just call these humans "Things?" Then it will be even easier to kill them.....
Sandra: Okay..Things.
Bernard, if only I could offer you some kleenex. I think it is clear what I mean. In my view, once the Policy has been adopted that Military action is needed, it is counter productive to allow Politics to interfere with the ongoing Military action. We went into the Iraq war to take out Sadaam and find WMD. We've accomplished one. Constant debates on the rights and wrongs of the War help no one. Constant debates on the soldiers continuous presence in Iraq, help no one. Therefore, in the efforts to prevent further outcry, soldiers are forced to stand with plastic shades for protection against people incensed for all varierty of reasons throwing stones, grenades, etc at them. Many dying in the process. A retaliatory attack will ofcourse lead in the do-gooders screaming of innocent Iraqis being killed and how the whole action was/is pointless.
Bernard, this is the problem with people like you. You get carried away in the euphoria of righteousness. I never said the Iraqi people should shut up. In fact, a majority of the Iraqi people are onside with the coalition. But yes, dear bernard, those who come out in arms now, causing chaos and the current unrest for whatever reason, are not innocent Iraqis trying to go on with their lives. They are indeed ungrateful because during the Sadaam reign, they suffered in silence lest they be slaughtered. Their first chance of freedom and some of them use it to cause civil unrest. It's not if you are caught in the line of fire..if you are on the attack and you are killed in the process, then you will die. Whether you deserve to die or not is another case.
My Halo? I'll leave that comment because it doesn't deserve a response.
We agree Bernard. Before good things happen you need patience and cultural sensitivity. If 12 years is not patience enough for Iraq, I don't know what patience is. Cultural sensitivity? What are you talking about? None of the coalition have gone in there trying to change the Iraqi religion or the Iraqi way of life. THE IRAQIS did not like or want Sadaam. The Iraqis want to rule themselves. This is what the co-alition are hoping to provide. call it liberation, call it what you will.
At times like this, I always say, you talk so because you are not an Iraqi who lived under Hussein's reign. If you were, you would not be so quick to criticise America's so called lack of patience and sensitivity. You should thank your God you live where you live. But for the Grace of God, you could have easily been any of the Iraqis killed by Sadaam simply because you dared voice your opinion as you are clearly doing now.
The rest of your post would bring tears to MY eyes if I didn't think it complete poppycock! Break out the Violins. Sing me another song. This is not a matter of good against Evil, or strong against weak. Your sympathies are misplaced and unnecessary.
The simple truth is that the Coalition did not go in there to kill innocent Iraqi citizens. They went in there after 12 yrs of PATIENCE to take out a tyrant and a threat be it a passive threat to the world. Directly or indirectly, Saddam was a threat. Now, that that has been done. It is International Law that they try to clear up the mess as there will always be in such cases. Ofcourse, there have been unfortunate losses of innocent lives on both sides along the way. This was not intended. However, it happens.
Nothing nauseates me more than when peace campaigners play this righteous card of "us big and strong so we are stomping on them" . please, that is not the point. I bet there are far smaller Countries to attack if it was all about a show of power. Yeah, the bigger they are, the harder they fall..
Then again, why is a man with a catapult for a weapon, fighting a man with an automatic machine gun?!
18 - Chris Kent
Now Sandra,
Your next step is to begin putting together a Final Solution.....I would advise to construction of concentration camps, and, of course, a furnace or two......
Please don't forget to build a bonfire with books.....:)
19 - Chris Kent
Sandra,
Take away 12 words in your post, and it's a damn letter from Heinrich Himmler to Adolph.....
Yikes!
20 - Sandra Smallson
Aah..alas Chris..if only the Iraqis are were Jews...concentration camps? That's been done already. Give me something original.
21 - Eric Olsen
Never subtle, never diplomatic, Sandra is essentially correct here: we really ARE there to do good, to help one flipping Middle Eastern country become democratic, to rise above tribal and religious factionalism and function like a real, modern country. In the process there is much to overcome, including those who seek to impose their own specific factional will upon their fellow countrymen via brute force and terror. The most brazen, depraved and determined of these is who we are fighting now. We musrt crush these forces militarily in order to move forward with the democratic agenda.
I believe that is what Sandra is saying here, and as such she is correct.
22 - Sandra Smallson
delete "are" from my above post..leave were...again, take away 12 words from my post, it could also be a letter from White Supremacist leaders to caucasians like your middle class self..it could even be a letter demanding the destruction of 2 million during the Rwanda Genocide..we can go on and on, Chris. Let me know when you would like to stop:)
23 - Sandra Smallson
Thank you Eric. For understanding the point I am making.
24 - Chris Kent
Adolph, if only I could offer you some kleenex. I think it is clear what I mean. In my view, once the Policy has been adopted that Military action is needed, it is counter productive to allow Politics to interfere with the ongoing Military action. We went into Poland to take out the country. We've accomplished our goal. Constant debates on the rights and wrongs of the War help no one. Constant debates on the soldiers continuous presence in Poland, help no one. Therefore, in the efforts to prevent further outcry, soldiers are forced to stand with plastic shades for protection against people incensed for all varierty of reasons throwing stones, grenades, etc at them. Many dying in the process. A retaliatory attack will of course lead in the do-gooders screaming of innocent Jews being killed and how the whole action was/is pointless.
Adolph, this is the problem with people like you. You get carried away in the euphoria of righteousness. I never said the Polish people should shut up. In fact, a majority of the Polish people are onside with the coalition. But yes, dear Adolph, those who come out in arms now, causing chaos and the current unrest for whatever reason, are not innocent Jews trying to go on with their lives. They are indeed ungrateful because during the former reign, they suffered in silence lest they be slaughtered. Their first chance of freedom and some of them use it to cause civil unrest. It's not if you are caught in the line of fire..if you are on the attack and you are killed in the process, then you will die.
You're brainwashed Sandra.....and you don't even know it....
25 - Chris Kent
I like a few of your points Sandra (in other posts), but you make a stand for hatred.....and it's kind of scary.....Just wanted to make a point....
This is not a war between you and I.....nor a war of intelligence.....I am talking about human beings.....you're talking hatred....