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Iraq-Jordan

Fallujah update from Debka

2004-04-13

Fallujah: Notwithstanding reports of intermittent ceasefires, massed US armored units cut through town from end to end shelling targets while US air force dropped ânoise bombsâ that were harmless except for their shock impact. Swarms of snipers equipped with night vision instruments kept traffic off the streets while negotiations continued on surrender of Iraqi guerrillas and foreign fighters.
Najef: US troops massed outside Shiite town are held back as bargaining chip in talks ongoing with Shiite leaders headed by Ayatollah Sistani. Moderate militias control town having pushed Sadrâs Mehdi Army militia out of center and off streets. Most Arbain pilgrims have departed.

Gone back to Iran?
Karbala and al Kufa: moderate militia leaders ask US troops to stay out and let them wind up negotiations with Moqtada Sadr.
Earlier, Shiite radical leader Sadr told Lebanese Hizballah al Manar TV he is ready to die to drive Americans out of Iraq. US authorities released top Sadr aide Sheikh Hajem al-Araji shortly after detaining him at news conference he was giving at Baghdad hotel.
France and Portugal tell citizens to leave Iraq immediately. Al Jazeera shows video of 4 Italian security workers held hostage against Italian withdrawal from Iraq. They join 3 Japanese hostages and one American civilian whose fate is unknown. Eight employees of Russian engineering firm released after Chinese. US official reports 40 hostages from 12 countries in insurgent hands

Posted by:Yosemite Sam

#8 I had the privilege very recently of listening to MajGEN Odierno (commander, 4th Infantry Division) talk about the 4th ID's work in Iraq. He compared the Fallujah situation today with what his units faced in Samarra last Fall.

Bottom line: force is very important, but at a critical point you get the friendly / responsible Iraqi leaders involved before you go mop up.

This is particularly true if a) there are foreigners responsible for attacks on you or b) the locals THINK there are. In Samarrah, they fired every Iraqi policeman then worked with the local sheiks and other leaders to appoint new ones. The locals fingered some of the out of towners and ex-Ba'athists involved in the convoy ambush & things got much better there as soon as the 4th wiped up the insurgents hard for 3 weeks.

Then, Odierno poured $25 million into city projects immediately, from his commander's funds.

Result: Samarrah is peaceful, prospering and stable today.

It's really important that the governing council & city leaders in Fallujah have (some) time to try negotiations. It's also important to have a credible, demonstrated willingness and ability to kick ass if that doesn't produce the desired results quickly.

Posted by: rkb 2004-04-13 6:57:01 PM

#7 I had the privilege very recently of listening to MajGEN Odierno (commander, 4th Infantry Division) talk about the 4th ID's work in Iraq. He compared the Fallujah situation today with what his units faced in Samarra last Fall.

Bottom line: force is very important, but at a critical point you get the friendly / responsible Iraqi leaders involved before you go mop up.

This is particularly true if a) there are foreigners responsible for attacks on you or b) the locals THINK there are. In Samarrah, they fired every Iraqi policeman then worked with the local sheiks and other leaders to appoint new ones. The locals fingered some of the out of towners and ex-Ba'athists involved in the convoy ambush & things got much better there as soon as the 4th wiped up the insurgents hard for 3 weeks.

Then, Odierno poured $25 million into city projects immediately, from his commander's funds.

Result: Samarrah is peaceful, prospering and stable today.

It's really important that the governing council & city leaders in Fallujah have (some) time to try negotiations. It's also important to have a credible, demonstrated willingness and ability to kick ass if that doesn't produce the desired results quickly.

Posted by: rkb 2004-04-13 6:54:13 PM

#6 It's gonna be bloody, it's gonna be ugly, but above all, it's gonna be right.

Bastard (nutcase) Iranians are next, no two ways 'bout it.

Posted by: geezer 2004-04-13 6:41:21 PM

#5 Saw some footage on CNN I think....
The Marines had a nice position and were laying down some withering fire. Not to diminish their sacrifices and the danger they face but they looked like they were having a ball. A US sniper looked like he was pumping out rounds at near top speed for a bit and with all the tracers it made for fucken good T.V.

Belmont's latest analysis that they are dealing with Al Sadr first and pausing at Fallujah to accomplish this seems to ring true. There has got to be a reason for the delay and as usual you won't learn shit from the media. The media are good for only two things;
1. As soon as they start telling us the situation is now totally lost you know we just won.

2. The ridiculously scarce glimpses of Jihadi's like those who killed and mutilated the contractors getting blown away.

No one is going anyware in Fallujah.

Posted by: Haggis 2004-04-13 4:58:04 PM

#4 Robert, nice Henlein reference.

Posted by: Baltic Blog 2004-04-13 4:17:22 PM

#3 It's still Debka. If it concerns Israeli security matters I cut down salt by 80%.

Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-13 4:14:25 PM

#2 "Swarms of snipers equipped with night vision instruments kept traffic off the streets while negotiations continued on surrender of Iraqi guerrillas and foreign fighters."

I liked this part more.

Posted by: Evert Visser in NL 2004-04-13 4:11:50 PM

#1 US air force dropped ânoise bombsâ that were harmless except for their shock impact.

In Arabic: "I am a thirty-second bomb! I am a twenty-nine second bomb! I am a..."

Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-04-13 4:06:30 PM

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