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| Iraq-Jordan | |
| Karbala Battle: Details | |
| 2004-05-05 | |
| EFL The American military launched its first major assault against insurgents led by Moqtada al-Sadr, a rebel Shiite cleric, striking early this morning at militia enclaves in this holy Shiite city and in another city in southern Iraq in an effort to retake control of those areas. About 450 soldiers in dozens of armored vehicles, including M-1 Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, rumbled beneath a full moon through a neighborhood here controlled by armed supporters of Mr. Sadr. The firepower on display was extraordinary. Polish and Bulgarian soldiers, Special Forces snipers, an Apache attack helicopter and an AC-130 Spectre gunship backed up the main strike force. The operation, called Iron Saber, began at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and ran until dawn today. A similar battle took place at the same time in the city of Diwaniya, 60 miles southeast of here. Soldiers in Karbala killed at least 10 Iraqi fighters and captured 20 people, Lt. Col. Gary Bishop of the 1st Armored Division said. An American soldier in a Humvee was killed when two insurgents driving a dump truck ran a checkpoint and rammed into the Humvee. A spokesman for Mr. Sadr said nine militiamen had been killed in the clashes in Diwaniya. Members of Mr. Sadr’s militia, the Mahdi Army, set off roadside bombs and fired rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles at the American convoy as it inched its way down a half-mile stretch of road through the heart of the neighborhood. Red tracer rounds arced through the sky, and the Americans returned fire down narrow alleyways and raided buildings. Explosions echoed across the city. At one point, an Iraqi man crawled out of a bunker waving a white flag of surrender, followed by several of his compatriots. An Apache helicopter then launched 30-millimeter rounds at the building, and an Abrams tank incinerated it with a shot from its main cannon.
On Tuesday afternoon, commanders briefed their soldiers on the battle ahead, running through various scenarios using markers on the ground beneath makeshift white tents, and indicating the placements of roads and buildings. They decided to first attack a neighborhood southwest of the two holy shrines that was abandoned by Iraqi security forces when the Mahdi Army arrived last month. They said three buildings — a hotel, a former headquarters of the Baath Party and the old governorate building — were believed to be strongholds for the insurgency. The first tanks rolled out of Camp Lima at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and began drawing fire from the Mahdi Army after reaching the neighborhood at midnight. A roadside bomb and a rocket-propelled grenade exploded at the front of the second armored vehicle. Soldiers fired back down an alleyway with tracer rounds from M-16’s and powerful 25-millimeter rounds from a Bradley fighting vehicle. When soldiers raided the former Baath Party headquarters and old governorate offices, they discovered the buildings were wired to explode. An Abrams tank fired at the governorate building. That set off a spectacular inferno, leading officers to say the place was probably an ammunition dump. "They think if they keep shooting at us, we’ll leave," said Lt. Josey Sandoval, 24, the gunner in an M-113 armored personnel carrier. "They should know it’s just the opposite. If they stop shooting, then we’ll leave." | |
| Posted by:sludj |
| #5 From a comment of mine elsewhere on RB today In near 100-degree heat in the late afternoon, few of the Shiite speakers stirred much enthusiasm. But the strongest murmurings of the meeting came when Taqlif al-Faroun, a tribal leader from Najaf, said Shiites should give the American forces a green light to go after Mr. Sadr in the holy cities. "Najaf is not Mecca," he said. "The Americans don't want to go into the shrines. They want to get rid of criminals and thieves. So what if they enter the city?" Across the roof, dozens of men responded approvingly. "Yes, yes!" they said. Taqlif al-Faroun? I like this guy. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-05 3:07:17 PM |
| #4 Town leaders did not raise a furor, and dozens of families stood outside their homes watching the convoy as it rolled toward the battle site. Do Iraqis like popcorn? American commanders said they were trying to make precise attacks so as not to incur the wrath of the Shiites, who make up at least 60 percent of the population of Iraq. Pretty sensible. Col. Peter Mansoor of the 1st Armored Division, which moved into this region from Baghdad after having its yearlong tour extended, said city leaders of Karbala met with American officers on Sunday and "made it very clear they don’t want this to look like Falluja when this is all over." You want to go kill Muqty, no problemo, just try to leave the town standing while you do. Sensible people, methinks. Go Troops! |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-05-05 2:58:35 PM |
| #3 Thanks for the post. sludj. Our guys are simply terrific!! "They think if they keep shooting at us, we’ll leave," said Lt. Josey Sandoval, 24, the gunner in an M-113 armored personnel carrier. They just don't get it, do they? |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-05-05 2:10:42 PM |
| #2 Lt. Josey Sandoval, 24 - A rather plain-spoken fellow. i.e. "Al-Sadr get in my way and you are toast!" |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-05 1:57:06 PM |
| #1 Recon by fire, isn't it? Fox News's Steve Harrigan went alon and had video. If your butt isn't in the Mosque of Ali in Najaf, you're fair game. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-05-05 1:53:12 PM |