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| Iraq-Jordan |
| US, Iraqi forces hit Samarra |
| 2004-10-02 |
| American and Iraqi forces battled their way into the center of this insurgent-ridden city on Friday, claiming that they had taken control of more than half the town and that they had killed more than 100 guerrillas, in what is shaping up to be one of the largest military operations since the war began. More than 5,000 troops, including 3,000 Americans, attacked the city from three sides early on Friday, seizing the main government buildings and a pharmaceutical factory on the city's northwest end. Iraqi forces also took control of the Golden Mosque, a Shiite holy site visited annually by thousands of pilgrims, thereby staving off a repeat of the siege of Najaf, where insurgents commandeered the Imam Ali Shrine to draw out the fighting there. The assault here represented the first major effort by American and Iraqi forces to reclaim a series of regions that have fallen into the hands of insurgents before the nationwide elections that are scheduled to take place in January. American officials have said they plan to retake the regions in time to allow the Iraqis to vote, and that their toughest challenges still lie ahead in places like Falluja and Ramadi. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #10 Spot-on, Verlaine. It takes time to train them, despite Skeery's asinine pontifications - "I would [insert grand BS / Magic Wand shit here] differently, better, etc." Allawi wants an Iraqi face on every operation, else he has no chance of being elected - for his sake and because he heads the interim Gov't, we acquiesce - and the Iraqi forces have to be backed to the hilt... but eventually there will be enough of them who aren't playing the family/clan/tribe game to handle the job. Or so the "plan" must go. Samarra was supposed to be among the easiest targets - so it is logical to get their feet wet in such a place - to give them confidence and experience so they'll survive the tougher battles ahead. I'd expect to see more of the same on increasingly tough targets as more forces come out of training - and are mixed in with those who have survived contact, not as fodder / shock troops, but in apprentice mode. As was pointed out on a FoxNewsTV segment, today, there are 3 steps which must be done first, in this order: take care of humanitarian needs, establish security forces, then hold elections. They didn't get to elections until 1948-49 in post-war Germany, and not the entire country at the same time. We're 18+ months ahead of that curve in Iraq. Once you get to that point, where they are electing their own officials, then (to rebut more Dhimmicrat idiocy) you can spend money on reconstruction. Not before those first 3 steps have been taken, else it's wasted. Apologies for windiness. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-02 9:49:40 PM |
| #9 As to timing, I think it has a lot to do with availability/readiness of Iraqi forces to work with us. Also, Samarra hasn't been knuckled under to the gangs for that long, thus no compelling need for a major a**-kicking til relatively recently. To hear some US spokesmen and Iraqis tell it, the Iraqi forces took the lead on most of the operation. Not implausible, given the task. However I've seen no Iraqi government casualty figures -- 1 US KIA. If the Iraqis did take the lead and we provided support, cover, snipers, etc., I'd expect (unfortunately) to see casualties on the Iraqi govt. side. This sort of operation -- like earlier raids in Latifiya, and on Haifa Street in B'dad, are also good opportunities to "blood" the newly formed Iraqi security elements. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2004-10-02 9:29:14 PM |
| #8 2B---Not nuanced enough for the MSM. Sorry.... |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-02 4:31:04 PM |
| #7 American and Iraqi forces battled their way into the center of this insurgent-ridden city on Friday, TODAY IS SATURDAY. How about, "US forces took control of more than half the town and killed more than 100 guerrillas |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-02 4:27:05 PM |
| #6 Might be our liberal left wing press--part of the looney left. They really believe we can all just get along. They really believe 911 is somehow our fault. They really believe in the UN as a solution to all our problems. They really don't think we have the right to self-defense. They really don't see the rising world wide threat from terrorism. They really don't believe we are in a struggle for our very survival. They really think burkas and turbans are kind of a kind of cool fashion statement. They really believe that Hollywood and the press is the source of all that is good and true and right and think they are the arbiters of America's values. They tend to believe America never does anything right unless a leftist president is in office. They would rather ignore a problem than deal with it. They would like to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. |
| Posted by: John 2004-10-02 3:44:09 PM |
| #5 why isn't it the number one headline? |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-02 3:14:56 PM |
| #4 So does Gerecht in Weekly Standard. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-10-02 2:41:33 PM |
| #3 belmont club has a new post on this subject up. |
| Posted by: Anonymous6207 2004-10-02 9:47:07 AM |
| #2 Didn't have the election to divert all the "Quagmire" calls RJB. Now that it's so close to November, Bush can put some pressure on the insurgents without it being the #1 headline. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-10-02 8:13:48 AM |
| #1 Why weren't we doing this say,,,,,,, 6 months ago? |
| Posted by: RJB in JC MO 2004-10-02 7:12:13 AM |