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Mar 27, 2004

Fallujah 

In the comments to the previous post, JarheadDad pointed out an MSNBC article that must be read if only for the following statement regarding Marines in Fallujah, Iraq:

The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force issued a statement saying it was “conducting offensive operations ... to foster a secure and stable environment for the people.” It went on to say that "some have chosen to fight. Having elected their fate, they are being engaged and destroyed.”
JarheadDad also pointed out that the article removed the little factiod about the Army having not been into downtown Fallujah (also known as 'Saddam-love Central') in two months. The best you get is "In recent months, American troops have rarely ventured into downtown Fallujah, one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq for the U.S. military."

Well, THAT has come to an end. There's a new sheriff in town - and he wears a digital camouflage pattern. In the Marines' first official week of running the show over there, I think it's being made clear that whatever safe havens the local insurgents had before, they're going to be cleaned out most riki-tik.

Here's the same article at FoxNews - nothing different, just some more pictures available.

Notice, however, the NY Times' slightly more edited version of the above statement:

[In a statement released early Saturday, the Marine Corps said it was carrying out "offensive operations in Falluja in order to foster a secure and stable environment for the people" of Al Anbar Province. The statement offered no details about casualties but indicated that marines were moving swiftly to crush the insurgents.]
Hmmm... the original wording a little too strong and positive for them? Can't make a press statement without mentioning casualties? Or does the word "crush" just play better to the crowd that thinks Marines are over there killing babies and drinking their blood?

Well, overall, it's a pretty good article, and does quote an Iraqi who says "that a slim majority of the locals supported the Americans, but that they were too afraid to say so, fearing that the insurgents would kill them." Hopefully, with the Marines bringing back an American presence to the city, these Iraqis will gain some confidence and help drive out the bad guys.

UPDATE: Doc Russia weighs in on this radical new idea that the Marines are trying out. Something about locating, closing with, and destroying the enemy...
Posted by: Mike the Marine / 08:43
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