"Be polite, be professional, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet." [View All]

[Canuckistanian]

Troops Fight to Expand Foothold in Ramadi

U.S., Iraqi Forces Move Block-by-Block To Retake Western City From Insurgents

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 2, 2006; Page A12

RAMADI, Iraq -- Under a blistering sun, 1st Lt. Matthew Arabian gripped his M-4 rifle and sprinted across a Ramadi intersection cratered by bombs, ducking through a hole blasted in an adjacent brick wall.

"We call that the circle of death," said Arabian, 34, of Vienna, Va., crouching to avoid snipers who target the crossroads from as far away as 900 yards. Around him were gutted buildings and trash-strewn streets, evidence of more than two years of combat in Ramadi.

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Warfare rocks the city daily. Over a one-month period this summer, insurgents launched nearly 600 attacks, laying about 250 roadside bombs, firing more than 100 rockets and mortars, waging 150 assaults with rifles and machine guns, and setting off four suicide car bombs. "The problem set is mind-numbing," said Maj. David Womack, operations officer for the 101st Airborne Division's battalion in charge of eastern Ramadi. A warning in bold type posted at the battalion's dusty headquarters advises all soldiers to "be polite, be professional, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101733.html