Marines, Iraqis join forces to shut down Fallujah

[nodehopper]

FALLUJAH, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines fought skirmishes with Iraqi fighters Monday in and around the restive city of Fallujah, closing off the city in response to the killing and mutilation of four American security guards last week.

Marines killed at least one Iraqi and called in airstrikes late Monday after coming under fire from mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns on the outskirts of town.

About 1,300 troops from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, along with Iraqi armed forces, set up a cordon around the city Monday, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. The push has been dubbed "Operation Vigilant Resolve."

more here:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/05/iraq.main/index.html

[Gloria]

1. Why don't they stop with the names, already???? Are the trying them

out as titles for the next movie that will propagandize for Bush??

[Robbien]

2. Ha, looks like the PR team is at work. Marines & Iraqis join forces!

Yes, just like they did in Baghdad against al-Sadr, or at least until the shooting started and the Iraqis turned around and joined the al-Sadr team.

[alittlelark]

3. "Welcome to my nightmare....."

It aint pretty, and it's real........

[NickB79]

4. I wouldn't want Iraqi forces backing me up there

Given their record of infiltrators working for the resistance, I'd be more concerned about either getting a bullet in the back from 'friendly fire' or having positions given away for resistance ambushes.

[burrowowl]

5. Are they reduced to

skirmishes?
I think that wholesale bombing and skirmishes are different or have we not yet relied on full-scale bombing?:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[wtmusic]

6. Who thinks up these goddamn names

Vigilant Resolve? How 'bout Operation Razorwire Freedom?

[lazarus]

7. do a Google on that

"Vigilant Resolve", make sure you put it in quotation marks.

Not many hits, and hits 2 and 3 are enough to make you sure this isn't an accidental naming. Please don't post them here, though, it would likely cause a flame war.

[nodehopper]

8. there are TONS of hits

most of them are related to this story.

what exactly are you talking about? can you provide the links?

[lazarus]

9. okay

this is as far as I'm willing to go, to be honest, because otherwise, it opens up some nasty stuff on the board, potentially.

What's happened is that the Fallujah operation has spread into Google since I ran the search last, so I removed it. Cut and past the following line exactly as typed into Google:

"vigilant resolve" -iraq -fallujah

Then hit the second and third links that come up.

[Eye and Monkey]

10. Well noted. Click on the fourth, then (find on this page) "vigilant"

(even if you don't read French, the content is clear enough).

Not flaming on you - just noting the abundance of flame fodder here.

[lazarus]

11. understood

That's why I kept it off the board. Tons of flame fodder. Who knows what any of this means? BTW, that fourth link is essentially the same as the third.

Either the Bush people did this intentionally, or they have once against stepped in a big pile of crap "accidentally." Surely somebody in the Pentagon could run this stuff through Google and check it out, you know?

[sistersofmercy]

22. That is interesting

Thanks for that tip.

[nodehopper]

23. ooookay....

you are awayre that "vigilant resolve" is an actual phrase? I grew up in Soviet Russia and that phrasie "vigilant resolve against the capitalists" was in every major state speech. Of course, you wouldn't find it in google b/c it is archived in Russian.

I looked at the results. So? There is a poem probably written by a young person from an NGO-sponosred Palestinian youth program. The poem was most likely translated into English and the translator. happenned to use that phrase.

I think there is a crime novel called that as well. (Again, not in English but it would be called that in English if it was translated).

There is another assortment of random results under google.

I don't even think this would start a flame war; you really think this operation got its name from an obscure poem on a Palestinian cultural exchange youth site? What if someone in Palestine or Israel said "cat" and then BushCo said "cat" too? Would that be suspicious?

My point is, we have enough real conspiracy theories on our hands without having to invent new ones.

[sniffa]

12. i thought it was 'vaLiant resoLve'

did they change it?

[progressivebydesign]

29. I saw it originally as Vigilant(e) Resolve. The other was a mistake (N/T)

[gottaB]

13. Heavy Fighting in Sealed Fallujah

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3603097.stm

[saigon68]

14. Kill em all

Let god sort em out</sarcasm>

[fryguy]

26. sealing cities and towns

well it seems to have worked for the Israelis, why not try it in Iraq?

[Chico Man]

15. Guerilla warware would have the insurgents laying low....

I don't know how advertised, over-engineered, scientifically calculated, force by numbers compaigns such as this are going to stand up to the tactics of the guerilla insurgents. It is in the best interest of the guerillas to lay low for the length of the operation...

The predicability of the US military is astounding.

[jmcgowanjm]

17. # of times a nation has defeated 4th Generation Warfare

0

[jmcgowanjm]

16. The American security guards

Born and raised in Central Florida, Helvenston was
a former Navy SEAL and a one-time fitness instructor
who buffed up civilians with military-style drills. He had
trained Demi Moore to act in the film G.I. Jane and had
acted and consulted in a range of mostly combat-themed
films and TV programs, according to his Internet site.

Making a 6 figure income.

Just to make sure everyone realizes who the Marines are
avenging.

Batalona, Wesley J., 48, Army Ranger, Honolulu
Zovko, Jerry, 32, 82nd Airborne
Teague, Michael, 38,160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment

[catmandu57]

18. We're going to get our ass kicked

this is a no win situation, there's going to be a ton of casualties, five dead so far that they admit to and we're still on the outskirts. I'd wager that there's many nasty suprises in store for the marines.

If we get mean and nasty and pull a grozny, how's that going to look to the world? I guess we don't give a fuck anymore.

[The Stranger]

19. Isn't this an attack on a civilian area as well as collective punishment

both of which violate international law?

[LibDemAlways]

20. The cabal in DC doesn't

believe in international law, and doesn't give a rat's ass about the civilian population. How many of us were menaced by teachers on a power trip who punished the whole class for the actions of a few? Apparently that's one thing the chimp paid attention to in school - how to use your powerful position to abuse others.

[jmcgowanjm]

21. Given recent events in Israel and Iraq

we have to consider the very real possibility that
it is the intention of leaders in both the United States
and Israel to start World War III in the
Middle East.

xymphora.com

the worst idea in the history of American foreign policy

http://antiwar.com/justin/

[fryguy]

27. well....

...he was/is a member of Skull and Bones....I don't think their initiation ritual involved sipping tea and nipping on scones. He's been bred to believe that it is right and proper for a rich, privileged few to dictate to the masses what is best for them, and to ridicule and abuse those who might disagree or not fall in line....

[chenGOD]

24. So, just to get things straight...

There is a lot of anti-American sentiment in Fallujah (as obviously demonstrated by the events of last week).
The US military thinks that by calling in air strikes, they're going to win back the people of Fallujah?

Is umm this the current "logic" these days?







*please note the level of irony in my post is well off the scale*

[fryguy]

25. 23 US dead in first 6 days of April

and 2 from the coalition of the billing....

http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Summary.aspx

at this rate it is on course to being the bloodiest month of the occupation

total wounded now at - 3466

[jmcgowanjm]

28. Medical evacuations in Iraq war hit 18,000

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040330-051545-6818r.htm

At least 20% have serious brain injuries.