VERY Bad. We Lost 8 Marines in a "Probing Foray" into Fallujah Today!

[leftchick]

Combat has not even started! :(

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041030/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq&cid=540&ncid=716


~snip~


The U.S. military said nine Marines were also wounded in the fighting in Anbar province west of the capital which includes the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. The statement gave no further on how or where they were killed.


The deaths came as U.S. forces are gearing up for a major assault on Fallujah, seen as the toughest bastion of Sunni Muslim guerrillas, ahead of crucial elections due by Jan. 31.


Fierce clashes erupted Saturday in Fallujah as an American military convoy entered the southeastern industrial Shuhada neighborhood and nearby Nueimiya village — an apparent probing foray on the city's edges. Explosions and gunfire rocked the area and smoke was seen billowing in the air, witnesses said.


Marines responded with heavy artillery fire after insurgents shot mortar shells from positions in the southeast of the city. About 4 p.m. a Marine Harrier jet bombed a mortar position inside Fallujah and strafed it with machine-gun fire, "neutralizing the target and any threat," said Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert

[skooooo]

1. Well, no need to probe further..

..we know what's there.

[TwilightZone]

2. A full-scale invasion of Fallujah could be disastrous.

Many analysts say that the kind of assault necessary to retake Fallujah will result in American casualties unlike any we've seen thus far.

That's saying something.

[bpilgrim]

8. the more ruble we create, the more hiding places for the resistance

peace

[madrchsod]

3. posted earlier

classical military blunder-going into a battle with the enemy at your back and supply lines threatened.....

[leftchick]

6. Here is a Convoy of 4 Trucks Struck today in Mosul...

and Mosul is not considered a "no-go" area either...



An Iraqi youth chants anti-U.S. slogans at the scene of four burning trucks following an attack in the northern city of Mosul, October 30, 2004. At least four trucks, carrying supplies to a nearby U.S. military base came under attack by unknown gunmen before being set ablaze on a highway in Mosul, eyewitnesses said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen

[gemlake]

4. Didn't this happen before?

The same tragedy occurred the last time the Marines went into Fallujah. Then the White House got scared and told the Marines to pull out. I expect we'll soon hear about more 500 pound bombs being dropped on the city.

[wryter2000]

5. Oh, God!

Their poor families. How will we ever get out of this mess?

[AlCzervik]

7. That scalled fire-back recon

you send a bunch of "Scouts" in looking to draw out insurgents. In WW2 they used to do that with black soldiers, they would put them in a tank and they would send them out first checking for landmines and other booby traps.

[BrotherBuzz]

13. Cool, a double post...

:crazy:

[BrotherBuzz]

14. My battalion had a history of performing that duty...

except they didn't use tanks. During the cold war, I was assigned to a Combat Engineer Battalion that was all but the last vestige of the Buffalo Battalions under the 'Black Buffalos' 92 Division during WWII. Interesting reading the unit history because the entire unit was dispersed all over the place performing scut work that included dealing with those pesky minefields. Our companies were assigned to white units performing the very unglamorous duty of mine removal. Patton may have won the ground war but would not have gone far without the negroes clearing the path. Put a negro in an expensive tank to check for landmines? Surely, you jest! ;)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. "Sacrifice few to save many." Good plan..unless you're the "few".

You don't see too many generals or even lieutenants out there probing with bayonets for mines. But, they're mighty efficient at giving orders to the "less valuable" peasantry. That Blacks should be given the honor to do so should surprise nobody that plays the slightest bit of attention to the reality of racism.

[rot0r_head]

9. They thought it necessary to send people in just to SEE if it was perilous

???????????????
That place is a network of broken buildings, bristling with gun barrels. We could bomb it to dust and it would be a death trap.

[sangh0]

12. No, to see HOW perilous

Unfortunately, they got their answer

[sugargoose]

10. I hope this is not where our nephew went

His sister heard from him on the 27th. According to her, "It was basically a good-bye letter. It stated that he would be leaving the place he is at now in a day or two for a big mission that he is to be involved in and that he was lucky so far to have survived the mortar shells, car bombs, and people shooting at him, but he honestly doesn’t expect to survive this mission."

Her news was so upsetting, but paired with this news, I just hope the phone doesn't ring today. I am just sick over this.

[jbm]

16. I'll be thinking of you sugargoose

Please keep us posted.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Cannon fodder for politician's ambitions and capitalist's bank accounts.

Killing and dying so that the bigshot's can fulfill their dreams.

"Mission Accomplished" - "Bring 'em on" How horribly hollow those words sound now.

And, it will only get worse.

[leftchick]

17. they want 'We Are At War" Headlines going into election....

cuz he is the "War President"... :puke:

[nostamj]

18. update on this story

it was reported earlier that it was a suicide car bomb that got through and hit a convoy.

[Bluebear]

19. Gee, where would these insurgents get these explosives?

[leftchick]

20. I am confused....

do you mean before this ap report it was said to be from a car bomb?

[nostamj]

21. after

"The statement gave no further on how or where they were killed."

on MSNBC they gave the suicide bomber details