Sunday, November 07, 2004
Failing in Fallujah: Movement of Vehicles, Men Illegal 24/7; Police Force Suspended Indefinitely `
In what appears to be a predetermined trajectory for US forces in Iraq, 10,000 Marines are proceeding to "retake" the city of Fallujah, vowing to eradicate opposition in the area. The Marines are clearly more committed to a "sending a stern message to militants that they will be dealt with unmercifully" (CSM) in a show of force than they are to the accuracy of their targetting. For this reason it is unlikely they will succeed: objectives and conditions for victory are wholly unspecified, except in terms that concede complete control to the opposition. I.E., "when we win, there will be no more roadside bombings".
The comparisions to Vietnam seems self-apparent. However, that doesn't mean every conceivable Vietnam comparision is worthwhile. For example: "In preparation for the assault, U.S. commanders warned their troops to expect the most brutal urban fighting since the Vietnam War. "(Boston Globe, as below)
How odd. Apparently nobody pointed out that none of these Marines were around to fight in Vietnam. Or that it was jungle warfare, with small villages and towns, not "urban".
Playing their part, the interim government of Iraq has declared a 60-day state of emergency. The Boston Globe does a good job of laying out what that means:
"U.S. and Iraqi forces opened their long-promised assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, hours after the government declared a 60-day period of emergency rule in most of the country.
Under the emergency decree, men between the ages of 15 and 55 were and all vehicle traffic were banned from the streets of Fallujah 24 hours a day. All members of the Fallujah police were suspended indefinitely. The law also closes indefinitely all roads into Fallujah and neighboring Ramadi."
The comparisions to Vietnam seems self-apparent. However, that doesn't mean every conceivable Vietnam comparision is worthwhile. For example: "In preparation for the assault, U.S. commanders warned their troops to expect the most brutal urban fighting since the Vietnam War. "(Boston Globe, as below)
How odd. Apparently nobody pointed out that none of these Marines were around to fight in Vietnam. Or that it was jungle warfare, with small villages and towns, not "urban".
Playing their part, the interim government of Iraq has declared a 60-day state of emergency. The Boston Globe does a good job of laying out what that means:
"U.S. and Iraqi forces opened their long-promised assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, hours after the government declared a 60-day period of emergency rule in most of the country.
Under the emergency decree, men between the ages of 15 and 55 were and all vehicle traffic were banned from the streets of Fallujah 24 hours a day. All members of the Fallujah police were suspended indefinitely. The law also closes indefinitely all roads into Fallujah and neighboring Ramadi."
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