U.S. Launches Major Offensive in Iraq

[Seraphim]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Argyll]

What another one in as many weeks?
p-)

[firepower]

keep a sharp eye on this offensive.The most experienced insurgents will be engaged in this battle,the smart one's that fled from Fallujah and Ramadi,the hardcore veterans.Personally I beleive this particular offensive will be the most important one that has been launched since the capture of Baghdad.Hopefully the military will prevent the majority of them escaping over the border.

[Argyll]

Not with only 2500 Marines it isn't.......(most important one that is)

[firepower]

This offensive will have the largest concentration of Iraqi army troops used to date,and I suspect they will share the brunt of streetfighting with U.S infantry,unlike Operation Phantom Fury.The Insurgent force won't be as large as in Fallujah,requiring less ground forces,but they will definetely be the most lethal in Iraq,the leaders.All the recent offensives in western Iraq were planned to push the insurgents to this area,to set up a trap.

[joshfox0]

:roll: yet another "major offensive" can't they just call them area sweeps.

[firepower]

I have been watching live reports on the news from Husayba and the fighting has been intense.At the moment there is a lull in the fighting except potshots
from RPG's.Half an hour ago .50 calibre machine gun fire was so frequent the reporter could barely be heard.Many IED's have been discovered,even in doorways.Currently 3,500 troops are fighting there way through the city,this could hardly be called an area sweep.

[Maverick77]

whered you see that

[firepower]

Airborne249

CNN AUSTAR.

[Omaha]

:roll: yet another "major offensive" can't they just call them area sweeps.


Then people would be accusing us of down playing the Iraqi insurgency, which then leads to us underestimating them 2 weeks later when they get a few lucky shots off and kill a few good men.

Always a catch 22.

[CarlosI]

They need a strong moblie force, to be able to prevent most of them from escaping. Best soultion for that would probarly be to delpoy two company size units from helicopters and paratroops. That way before the offensive is even unleashed they can observe the most likely avenues that they would go to when they begin to withdrawl from the area to the Syrian border and that two company force can block them from doing that and trap most of them.

[MetalBoy]

I don't understand why the Iraqis dont keep a force of troops to keep these towns from turning into insurgent stroongholds a few weeks after the Marines have swept the trash out.

[Argyll]

I don't understand why the Iraqis dont keep a force of troops to keep these towns from turning into insurgent stroongholds a few weeks after the Marines have swept the trash out.

Exactly........it's called dominating/holding the ground.....I predict that these insurgents scattered some weeks ago,especially the hardcore ones,and we will see another offensive coming off again around Ramadi..........an insurgency of 20000 doesn't get defeated that easily and I believe it will still be as deadly,if not deadlier within the coming months,it's all about who has the strongest resolve,not the biggest guns a big game of cat and mouse out West

I'm not doubting this isn't a major offensive,but 2500 Marines,and what no more than 4 fully operational Battalions of Iraqi Security Forces,isn't nearly on the same scale as the Fallujah offensive,unless these ISF are going to Hold ground indefinately,then you'll see more Ops of this nature!

But good to see ISF taking more responsibility,lets see how strong their resolve is now.......and this missions a success

[firepower]

Argyll

I hope you are wrong about the hardcore insurgents having already scattered,but I must admit you are probably right.CNN have reported dozens of insurgents killed so far but not any high profile ones(I was hoping Zarqawi and his gang were holding out there).You have made a good point there about the ISF holding ground indefinately,I totally agree that is the best strategy to destroy this elusive enemy.

[pathfinder82]

Trying to compare this numbers wise to fallujah just doesnt work. Two different playing fields altogether. The goal of this was to shut down a well worn path from syria into iraq, hence the name iron curtain. Its not a full assault on one of the largest cities in Iraq.

The offensives in the area before this didnt have the specific goal of closing that route from Syria. They were run in, stir it up, and see what comes out of the woodwork type of moves. Who knows why the initial goal wasnt to put an end to the so called "smugglers route", we dont get to see the intel so its all speculation on our part. There is also a fair amount of politics involved considering you are on the border with another nation.

[TehSuig]

They need a strong moblie force, to be able to prevent most of them from escaping. Best soultion for that would probarly be to delpoy two company size units from helicopters and paratroops. That way before the offensive is even unleashed they can observe the most likely avenues that they would go to when they begin to withdrawl from the area to the Syrian border and that two company force can block them from doing that and trap most of them.

Heh, there are paratroopers on the ground in Husayba. We (the 82nd) have been spearheading alot of the operations that the Marines get credit for in Western Iraq. But, no on knows because we are under Marine control, and the Marine PR people just say that "Marines and doing this and that" not Army paratroopers.

The Iraqi army sucks, I can attest to that first hand. They are lazy and undisciplined, just about as dangerous as the insurgents since they walk around with their AK47s on full-auto.

I'm not too fond of how the Marines fight either, they aren't up to par with us. The Iraqi people know this too, they told us. They wait for Marines to come around to start shooting because they don't fight like we do.