Marines enter insurgent town in restive west Iraq

HAQLANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines fought their way into the insurgent stronghold of Haqlaniya on Wednesday, intensifying a campaign to bring Iraq's restive western province of Anbar under control.

A column of tanks and armoured vehicles rolled into the town, about 240 km (150 miles) west of Baghdad on the Euphrates river, before dawn and were immediately ambushed.

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"We were hit by an IED (improvised explosive device), a daisy chain (three IEDs linked together) and then we took a rocket propelled grenade," said Sergeant Larry Long, speaking as occasional shots and blasts echoed across the western desert.

Three Iraqis were killed when they drove towards a building occupied by the Marines. There were no U.S. casualties.

Reuters

Mission creep morphs into mission gallop while a horrified world watches.

or manufacturing deadly nerve agents or harboring the next wave of 9/11 style suicide pilots in someone attic. That's how, ask anybody who listens to rw talk radio, they will fill you in on the details.

Haqlaniya is near Haditha, between Ar-Ramadi and the Syrian border.

1. It was speculate that "securing" Fallujah and Samarra/Tikrit would help Baghdad by cutting insurgent supply lines. Saddam built like Stalin: main roads and rail lines lead from the boonies to the capital, so the fastest way between Boonieville and Boonieburg is usually through Baghdad.

2. The US has patrols that do nothing but draw fire. They ride through a town, and if nobody shoots, they head for the next town. They got shot at. Mission accomplished. In any event, that the IED was in place shows that the US was through before, so this seems like a reasonable bit of speculation.

3. The suspicion is that Syria is the base for some fighters, directives, or supplies. Some GSP units with waypoints between Syria and points just west of Baghdad, as well as lots of other bits of trivia, show this is true. (The extent to which it's important is subject to a lot of debate.) Haqlaniya is on one of the main roads from Syria to Baghdad. Intercept fighters and supplies in Haqlaniya, you don't have to look for them in Baghdad.

4. Haqlaniya is between Ar-Ramadi and Syria. There are operations ongoing in Ramadi. Haqlaniya could well send local boys as fighters or send other help to fighters in Ar-Ramadi, or could serve as a possible place for retreating from Ar-Ramadi if the going gets rough.

:hi:

So, are we going to see drone bombers flying out of Haqlaniya anytime soon, or is that the staging area for an invasion, or should we be worried about a mushroom cloud that originates from there?

Ooooh, it's just so alarming to be a sitting duck here in the U.S. while President and Mrs. Rice--er, the Secretary of State are off in Europe. I don't know what I should be a-scared of.

My point (and I apparently made it very badly) is that Haqlaniya is not exactly the reason we invaded Iraq. But it's apparently now a good reason for another sortie, more death and destruction, and another turn in the downward spiral.

Oh, if only someone had seen this possibility and warned America!

But hey, you have the equipment, you may as well use it.

Just kidding.

"U.S. forces took up positions in two schools and planned to stay for around 24 hours."


:shrug:



U.S. forces, report to clue department before your next scheduled engagement.

After we bomb it pretty good it will be more democratic.

"there has been a massive uptick in Humvee accidents in Iraq." (hypothetical, but likely story coming soon).