Defense Articles

THE LONG-AWAITED battle for Fallujah, in effect, began last night with US forces moving into parts of the rebel stronghold.

American and Iraqi military sources revealed that incursions began at 7pm local time with marines moving into the city through a number of routes following sustained and heavy artillery fire.

The military action followed the declaration of Iyad Allawi, Iraq’s interim prime minister, of martial law in the country, after stating that the offensive against Fallujah cannot be delayed any longer.

Sources say there will not be a full offensive on Fallujah. Instead, US forces and their Iraqi allies will take the city section by section by clearing houses.
The US military, along with the fledgling Iraqi security forces in tow, hopes the Fallujah offensive will deal a heavy blow to the insurgency, creating sufficient stability for the elections in January. The insurgents say they will counter with escalating violence.

US troops announced yesterday that they had: “isolated Fallujah” and that all traffic in and out of the city has been halted.

This is expected to be the biggest US marine-led urban assault since Vietnam. US commanders pumped up troop spirits yesterday, saying they were no different from the storied heroes of Iwo Jima and Korea.

Standing before some 2,500 marines, who stood or kneeled at his feet, Lt-Gen John F Sattler, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, told them that they would be at the front of the charge.
“This is America’s fight,” Lt-Gen Sattler said. “What we’ve added to it is our Iraqi partners. They want to go in and liberate Fallujah. They feel this town’s being held hostage by mugs, thugs, murderers and terrorists.”

Two marine battalions, along with a battalion from the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, will be the lead units sent into a Fallujah attack. They will be joined by two brigades of Iraqi troops.

“God bless you, each and every one. You know what your mission is. Go out there and get it done,” Lt-Gen Sattler said.

More than 10,000 US troops massed around the Sunni Muslim city are expected to take a role in the assault on Fallujah, whose green-lit minarets are visible from the US base near the city.

Sgt Maj Carlton W Kent, the senior enlisted marine in Iraq, told troops the coming battle of Fallujah would be “no different” to the historic fights at Inchon in Korea, the flag-raising victory at Iwo Jima, or the bloody Tet Offensive to remove North Vietnamese from the ancient citadel of Hue in 1968.

“You’re all in the process of making history,” boomed his clarion voice. “This is another Hue city in the making. I have no doubt, if we do get the word, that each and every one of you is going to do what you have always done - kick some butt.”

Marine battalion commander Lt-Col Mike Ramos said many of the young fighters would be going into combat for the first time. In the barracks, marines could be seen packing up gear, strapping anti-tank missile tubes to their packs.

“They’re sharpening their K-Bar fighting knives; they’re cleaning their weapons for the last time; they’ve fuelled their vehicles and they’ve rehearsed the plan,” said Lt-Col Ramos, 41, of Dallas.

Despite the grisly evidence of earlier US offensives against the insurgents Lt-Col Ramos predicted that “freedom and democracy” would prevail in Fallujah within days.

“Make no mistake about it, we’ll hand this city back to the Iraqi people,” he said. “I think it will be rapid.”

During the fight, rules of engagement allow US troops to shoot and kill anyone carrying a weapon or driving in Fallujah, a move aimed at allowing US troops to fire on car bombers, Lt-Col Ramos said. Military-age males trying to leave the city would be captured or turned back.

“If I see someone who looks like a martyr, driving at high speed toward my unit, I’ll send him to Allah before he gets close,” he told reporters embedded with US troops.

Lt-Gen Sattler reminded the troops that the assault would be a joint US-Iraqi effort. The fledgling Iraqi military, which has been under intense US training, needs to be led by example into the fight against Fallujah, he said. “They need you to motivate them,” he said. “You can feel the energy. You can feel the chemistry. You take that to the Iraqi forces as they join this fight.”

Sattler told the marines that their assault would allow Fallujah residents to “rise up” and take the town back, comparing the coming battle to the three-week August onslaught in Najaf, where marines and Army forces eventually forced a Shiite militia to drop their fight and leave the city.

“Hamas is loyal to the blood of its martyrs and will continue on the path of holy war and resistance until we achieve victory by defeating the Zionists,” Ismail Hanieh, a Hamas leader, said in a rare appearance at a Gaza City mosque.

Hamas leaders have been driven underground by Israel’s relentless campaign of targeted killings, including those of the group’s founder and his successor this year. Israeli analysts said the killing of al- Ghoul was a major blow to Hamas because he was a top bombmaker responsible for the group’s weaponry, including crude anti-tank missiles and the Qassam rockets the group has fired at Israeli communities, the army said.

Israel held al-Ghoul responsible for the deaths of dozens of its citizens, including in major suicide bombings in the 1990s. He had been in hiding for years, avoiding public appearances and media interviews, and narrowly escaped two previous attempts on his life.

Al-Ghoul’s assistant, Imad Abbas, also was killed Thursday.

Following the killings, about 15 mortar rounds were fired at the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim and adjacent military posts, damaging four houses but causing no casualties. Settlers reported mortar shells falling on two other south Gaza settlements but causing no damage.

One militant was killed and another gravely wounded as they prepared to fire a mortar at Neve Dekalim, Palestinians and the army said. Palestinians said the dead man was a known Hamas activist. It was not immediately clear if the men were hit by Israeli fire or whether the mortar shell exploded prematurely.

A mourner then was shot dead at the militant’s funeral procession. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers guarding Neve Dekalim about 300 yards away killed the unarmed civilian. The army had no immediate comment.

Hamas’ ability to strike back at Israel has been severely weakened by a string of assassinations. Early this year, Israel killed the group’s spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

A top Hamas leader based in Damascus, Syria, was killed in a car bombing last month. Israeli security officials acknowledged involvement. Most Hamas leaders in Gaza have gone into hiding.

Al-Ghoul’s killing leaves Hamas’ military leadership solely in the hands of Mohammed Deif, its longtime chief. Deif, like al-Ghoul, is high on Israel’s wanted list and has been in hiding for years. They both escaped a September 2003 airstrike aimed at a gathering of Hamas leaders in Gaza.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned Thursday’s killing, which he said “reflects the determination of the Israeli government to continue the path of military solutions rather than negotiations.”

Later Thursday, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile in the northern Gaza Strip, causing no injuries but destroying the home of a local militant leader, witnesses said. The army said it destroyed a weapons workshop.

In the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved about 100 yards into the Rafah refugee camp early Friday, witnesses said.

An Israeli helicopter hovered overhead, firing bursts of gunfire, and Palestinian gunmen returned fire. Israeli military sources confirmed an operation was under way, but declined to elaborate.

The Rafah camp, located on the Egyptian border, is a flashpoint of violence, and an Israeli soldier was killed in the area Thursday.

The small Rafah operation followed a broad invasion into northern Gaza — meant to stop militants from firing rockets into Israel — that began Sept. 29 and ended last week.

The U.N. Reliefs and Works Agency said the 17-day offensive killed 107 Palestinians, left nearly 700 people homeless and caused more than $3 million in damage.

Gaza has experienced an upsurge in violence since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced plans earlier this year to withdraw from the volatile area. Both Israel and militants want to claim victory ahead of the withdrawal next summer.