WashDCDemocrat
In the past few days, "Operation Moshtarak" battled its way into the headlines. This multinational military operation is to capture the town of Marjah (marked on the right of the map), a major Taliban hub for weapons and drugs.
Backtrack to late 2004, in Fallujah (on the left of the map). The city of Fallujah, also filled with insurgents, was to be cleared out by the US Military. So what do the two have in common?
Hopefully, very little.
Fallujah was a disaster, though you wouldn't know by listening from the army. Their mission was to clear the area of insurgents, which they did over the course of several months. The only cost? Hundreds of dead civilians and the destruction of Fallujah. The military used their firepower excessively; their policy was to level buildings with insurgents inside, using tanks, artillery, or air power. This kept the troops somewhat safer, but put civilians in unnecessary risk, and increased the strain on an already troubled city.
So, why is Marjah going to be different? And why does it matter? To answer the first question, the military warned civilians to leave days before the assault began. The military intends to limit use of its artillery and air power, even taking an entire artillery system offline when twelve civilians were hit. Their intention is both military and political.
As for why Marjah matters, there are two simple reasons. The first is that this is the Taliban's most prominent holdout, supplying them with vital materials they need to carry out attacks. The second is that it will serve as a test for Obama's troop surge. As we approach a make-or-break battle for the town of Marjah, the military cannot forget Fallujah when so much is at stake.
1 comment:
So, where did you get your information on Operation Phantom Fury? I would venture to say, not from a credible source.
"Hundreds of dead civilians and the destruction of Fallujah. The military used their firepower excessively; their policy was to level buildings with insurgents inside, using tanks, artillery, or air power. This kept the troops somewhat safer, but put civilians in unnecessary risk, and increased the strain on an already troubled city."
Ninety-five American soldiers, sailors and Marines were killed entering those buildings you claim were indiscriminately destroyed. They entered those buildings never knowing what they would find. They risked their lives to insure that a minimum number of civilians were killed or injured.
In Operation Phantom Fury, the Iraqi and US military gave the population weeks to get out of harms way and over 90% of the population fled the city.
Few civilians remained. The city was a ghost town. Only buildings filled with fanatic insurgents were attacked. Unfortunately, there were thousands of jihadists in Fallujah and most were not even Iraqi.
Once the violent extremists were ejected from Fallujah, life returned to normalcy and the US rebuilt what they had destroyed. The Anbar Awakening started in Fallujah.
Read New Dawn: the Battles for Fallujah if you are really interested in what happened in Fallujah. www.fallujahbook.com
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