House by house, Falluja falls...some fighters appear to have slipped away

[Zorra]

Rory McCarthy in Baghdad
Wednesday November 10, 2004

US troops pushed into the centre of Falluja yesterday, fighting their way from house to house and shooting through bands of militants in their drive to recapture the city that has been the centre of insurgency since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
On the second day of the assault, US army forces pressed into the city from the east, reaching the centre as marine units drove their way down in two prongs from the north. Fighter bombers and heavy artillery fire cleared the way as the troops advanced.

Some American military officers estimated last night that a third of the city had been taken.
snip----
But across the city there was less resistance than expected. That may suggest fighters slipped away before the battle began, or that troops have yet to reach the heaviest concentrations of insurgents.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1347462,00.html

Looks like "Operation Phantom Fury" was aptly named. Well, good. The fewer people that are killed and wounded, the better.

[Zynx]

1. You mean they didn't want to stand and fight tanks and AC-130's?

COWARDS!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Ok have we seen this movie before?

It is called melting away to fight another day

[Gloria]

3. According to the BBC this AM,...insurgents have already spread out

to other areas, including Ramadi...and have taken control there. Report said that US troops had WITHDRAWN from Ramadi.

This AM, the British reporter said that even though the US had taken some areas of Falluja, the city was by no means under control...

[Quixote1818]

7. Maybe thats the plan. Lure them to Ramadi then surround the town

with no notice?

[Hobarticus]

8. Careful, Quixote 1818...

If you show too many book smarts, they'll ship you off to plan the next offensive.

Actually, that's not a bad strategy at all.

[Hobarticus]

4. Scattered to the four winds....

They saw this coming and skipped town with the refugees. Set their weapons down and walked out. Hell, we damn near advertised it. Ten bucks says we announced this action so blatantly and so far ahead of time in order that resistance would be dispersed and light, and Bush could score some points after the election by 'taking a town'.

We thought if we'd knock out Hue during Vietnam that would end it, too. It's an absurd and naive notion think if you take a town you win the war and go home, like WW2.

[Quixote1818]

5. Our War Plan In Iraq Has Been A Disaster! Anyone with the slightest bit

of common sense would have high tailed it out of their a month ago knowing what was coming. They will never, ever fight our troops straight up that is suicide. They are fighting a gorilla war and that means disappear back into the woodwork and take pot shots. I am positive they all talked about the US coming and fled a while back just like Mussaui or what ever his name is.

[RyomaSakamoto]

6. D'oh!

quick rummy, call acme war plans haliburton - tell'm we want imperialism for dummies 4.0

[bhikkhu]

9. So who are we killing in Falluja?

Most likely the residents, who would stand and fight for their town against any invading army. The foreign fighters and Baathists were probably gone last week, if they were there to begin with.