Marines in Fallujah

Blackfive and Smash have already noted this account of heroism on the part of Marines in Fallujah. But here's a very revealing paragraph detailing what they're up against as they seek out the perpetrators of the atrocities in that town:

In the midst of the firefight, with the armoured vehicle’s munitions blowing up, an ambulance pulled up. The Marines thought they were being rescued. Instead, 15 men with RPGs jumped out and started firing.

Meanwhile, in yesterday's fighting

Marines backed by helicopter gunships and F-16 jets fought a fierce five-hour battle in this city Wednesday with scores of insurgents armed with grenades, machine guns and mortar shells.

The early morning fighting, which came less than 48 hours after U.S. and Iraqi representatives agreed on a preliminary plan for a full cease-fire in Fallouja, left three Marines wounded, one critically. Officials said that at least nine insurgents were killed and an unknown number injured.

Marines said the fighting began after insurgents attacked U.S. troops as they patrolled the deserted, bullet-riddled Jolan neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the city.

Marines said that upward of 100 insurgents were involved and that many seemed to rush toward U.S. positions in what 1st Sgt. James Madden called "almost a suicide-like attack."

Even the presence of tanks did not deter the fighters, Marines said. The insurgents attacked the tanks with rocket-propelled grenades, but the weapons either missed their targets or bounced off the armored vehicles, which responded with massive firepower. Cobra and Huey helicopters raked buildings with gunfire, and the bombs dropped by the F-16s flattened several structures.

Insurgents used grenades, machine guns and mortar shells in continuous volleys. Marine snipers said they hit several attackers.

The insurgents used neighborhood mosques as gathering spots, and one house of worship blared out martial music from its minaret, then issued a call for residents to "rise up in a jihad against the Americans."

Marines said they chose not to target the mosque and used a public address system to answer back in Arabic. Their message: The insurgents were violating the peaceful tenets of the Koran and were a threat to Islam. The mosque switched to its morning call to prayers.

"You have to look at the risk versus the gain: the destruction of the enemy versus the loss of goodwill from the people," said 1st Lt. Ben Deda, who helped direct the Marine counteroffensive.

These are Marines operating under strict limitations. Do the "insurgents" realize what's going to happen to them when this 'cease fire' ceases?

The top Marine Corps general in Iraq said Wednesday that an American attack against insurgents in Falluja was "inevitable" within days unless the militants there immediately surrendered their heavy weapons and ammunition, as called for in a peace deal.

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The disarmament "hasn't happened yet, and I'm starting to get a little bit concerned that it might not, certainly in the volume that we want to see," General Conway said in an interview here at the headquarters of his First Marine Expeditionary Force, five miles east of Falluja, the embattled Sunni Muslim city that is the heart of the insurgency.

"There are X number of days left," said General Conway, avoiding an exact deadline. "In that period of time, we need to see some distinctive cooperation on the part of the Iraqis inside the city to disarm. If that doesn't happen, it's inevitable that we'll go in and attack those people."

Of course, "X" is the number of days if the Marines get to make the decision. Should the insurgents decide "X" is too large a number, expect rapid development of a situation the Marines are well preparred for.

Even as negotiators, including General Conway, sought a lasting deal, the marines stepped up battle preparations. Commanders have pulled in reinforcements from the western desert to build a force of more than 3,500. Marines are conducting raids in the suburbs of Falluja to kill or capture fighters, find weapons and dry up support for militants, one officer said. The units are restocking several days' worth of food, fuel, water and ammunition.

Serious business. And here's a hint the people of Fallujah would do well to take seriously:

In an all-out offensive, Marine officers say, they would attempt to target fighters precisely, whether with snipers or with 500-pound laser-guided bombs. They say they desperately want to avoid a bloody urban siege; before any major attack, officials said, the marines would warn noncombatants to leave.

Emphasis added. Again, that's the plan if the US Marines launch the attack. If our enemy capitulates, there will be no attack. But the third possibility is an "insurgent" launched attack. And I expect our ambulance driving, Mosque abusing, corpse mutilating enemy considers that attack to be in full force right now. It's likely they will continue to battle Marines to the last moment short of all out response, then declare victory, and melt into the scenery, to fight another day