Clean socks a boon to infantry in Fallujah

[thedrifter]

Clean socks a boon to infantry in Fallujah
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 200441645438
Story by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen



FALLUJAH, Iraq(April 14, 2004) -- The gruff bark from the platoon sergeant was music to the ears of the infantrymen of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.

"Your dog-gone packs are here, now lets get a working party going," said Gunnery Sgt. James E. Dinwoodie, platoon sergeant for Weapons Platoon, Company E.

After days of gunfire, sweat and grime, there's something to be said for the luxury of changing into clean socks, shirts and skivvies. Simple pleasures in life, such as sleeping bags and toothpaste caught up to the Marines who fought against enemy forces in the city for more than a week.

"It's about time we got our packs because we stink," whispered Cpl. Jeramy Whitley, an infantryman in 1st Platoon.

Water, meals and other supplies are arriving more regularly now. Earlier supply convoys were reserved for essentials in combat - food, water and ammunition. Marines, until now, just had to make do without.

"Well, it's nice to have our packs now because we have our sleeping bags," said Cpl. Justin M. Rettenberger, a squad leader in 1st Platoon.

Still, Marines found ways to make life as comfortable as possible. They established shower rotations with a Navy hospital corpsman's approval, after finding running water in some of the abandoned buildings in the city. That water, though, was only good for a quick wash. Drinking water was coveted.

"Now we can shave and we haven't brushed our teeth for over a week, so it sucked," Rettenberger explained. "But we're grunts, so we're used to it."

Living without even regular change of socks wasn't a morale breaker, Rettenberger explained. Getting the gear though, boosted spirits.

"This is a great platoon. The morale of my Marines is high," Rettenberger said. "We're out here doing alright, and we're accomplishing the mission that we got out here to do."




Lance Cpl. Steven J. Barnes III reaches into his pack for clean socks, shirts and skivvies during the suspension of offensive operations in Fallujah. Barnes is a machine gunner with 1st Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
(USMC photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...4?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Intelligence discoveries paint picture of enemy in Fallujah
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification Number: 20044165945
Story by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen



FALLUJAH, Iraq(April 14, 2004) -- Marines operating in Fallujah are gaining a clearer picture of the enemy they face. Intelligence gathered from enemy dead, daily patrols and documents is proving links between terrorists and former regime elements loyal to deposed dictator Saddam Hussein.

Marines of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division remain at the ready in the city. The cordon of Fallujah is still in effect. Fighting between Marines and terrorist forces has simmered during the unilateral suspension of offensive operations. Still, occasional firefights are heard and Marines continue to refine their picture of who the enemy is.

"What we've discovered on the northern end of town are still people seemingly loyal to Saddam," said 1st Lt. Edward M. Solis, who has led numerous foot-patrols leading to the discovery of enemy intelligence.

Solis is the platoon commander of 1st Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

Some homes that Solis' Marines swept had pictures of Saddam hanging on their walls, telling the Marines some locals still had some reverence for the fallen dictator.

"If we suspect a family to be pro-Saddam, still latching onto the Ba'athist Party, and you find out they're former military, you realize what assets these insurgents have," Solis explained.

Marines with 1st Platoon also recovered useful documents such as identification cards, birth certificates and countless pictures of Iraq's former dictator. Each piece of information allowed a "connect-the-dots" map of what kind of enemy the Marines are facing.

"The 'intel' we've found were former military, friends of Saddam that participated in functions standard in this area, and a network of who's involved in terrorist and criminal attacks," Solis said.

Some of the intelligence has come from searching bodies of dead enemy fighters.

"When we walked up to a body of an insurgent shot the other day," Solis said "He had paperwork indicating he was a former military mortarman, which tells us he might be bringing the mortar capabilities to the enemy. He also had an AK-47 and binoculars."

The intelligence discoveries are evidence to Marines on the line that they are continually gaining ground against the enemy. Sgt. Jeremy Miller, a squad leader with 1st Platoon, said the motivation of the platoon has been at an all-time high.

"They're excited about doing what they got to do," Miller said. "The Marines can march through Fallujah from one side to the other, and keep pushing. Morale is very high."

"If the enemy only knew of the will of our Marines they would've given up by now,"
Solis added.



1st Lt. Edward M. Solis, platoon commander of 1st Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division finds a portrait of Saddam Hussein, which was cut out from a school text book and pasted inside a dresser. Solis and his men cleared abandoned buildings of terrorists as they made their way to a new location during a suspension of offensive operations in Fallujah.
(USMC photo by Sg.t Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...3?opendocument

[thedrifter]

U.S., Fallujah leaders hold negotiations
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) ? U.S. military and civilian officials met Friday with leaders from Fallujah, the first known direct negotiations involving Americans since the siege of the city began April 5. Nine civilians died in violence elsewhere in Iraq.
Also, the Arab TV station Al-Jazeera broadcast video showing a U.S. soldier, Pfc. Keith M. Maupin, 20, in the custody of five masked gunmen. Maupin, of Batavia, Ohio, was reported missing after an attack on a convoy a week ago. (Related story: Al-Jazeera airs video of U.S. soldier)

In the south, the most influential Shiite cleric in Iraq warned the Americans not to enter the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. A U.S. commander said there were no such plans.

The military said U.S. soldiers fought back after they were attacked near Kufa, which neighbors the holy city of Najaf. Some 2,500 U.S. soldiers are deployed outside Najaf to kill or capture radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and dismantle his al-Mahdi Army militia.

Large explosions were seen by the river in a sparsely populated area on the edge of Kufa. Five civilians caught in the crossfire were killed and 14 wounded, hospital officials said.

During the talks in Fallujah, the United States agreed to move its soldiers so residents would have direct access to the city's main hospital. Both sides agreed to continue dialogue on Saturday, said Ambassador Richard Jones, the civilian head of the U.S. delegation.

Until Friday, U.S.-allied Iraqi leaders have been holding talks with city representatives trying to find an end to the violence.

"We have agreed as a sign of good faith to continue the talks tomorrow morning," said Jones, the chief political adviser to L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq. He added that a military team was being sent to survey the situation at the hospital and disinfect the building.

On another front, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, warned of a strong Shiite response if U.S. forces enter the holy cities of Najaf or Karbala to capture al-Sadr.

The two cities are a "red line," Mahdi al-Karbala'i, al-Sistani's representative in Karbala, said during a sermon. "We are calling for peaceful solutions, but if the coalition forces are to cross the red line, then will take a different stronger position."

Al-Sistani, a moderate who has opposed anti-U.S. violence, holds enormous influence among Iraq's Shiite majority.

Maj. Gen. John Sattler, director of operations for the U.S. Central Command, said there were no plans to go into the city.

"We're not planning at this time to move any offensive operations into an Najaf," Sattler said. "Sadr is there, we know where he is, but right now we're letting him to continue to marginalize himself and we're not focusing any combat power or combat operations into Najaf."

U.S. commanders said they expect to rotate some of the troops surrounding Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, a sign that imminent combat was not expected.

Iranian envoy Hossein Sadeghi was in Najaf Friday, but representatives of Muqtada al-Sadr said the envoy had no meetings with the anti-American cleric. Sadeghi's visit was arranged by Britain and appeared to have the approval of the United States, reflecting an eagerness to find a solution that would avert a U.S. assault on the city.

Meanwhile, the number of foreigners missing in Iraq rose after a man from the United Arab Emirates was abducted Thursday from his hotel in the southern city of Basra by kidnappers disguised as policemen. A Danish businessman was believed kidnapped earlier in the week.

Two U.S. soldiers and seven U.S. civilian contractors have been missing in Iraq since their convoy was attacked April 9 outside Baghdad.

Three Czech reporters missing since Sunday were released by their kidnappers. A Syrian-born Canadian was also freed.

Despite the talks in Fallujah, fighting continued in the city Friday. A U.S. F-16 warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb in northern Fallujah, destroying a building where gunmen had been seen, Marines said. The giant blast sent up a huge spray of dirt and smoke that clouded an entire neighborhood.

Also Friday, an Arab from the Persian Gulf was snatched from his hotel by gunmen disguised as police in the southern city of Basra on Thursday night, the hotel owner and Iraqi police official Col. Khalaf al-Maliki said.

The victim was carrying a passport from the United Arab Emirates that had U.S. travel stamps in it, leading to earlier incorrect reports that he was American, al-Maliki said. The hotel owner, who refused to be named, said gunmen broke into the hotel and pulled out the man.

The Danish man was in Iraq to start up a company that deals with sewage projects, according to Denmark television station DR-1. He was missing after his car was stopped Tuesday on a highway near Tadji, 20 miles north of Baghdad.

Kidnappers have released a Chinese citizen who was abducted Wednesday, said Muthanna Harith, a member of the Islamic Clerics Committee, which earlier had worked to win the freedom of three Japanese hostages.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the man was an employee of a Chinese company and was traveling from Jordan to Iraq when his car was stopped by Iraqis at a checkpoint.

At least 21 foreigners have been abducted in the past week in a wave of kidnappings. The most occurred on roads west and south of Baghdad, where gunmen have run rampant the past week, attacking convoys and battling U.S. troops.

Gunmen on Thursday assassinated an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad. Iranian Embassy officials were investigating whether the assassination was linked to the Iranian envoy's visit. Diplomat Khalil Naimi was not a member of the Iranian negotiating team.

Shiite Governing Council member Ibrahim al-Jaafari said he saw "flexibility from al-Sadr's side" and urged Americans to show "similar flexibility."

Top U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer was involved in "multiple channels" to try to negotiate an end to the standoff in the south and in Fallujah, said Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But Myers warned there was a limit as to how long the Marines can wait. "At some point somebody has to make a decision on what we're going to do, and we certainly can't rule out the use of force there again," he said.

A U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday in Samarra, north of Fallujah ? raising to 88 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in April, the deadliest month for the Americans in Iraq.

U.S. commanders have vowed to "kill or capture" al-Sadr, but have limited their actions to small skirmishes on the outskirts of the city.

Maj. Neal O'Brien said the units at Najaf "will not complete this operation" and will likely be replaced by other troops ? a rotation that suggests that an assault on the city is not imminent.

Sadeghi met with current Governing Council president Massoud Barzani on Wednesday and traveled to Najaf for talks on Thursday.

Iran is overwhelmingly Shiite and has enormous influence with the Shiite majority in Iraq.

Although the United States and Iran are bitter enemies, the political process in Iraq is likely to end with Shiites as the dominant power.

Tehran and Washington have been communicating behind the scenes on how to restore order in Iraq, Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Wednesday, although he said they have been "going nowhere."

Both countries want to avoid a U.S. attack on Najaf, site of the holiest Shiite site ? the Imam Ali Shrine, near the office where al-Sadr is located, surrounded by armed gunmen.

Negotiations appeared focused on dissolving al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army militia ? a demand he has refused ? and how to deal with al-Sadr himself. He has been charged with involvement in the assassination last year of a rival Shiite cleric.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/...4-16-iraq_x.htm

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines Said to Tighten Iraq-Syria Border
Fri Apr 16,12:00 PM ET

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON - By putting a bigger force along Iraq (news - web sites)'s border with Syria, the U.S. Marines have been able to slow the infiltration of foreign fighters, a senior U.S. general said Friday.


U.S. officials have frequently cited the Syrian border as a source of foreign extremists who make their way east to the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, and in some cases to Baghdad, and attack U.S. forces.


Maj. Gen. John Sattler, the director of operations for Central Command, said in a telephone interview with Pentagon (news - web sites) reporters that the Marines have at least one-third more troops along the border than did the 82nd Airborne, which turned over the operation to the Marines last month.


Sattler spoke from Central Command's forward headquarters near Doha, Qatar.


The Marines have managed to "shut that border region down," Sattler said, later tempering his assessment by saying some foreign fighters continue to elude detection at the border.


"Is the border totally shut down? I won't make that statement because it is a large border and at nighttime there are a lot of wadis and places where individuals can work their way across," he said.


The Marines' success has come at a high price, however. Sattler refused to provide specifics, but he said, "This is, as we all know, a very dangerous business and the Marines did suffer some casualties there."


As a matter of policy, the Marines since arriving in Iraq last month have withheld details about their casualties, including the location and the nature of the hostile action that caused them. One exception was an announcement on March 19 that two Marine privates were killed the day before in hostile action in Qaim, a city about six miles from the Syrian frontier.


Sattler's largely upbeat assessment of progress in sealing the Iraqi-Syrian border was in contrast to comments made Thursday by Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


During a news conference in Baghdad, Myers talked about the problem of foreign fighters entering Iraq.


"We know for a fact that a lot of them find their way into Iraq through Syria for sure. I mean, we know that. The ones we've captured, the ones we've detained, we know how they get here," he said, adding that "to some extent the same thing happens on the Iranian border as well."


Sattler said the Marines have focused much of their border-sealing effort in the vicinity of Qaim. He would not say how many Marines are operating along the border, but he said they are using a variety of firepower, including helicopter-borne troops and fixed-wing aircraft.


"They have a substantial-size force that is dedicated out into that western region that has shut that border region down," he said, "and it is not only at the legal crossing points where we do have Iraqi border police, but it is those longtime traditional crossing points where foot traffic and some mobile traffic comes across."


He described the Marine operations as "very intense" and said they have made major progress over the past week.


"We had an extreme amount of success on the front side, meaning that we did find, fix and ultimately finish a number of cells that were up there that were facilitating" the infiltration of foreign fighters, he said. He would not say how many people were in these cells or how many were captured or killed.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...syrian_border_2

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Troops fortify their positions while they wait

By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer

FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- U.S. Marines spent much of the day Thursday strengthening their positions in this embattled city and coming to grips with their surreal surroundings at the edge of this ghost town that continues to fight back.

A Marine sniper who claimed 22 "kills" in the past week got his 23rd Thursday, finally silencing a rebel gunner who he said had harassed his unit for days.

Goats have taken to rooftops, and cows lounge in the streets like dogs. A Marine sauntered down an alleyway holding a chicken by the feet. He said he planned to pluck it and prepare it for supper in the kitchen of his squad's commandeered home.


Another Marine on guard atop a roof marveled at the gang warfare waged by wild dogs in the empty streets below where farm animals are now without the protection of their owners and easy prey for the canines running amok.

Two troops traveled the long way from one position to another, detouring through a small cemetery and over a trash heap in the blowing sand to get a peek at "George" ---- the name they've given to an especially bloated and torn body propped up against a wall near a dead dog.

Another corpse is right up the street, they say. The neighboring houses also have their bodies, and stories, if you take the time to look.

While Thursday was probably the quietest day in Fallujah in more than a week, it was still the scene of some fighting as both sides fired from windows and rooftops and insurgents shot mortars at the Marines from positions inside and outside the cordon.

A Marine was seriously wounded Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near a humvee. And a rifle company of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment was hit with mortar rounds fired from within the city where, Marines say, between 1,000 and 4,000 insurgents are trapped within the cordon held by the Marines for more than a week.

Rockets struck other Marine units to the south later Thursday, but there were no reports of Marine casualties.

The attacks continue to illustrate the failure of a fragile cease-fire arranged last weekend to give tribal and political leaders time to avoid what many say will be a bloodbath if Marines have to take the city by force.

The Marines say they stand ready to take the offensive.

"We're sticking with the cordon," said Lt. Col. Gregg Olson, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, based at Camp Pendleton. "We've basically locked down northwest Fallujah and remain focused on that mission."

Olson said that because the Marines have been committed in large numbers to the rural neighborhood on the fringes of Fallujah, more and more locals are coming forth with information on the whereabouts of insurgents' supply routes.

"That's the kind of cooperation this will take," he said, "working hand in hand with the Iraqi people who believe in a peaceful future for a free Iraq that is governed by Iraqis."

Late Thursday night, a U.S. Air Force Spectre gunship, which is at the disposal of American special operations units and the Marines in Fallujah, pounded several targets with howitzers, cannon and Gatling guns.

Like terrible thunderclaps, the gunships struck at the city below.

Sparks shot from distant impacts and columns of thick, black smoke rose from the darkened city.

Koranic verses blared from several mosques, providing a soundtrack to the violence.

Officials say there's no way to verify what "he" or "Spectre" ---- as the troops reverently call the gunship ---- has destroyed.

It was another night in Fallujah, a place where sunrise is greeted as often with gunfire as it is with the crows of roosters and the days are marked by tallying the day's mortar attacks.

Staff writer Darrin Mortenson and staff photographer Hayne Palmour are reporting from Iraq, where they are with Camp Pendleton Marines. Their coverage is collected at www.nctimes.com/military/iraq.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/200...7_074_15_04.txt


Ellie