The US Troop's deadliest month to date and it's only the 19th!

[Ironside]

Last year as the Saddam Hussein statues came crashing to the ground throughout Iraq, President Bush proudly stood on an aircraft carrier, with a "Mission Accomplished" banner posed behind him and announced the "end of major combat", in Iraq.



I'm glad we're sending an additional 20,000 troops to Iraq. But, that's another sign things are deterriorating in Iraq.

I think it's an insult to our troops currently fighting in Iraq, to tell them they aren't engaged in "major combat."

The United States will have about 140,000 troops in Iraq. The British about 9,500 and all the other put together about 20,000. That's including about 1,500 Spainish troops, soon to withdraw so Spain can concentrate on the real war on terror. I don't support Spain's withdrawl, but I can understand it. Losing focus on the war on terror cost them dearly.

Is it the end of "major combat"?


This is the US Troop's deadliest month to date and it's only the 19th!

[The_Federalist]

I would still not call this "major combat operations" in the terms of the "high intesnsity" fighting that we faced during Gulf 1, and the initial invasion during Gulf 2.

What we are facing now is urban guerilla warfare taken straight from Che Guevara.

[Ironside]

The so called "insurgents" are fighting harder to than a year ago. The biggest difference is the end of shock-n-awe. And shock-n-awe doesn't constitute the only "major combat."

The facts is, our troops fighting in Iraq today are engaged in Major Combat!

[165grNosler]

Originally Posted by Ironside

The so called "insurgents" are fighting harder to than a year ago. The biggest difference is the end of shock-n-awe. And shock-n-awe doesn't constitute the only "amjor combat."

The facts is, our troops fighting in Iraq today are engaged in Major Combat!

I guess that it boils down to what your definition of "major combat" is. I don't see the current situation as warranting the label. Half to go with The_Fed on this one.

[se0sea]

This sure was a tough month.The worst yet.This urban guerilla warfare our troops are facing is not made up of a brigade of enemy crack forces.They are made up of prisoners Sadaam freed and foriegn terrorist with a mix of former bathh party members.

[robini123]

Originally Posted by se0sea

This sure was a tough month.The worst yet.This urban guerilla warfare our troops are facing is not made up of a brigade of enemy crack forces.They are made up of prisoners Sadaam freed and foriegn terrorist with a mix of former bathh party members.

I tend to agree. Major combat is over, but there are still some skirmishes going on, and will for some time.

[kruser79]

Major combat, to me, would mean movements of Bde and Div sized units, or even larger. Numerous skirmishes can be covered simultaneously by a Bn or smaller, so I wouldn't really tack the name "major combat" on anything that's happening today. Checkpoints are set up and manned, patrols go out, firefights are engaged, but it's all done with small units.
You are seeing larger numbers of casualties for two reasons. First, our enemy has no morals, nor honor. He uses women and children as human shields, engaging us from behind their skirts. He uses dishonorable tactics, like an ambulance as a ruse to get our troops out of a building before shooting at them.
Second, MOUT or urban combat operations are some of the most difficult. IMO the one operation most likely to prove costly in terms of lives. It's his rat-infested sh!thole, so he has the advantage. He hides in supposed 'off limits' areas like mosques and schools. The only sure fire way to win in this instance, really isn't an option. It's to level the entire area he's hiding in, killing him or at least forcing him to surrender. But once again, we're confronted with his callous aversion to honor. We won't go in and possibly kill innocents if we can help it. So our honor, and his lack of it, is what is costing us lives.