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April 18, 2004
3/7 Marines Battle in Husaybah
Yesterday, I was walking down the waterfront in Newport, Oregon when another Marine Mom called to see if I'd heard anything about a firefight on the Syrian border. Her son serves with the 3/7 Marines and is currently deployed in Iraq. A report from embedded reporter Ron Harris from the Saint Louis Post Dispatch provides a few details on what the 3/7 faced yesterday:
In some of the fiercest fighting in recent weeks, five Marines were killed and dozens of Iraqi insurgents slain in a daylong battle that began early Saturday in Husaybah. Marines beat back the offensive by what was reported to be hundreds of Iraqis from another area who had slipped into this city just 300 yards east of the Syrian border.According to Marine intelligence, nearly 300 Iraqi mujahedeen fighters from Fallujah and Ramadi launched the offensive in an outpost next to Husaybah, first setting off a roadside bomb to lure Marines out of their base and then firing 24 mortars as the Marines responded to the first attack.
At least nine Marines were wounded and more than 20 Iraqi fighters were captured in the 14-hour battle. The Iraqi prisoners were taken to the Marines' main base, Camp Al Qaim, 22 miles east of here, for questioning.
Reading between the lines, the mujahedeen are being run out of Fallujah and Ramadi and are retreating to Syria. They may stop along the way for a fight, but they will not win, even with cowardly tactics:
At one point, many of the insurgents reportedly had gathered in a local mosque, and Marines were preparing to bomb the building. They decided not to attack, however, when they couldn't positively identify the occupants of the mosque.According to Marine snipers reporting to their commanders by radio, some of the insurgents fired at Marines and then hid behind children.
"We're trying to get the snipers in position for a shot," Major George Schreffler told the other commanders through tactical radio communications. "They're looking at guys in blue uniforms and others with black clothes and black masks. Some are using children to shield themselves. We will not take shots in which we could possibly hit children."
The battle started at 8:30 a.m. By 6:00 p.m., our Marines "had the insurgents on the run".
No better friend, no worse enemy. It's not a question of "if", it's "when". In this battle, it took less than ten hours. We'll grieve with the families of our fallen heroes, knowing that their sons and husbands made a difference. Semper Fi.
Posted by Deb at April 18, 2004 02:43 PM