wrbones
03-23-03, 04:05 PM
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraque/0,6119,2-10-1460_1337130,00.html
Marines awed by Iraqi resistance
23/03/2003 12:47 - (SA)
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Umm Qasr, Iraq - Marine commandos have spoken of an unexpectedly dramatic battle against Iraqi resistance in the key southern port of Umm Qasr where fighting continued on Sunday for a fourth day.
Troops from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit told how disguised soldiers resisted overwhelming firepower, shedding olive green uniforms for civilian clothes and using innocent families as shields.
Sergeant Chris Demuro, 31, of Fox Company, was in the vanguard of the push into the strategic gateway.
The Americans' path through border defences was cleared by armoured bulldozers from Britain's 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron.
But as soon as the US forces breached a sand berm and trench on the border with Kuwait, they were caught in a heavy Iraqi ambush.
"They opened up with rockets, small arms and mortars and all hell broke loose when we came across the berm," said Demuro, from Pennsylvania.
"We called in artillery from British units behind us but the explosions were coming in so close we were forced to pull back - it was terrifying.
"There was noise and confusion and we could see the white muzzle flashes from the guns of the Iraqis in a group of buildings up ahead.
'Position was getting hammered'
"We hit back with heavy machine guns and artillery and their position was getting hammered.
"Two Cobra helicopter gunships finally flew in to check that there was no sign of life or resistance before we passed the smoking building they'd been shooting from.
"There was more incoming fire as we pressed on into the town then a blue Toyota truck appeared with a car behind it heading straight for our column.
"We tried to flag it down to stop but it kept on going and when it passed an Abrams tank, weapons were seen inside the cab.
"We were under threat and had no option but to stop it and a Humvee jeep blasted it with a 50 calibre machine gun.
"The bullets lit up the truck and in an instant it was a rolling fireball - no-one inside it would have stood a chance.
"As I went by it was blazing with a blackened body at the wheel.
"Others with me said they saw another man crawling away by the road and he died too - their weapons were destroyed inside the vehicle."
Demuro told how civilians in the car behind appeared to have been caught up in the crossfire.
"It was an ordinary car and the driver and front seat passenger - both men - were wounded.
"I saw two women and a child in the rear seats. They seemed physically okay but were screaming and crying in shock.
"Our medics tended to the wounded and tried to calm the women. One of the men was hit in the arm and the other seemed less seriously wounded."
Iraqis surrendering in civilian clothes
Demuro said that Iraqis who began surrendering in civilian clothes swore they were not soldiers as they appeared with their hands in the air - but their uniforms and weapons were found hidden nearby.
"There was more shooting as we got to the gates of the port and I must have fired about five rounds of suppressing fire with my M16 rifle.
"Then... the shout of 'gas gas gas' went up and there was chaos as we all tried to get into our gas masks in the middle of the fighting."
Demuro said the port area - set away from the town's residential quarter - surrendered within minutes of a massive display of firepower.
Fox Company were advancing on the dock gates when they spotted a lone gunman.
"I saw him up in the (sentry) post during the fighting but when the tank fired he just vanished. I guess he's still somewhere over the Arabian Gulf right now.
"The Iraqis had been fighting back near the docks but I think they realised they were never gonna win after that.
"The tank that fired the shell smashed straight through the main gates and we ran in after it.
"We then opened up on a pick-up truck parked outside the port reception area to stop anyone escaping. It was completely incinerated.
"I joined soldiers running into the port building, taking prisoners and clearing each of the offices room by room.
"As we worked our way through the building, I saw an Iraqi colonel in one of the offices. He stepped away from his weapons and put his hands in the air as soon as we burst in."
450 Iraqis surrendered
Dozens of Iraqis are believed to have died during the battle.
Seven bodies - one the head virtually severed - were lined up on the ground at the back of a warehouse.
One unidentified US Marine was confirmed to have been killed in action as allied forces swept in from the north of the town on Friday.
He was cut down by a single sniper bullet which tore into his body through his shoulder during a firefight.
At least 450 Iraqis surrendered to the 2 000 Americans.
As few as 40 were believed to be holding out by Sunday, shooting from areas close to civilian homes.
But rather than stage a huge air strike, allied commanders opted to clear them with ground forces to cut the risk to civilian casualties and avoid massive damage.
US Marine commander Colonel Tom Waldhauser accused some of the fleeing Iraqis of using civilians as human shields.
He said young Marines were having to make life-or-death decisions in split seconds as they were confronted by gunmen in civilian clothes mingling with 4 000 locals.
Operation Iraqi Freedom chiefs had originally hoped Umm Qasr would fall within hours, but the Iraqis' street-fighting strategy succeeded in stalling the advance.
Sgt Dennis Flores, a 22-year-old engineer with Fox Company said: "At times it's been so frightening it just doesn't feel real.
"I looked out of the Humvee I was travelling in and saw lines of bullets coming along the ground towards me.
"Mortar fire was also coming in and I could see the muzzle flashes in the enemy position as their machine guns opened up on the way to the port.
"But they were taken out quickly by our tanks and two choppers moved in to mop up before we moved on.
"We all feel bad about losing one of our guys but are glad to have got through the past couple of days.
"Judging from what we've seen already, there might be a lot more work to do before this job's done."
Hey. It's South Africa. They don't know any better.
Marines awed by Iraqi resistance
23/03/2003 12:47 - (SA)
Print article email story
Umm Qasr, Iraq - Marine commandos have spoken of an unexpectedly dramatic battle against Iraqi resistance in the key southern port of Umm Qasr where fighting continued on Sunday for a fourth day.
Troops from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit told how disguised soldiers resisted overwhelming firepower, shedding olive green uniforms for civilian clothes and using innocent families as shields.
Sergeant Chris Demuro, 31, of Fox Company, was in the vanguard of the push into the strategic gateway.
The Americans' path through border defences was cleared by armoured bulldozers from Britain's 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron.
But as soon as the US forces breached a sand berm and trench on the border with Kuwait, they were caught in a heavy Iraqi ambush.
"They opened up with rockets, small arms and mortars and all hell broke loose when we came across the berm," said Demuro, from Pennsylvania.
"We called in artillery from British units behind us but the explosions were coming in so close we were forced to pull back - it was terrifying.
"There was noise and confusion and we could see the white muzzle flashes from the guns of the Iraqis in a group of buildings up ahead.
'Position was getting hammered'
"We hit back with heavy machine guns and artillery and their position was getting hammered.
"Two Cobra helicopter gunships finally flew in to check that there was no sign of life or resistance before we passed the smoking building they'd been shooting from.
"There was more incoming fire as we pressed on into the town then a blue Toyota truck appeared with a car behind it heading straight for our column.
"We tried to flag it down to stop but it kept on going and when it passed an Abrams tank, weapons were seen inside the cab.
"We were under threat and had no option but to stop it and a Humvee jeep blasted it with a 50 calibre machine gun.
"The bullets lit up the truck and in an instant it was a rolling fireball - no-one inside it would have stood a chance.
"As I went by it was blazing with a blackened body at the wheel.
"Others with me said they saw another man crawling away by the road and he died too - their weapons were destroyed inside the vehicle."
Demuro told how civilians in the car behind appeared to have been caught up in the crossfire.
"It was an ordinary car and the driver and front seat passenger - both men - were wounded.
"I saw two women and a child in the rear seats. They seemed physically okay but were screaming and crying in shock.
"Our medics tended to the wounded and tried to calm the women. One of the men was hit in the arm and the other seemed less seriously wounded."
Iraqis surrendering in civilian clothes
Demuro said that Iraqis who began surrendering in civilian clothes swore they were not soldiers as they appeared with their hands in the air - but their uniforms and weapons were found hidden nearby.
"There was more shooting as we got to the gates of the port and I must have fired about five rounds of suppressing fire with my M16 rifle.
"Then... the shout of 'gas gas gas' went up and there was chaos as we all tried to get into our gas masks in the middle of the fighting."
Demuro said the port area - set away from the town's residential quarter - surrendered within minutes of a massive display of firepower.
Fox Company were advancing on the dock gates when they spotted a lone gunman.
"I saw him up in the (sentry) post during the fighting but when the tank fired he just vanished. I guess he's still somewhere over the Arabian Gulf right now.
"The Iraqis had been fighting back near the docks but I think they realised they were never gonna win after that.
"The tank that fired the shell smashed straight through the main gates and we ran in after it.
"We then opened up on a pick-up truck parked outside the port reception area to stop anyone escaping. It was completely incinerated.
"I joined soldiers running into the port building, taking prisoners and clearing each of the offices room by room.
"As we worked our way through the building, I saw an Iraqi colonel in one of the offices. He stepped away from his weapons and put his hands in the air as soon as we burst in."
450 Iraqis surrendered
Dozens of Iraqis are believed to have died during the battle.
Seven bodies - one the head virtually severed - were lined up on the ground at the back of a warehouse.
One unidentified US Marine was confirmed to have been killed in action as allied forces swept in from the north of the town on Friday.
He was cut down by a single sniper bullet which tore into his body through his shoulder during a firefight.
At least 450 Iraqis surrendered to the 2 000 Americans.
As few as 40 were believed to be holding out by Sunday, shooting from areas close to civilian homes.
But rather than stage a huge air strike, allied commanders opted to clear them with ground forces to cut the risk to civilian casualties and avoid massive damage.
US Marine commander Colonel Tom Waldhauser accused some of the fleeing Iraqis of using civilians as human shields.
He said young Marines were having to make life-or-death decisions in split seconds as they were confronted by gunmen in civilian clothes mingling with 4 000 locals.
Operation Iraqi Freedom chiefs had originally hoped Umm Qasr would fall within hours, but the Iraqis' street-fighting strategy succeeded in stalling the advance.
Sgt Dennis Flores, a 22-year-old engineer with Fox Company said: "At times it's been so frightening it just doesn't feel real.
"I looked out of the Humvee I was travelling in and saw lines of bullets coming along the ground towards me.
"Mortar fire was also coming in and I could see the muzzle flashes in the enemy position as their machine guns opened up on the way to the port.
"But they were taken out quickly by our tanks and two choppers moved in to mop up before we moved on.
"We all feel bad about losing one of our guys but are glad to have got through the past couple of days.
"Judging from what we've seen already, there might be a lot more work to do before this job's done."
Hey. It's South Africa. They don't know any better.