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wrbones
03-28-03, 08:25 AM
Fighting Rages in Nasiriyah







Friday, March 28, 2003

IN THE IRAQI DESERT — One group of Marines traded fire with Iraqi forces Friday amid the burning buildings of An Nasiriyah, while others pushed north of the strategic city in a grinding bumper-to-bumper movement of weapons and supplies.





Clashing repeatedly with Iraqi fighters in front and behind, the convoy was moving at night, headlights out, on a fighting drive north toward Baghdad.

What the Marines have been doing is "blue-collar warfare," said Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy, commanding officer of the Marine 3rd Battery, 4th Regiment. "There's no magic solution to it. It is just the hard-grinding work of patrols."

At least one American was reported killed in the fighting. Two other Marines were killed after they were accidentally run over by one of their vehicles as they slept.

At both the southern city of An Nasiriyah and Ad Diwaniyah in the south-central part of the country, the Marines called in Cobra helicopters and other aircraft to pound Iraqi ground forces -- attacks made possible after a two-day sandstorm finally let up.

In An Nasiriyah, which has a population of about 500,000, Marines and Iraqi forces exchanged tank and artillery fire in a clash that set the power plant and other buildings on fire and cast thick black smoke over the town.

A CH-46 Marine transport helicopter was forced to turn back after being fired on while trying to pick up casualties and deliver supplies to Marines fighting in An Nasiriyah. Iraqis fired small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

An Nasiriyah, located on the Euphrates River near a junction of roads that lead from Kuwait to Baghdad, has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, prompting Marines to call the southern entrances to the city "Ambush Alley."

Earlier this week, more than 25 Marines were wounded in fighting at An Nasariyah, and U.S. officials said some or all of them were hurt when one Marine unit mistakenly fired on another.

The continued battle for control of the city comes just days after Army units pushed on ahead toward Baghdad, leaving it to the Marines to secure the rear.

Marines flying over the area have encountered bursts of anti-aircraft fire. The Marines have also faced pockets of resistance from Iraqis in uniform and from people who looked like civilians in white pickup trucks and taxis. These Iraqis waved white T-shirts, then started shooting. The Fedayeen, Saddam Hussein's hard-core loyalists, have also been spotted.

To the north of An Nasiriyah, Marines protected by tanks, artillery and air cover pushed north toward Baghdad with food, fuel and other supplies, trying to clean out irregular Iraqi forces along the way.

The Marines waged a firefight at a cement plant seized by irregular Iraqi forces near Ad Diwaniyah, field commanders in the area said. One Marine died and one was wounded in the fighting.

wrbones
03-28-03, 08:47 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/28/iraq/main546529.shtml



(CBS) A group of U.S. Marines traded fire with Iraqi forces Friday amid the burning buildings of an-Nasariyah, while others pushed north of the strategic city in a grinding bumper-to-bumper movement of weapons and supplies.

Clashing repeatedly with Iraqi fighters in front and behind, the convoy was moving day and night, headlights out, on a fighting drive north toward Baghdad.

What the Marines have been doing is "blue-collar warfare," said Lt. Col. B.P. McCody, commanding officer of the Marine 3rd Battery, 4th Regiment. "There's no magic solution to it. It is just the hard-grinding work of patrols."

At least one American was reported killed in the fighting. Two other Marines were killed after they were accidentally run over by one of their vehicles as they slept.

At both the southern city of an-Nasariyah and Ad Diwaniyah in the south-central part of the country, the Marines called in Cobra helicopters and other aircraft to pound Iraqi ground forces — attacks made possible after a two-day sandstorm finally let up.

In an-Nasariyah, Marines and Iraqi forces exchanged tank and artillery fire in a clash that set the power plant and other buildings on fire and cast thick black smoke over the town.

A CH-46 Marine transport helicopter was forced to turn back after being fired on while trying to pick up casualties and deliver supplies to Marines fighting in An Nasiriyah. Iraqis fired small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

An-Nasariyah, located on the Euphrates River near a junction of roads that lead from Kuwait to Baghdad, has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, prompting Marines to call the southern entrances to the city "Ambush Alley" and describe the fighting there as a "turkey shoot" — with themselves as the prey.

"It's the Wild West there," Col. John Coleman said. "We control what we want to control, but it's not a very safe place."

Keeping critical supply lines open through the area has become one of the most dangerous assignments for U.S. forces, reports the Washington Post, although commanders call it a strategic success.

The Iraqis mounting the attacks on the Marines appear to be a mix of Saddam's Fedayeen, a paramilitary group loyal to President Saddam Hussein, and regular army soldiers

It's hard to tell friend from foe, with Iraqi troops often hiding behind or posing as civilians, said Sgt. Chris Merkle, 31, of Irvine, Calif., a reservist who normally works as a FedEx delivery man.

"It's not an actual engagement. You're just receiving fire and trying to get through as fast as you can," Merkle said.

During the first weekend of the war, there were two disasters for U.S. forces there: A supply convoy that made a wrong turn ran into an Iraqi ambush that left 12 soldiers dead or captured, and nine Marines died in fighting. A military source told the Post the Marines may have been killed by fire from an A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack plane trying to help them.

Earlier this week, more than 25 Marines were wounded in fighting at an-Nasariyah, and U.S. officials said some or all of them were hurt when one Marine unit mistakenly fired on another.

The continued battle for control of the city comes just days after Army units pushed on ahead toward Baghdad, leaving it to the Marines to secure the rear.

Marines flying over the area have encountered bursts of anti-aircraft fire. The Marines have also faced pockets of resistance from Iraqis in uniform and from people who looked like civilians in white pickup trucks and taxis. These Iraqis waved white T-shirts, then started shooting.

To the north of an-Nasariyah, Marines protected by tanks, artillery and air cover pushed north toward Baghdad with food, fuel and other supplies, trying to clean out irregular Iraqi forces along the way.

The Marines waged a firefight at a cement plant seized by irregular Iraqi forces near Ad Diwaniyah, field commanders in the area said. One Marine died and one was wounded in the fighting.


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