{"id":801,"date":"2005-05-09T21:47:12","date_gmt":"2005-05-10T02:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=801"},"modified":"2005-05-09T21:47:58","modified_gmt":"2005-05-10T02:47:58","slug":"us-100-insurgents-killed-near-iraq-syria-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/?p=801","title":{"rendered":"U.S.: 100 Insurgents Killed Near Iraq-Syria Border"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the action is a reaction spurred by the recent rash of bombings. Perhaps it is a movement of opportunity based on only-recently acquired data. Probably it’s both — some new information that allowed a movement against a porous border region at a time when the insurgents are greatly in need of another beating. Either way, the coalition forces are back on the offensive<\/a>, this time pressing the issue and bloodying the enemy near the Syrian border.<\/p>\n

American forces have killed at least 100 insurgents and foreign fighters in an offensive near Iraq’s border with Syria, U.S. military officials said Monday.<\/p>\n

The offensive, which began Saturday, involves more than 1,000 U.S. troops in an attempt to crack down on the network headed by terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the military said.<\/p>\n

Three Marines from the 2nd Marine Division have died in the fighting, two on Sunday and one Monday, the military said.<\/p>\n

Officials said much of the fighting has been in the Al Jazirah Desert north of Qaim, a city along the Euphrates River in Anbar province on the Syrian border.<\/p>\n

The area has “basically [been] a sanctuary” for insurgents, said Col. Bob Chase, a Marine operations officer based at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi.<\/p>\n

A military press release said the region was known as a smuggling route. Insurgents have been using “known points of entry and ‘rat lines,’ as we call them, to bring in weapons illegally,” Chase said.<\/p>\n

Based on their “equipment and dress,” Chase said most of the insurgents are believed to be foreign fighters, not Iraqis.<\/p>\n

The offensive involves forces from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, the military said. Aircraft include Marine Corps jets, Chase said.<\/p>\n

Casualties have been “extremely light on the coalition side,” Chase said, “and conversely there have been a lot of enemy casualties.”<\/p>\n

Many of the fighters “are starting to flee, and we are continuing to press the attack.”<\/p>\n

Chase said the operation began after Iraqis provided information on the whereabouts of the insurgents.<\/p>\n

“The people are starting to be frustrated with these insurgents and with these foreign fighters,” he told CNN.<\/p>\n

“The offensive started based on some significant intelligence received from some very brave folks who live in that part of the country.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, Zarqawi’s group calls the report of devastating casualties lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Al-Qaeda group of Iraq’s most-wanted militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi denied a US report on Monday that 75 insurgents had been killed in a sweep near the Syrian border.<\/p>\n

‘The adorers of the cross claim to have killed 75 Muslims at Al-Qaim. Once more, they are lying, because lying is their religion,’ said the statement on an Islamist website, the authenticity of which could not be verified.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course they’re lies, Mr. Terrorist. Oh, and by the way, how’s that inpenetrable defense of Fallujah treating y’all these days?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the action is a reaction spurred by the recent rash of bombings. Perhaps it is a movement of opportunity based on only-recently acquired data. Probably it’s both — some new information that allowed a movement against a porous border region at a time when the insurgents are greatly in need of another beating. Either […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-middle-east","category-war-on-terror"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}