(US and) Iraqi forces launch attack on Tal Afar-PM

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi and U.S. forces have launched an attack on the northern city of Tal Afar to rid it of suspected terrorists, Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said on Saturday.

"At 2 a.m. today, acting on my orders, Iraqi forces commenced an operation to remove all remaining terrorist elements from the city of Tal Afar. These forces are operating with support from the Multi-National Force," he said in a statement.

Jaafari said the troops were responding to appeals for help from "all the different religious and ethnic elements in Tal Afar." The town, west of the northern city of Mosul and near the Syrian border, is mostly populated by ethnic Turkmen.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have long said Tal Afar was being used as a conduit for equipment and foreign fighters smuggled in from Syria to fight the Kurdish- and Shi'ite Muslim-led Iraqi government and occupying U.S. forces across the country.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050910/wl_nm/iraq_dc

[bluestateguy]

1. Get the job done now; people won't notice the high casualties (Katrina)

Just like Fallujah Offensive II was launched 3 days after the November election.

[obxhead]

2. Exactly.

Patriot act, Roberts, Iraq, Cindy.... all forgotten and ignored.
My hope is 9-24 gets some fuel from this.

[maddezmom]

3. how many of the 200,000 out?

BBC repoerting this morning many are trapped inside the city

[Kagemusha]

5. They're saying up to 90% out.

Still a damned lot of "terrorists" left behind.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. BBC: Major attack on Iraq 'rebel town'

It has been the scene of heavy fighting and US air strikes in the past week.

The BBC's Jonathan Charles in Baghdad says this is the biggest operation against rebels since the assault on Falluja last year.

The offensive has been expected for some time and the authorities earlier urged Talafar's 200,000 residents to leave.

The US military drove the insurgents out of Talafar a year ago, only for them to return once the troops had withdrawn.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4232084.stm

[DavidDvorkin]

6. "The US military drove the insurgents out"

Makes it sounds as though it was a battle and the US forces were triumphant, instead of the guerillas practicing standard guerrilla tactics.

[norml]

7. Iraqi forces launch attack on Tal Afar

Iraqi forces launch attack on Tal Afar
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:15 PM BST


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By Nameer Nouredeen

TAL AFAR, Iraq (Reuters) - Thousands of Iraqi and U.S. troops launched an assault on the northern city of Tal Afar on Saturday to rid it of insurgents and Iraq's government said it planned attacks on rebels in four other towns.

"At 2 a.m. today (2300 BST), acting on my orders, Iraqi forces commenced an operation to remove all remaining terrorist elements from the city of Tal Afar," Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said in a statement, adding that U.S. forces, which bombed the town from the air overnight, were acting in support.

During the day, however, a dust storm hindered the offensive, officers in Tal Afar said.

Jaafari said the troops were responding to appeals for help from "all the different religious and ethnic elements in Tal Afar." The town, west of the northern city of Mosul and near the Syrian border, is mostly populated by ethnic Turkmen.

Hospital sources in Tal Afar said the assault started with U.S. air strikes on the centre, adding that there were U.S. tanks surrounding the area and gunfire was heard overnight.


snip


http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-09-10T151530Z_01_SCH022074_RTRUKOC_0_UK-IRAQ.xml

[Athame]

8. A kick, so this does not get lost

I hope there are some brave journalists recording this offensive. We must not forget what is happening in Iraq as we struggle with the aftermath of Katrina. The rest of the world will not.