CNN:
CHESTER
Jamie McIntyre reporting from Pentagon. Embeds with Army battalion in Fallujah.
Lt Gen Sattler on screen at press conference saying, I paraphrase, "The enemy cannot communicate amongst themselves."
and embed reports that insurgents punched holes in walls of buildings to create routes through them, rather than using the street.
I noted the probability of both of these last night: The Adventures of Chester: Insurgent Defensive Plan
Embed notes that anti-tank mines were piled up by insurgents in the streets. This is very interesting. Anti-tank mines aren't very effective when you can see them in piles. It's when your tank goes over them without your knowledge that you have a bad day. The insurgents were probably planning to command-detonate these, possibly in an attempt to level a building. Even if you wanted to surface-lay a minefield for deterrent purposes, you would not pile them up.
Embed reports she has seen no civilians at all today.
CNN now shifts to a writer from the New Yorker, who is coming from Dubai. Writer states that he is not surprised that many insurgents have left the city, and states that a hard-core group was probably left behind to defend it.
This is excellent news. Whoever was defending is now dead. And if it was the hard-core resistance then they won't be around to provide inspiration to the lower guys.
Make no mistake: no doubt some insurgents left. But no doubt many are very dead.
CNN shows lots of footage of things that happen when battles are slowing down: LtGen Sattler in joint press conference with Iraqi general; Iraqi troops raising Iraqi flags over the city; US and Iraqi troops embracing; US officer telling Iraqi officer it was an honor to fight alongside him.
Question: Has Phase II, The Ground Assault, ended? It seems to be winding down. Few reports tonight mention "fierce," "tough," "heavy," fighting that is currently happening. Note how this site predicted the shift from Phase II to Phase III, (Exploitation, Reconstruction and Installation of Government) would look: Where to from here? Predictive Analysis
What are the metrics to judge Phase II over? And what are the signs in the media that will show that these metrics have been met? Troops congratulating each other is surely one . . . |
