Battle of Fallujah Begins

From MSNBC:

With warplanes pounding the city, U.S. troops fought their way into the western outskirts of Fallujah on Monday, seizing two bridges over the Euphrates River and helping Iraqi soldiers take the city's main hospital in the first stage of a major assault on the insurgent stronghold.

The U.S. military reported its first casualties of the offensive — two Marines killed when their bulldozer flipped over into the Euphrates River. Some 10,000 to 15,000 troops, the vast majority American along with a few hundred Iraqis, are taking part.

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told reporters in Baghdad on Monday that he had given the go-ahead for the assault.

“I have reached the belief that I have no other choice but to resort to extreme measures to protect the Iraqi people from these killers and to liberate the residents of Fallujah so they can return to their homes,” he told a news conference.

Allawi added that coalition forces had killed 38 men at the hospital and captured four foreigners. " They were stationed in the hospital in order to carry out terrorist actions,” Allawi said.

Matt's Chat

One of the things that always bugs me about American media, and I heard it this morning on the old infotainment show I'm subjected to every morning, is the constant running number of American casualties that are taken out of context. Rarely we hear how many enemy have been captured or killed in these battles. MSNBC reported both sides this time. I hope it is a sign of things to come...

Islamofascism Delenda Est!