April 16, 2004

CentCom operational update

By Vince Crawley
Times staff writer

Marines are conducting limited, small-scale offensive operations in the encircled Iraqi city of Fallujah. Meanwhile, in Najaf, U.S. troops are trying to wait out rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a top U.S. official said.
Between 200,000 and 250,000 U.S. troops remain on combat duty throughout the U.S. Central Command region, which includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and the Horn of Africa, Maj. Gen. John Sattler, director of operations for the command, told Pentagon reporters in an operational update Friday.

Marines also have stepped up combat actions along Iraq’s border with Syria to try to halt the infiltration of foreign fighters.

On Thursday, the Germany-based 1st Armored Division formally transferred control of Baghdad over to the 1st Cavalry Division, Sattler said in a telephone news conference from his headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

Now that President Bush has given the go-ahead to keep the 1st Armored Division in Iraq 90 days longer than its planned one-year tour, the division will be used as a mobile combat force and sent to locations chosen by Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commands land forces inside Iraq.

In Afghanistan, where more than 12,000 U.S. troops are deployed, elements of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division on Thursday formally took over from the New York-based 10th Mountain Division, Sattler said. Troops in Afghanistan continue to operate along the rugged Pakistan border, where renegade Taliban and al-Qaida members are believed to be hiding.

In addition, Sattler said, about 1,200 U.S. and multinational troops are in or near the Horn of Africa. The Americans are working with local authorities in an effort to limit the movements of terrorist suspects between Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen.

Iraq, with more than 135,000 U.S. troops, makes up the bulk of Central Command operations. Every 24 hours, American troops conduct 1,200 to 1,500 patrols across the country, Sattler said.

He also clarified the mission of the Marines who have encircled Fallujah for more than a week following an anti-American uprising. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said Thursday the Marines were ordered to halt their offensive in part because they had battled their way so deeply into the city that the risk of harming civilians had grown too high.

Reports from the region say at least 600 Iraqis have been killed inside Fallujah this month. Across the country, more than 90 Americans have died since uprisings began March 31, and the Iraqi death tolls reported by local media have been 10 times higher.

Sattler said the Marine offensive was halted at the request of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council so Iraqi officials could negotiate with town leaders.

“The Marines went into an offensive operational pause,” Sattler said. “But they still retain the inherent right to self-defense, which includes proactiveness” in the form of “short offensive operations.”

For example, he said, “If someone’s setting up down the street and preparing to take you under fire or set up a mortar position … the Marines are able to go ahead and take some limited — as they see fit — offensive action to preclude that.”

In little-reported but intense action along Iraq’s border with Syria, Sattler said Marines have increased their force presence compared to the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which patrolled the area earlier this year.

“The Marines put a pretty sizeable force up along the border,” Sattler said.

He said foreign fighters and other infiltrators were believed to be crossing the border into Iraq to join the anti-American uprising.

“To stop that at the source, the Marines did put in a very intense effort, and it still continues up there,” Sattler said, declining to specify how many troops were involved.

Reports from embedded journalists suggests the fighting along the border accounted for a substantial portion of Marine casualties this month.

“We had an extreme amount of success” when the operation began earlier this month, he said. “We did find, fix and ultimately finish a number of cells” of people believed to be helping foreign fighters move into Iraq.

“The Marines did suffer some casualties there,” Sattler said, because they were conducting offensive raids against defended positions. “But in the end, they were able to go ahead and calm that area down.”

In the past six to eight days, he added, “we’ve had some sporadic fighting up in that area, but very limited casualties on the part of the Marines.”

He described the area now as “relatively calm.”

South of Baghdad, U.S. troops also are massed near Najaf, the holy city where Shiite cleric Sadr has taken refuge after American authorities accused him of trying to incite rebellion against the U.S.-backed reconstruction effort. Sattler insisted there is no immediate plan to storm Najaf or take military action against Sadr.

“The Shia population has not rallied around him,” Sattler said. “He has had, I believe, his day in the sun. He continues to marginalize himself.”

Iraqi authorities have issued a warrant for Sadr’s arrest in connection with the alleged slaying of a rival religious leader.

“We’re not … at this time moving any offensive operations into Najaf,” Sattler said. “So Sadr is there. We know where he is. Right now we’re letting him continue to marginalize himself, and we’re not focusing any combat power, combat operations into Najaf. But we do have forces present to make sure we keep the situation stable.”