35 US soldiers captured in Fallujah

I think it's really unlikely that 35 Americans have been captured. Considering the source, this is making sense.

Russian media reported gross innacuracies regarding US human and equipment casualties in the battle at Samarra, and now Chinese media is doing the same. I think that Russia and China are painting a pretty picture for their people depicting powerlessness on the part of our military. I think Russia and China have a design for an overthrow of America.

[edit on 9-11-2004 by DeltaChaos]

havent you kids figured it out yet??? There will NEVER be a standup regimented army that the US can meet head on. The people of this region have been fighting "super" powers for a 1000 years. You don't do it by raising an army and standing toe-to-toe.
The opposition will retreat and blend into the landscape..they will become part of the civilian populace again. Just like coming into Baghdad. There wasn't a real force to be dealt with. Thats not how you fight the americans!
The US military will take the city, after destroying most of it. The inhabitants will return. Time will pass and the occupying army will get sloppy...start feeling secure. Then roadside bombings will start. Sniper attacks will start. Attacks on cooperating civilians will resume. kidnaps and public beheadings. Quick ambushes and attacks on the police and infrastructure.
The occupiers will become paranoid and confused as to who is attacking them and become MORE brutal with the civilians and prisoners (abu graib?) This will bring more civs to the side of the resistance fighters. The occupiers will be forced to pull back and trench in to corner of the city to regroup...and then we're back to where we started, except that the media will report more American casualities and the will power in the ameican populace will continue to wane.
Think about it?!
How would you fight the United States if you had to?

If it was me:
I would take lessons from the few times that they have been stopped. In the Korean war, the lesson to be learned is to ally yourself with a stronger country known to be at conflict with the US. Back then it was russia and china. Now its Iran, Syria, Russia backdooring weapons, Pakistan (don't think for minute they're really allies with US, and Afganistan (minus the cities).
How did the vietnamese beat the americans? Straight up guerilla warfare. Booby traps, snipers, eleiminating public officials in South Vietnam. The few times they stood toe-to-toe, like the Tet offensive were losses, remember. But they were choosen at specific times, like christmas, to create a desired effect in the US and its percieved credibility in the world.
Whats the lesson there?
These people fought the Turks, the British, the French, the Mongols, Alexander the great, the Russian's 40th Red Army(the worlds largest at the time) to a standstill. Now they take on the Americans, who are fighting a war from a distance, which is extremely costly.

There can be NO doubt that the resistance have succeeded in turning the majority of world opinion against the american occupational forces. Although the US played a great deal to that end. And there can be NO doubt that they have succeeded in turning 49% (or at least 53 million voting americans) also against this "war". AND ITS ONLY BE GOING ON FOR 16 MONTHS!!!!

"All wars are won in the will". This has been true for 5000 years of recorded history. The americans don't have it. The resistance does...they have NOTHING to lose.
Authority can only exist by force and death or the "threat" of force and death. I don't believe the resistance suffers either one. This has been their way of life for a thousand years. They are condidtioned to...they are bred for it.


There is no enemy anywhere - Lao Tse (when you're ready...)

Originally posted by Seekerof
How long has this particualr operation been going on to take Falluja? My reason is because I just ran across this from Reuters:
U.S.-Led Forces Reach Central Falluja-U.S. Source

Oddly enough, speed is one of the keys to a successful MOUT. Advancing quickly to the center shouldn't be much of a suprise.

To actually answer your question, you can estimate the expected duration.
A "typical" MOUT versus a trained force takes approximately 28 days when the enemy is cut off or partially cut off from reinforcements. This is given a 4:1 attacker/defender ratio. Increase the ratio and the time decreases. Decrease the quality and organization of the enemy and the time also decreases.

Barring interference of politicians, I would give an estimate of 2-3 weeks before major operations are concluded and a "peacekeeping" force is put into place. But, I am not on the ground, so take this for what it is: a third party estimate.