Operation Steel Curtain

Husayba, Iraq-November 5, 2005: As the early morning light breaks over the Iraqi horizon, the land is silent and a new day dawns for one Euphrates River Valley town. Beyond the mist, the village is unknowingly surrounded, and the sleepy, desolate village of Husayba will soon be awakened by thousands of United States Marines.

Gripped firmly by al Qaeda, Husayba has gone from a bustling, industrious village to a largely abandoned insurgent stronghold. Its border with Syria has plagued Husayba, holding the town hostage to a longstanding infiltration by foreign fighters and steady flow of weaponry to support anti-American forces. Its residents may have given up hope-most of the 30,000 civilians have fled their homes-but US forces have come to reclaim the Iraqi town.

Husayba is not unusual in its dilemma. Border towns all across Iraq suffer at the hands of the insurgency due to the unfortunate lack of security along Syria. Anbar Province, in particular, is no stranger to violence. But Husayba is now firmly under the control of al Qaeda, the most feared rebel force in the Middle East.

Al Qaeda knows it will have to defend its position in the city, and US commanders are aware the terrorists will be well-prepared for their infiltration. But the Marines have the element of surprise on their side. Because the US holds a line of firebases to the east, in the neighboring village of Karabilah, al Qaeda knows this is the easiest, most likely site from which America will launch its attack. The enemy's theory proves to be a serious miscalculation.

Three companies from the 1st Marine Division launch a steady stream of soldiers into the southern region, while units from the 2nd Marine Division begin their infiltration toward the north. In total, 3,000 Marines and more than 500 Iraqi Army troops push into precisely the opposite region as expected: the west.

The surprise buys the Coalition some time. The terrorists are forced to pull their positions back to set up a better defense to the west, but the enemy is not stymied by any means. The roadways have been preset with IEDs to slow the infiltration, and al Qaeda is adept at quickly moving their defenses. It doesn't take long for the enemy to fully launch its counter-offensive.

For the US, other factors begin to come into play. Sandstorms are coming, evident by a severe decrease in visibility. Worse, as forces descend on the town, civilians begin to emerge from nowhere, rushing into the streets, carrying white flags. Iraqi forces become preoccupied with sheltering whole families, leading them to a secure location.

As the bulk of the forces pour into the southwestern part of the village, they immediately encounter more than 30 booby-traps in the surrounding houses and roadways. Soon, their sweep reveals even more bombs, hidden in tires, garbage, and under cars. The entire village, it seems, is wired for destruction.

And then, the fighting begins.

In the violence to follow, soldiers engage the enemy in some of the bloodiest street fighting and vicious house-to-house battles to date. From every corner of every building the enemy is poised to kill. Schools and government buildings, homes and mosques-all are occupied by a slew of professional killers. It will take everything the Marines have in their power to break the back of al Qaeda: thousands of fighters, unlimited firepower, tank rounds, and air strikes.

Question is: Will it be enough?

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