In what appears to be a much more surgical approach than Fallujah, U.S. forces are setting up shop in Ramadi, one of the most dangerous places in Iraq (Marine Times story).  Apparently, setting up shop — with all of the related patrols, sniper killings of insurgents, and weapons cache findings — is expected to work.  Time will tell if this succeeds or if Ramadi devolves into an IED zone that our boys have to brave.

Update #1:

It looks like the report above is accurate.  It is also reported that:

Yesterday US troops conducted a similar operation, erecting two outposts in the southern half of the city to allow Iraqi soldiers to begin patrolling an area that has rarely seen any US or Iraqi forces.

US commanders said the move yesterday wasn’t the precursor to a rumoured offensive to drive insurgents from Ramadi – but rather an “isolation� tactic to prevent the fighters from receiving arms and reinforcements from outside.

Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province, a huge, restive area to the west of Baghdad.

American forces already controlled other routes into the city, and the construction of the two outposts on the south side suggests US and Iraqi commanders are taking a gradual approach to confronting what some call the capital of the insurgency.

The more I think about it, this is a very different approach than the one taken in Fallujah … so much so that I think we will, several months down the road, look back and discuss how significant the decision was.  It will win — and win big!  Or it will lose — and lose big!  If this approach loses, we might see some dangerous times for our boys in Ramadi.  This is the most significant stronghold the insurgents have left.  If you send in the Marines, there is one thing I know regardless of Haditha: they will “close with and destroy the enemy.”  If it takes house to house clearing, this is what it takes.