Violent Fallujah Becomes Quiet

Fox News ^ | Nov. 22, 2003

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

FALLUJAH, Iraq

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Local Fallujah sheiks have been at the heart of the U.S. military's policies in Fallujah since its capture in April. Commanders from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne -- units that took turns at being in charge of the city -- relied heavily on the sheiks for advice and getting the message to the people at a time human intelligence was scarce.

But U.S. commanders found that their men were coming under more attacks outside the city where the sheiks wielded influence than inside Fallujah, where mosque imams and clerics have the ears of many.

~~~~~~~~

[kinghorse]

"Some U.S. officers believe tribal leaders have heeded warnings and used their influence to curb attacks against Americans in Fallujah"

Well just Duh!

This is always how you get this enemy to cow.

And what it says is this. These people live the quintissential small town life and pass close attention to what is being said at the Mosque and tribal meetings. And the tribal leaders set the agenda. So in reality the enemy is the pervasive culture, not a few terrorists as popularly described. But we always knew this.

It's no different than Israel's recent raid outside Damascus in order to curb suicide bombings in Jerusalem. It worked and it proves there is an enemy that is a state, not a shadowy terrorist network.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

With the end of Ramadan, will everything go up a notch, now?

[Maelstrom]

The temptation is there to declare a Garland Leland approach. (Stephen King's Needless Things)

[Steely Tom]

Uh-oh. I'm concerned that repeated attacks by 2000-lb satellite-guided bombs may have had a chilling effect on the Iraqi people's right to self expression. LOL

(steely)

[T'wit]

>> Deeply conservative

Gee, I guess they should be Freepers.

[solzhenitsyn]

Thank you for this interesting and heartening post, Ragtime Cowgirl. I'm still sure we'll win in Iraq if we just hang in. Freedom is powerfully addictive; few who've tasted it will wear willingly crawl under the yoke again.

[gaspar]

Interesting post, but to call Fallujah a center for "Islam's mainstream Sunni Muslim sect", is to raise hackles in Islam and elsewhere. Sunni is Islam's dominant branch, and I can't imagine a Sunni enjoying being called a member of a "sect". To claim that Sunni is "mainstream", I suppose it to say that Shia Islam is not. This is the sort of statement that in the old days could have initiated a religious war. And, who knows, still might.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Ben Chad]

Fallujah residents say religion is the main motive behind attacks, not loyalty to Saddam or the Baath party.

Peaceful religion bump.

[blackie]

Violent Fallujah Becomes Quiet ~ Bump!

[PhilDragoo]

Fallujah residents say religion is the main motive behind attacks, not loyalty to Saddam or the Baath party.

Impossible. The commander-in-chief has said repeatedly Islam is a religion of peace.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Islam is a religion in pieces.