US, Fallujah insurgents reach ceasefire

Jerusalem Post ^ | Apr. 11, 2004 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[yonif]

A third round of negotiations aimed at ending the fighting in the besieged city of Fallujah will be held Sunday, a US commander said.

Arab TV stations reported that Sunni militants have agreed to a US offer of a cease-fire.

Earlier, insurgents who kidnapped a US civilian Friday threatened to kill and mutilate him if Marines did not withdraw from Fallujah by 6 a.m. Sunday. The deadline passed with no word on his fate.

Some media sources reported that the three Japanese hostages were released Sunday morning. Tokyo has not confirmed the reports.

Two security agents for the German Embassy in Baghdad who have been missing in Iraq for several days are most likely dead, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

The two German men, ages 38 and 25, were traveling from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad on a routine trip Wednesday and were ambushed near Fallujah, according to the ministry.

A spokeswoman said that "a final confirmation is still outstanding."

How long will the cease-fire in Fallujah hold?

There were few sounds of clashes in Fallujah Sunday and a Marine commander in the south said the rebels hadn't attacked them for several hours.

Mahmoud Othman, a member of Iraq's Governing Council, said the militants have agreed in principle to a truce starting Sunday, but the deal depends on the doubtful prospect of American soldiers withdrawing from the city.

The insurgents made the offer through mediators in negotiations between council members and city representatives in Fallujah.

There was no confirmation from US commanders that a deal had been struck.

Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, which is deployed in the city's south, said, "there has been no contact this morning from the rebels."

The troops are going to continue to hold attacks on the insurgents, he said.

Byrne said another round of talks would be held between 10a.m. and 4p.m. Sunday.

Arab TV station Al-Jazeera quoted an unidentified insurgent leader in Fallujah as saying a cease-fire would begin from 10a.m. and last for 12 hours. A few hours earlier, Al-Arabiya reported that the truce started at 6 a.m.

US commanders have said that for a truce to hold, the militants must hand over the Iraqis who killed and mutilated four American civilians on March 31 and allow the return of Iraqi police to their stations to keep order, Othman said.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters Saturday that fighters must also "lay down their arms" and renounce their membership in extremist groups to fully end the insurgency that has made Fallujah its stronghold.

US forces called a unilateral halt to their offensive on Friday to allow for talks. However, sporadic fighting has occurred since then.

The Marines have moved in reinforcements around Fallujah and have warned of an assault to take the entire city if negotiations fall through.

US helicopter shot down in Baghdad

Gunmen shot down a US attack helicopter during fighting in western Baghdad on Sunday, and the fate of its two-member crew was unknown.

A pall of black smoke rose on Baghdad's western edge where a military spokesman said the AH-64 Apache helicopter was downed by ground fire in the morning. More helicopters circled overhead, while US troops closed off the main highway, a key supply route into the capital.

Heavy firing was heard, and tanks and Humvees moved into the area, near the suburb of Abu Ghraib, where masked gunmen have wreaked havoc for the past three days, attacking fuel convoys and blowing up tanker trucks. Insurgents kidnapped an American civilian and killed a US soldier in the area Friday.

Footage shown of two slain Westerners in Fallujah

Footage broadcast on Arabic TV on Sunday showed the bloodied bodies of two Westerners lying in the street that gunmen claimed were Americans killed during fighting in Fallujah.

It was not clear when the two were killed. In the footage, aired on Al-Jazeera, gunmen seen moving around the bodies are heard saying that the two are American intelligence agents. They pointed to a burning car nearby they said belonged to the two men.

Both, obviously Westerners, wore dark t-shirts and khaki pants commonly worn by private security contractors.

[Warlord David]

Now how many cease fires does this make?

And how many more will it take to win this battle?

Best Wishes to the troops, they should be well confuse by now.

Simon says: Fire!, Simon says: Cease Fire! And on and on it goes.

[Pearls Before Swine]

fighters must also "lay down their arms" and renounce their membership in extremist groups

That's great, since their word is their bond. /sarcasm>

[Diogenesis]

America will not only look foolish, but will appear weak again
as the terrorists continue to attack during the "cease-fire".

THEY MURDERED AMERICANS AT A RATE OF 3000 INNOCENT PER HOUR

They must be destroyed immediately, everywhere, totally.

[Diogenesis]

You got that right.
They lie to dhimmis. They have always lied to dhimmis. They will always lie to dhimmis.

[Rams82]

It seems to me this ceasefire is only applied to one side...

[Chairman Fred]

Self-illuminating glass parking lot.

[tubavil]

US policy is IN-SANE.

You don't negotiate with, hold truces with, or have ceasefires with arab muslim terrorists.

You kill them.

[Tunehead54]

I am hoping this is diplomatic translation of the "Submit or Die! message from yesterday (Was that Kimmet?). If we take control of Fallujah without losing any more men then good - otherwise we've got to hammer them - sigh."

---

:-(

[ibtheman]

FORGET THE CEASEFIRE, ENCIRCLE THE CITY, GO DOOR TO DOOR! Take on the entire city, Allow the marine corp to get some PAY BACK! I served in the corp, I would want some payback, the marine corp way! The only thing those idiots need is a bullet, that would be the only way for a cease fire to work, kill all the enemy. Those rebels want to meet allah, let the marines send them to there fake god allah, which is the devil!

[CatOwner]

If this truly is a ceasefire ... oh, never mind! I'll just be called a DU'er or something worse for what I was about to say.

[SwyChron 101]

You kill them.
Dittos

[Doc On The Bay]

SADLY, I Fear that these "Savages" need an "Object Lesson" SO PROFOUND that they are willing to "Listen!"

A THERMONUCLEAR STRIKE--EVEN IF It were in "Uninhabited Desert,"--MIGHT "Serve as a 'Reminder of' the Power of the "Entity" attempting to Grant "Iraq" it's Freedom.

Apparently, there exists a group of "Disconnected Psychopaths" UNABLE to Grasp the fact that Their Nation--"IRAQ"--is About to Become a "Self-Governing, Independant Country!!"

Many of "Us"--in the West--are utterly Puzzled by ANY "MOVEMENT" which would be opposed to a "Truly Independant IRAQ!!"

"OPPOSITION TO" an "Independant Iraq" seems to be--Likely--External!

The "IRAQI'S" have OVERWHELMINGLY INDICATED a desire for "Self-Government!"

So we are "Faced With" a "Choice;"--Do we "Fight for the Rights of the Iraqis', or do we, once again, Abandon a "People" we promised to Defend! (Remember the "Shiites of Southern Iraq!")

We can NO LONGER "Equivocate!"

We MUST NOW "Commit!"

SO, do we agree to "Fight For" "Iraqi Freedom," or do we "Devolve into" a Bunch of "Internet Wimps,"--All "NOISE," & no Action!

I'm NOT SURE WHAT we can Do to Help Iraq become a true Representative Democracy, but I'm "Damn SURE" we can STOP DOING the Things that Prevent us from allowing us to pursue the "Best Interests of the IRAQI Peoples!"

Doc

[monkeywrench]

What could be worse?

[FACE1]

You got that right! I saw this somewhere this weekend, credit to whoever wrote it: "The last time America fought a complicated war of global reach on multiple fronts was during World War II. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was faced with a very different political opposition than the current president. Opinion was divided between "doves" who merely wanted to raze our enemies' countries to the ground, and "hawks" who wanted to raze them to the ground and make the rubble bounce. In that kind of environment, had Roosevelt openly announced a plan to carpet-bomb enemy cities, the response of his opponents would have most likely been, "Are you sure you have enough planes to do that?" " The idea of "negotiating" with these animals really slays me. Exactly what are they supposed to talk about? The musulim fundamentalist position is plenty clear. They want nothing from us other than that we die. FACE1

[JebRudy2008]

When Falujah looks like Grozny
When there are no more terrorists shooting at our troops
When every mosque that is used as cover and to indoctrinate more islamofascists is rubble

then there will be a ceasefire

[Blake#1]

How many cease fires? There have been none. Correct me if you will. A successful CF means you sit down with the enemy and give him some respect. You may even arrange an ARMISTICE!!! The most famous Cease fire/Armistice began at 11 o'clock in the morning, on the eleventh day, of the elevent month, 1918. From just a handshake both sides stop shooting. An armistice was arranged and World War I ended. The problem was the armistice was broken and one side stills seeks revenge. Just imagine what lies ahead in Irag.

[Antoninus]

Most even-handed article I've seen on this yet. Perhaps the Jerusalem Post will become our go-to source for information?

US commanders have said that for a truce to hold, the militants must hand over the Iraqis who killed and mutilated four American civilians on March 31 and allow the return of Iraqi police to their stations to keep order, Othman said.

No chance of this happening.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters Saturday that fighters must also "lay down their arms" and renounce their membership in extremist groups to fully end the insurgency that has made Fallujah its stronghold.

No chance of this happening. Thus, the truce fails, though it looks like we tried to make it work. Next step: stomp the cr@p out of these lunatics.

[Antoninus]

US policy is IN-SANE. You don't negotiate with, hold truces with, or have ceasefires with arab muslim terrorists. You kill them.

It's not insane. It's strategy. We've offered them a truce with conditions that they will not fulfill under any circumstances. I could very well be wrong, as war is unpredictable, but by this Friday at the latest, I think that Fallujah will be under control and there will be a lot of new sod over their football field...