Fallujah pullback opportunity, not necessarily agreement to end fight: Abizaid (MUST READ!!!)

AFP ^ | Fri, Apr 30, 2004 | AFP

[Eurotwit]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The withdrawal of marines from Fallujah is "an opportunity, not necessarily an agreement" to end fighting for the city, the commander of US forces in Iraq (news - web sites) said, warning that military action may still be needed to root out foreign fighters.

General John Abizaid said the United States will not tolerate foreign fighters in the city, and will insist on heavy weapons coming off the streets and on freedom of movement for marines and Iraqi security forces.

He said it should be understood that "what we have there is an opportunity, and not necessarily an agreement."

"The opportunity is to build an Iraqi security force from former elements of the army that will work under the command of coalition forces and that will be mentored and work next to coalition forces," he told Pentagon (news - web sites) reporters in a video teleconference from Qatar.

"And I think we must be very careful in thinking that this effort to build an Iraqi capacity will necessarily calm down the situation in Fallujah tonight or over the next several days," he said.

Abizaid said all military options remained "on the table."

"It may still be necessary to conduct very robust military operations in Fallujah. We hope we don't have to do that," he said.

The general, who heads the US Central Command, singled out the need to get rid of foreign fighters -- and in particular Abu Mussab Zarqawi, who he said had used Fallujah as a base of operations.

"This idea that there will be a safe haven for him (Zarqawi) is absolutely unacceptable. Nor will we or our Iraqi partners allow foreign fighters to freely roam the country and attack indiscriminately and use Iraqi civilians as shields from which to conduct military operations," he said.

He said even the best Iraqi forces would be unable to bring Zarqawi's fighters under control.

"So we will have to eliminate that enemy in a way that does not allow that force to challenge us throughout Iraq and other places at other times. No doubt some will infiltrate out, and some will find other means to escape," he said.

Strikingly, Abizaid made no specific mention of former members of the old regime's security apparatus who are believed to be leading the insurgency in the Sunni heartland, including Fallujah.

The omission suggested that commanders hope the new force led by a former Iraqi major general will neutralize Baathist insurgents.

The general said he did not know Major General Jassem Mohamed Saleh, who will lead the Iraq Protection Army, a new Iraqi security force that will take over positions inside the city from the marines.

Iraqis cheered and waved flags as Saleh entered the city Friday, as marines began their withdrawal from the city, pulling down barbed wire defenses from around the soda factory that had served as their headquarters in the city's southern industrial area.

"Yes, there is some room for optimism there," Abizaid said. "But the details of how we will build an Iraqi security capacity there will take some time. We need to have some patience."

"It is a possible breakthrough, but certainly the conditions that must be met are foremost on our minds, and that has to do with the restoring of law and order in Fallujah," he said.

Asked about the fate of those who killed four US contractors in the city March 31, setting off the confrontation, Abizaid said getting them was a "non-negotiable objective."

"Now, I think it would be a stretch for you to say they are in Fallujah. I can't tell you that, nor can anyone else," he added.

[ZULU]

"This hornets nest has 300,000 population, so we best be wise and patient,.."

That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it, but I disagree.

The ONLY way to stop this is with IMMEDIATE and OVERWHELMING use of tactical military force. We should have given all women and children 24 hrs to clear out of Fallujah, the Fallujans 48 hours to turn over ALL the terrorists in there, and then levelled the city. End of problem.

You can't fight a war and win it when dealing with people who use civilians as shields, especially when many of those civilians are supportive of the enemy, without killing the civilians too.

That kind of thinking would have us all speaking German or Japanese today, the few left alive that is.

[No Blue States]

Dont let it bother you.

Happens all the time, people think they caught it 1st maybe.

It did sound pretty cool.

I was tricked by the gerber baby food refund urban legend when I 1st got online, and was eager to spread the great news to coworkers and family only later to find it out was a hoax..

Now write this 100 times, "Always check Snopes 1st."

[Gucho]

"You can't fight a war and win it when dealing with people who use civilians as shields, especially when many of those civilians are supportive of the enemy, without killing the civilians too."

Hate to say it, but you are right. Hope this new General can help us with this matter.

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

We lost. We shouldn't have talked so big if we weren't really going to back it up. The city of Fallujah should have already been under our control. This is starting to look like Vietnam in the sense that we are being restrained for political purposes.

[Gucho]

"We lost. We shouldn't have talked so big if we weren't really going to back it up. The city of Fallujah should have already been under our control. This is starting to look like Vietnam in the sense that we are being restrained for political purposes."

BULLSHIT. This war is 1 year old.

[easonc52]

We lost. We shouldn't have talked so big if we weren't really going to back it up.

What was said is that Fallujah will be pacified.

Nobody claimed an outline like for a meeting that only can last an hour.

The wheels are at work, and the end result is assured.

[WOSG]

That is right!

I said many weeks ago, we do NOT have a military problem in Iraq. We have a political problem. That political problem exists because the sunnis dont have any 'stake' in the new Iraq, except in extremism terms. We could kill the terrorists til the cows come home, but the political problem of the sunnis would remain (and worsen if we treated them more harshly than others). If we lose Iraq, it will be because the 'political center of gravity' got away from us. The terrorists game plan was to make their own fight with us a 'sunni v US' and then "iraq v US" fight and win adherents. Their plan has partially worked but mostlyfailed - partially worked because US is now less popular, but mostly failed because the 'uprising' didnt happen. Most Iraqis are passively watching from the side, and most Sunnis see both US and the fighters are interlopers who they'd like to see go away.

Which gives the opening to create an "Iraqi rescue" scenario. And Iraqi force comes in, saves the town from US military punishment, we withdraw and the terrorists are forced to hand over guns. It gives a boost to the Iraqi security forces, blunts the terrorists totally, and acheives our end goal of making Iraqis responsible for their own security.

The caveats are: Will the Iraqi security really go after the terrorists and protect US forces? Are they up to the job? Will terrorists look on them as collaborators and attack them? Those caveats are expressed by Abazaid as "opportunity not an agreement to end fight". Well said General.

This is frustrating to the armchair generals (like me), but the bigger picture is getting the Sunnis "in the tent" and 'on board'. They play us, we play them.

"Well never get the bast*rds that killed the contractors, too bad about that." I dont know about that. Freedom of movement is Abazaid's non-negotiable demand, so we can still go in there later doing searches and terrorist captures after we get it 'settled down'.

[Dog]

If the top of the map is north then I would say the Kill Box is the NW portion of the map with the railroad to the top and the river to the left. I think there are still Marines in there in spite of all the misleading press releases.

Correct Ernest.....that NW corner is the slum Golan Heights.....jihadist central.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Relax fella, take one of these every hour until the pain goes away. :-)

[Amerigomag]

did you forget about the AC130s and the bombs we dropped on them after we had shaped them into that part of the city? ....

If this response is intended as a rebuttal to my reply #174, I'll admit that I'm missing your point completely.

[ohioWfan]

No.

Not EVERYbody is wondering if this is Viet Nam.

Mostly just the gullible ones who believe what the mainstream media dishes out.......

[ohioWfan]

But what scares me most is the majority of negative posts on FR today.

How many of them do you suppose are DU infiltrators?

Quite a few, I would imagine.

The rest are from freepers whose emotions override their brains now and again.........or all the time. And a few guys who like sounding tough while sitting safely behind their little keyboards.........

[Amerigomag]

Fallujah will be pacified).

How subtle and complete the work of the liberal press.

Today even conservatives use the word pacified as if it were a legitimate military descriptor.

[No Blue States]

"How many of them do you suppose are DU infiltrators?"

I think some for sure, never seen it this bad here.

Considering spending time somewhere else, but they would like that so im staying. And my support for the troops and their leadership is permanent, they deserve that much and more.

[lonevoice]

Excellent post. Thank you so much.

The quote, "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies" isn't attributed on its link. Do you know who said it?

[lonevoice]

Sheesh...do I need to write this a hundred times on the blackboard??????

ROFL! It wouldn't help a bit. The corrections will continue as long as this thread is active. It just shows how many people post replies without reading a thread. This happens on so many threads it really has become funny. Hope you can find a laugh in it.

[KQQL]

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Leader of the Fallujah Protective Army Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Saleh

[KQQL]

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Leader of the Fallujah Protective Army Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh

Photo Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Saleh

[KQQL]

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The general chosen to lead a security force for Fallujah is a former Iraqi Republican Guard who headed Saddam Hussein's infantry and has strong family ties to the besieged city, according to relatives and former colleagues.

Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh, 49, led up to 1,100 Iraqis as they began taking up positions Friday from U.S. Marines in southeastern Fallujah. He shook hands with Marine commanders at a post on the southeastern entry to the city, 35 miles west of Baghdad
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Saleh

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

We lost the battle for Fallujah. We should already have control of that city. Can you imagine general Patton using the strategy we are using? The war in Iraq is starting to look a lot more like Vietnam than it ever has before. We won all the major battles in Vietnam just like we have in Iraq. But we are horribly restrained now. Fallujah should have been taken by now or we shouldn't have talked so tough.