Posted on 05/01/2004 6:14:19 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Soldiers of the old Iraqi army led by one of Saddam Hussein's generals patrolled the city of Falluja on Saturday, a year after George W. Bush declared the U.S. "mission accomplished" in ousting the Iraqi regime.
Cries of "victory over the Americans" echoed from minarets and guerrilla gunmen celebrated in the streets under the green banner of Islam and Saddam-era Iraqi flags. Thousands who had fled a month of heavy fighting streamed back to their homes after U.S. Marines pulled back from their siege positions.
Mired in a confrontation that spilled blood on both sides and outraged Iraqi and Arab opinion, U.S. commanders withdrew to more distant positions on Friday. Security was entrusted to local police and a new force of ex-soldiers under General Jasim Mohamed Saleh, formerly of Saddam's feared Republican Guard.
U.S. commanders call it an experiment that may be reversed.
But some Iraqis, impatient with an occupation that brought them pictures this week of U.S. and British troops abusing detainees, may well believe they are seeing a military debacle, albeit of an enemy with still massive firepower in reserve.
Americans, deciding whether to re-elect President Bush in November, may also wonder where the Iraq venture is taking them after the bloodiest month for U.S. troops since the war began.
"The city's defenders are celebrating," yelled one man as a group of gunmen in civilian clothes raised green banners and rifles aloft on a street to acclaim the "defeat" of the Marines.
A uniformed member of General Saleh's 1,000-strong force, dubbed the Falluja Brigade by Marines, looked on. He smiled.
On foot and in civilian four-wheel-drive vehicles, this force began patrolling the streets of the Sunni Muslim city, which was among those most loyal to Saddam.
"God has given this town victory over the Americans," wailed a message from one mosque. "This victory came by the acts of the brave Mujahideen of Falluja who vanquished the American troops."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
That's the time for the AC-130 roach spray and the A-10 highway sweeper.
Oh ye of little faith.
You're probably thinking that the "repositioning" is "retreat."
Actually it's part of the the "overwhelming response" promised several weeks ago.
You really must stop believing your lying eyes and believe what you're told.
They had autonomy when they strung the four Americans up from the bridge.
Now that the Iraqi human shields are in place, the mission continues. It's a brilliant tact, perhaps too brilliant even for Americans to ascertain.
After the insurgents in the area are defeated.
I hope someone who has kept up with the situation will tell me I'm wrong, because if not I think we could be on the verge of a major disaster over there. The Arab world only respects power, and if we show signs of weakness or lack of resolve in dealing with the Baathist rebels and their foreign cohorts I am afraid the Iraqis in general will take it as an invitation to open revolt. Someone please tell me I'm wrong, I don't want to watch John Kerry being sworn in next January.
You deserve an answer. In simplistic terms, when either the bad guys are sufficiently weakened or the local good guys are sufficiently strong. Right now neither is true.
The worst part of this debacle is that the script has been written on how to defeat Americans, and it will be played around the world wherever there are people hostile to American interests. There will be other Fallujahs.
So now US forces will suffer the appearance of being defeated, when in fact they were never allowed to fight. Very Vietnamish, if you ask me.
On the bright side, the deal that Gen Conway made with the Sunnis might just work out, and if it doesn't then not even the balless "best and brightest" back in DC would deny the Marines the go ahead to take Fallujah. If I were the Sunnis I would get every damn terrorist out of town as fast as I could. They have their "victory", I don't think there stupid enough to try for another.
the carrot and the stick, very old strategy and a very good strategy. Unfortunately Fallujah should have gotten the stick not the carrot. Oh well, guess it OK the kill, burn, mutilate Americans and then hang them from lamb posts.
The Fallujans pretending victory have no honor. They are Baghdad Bobbing in retrospect. They lost hundreds and hundreds of fighters; there is little Iraqi admiration for those in league foreign terrorists. Every time terrorists clash with US Marines they get their butts handed to them and everyone knows it.
Am I putting a little more lipstick on an already overly made-up pig? Perhaps. But the Commander-In-Chief simply could not escalate this and martyr the whole city. We punished them severely, they pretend victory, attention goes on to other things for a while.
BTW when did you serve?
I agree.
The Iraqis have to seize the initiative and actively participate in the rebuilding and policing of their country. Fallujah is a good place to start and it will be interesting to see how the situation develops.
Think we've seen the last of the insurgents? I don't. The rats you don't exterminate grow stronger.
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