As the U.S. military abandons Fallujah, Iraqis proclaim victory

Knight Ridder Newspapers ^ | Sat, May. 01, 2004 | Hannah Allam

[Anti-Bubba182]

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Masked men carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers and waving Iraqi flags rode through the deserted streets of Fallujah on Saturday, claiming victory in the withdrawal this week of U.S. Marines after a month-long siege of the city.

A day after the U.S.-led coalition announced it was handing over most security matters to a popular general from the former Iraqi regime, Fallujah residents tentatively stepped out of shuttered homes to find demolished buildings, uprooted palm trees, rows of shelled villas and car windows riddled with bullet holes.

They took comfort in what they did not see: Americans.

"The Americans have been pushed out by true soldiers, heroic men," said Shaker Adnan, 35, who wore the burgundy beret and dark camouflage of the Fallujah Brigade, the new proxy security force assembled by the coalition. "If the Americans were men, they would have never retreated. This triumph came from God."

Despite the coalition's insistence the move was not a retreat, local religious leaders called a victory prayer at a battle-scared mosque. Other Fallujah residents wept at a soccer stadium where dozens of anti-American fighters were buried in graves marked with crude tombstones and wilted flowers. So many bodies had arrived at the makeshift cemetery that a backhoe dug long trenches in the dirt, where the dead were buried single file.

Men with AK-47 assault rifles slung over their shoulders sobbed at one row of graves, where 26 members of the same family were buried. Several gravestones simply bore the inscription "unknown martyr," along with details of the remains. "Black beard, green trousers," read one marker. "Pieces of flesh, brown shirt," read another. An estimated 600 Iraqis died in the siege, according to hospital and news accounts.

"We're left with nothing but a few simple weapons, but we will continue to use them if the Americans return," said Hassan Ahmed, 35, who recited verses from the Quran over a plot. "Did you see the grave of the newborn? He never even got to see the light, rest his soul."

After threatening a major offensive, the coalition this week announced the pullback, and recruited Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohamed Saleh, a former Republican Guard two-star general, to oversee security inside the city. He'll command the Fallujah Brigade, the emerging force that eventually will have more than 1,000 troops stationed at checkpoints and conducting patrols throughout town....."

[Anti-Bubba182]

"The Americans have been pushed out by true soldiers, heroic men," said Shaker Adnan, 35, who wore the burgundy beret and dark camouflage of the Fallujah Brigade, the new proxy security force assembled by the coalition. "If the Americans were men, they would have never retreated. This triumph came from God."

The time may come when the Marines return.

[prion]

They should never have left while these vermin still draw breath.

[boomop1]

Just wait, this was just a warm up make the wrong move and be devoured.

[saquin]

See what happens when we try to be nice and spare civilians?

[Gorzaloon]

dozens of anti-American fighters were buried in graves marked with crude tombstones and wilted flowers. So many bodies had arrived at the makeshift cemetery that a backhoe dug long trenches in the dirt, where the dead were buried single file.

Some retreat. Some defeat.

[zarf]

What is our goal in Iraq? Ask yourself that and then start typing.

I'm glad your not commanding in the field,

[GulfWar1Vet]

You know what?

These people (Iraqi's) are so damn deceived, it has gone beyond being funny.

I realize that these people have been under a dictatorship for over 30 yrs +, but this is plain BS.

I just can't get my words typed out, for I am so angry...and sad... at these people.

When will they see the Truth? When they get their noses out of the Koran, that's when.

[AgThorn]

Inside Fallujah, however, the streets belonged to men with checkered scarves over their faces, roaming freely with grenade launchers. They waved at passing cars and flashed the victory sign. Some "Mujahiddeen," as they are called here, drove white trucks around town with the nose of their weapons pointing out the window. Graffiti scrawled on walls read "Goodbye, USA," mirroring the jubilation expressed by residents.

unacceptable - if the "Iraqi" general is doing the work of the US military, and if it lowers loss of life that is a good move, but that same general should gather all weapons and arrest any "Mujahiddeen" that are brandishing them. Also, they need to make a clean clear collection of those responsible for the original murder of the 4 american workers.

[dawn53]

The move has been so distorted by the liberal press, it's unbelievable.

Notice this headline, now we're not retreating, we're "abandoning" Fallujah.

You can't win with the press, they'd be screaming about civilians if we were going into the city to take care of insurgents.

[AmericanMade1776]

"liberal " press is the key words....Liberals never know when they have lost, some liberals still think Gore won, in 2000.

[gaspar]

Check the author of this piece. A Muslim. This seems par for the course for American news outlets -- and especially true of reporting from Afghanistan and the West Bank. Hire Muslims and then publish their crap. I would wager that for ever one person claiming victory there are ten praying to God that the Americans never return.

[Blood of Tyrants]

"The Americans have been pushed out by true soldiers, heroic men,"

Would those be the same "heroic men" who were using women and children as shields?

[VOA]

As the U.S. military abandons Fallujah, Iraqis proclaim victory

We probably now know the address of the major bad-actors in Fallujah.
Our Predators and other high-tech surveillence equipment probably have holographic
maps of Fallujah accurate down to a couple of inches.

Who will need Marines if you can, with this sort of information...just send
in a small armada of Predators (and maybe a few cruise missles) once
the Marines have dug into safe positions?

These Islamo-thugs must not be reading much about what happens to the major actors
of Hamas in the past month or so.

[af_vet_1981]

"The Americans have been pushed out by true soldiers, heroic men," said Shaker Adnan, 35, who wore the burgundy beret and dark camouflage of the Fallujah Brigade, the new proxy security force assembled by the coalition. "If the Americans were men, they would have never retreated. This triumph came from God." The time may come when the Marines return.

Oh please, this is shameful enough. Give it up.

Those Marines who fought and died were betrayed by their officers and the politicians.

[Ronin]

My gut feeling is telling me that this was a dumb move on our part.

My gut is also telling me that this Iraqi general and the men we allowed to be imported are going to be fighting alongside the Ba'athists and the Islamists against the U.S. within a month.

(Actually, I think it will take less than a week before that happens).

Who's bright idea was this anyhow?

[af_vet_1981]

You can't win with the press,

You can only win if you fight. Never stop fighting. Win.

We stopped fighting. We retreated. The terrorists won a victory.

[upchuck]

Ahhh... the slippery slope. Sounds like Viet Nam, doesn't it?

This, my fellow FReepers, is a serious mistake that will lead to many deaths; perhaps more than if we had done what we should have - taken Fallujah.