Posted on 06/24/2004 10:08:45 AM PDT by TexKat
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) - Hundreds of panicked residents in cars, buses and pick-up trucks flooded out of Fallujah as explosions and gunfire crackled across this flashpoint Iraqi city after insurgents shot down a US helicopter.
The families, fearing a repeat of fierce fighting which claimed hundreds of lives in April, bumped along dirt tracks out of the city after American forces sealed off the main road, halting traffic in both directions.
A series of checkpoints manned by young men toting Kalashnikov rifles and wearing red or black keffiyeh headscarves stopped and searched cars heading toward the southern exit of the city of 500,000 residents.
Some of the checkpoints were also guarded by members of the Fallujah Brigade, the force made up of remnants of Saddam Hussein's former army now patrolling the city after the US marines' withdrawal two months ago.
As military helicopters flew overhead and tanks and armoured cars waited in nearby fields, chaotic scenes played out in the Sunni stronghold which has been targeted by two US air strikes earlier in the week, killing about 40 people according to the Americans.
The US military contends Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, a suspected Al-Qaeda mastermind, operates out of the city.
Gangs of insurgents, some as young as 16 and some wearing extra bullet clips on their chests, stood on street corners as confused residents tried to flee or hide.
"It was total chaos inside. Everyone was confused, everyone was running. Everyone was trying to find shelter or get out of the city. It was just like a state of emergency," said a witness.
"You can feel the stress and the danger. You start to shiver because you think at any moment they may shoot you. There were hundreds of insurgents at every corner, at every intersection."
Some people were shouting "Allah-u-Akbar" (God is great), celebrating the downing of the US helicopter on the city's outskirts.
A US military spokesman later said the two pilots had been rescued unharmed after the aircraft made an "emergency landing".
Residents warned each other not to go to the industrial east of the city, saying American snipers had set up positions there. But there were no signs of fighting inside the city itself.
Loudspeakers at mosques later announced a truce had been struck by local notables and the marines.
"Fighters of Fallujah are asked to stop their fighting. The marines are going to start pulling back after an agreement with their commanders," the mosques announced.
On the road to Baghdad, US troops had set up concrete blocks and checkpoints and were checking every car from Fallujah.
However I normally do what my head tells me and suffer the consequences later.
Are you in theatre?
I will always remember the young Marine who said, when Fallujah was under siege a few months ago, "We either fight them now or we must fight them later." Later will be more costly.
I hope God forgive us for making such as huge mistake in Fallujah. After the Marines had done a superb job, punching holes in Fallujah, letting all the terrorists in, and then sealing the trap, the Marines were told to abandon their positions and let the terrorists escape.
Now the terrorists and Baathists think that the Marines winked, since they don't understand the Marines haf to obey political decisions, as well as perfume princes' sucking up to the civilian inept leadership.
That was my thought exactly. Perhaps there were real military reasons we pulled out of there. None that I know of, but hey, I am an armchair warrior.
However, reality has shown us that negotiations with terrorists never work. Wish we would take our US domestic policy of "no negotiations" over there.
haf=had
Ping
Well put. I think the decisions at the top are putting you guys in much more jeapordy. It also puts the Iraqi people as a whole in jeapordy. If no WMD are ever found, we could at least say our boys spilt blood for freedoms sake. The war of societies has begun. Good guys vs. bad guys. Let's cut the crap and let you guys go in and take care of business.
Hey Prime.....God's speed to your recovery. Some time spent on FR will surely get your heart rate up and get you up tomorrow to 'catch up' on Ketchup and the like.
Good to see you back here.
Prayers for an untroubled and speedy recovery.
Foxnews just reporting that Zaragawi is trying to recruit former Chemical Warfare Scientists in Iraq. We now have as many as 12 Sarin filled shells. Thought to be old , before 91 Gulf war.
See above post #50.
Bring in the heavy stuff now! ! ! We can not walk away now or they will attack us world wide due to our weakness
I pray that we get to him before the stiff one leg bastard gets to them.
My guess is that he is no longer in Iraq, just like OBL was not at Tora Bora.
Heard just this morning a ME expert state on Fox that how we have failed in Fallujah is a direct result of not following the Bush Doctrine concerning Terrorists.
I completely agree with that assessment. We've in effect allowed a mini me version of the Taliban to set up in that city.
It make no sense.
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