Posted on 11/05/2004 8:51:12 AM PST by Jeff Blogworthy
American troops in Fallujah have made loudspeaker announcements and handed out leaflets urging civilians to leave the city ahead of an expected assault.
US soldier A US soldier trains at a camp outside Fallujah
The move comes as troops prepare for a major assault on rebel strongholds in Fallujah and nearby Ramadi.
The soldiers warned they would arrest any man under the age of 45 found trying to leave or enter the city.
Roads around Fallujah have been blocked and the city has been battered by US air strikes in preparation for the offensive.
Hospital officials said air strikes overnight had killed three people and wounded four others, while troops continue to shell insurgents, who have responded with rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Most of the 300,000 population of Fallujah have already fled and US marines say they are awaiting orders from President George W Bush and Ayad Allawi, the Iraqi interim prime minister, before beginning the attack.
Mr Allawi is in Europe to meet EU leaders today and is expected to return with an agreed reconstruction package.
The EU is offering Iraq an £11.5 million aid package to support the country's January elections and the criminal justice system.
Earlier, Mr Allawi met Tony Blair and both men emphasised that the elections must go ahead.
Mr Blair said: "These people that are trying to create circumstances of chaos and instability in Iraq are doing so because of their fear of the democratic process."
Finally.
After winning on Tuesday, then the Arafat news, Fallujah was number three on my wish list.
Time has come.
:}}}
I'm not following this: "get out, and by the way, if you're under 45 we'll arrest you"? Either we're sending conflicting messages or the author of this piece isn't describing the situation correctly.
Time to drop the hammer.
Shock and awe on the way.
This will be memorable.
Well, Blair gets it. Why can't the rest of Old Europe?
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Woman, children and the old. The rest will die.
Pray for our men as well as our Iraqi allies joining us in this assault.
That's age discrimination of the worse kind. I'm over 45 and I could shoot the lips off a chicken at 100 yards. Don't discriminate against men over 45, kill them!
Because they are a bunch of socialist pussies.
This is the main reason I voted for Bush, I have been wanting him to crack down for a while.
They are trying to let the women, kids and old folks out.
Glomming onto men of fighting age.
I noticed that. I think the problem is that it is impossible to distinguish "civilians" from insurgents. It seems that the age cut-off is the only way to separate the wheat from the chaffe, so to speak.
Amen! I will be lifting them up to the Lord and praying for their swift victory and their safety.
I hope they heed the warnings.
Mean ol' Americans, warning the civilians ahead of time.
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