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Saddam's man takes over in Fallujah By Toby Harnden in Baghdad (Filed: 01/05/2004) A former senior general in Saddam Hussein's army made a triumphant entry into the besieged city of Fallujah yesterday and was greeted by flag-waving locals celebrating the departure of US marines. Maj Gen Jassem Mohammed Saleh, who headed Saddam's infantry forces, is to take over as head of what American officials are calling the "1st battalion of the proposed Fallujah Brigade". Maj Gen Jassem Mahmood Saleh arriving in Fallujah This is a new force to police the Sunni stronghold. His appearance came as two marines were killed...

WASHINGTON - U.S. military commanders won't wait forever for local political efforts to quell the insurgency in Fallujah, U.S. officials said Friday as they laid out in greater detail the Bush administration's evolving strategy to deal with one of the trickiest standoffs of the war. Their words foreshadow the possibility of a "strong fight" to gain control of the city, if joint Iraqi-American efforts fail to halt the violence. Military leaders acknowledge the situation remains delicate as local leaders in Fallujah try different ways to resolve the insurgency. The situation has commanded the daily — sometimes hourly — attention of...

FALLUJAH, Iraq ---- A dozen former Iraqi generals and intelligence officers met Friday with U.S. military leaders and pledged to lead a brigade of 1,000 Iraqi soldiers to replace the Marines fortifying the city's borders. But U.S. military officials cautioned that the arrival of the Iraqi forces in this embattled city, possibly as early as today, does not necessarily mean peace. "They are still doing some planning on how to do a transition from U.S. forces to Iraqi security forces in Fallujah," Marine Col. John Toolan said Friday, choosing his words carefully while describing the new arrangement that other officials...

Abizaid Warns Fallujah Brigade Results Won't Be Instant By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, April 30, 2004 – The new Iraqi brigade being formed to restore peace to Fallujah won't instantly solve the problems in the city, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today from his forward headquarters in Qatar. Army Gen. John Abizaid spoke with Pentagon reporters in a video teleconference. "What we have there is an opportunity, and not necessarily an agreement," the general said. "The opportunity is to build an Iraqi security force from former elements of the army that will work under the...

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...

  1st Marine Expeditionary Force Creating 'Fallujah Brigade' By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 30, 2004 – The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is putting together the first battalion of a new Iraqi brigade being formed to restore and maintain order in the western city of Fallujah, a coalition military spokesman announced at a Baghdad news conference today. An officer from the former Iraqi army will command the unit, which will be an interim organization under 1st MEF command, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7. Kimmitt said the...

The dramatic arrival of Major General Jassem Mohamed Saleh with the newly formed Fallujah Protection Army, to which the USMC is supposed to hand over control of Fallujah, must rank as one of the most surprising episodes of the war. The Washington Post said: The surprise agreement in Fallujah, which was authorized by Marine Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, is intended to give more responsibility to Iraqis for subduing the city while attempting defuse tensions by pulling Marines back from front-line positions. ... The Marines will be replaced by a new militia called the Fallujah Protection Army, which will comprise...