| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Iraq-Jordan | |
| Iraqi officials enter Fallujah for talks on reducing violence | |
| 2004-04-10 | |
| A delegation of Iraqi officials entered the besieged city of Fallujah on Saturday for talks on reducing the violence after a U.S. call for a bilateral ceasefire. Explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard as Marines moved into residential neighborhoods to prevent firing on their forces. Hundreds of women, children and elderly men fled the city for a second day, taking advantage of a relative lull in the fighting. They piled into pickups and clung to the outside of packed minivans. U.S. forces were not allowing "military-aged men" to leave. The fighting Saturday was restricted to small pockets of the city. Some Marines moved a few blocks into the Nazzal residential suburb from an industrial zone in the city’s southeastern region that they’ve been using as a staging post for several days. The troops broke into homes in an attempt to clear out gunmen firing on them, witnesses said. "Today what we are seeking is a bilateral cease-fire on the battlefield so we can allow for discussions," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters in Baghdad. "This is an aspiration," he said. He added that he was "hoping to get this message to the enemy through this press conference" and the Arabic press "so they can join the cease-fire."
The rest cut. Looks like Fallujah is still an object lesson. BTW I like not allowing miltary age men to leave a lot. | |
| Posted by:Phil B |
| #8 No, Charles, the world calls us barbarians if we do anything short of abject surrender, and they will easily deny that we gave the Fallujans a chance. The enemy media, especially AFP and Al-Jazeera, are already spinning this as a concession forced on the US by the heroic Fallujah freedom fighters. Remember Jenin? Israel's restraint, which cost the lives of a number of Israeli soldiers, did not keep a demonizing lie about the "Jenin massacre" from becoming part of Palestinian and Fifth Column folklore. I believe it may even have incited it. For our enemies, the bigger the lie, the greater the power. CAIR is already whining and bitching about the "desecration" of a mosque without regard for its use as an enemy staging area and firing position in actual combat. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-04-10 9:56:40 PM |
| #7 I we went after them relentlessly the world would call us barbarians. This would be the ultimate joke. Saddam's henchmen kill and commit mayhem in his name, Palestinian terrorists and their followers intentionally kill Jewish civilians, the Hutus and the Tutsis go after each other, and WE are the barbarians? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-04-10 4:57:09 PM |
| #6 ZF is right. I we went after them relentlessly the world would call us barbarians. This way, we not only allow the innocent (most of them since some military age men will be innocent too) to reach safety, but we play the political card of "goodwill". Now nobody can say we didn't give them a choice. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-04-10 2:05:26 PM |
| #5 AC: This is a mistake. If the cordon is airtight, this is a great move, politically. It's a lot like what happened before the US decided to go after the Taliban in Afghanistan. The US govt told them what was necessary to get out of trouble, and the penalty for non-compliance was death or captivity. It crystallized in their minds why the US was going after them and provided them with an out if they wanted it. If Fallujans want to give up the bad guys, we should give them every opportunity to do so. Otherwise, they should get the mailed fist. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-04-10 12:52:44 PM |
| #4 This is a mistake. In the wake of the barbarous atrocities last week, and the upcoming atrocities that will follow the kidnapping of foreigners, any attempt to negotiate with these savages will be perceived as weakness. The fight should be pressed to a conclusion: 1. Resumption of offensive operations in Fallujah with no immunity for religious sites being used by the enemy. 2. A complete lockdown on inter-city transport, regardless of hardship. No traffic except in vetted and escorted convoys. All vehicles moving on highways outside convoys to be attacked on sight. All convoys to have heavy air support, A-10s or Apaches, overhead at all times. 4. Captured foreign jihadis to be tried by field court martial, as permitted under the Geneva Convention, and executed on the spot. 5. All fighters captured with American equipment or personal effects to be executed on the spot. 6. Targeted killing of insurgent leaders regardless of location (no hiding in mosques) 7. Presidential authorization for a Gideon/Phoenix program to liquidate enemy leaders, sympathizers, and major supporters all over the world. 8. Civilians seen aiding the enemy are legitimate targets of war and should be dealt with as such. 9. Expulsion of enemy-controlled media such as Al Arabiya, Reuters, and AFP. 10. Transfer to Iraq of whatever forces are required for this program, ahead of any other priority or consideration, except Afghanistan or South Korea. The bastards and their supporters want war, give them war. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-04-10 12:45:16 PM |
| #3 Correction to #1... Not Iraqi widows, but Syrian, Iranian, etc. |
| Posted by: bpolsky 2004-04-10 12:19:37 PM |
| #2 Agree, keeping the military age men there sends a clear message. I only hope that the message from Fallujah gets out to the rest of the country. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-04-10 11:55:22 AM |
| #1 I hope we've made a lot of Iraqi widows this week. A hard lesson but one even an Arab can learn. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-04-10 10:55:57 AM |