Iraqis dispute US progress in Falluja

A spokesman for the Falluja resistance says US forces are at an impasse in the city, and denies the US offensive against the town has succeeded.

Speaking to Aljazeera by telephone on Saturday, the spokesman said the US military was suffering increasing numbers of casualties.

"The announcement of the end of the military offensive is proof that American forces are in an impasse ... the American criminals and the Iraqi apostates have suffered more than 150 killed and more than 270 wounded," said Abu Saad al-Dlimi, spokesman of the Shura (consultative) Council of the Muhajidin in Falluja.

Earlier, US-backed Iraqi government officials pronounced the conclusion of a massive six-day US offensive on Falluja.

"Today alone, young freedom fighters have been able to torch more than 12 [American military] vehicles," said the resistance spokesman, adding that the situation had not changed for the past three days.

"US forces are still outside the [northwestern] Julan neighbourhood. US forces were not able to gain one metre of this district," Dlimi added.

"US forces are meeting with fierce resistance from inside Falluja districts ... and are surrounded. They are under missile and artillery fire," he said.

Only pockets left

A senior Iraqi official said earlier on Saturday that the battle to retake the city was over, with more than 1000 fighters killed, but that the country's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had fled.

"Operation Fajr (Dawn) has been achieved and only the malignant pockets remain that we are dealing with through a clean-up operation," Qasim Dawud, a minister of state, said.

The US military, which spearheaded the six-day assault, said commanders on the ground had yet to declare the operation over.

But a US officer said on Sunday that fighters were showing much less resistance than before.

"Two days ago they were coming out and fighting us. Last night they were running. It looks like we are about to break their will," tank company commander Captain Robert Bodisch said.

Disinformation

Dlimi rejected Dawud's assertions.

"The number of martyrs among young fighters does not exceed 100, the others are unarmed civilians who were crushed by American tanks," said Dlimi.

"If [the Americans] say they have wrapped up operations in Falluja, we are telling them that if that is true allow all satellite networks to enter the city this night so the world can see what is really happening in the streets of Falluja.

"Everything they are announcing is disinformation. Falluja is the theatre of butchery and destruction. Today they bombed the only telecommunications centre which provided links between Falluja and the outside world. Americans are criminals," said the spokesman.

So many pockets

Local journalist in Falluja, Haza al-Afify, told Aljazeera: "Fierce clashes are still under way at the northern and northwestern edges of Julan neighbourhood. Fighting is also raging in the southern and southeastern neighbourhoods, particularly at al-Shuhada neighbourhood and the industrial quarter.

"What we have heard on ending military operations as stated by the Iraqi State Minister for Defence Qasim Dawud does not bear credibility in relation to the reality of the situation on the ground.

"Fierce clashes are still continuing in several neighbourhoods. If these neighbourhoods are mere pockets, Falluja will be harbouring so many pockets."

He added that while US tanks and armoured vehicles had the main roads under control, the narrow alleys were still out of reach to US forces.

"I assure you that the reality of the current situation does not imply a halt to military operations, he said."

 

yeah, that's what i was thinking. who to trust? baghdad bob kinda killed the trust, but the us news outlets? who knows?

 

Perhaps some of it is disinformation, but I seriously doubt it comes all from one side...

 

For what it's worth, I've read recently at Common Dreams and other independents that what's really happened in Falluja was mass exodus of the "insurgents" coupled with slaughter of civilians. Supposedly the vast majority of freedom fighters actually left Falluja before the major offensive and are now operating in other areas of the country, and most of the deaths there have been civilian. I think this is probably the most likely scenerio, though I'm sure there are also probably still people there who are resisting the US. More power to 'em.

 

Yea, I mean, if you had any senes at all, you'd leave the city, which is what the rebels probably did. And perhaps a few hardcore rebels stayed behind, but it's most likely that for the majority, the people that the Americans killed were civilians, so that they could incite more people to join the rebel side, so that they could create their own enemy. Of course, the people who profit from this kind of action are the weapon makers, and their stock holders, while the people who do not profit from this kind of action are the very soldiers that they hired to go over there and fight. This war is such a massive illusion, that it is truly appalling to see that the American public have bought into it. It truly shows what ignorance is rampant in America. It's pretty scary, when you really think about it.

 

Indeed. When I was becoming more and more livid over the impending attacks before they started, my fiance mentioned the fliers they dropped down to warn all the civilians to leave. First thing I said, "um, yeah, and y'all think the insurgents are just going to stay there and get pummeled?" Ugh. Plus, there are the kinds of civilians who are just defiant, sort of like those who'll brave a hurricane out of stubborness and whatnot (hey I live in FL), only on a FAR more dangerous level. I don't understand the way our military higher-ups are rationalizing their plans. The fiance assures me, that even with the problems, that they know what they are doing....sometimes, even with my trust in him, I just don't know about that. Scares the hell outta me sometimes that he has to follow their orders....bah.

 

i suppose you cease being a "civilian" and become a "combatant" when you start shooting and blowing things up.

 

Every death in Fallujah both our own troops and Iraqi citizens is a tradgedy and a terrible loss. But people should remember who is responsible for those deaths. The people responsible are the Islamic fundamentalists terrorists inlcuding Al Qaeda who flooded into Iraq following the fall of Saddams' regime to wage a Jihad against the west. These terrorists have been guilty of appalling crimes against both Iraqi security forces and allied troops such as suicide bomb attacks and kidnappings and beheadings of westerners. These terrorists are utterly evil and that it is why it is neccessary to take back every area in Iraq held by them.

 

Yep. Insulting the intelligence of the regime you support there TreeHouse? I'm sure they had no idea that the country would get flooded with those nasty people. I can see it now "Well, gosh, y'know we didn't think about that. We just figured back when mission accomplished happenned that they'd just stay on their side of the fence. Be neighborly."

 

Once again, those who have buried their head in the sand and believe the controlled news emerging (as ever during times of US warmaking) from the Pentagon propaganda aparatus, have simply chosen to live in denial of the actual fact that those fighting back to defend THEIR native soil and THEIR right to self determination apart from the machinations long intended by Allawi/Chalabi and their neo-con cohorts are neither "foreign fighters" nor "terrorists". They are very much "Iraqis" and as patriotic for their land as any of us would be if it were OUR nation, cities/towns and very neighborhoods being overrun and bombarded by a foreign power.

Believing the mainstream excuses today is simply living in denial of the long known extent to which the Pentagon will lie to maintain public support for warmongering based on fraudulent claims. I suggest that people reacquaint themselves with the Pentagon Papers and the comprehensive web of lies used (by 4 successive administrations) to launch and maintain the Vietnam War.

History has simply come full circle and with all the same bogus labels used now as they were then to villify the legitimate nationalistic aspirations of another sovereign people.

 

Logic stands at this- Are you willing to die for this war? If not, then you do not have the right to take a 'pro-war' position. But the people who are pro-war almost always have that damned indignant tone of righteousness. But to me, it smells like hypocrisy.

 

persoanly i think you would prefer this scenario..even if its not true.