Rebels Routed in Falluja; Fighting Spreads Elsewhere
in Iraq
By DEXTER FILKINS and JAMES GLANZ
Much of Falluja lay in smoking ruins, and the military victory appeared to be nearly
overshadowed by violence elsewhere.
Here are some facts about the larger atrocity which occurred at
Falluhah
Commentary:
Evidently the bombardment and
destruction of Falluja is both pointless and futile. As a result of this
assault, we now are confronted by violence in Mosul, Baghdad, Tikrit, Krikuk,
Hawija, Samarra, Latifiya, Khalis, Erbil, Ramadi, Tal Afar, Karma, Mariya, Baquba,
Hilla, Zuhoor, Baiji, and elsewhere. We lost control of five bridges across
the Tigris river and do not have the capacity to control the multiplicity of
violence which confronts us as this nation resists our occupation.
"As a result of this assault, Falluja's power grid is so decayed that it
must be turned on sector by sector or it will fail, officials said. If residents
manage to return before the power is on, they could be without services like
plumbing, water and heat, and any ensuing crises could aid rebels hoping to
destabilize the reconstruction.
Even as those needs loom, however, military
officials have not yet allowed aid groups into the city, saying that the situation
is not safe. The decision has outraged some critics who say substantial numbers of
people still need aid.
As the searches moved southward through the
neighborhood, leaving a swath of devastation behind, fighting continued around the
city, and at least one marine was killed by a sniper on Sunday morning, shot through
the head from an area that had been all but obliterated the night before. A Black
Hawk helicopter carrying medical supplies north of Falluja was struck by
antiaircraft fire on Sunday, but landed safely.
If this is success, we are in real
trouble...
A Goal Is
Met. What's Next?
By ERIC SCHMITT
In the coming weeks, the U.S. and Iraq's government must still combat a resilient
and dangerous insurgency outside Falluja. "People are affected every day by
criminality," said Senator Reed, a former 82nd Airborne Division officer. "The
situation has not - is not - turning around."
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Are we winning hearts are minds, or alienating more Iraqi
people? |
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Iraqi Red
Crescent presses US troops for full access to Fallujah
Posted on Sunday, November 14, 2004 - 10:01 AM
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) - Aid from the Iraqi Red Crescent remains in at Fallujah's
main hospital as relief workers negotiate with US troops for access to residents
of the city.
The Red Crescent said it fears that civilians are dying of starvation and a lack
of medical equipment inside Fallujah, which has been the scene of a week of
fierce fighting pitting US and Iraqi government troops against militants.
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