Iraqi Forces Move Back Into Fallujah

[spinbaby]

Middle East - AP
Iraqi Forces Move Back Into Fallujah
4 minutes ago


By JASON KEYSER and LOURDES NAVARRO, Associated Press Writers

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Iraqi security forces moved back into Fallujah Tuesday on a mission to restore control and collect weapons from insurgents as dozens of families began returning to the embattled city, a crucial test of an agreement between U.S. officials and local leaders aimed at ending hostilities.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040420/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq&cid=540&ncid=716

[Dhalgren]

1. Have these Iraqi insurgents learned nothing!

If the US military confiscates their "heavy weapons", then some pretext will arrise and the Marines will be "forced" to go back in and the city will be at the tender mercies of the Leather-Necks. This is disgusting! We will take up their weapons, and then attack them - it is our MO.

[John_H]

3. Have the american people learned nothing?

Shyeah. Like the insurgents are going to give up all thier heavy weapons. They provided Chimp with a little gift for CNN to report, in exchange for God knows what. Tragically, this cease fire will break down eventually. How can it not, if Chimp is right about Al Queda fighters being the ringleaders? Al Queda will just give up? Even the dumbest freeper must know this "end" to the violence is a photo op.

Who will pay the price? American Children with the lives of their parents, Iraqi children with their own lives.

[nayt]

4. but yet

yet some on the left would be perfectly happy if our government did the same to us.

[The Stranger]

2. Are they trying to spin this as a victory?

Military or otherwise?

[markus]

5. Look for a series of such "victories" in the comings months

They have to show some momentum, some progress. Even if it means leaving "illegal" militias in place, that will be the Iraqi security forces problem.

The whole question of "legal" and "illegal" militias is being ignored here. Some groups are being allowed to keep their arms (Kurds, some Shiites) and other disarmed.

I don't see why any political figure with a militia would give up his while others are left in place.

Clearly, any "foreign-fighters" are not going to just surrender.

Any remaining Baathists will probably end up subsumed into local Sunni militias, so that they are indistringuisable.

P.S.--How to really piss off a freeper: When they talk about "foriegn fighters" in Iraq, as them if they mean our troops or the alleged al-Qaeda infiltrators.

[bloom]

6. "foriegn fighters"

ha!

[daleo]

7. I suspect they will turn in heavy weapons, like buckets of rocks

This is probably a charade, to save face. Both sides realize it is a stalemate, unless the U.S. unleashes massive, disproportionate force (air power, not marines). So there is this pretense of a weapons turnover and Iraqi police return. Then maybe everyone will play nice for a while. I doubt very much that the resistance will voluntarily disarm in any serious way.