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U.S. Must Leave Falluja, Iraq General Says
Thu May 6, 8:17 AM ETBy Michael Georgy FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - The Iraqi former general entrusted with pacifying volatile Falluja said on Thursday U.S. Marines must withdraw quickly from around the troubled town and go home so "I want the American soldier to return to his camp. What I want more is that he returns to the United States," General Muhammad "They should leave very quickly, very quickly or there will be problems." Gee, that almost sounds like a threat. Even if itâs a promise, heâs still off base. Latif and a group of generals offered to tame Falluja with their Falluja Brigade after the town was subject to a month-long siege in which hundreds of Iraqis died as U.S. air strikes and guerrilla mortars rocked the town. Life has been calm over the last few days, but Marines are still on the edge of the Golan area of Falluja, where the heaviest fighting took place, manning checkpoints with Iraqi security forces under Latifâs command. And Marines should remain there until all heavy weapons have been surrendered or confiscated. Anything less is playing into the insurgentsâ hands. Major General James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marines Division, said on Thursday after meeting Latif the Marines would maintain a presence around Falluja until certain security requirements were met. "At some point, I am sure we will pull back if the foreign fighters are confirmed and turned over to us, the heavy weapons are turned over to the Iraqi army and then we get them. It is event driven," he said. At least someone is clear on the concept. But Latif said there was no need for them to stay because Falluja was peaceful. "I am confident they will leave in a few days," he said. Wearing a European-style suit and tie, Latif has been meeting top Marine commanders to discuss ways of imposing security in Iraqâs most rebellious city. On Thursday, he appeared with four other Iraqi former generals, pointing out that one of them was a Shiâite, a suggestion that his force in mostly Sunni Falluja would be mixed. "But Latif said there was no need for them to stay because Falluja was peaceful." Methinks some brain damage occured during the below-mentioned torture. TORTURED UNDER SADDAM Latif denied reports he had worked for Saddam Husseinâs intelligence service. While debatable, this may be true in light of how little intelligence this idiot displays. "I never worked for the Mukhabarat at all. Saddam threw me in jail the first day he came to power for a period of seven years. I had two hands broken by Saddam. My arm and shoulder were broken due to torture under Saddam," he said. "I was innocent except for the fact that I stood against a dictatorship. When I served in the special forces I had some information on Saddam, his brother and family. They hated me very much." So prove your determination to defeat those who oppose a free Iraq by apprehending or killing them. Enough of the ratchet-jaw action. Saddam is gone but Iraqâs problems are multiplying and Latif faces the daunting task of taming a combustible mix of tribes, Islamic militants, guerrillas, suspected foreign fighters and fierce anti-American sentiment on the streets of Falluja. Latif dismissed the possibility that guerrillas lying low after the fighting could return with their rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assalt rifles. And thereby dismisses his own credibility. This is the wrong person for the job. "There are no insurgents. There are kind people," said Latif, who said he studied in Britain. The Americans have said repeatedly that foreign fighters played a big role in the violence. But thatâs another subject Latif brushes aside. "We have underground mujahideen. I believe 37 corpses are buried in the graveyard. I saw it with my own eyes," he said. "There are no insurgents. There are kind people," Tell it to the families of those who dangled from that bridge (preferrably, in a closed room). This guy is one huge retrenchment of existing problems just waiting to happen. Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-06 |
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