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The City of Fallujah: A myth of heroism in the Iraqi insurgency
 Since the beginning of the campaign to the Baathist regime, the city of Falluja, in the Sunni Triangle in central Iraq, has served as the stronghold for insurgents and terrorists of numerous organizations. The city is a haven for the remnants of the regime of Saddam Hussein, which include mostly secular elements (members of the Baath party, special forces, and former military and police). At the same time, it has attracted members of fundamentalist Islamic Iraqi organizations, such as Jaish Mohammad, Ansar al-Sunna, Ansar al-Islam, al-Jaish al-Islami, as well as elements of al-Qaida that have filtered across the borders. At the head of these "foreign" organizations is al-Tawhid al-Jihad, led by Musaab al-Zarqawi. Under the influence of al-Qaida, this organization recently changed its name to Qa'idat Al-Jihad Fi Bilad Al-Rafidain (The Base of Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers). Zarkawi came to Falluja together with hundreds of his supporters. There he gathered 11 rebel organizations, who in one way or another accepted his authority. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-01-02 |
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