| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Arab Surge: US Allies Use Harsh Tactics in Falluja |
| 2007-04-24 |
| A tribal coalition in western Iraq and allied with the United States is using harsh tactics in its battle against al-Qa'ida in Anbar province, including summary executions, and conscription, according to local sources. ... In addition to closing off the city, tribal forces are searching the rural areas around the city for al-Qa'ida-affiliated groups. As in Baghdad, rural areas around the city have been al-Qa'ida strongholds from which militants have proven difficult to dislodge. Amiriyat al-Falluja is a stronghold of al-Qa'ida militants, and the Front is clearly interested in cutting off the roads around it, in preparation for a direct assault. ... The Anbar Salvation Front (referred to by Iraqi sources as the Abu Risha group, using the tribal name of the groupÂ’s principal leader, Abd al-Sattar Abu Risha), uses harsh measures against its captured enemies, Slogger sources report. The group does not hand over captured al-Qa'ida suspects to the Iraqi police or even to the US military. When a group has concluded that any captive works with the al-Qa'ida militias, the suspect is executed with a bullet to the head. Slogger sources pointed out that these harsh measures were employed by al-Qa'ida-affiliated groups against its enemies. Payback IS a m*therf*cker, eh jihad boy? Residents of Falluja report finding bodies of people known to have worked with armed groups lying in the streets each morning, in an attempt to intimidate those who work with the armed groups of the area, including the al-Qa'ida-linked forces and the shadowy Jund Allah al-Mukhtaroun (Chosen Soldiers of God), which previously had made gains in the city. ... The tribal leader has also declared a conscription system in the area. Every family in Falluja must send at least one of their sons to fight with his tribal forces, on the orders of Shaykh Abu Risha. ... |
| Posted by:Brett |