EFL:
Guerrillas and residents of Fallujah had handed over only a paltry assortment of old and rusty weapons as of Thursday, prompting U.S. military officials to warn that a shaky cease-fire in the city may soon collapse. "We weren't pleased at all with the turn-in [of weapons] we saw yesterday. In terms of volume, it amounted to about a pick-up [truck] full," Lt. Gen. Jim Conway said, characterizing the turned-in weapons as "junk."
| Did you expect anything else? |
"It's our estimate the people of Fallujah have not responded well to the agreements ... that the weapons turn-in would be a reflection of their desire to end the situation peacefully," Conway added. "I think what happens next is in the hands of the negotiators."
| The "Army of Jim" is pissed. |
U.S. officials said the weapons deal's success hinged on whether the Fallujah negotiators — a group of local civic leaders — could convince the guerrillas to comply. Enemy forces in Fallujah had "days, not weeks" to turn in heavy weapons, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told Fox News, warning that patience was running thin and that U.S. forces would go back on the offensive if more weapons weren't handed over. A U.S. military general in Baghdad sent Fox News photos of old and rusty weapons that rebels handed over to the U.S. military. Marines said few weapons had been turned in and that most that had been were old or didn't work.
| Don't need to check the meter on this one. |
The handover was supposed to be part of an agreement in which city leaders were to persuade insurgents to hand over heavy weapons in return for a U.S. promise to not storm the city and instead allow the return of families that had fled. "These may be early indications that the insurgents may not be living up to the requirements of the agreement," said Marine Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne.
| Not much slips by Brennan, does it? |
| Just wait until the local holy men suggest raising a tribal lashkar to deal with the Bad Guys... |
The weapons collected are a "signal that the turnover is not proceeding in good faith," Togo West, former Army secretary, told Fox News. "Our forces are going to have to decide whether they can leave that stronghold in the hands of those causing the struggle," he said. "I think they'll [Marines] probably wait a little longer to see if there can be any further successes. If not, they're just gonna have to go ahead and do their job."
On Thursday morning, Marines stopped letting residents return to Fallujah. About 10 families had made it back into the city before another 600 Iraqis waiting at a Marine checkpoint were told that no more would be allowed to enter.
| "You really don't want to go in there, trust me." |
| Now they'll go back to one of the neighboring towns and seethe... |
The terms of the deal called for all large weapons to be handed in: machine guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, improvised explosive device and the like. But the weapons being turned in did not meet those descriptions, with some even being duds, suitable for training purposes only.
| Sigh, not even being clever about it. |
Conway said U.S. forces wanted the "good people" of Fallujah to turn in rebels in the city to avoid more violence.
| ... but neither of them wants to right now... |
"[If] we can do that, a lot of innocent people can avoid being hurt. If the negotiators can cause that separation, then we will deal with what's left," Conway said. He said he agreed with the political effort to find a peaceful solution, but said that it had halted the military momentum. "We had momentum on our side and our losses were very small until the point we were told to halt and allow negotiations to take place," Conway continued. "I think those [losses] will be more significant if we do continue. But that's just the military losses and doesn't take into account civilians and those caught between."
| Next time, I don't think there will be any stopping till it's over. |
| A dollar says the holy men are calling for a unilateral ceasefire within 24 hours of the festivities starting up again. That's with the "unilateral" coming from our side, of course... |
The New York Times reported that U.S. military commanders have pulled in reinforcements from the western desert to build a force of more than 3,500 around Fallujah. Marines are conducting raids in the suburbs to kill or capture fighters, find weapons and dry up support for militants, one officer said. The units are restocking several days' worth of food, fuel, water and ammunition. Super Cobra attack helicopters and Air Force AC-130 gunships prowling the night skies will soon be joined by several AV-8B Harrier attack jets, the Times reported. In the past month, the Air Force has doubled to 50 the number of strike missions flying on call over Fallujah and other western cities.
Conway said the ceasefire was violated Wednesday by a group of between 60 or 80 insurgents on the northwest side of Fallujah. He said he believes there are a "hardcore of a couple of hundred" foreign fighters and several hundred others "influenced by their imams and the idea of jihad." Conway said a tight cordon was in place around Fallujah, which he hoped would prevent fighters from slipping away.
| There's probably no such thing in that kind of situation. But we can make the chances of successfully slipping away somewhat worse than they were at Wana... |
When asked if he thought insurgents would surrender, Conway replied: "They want to fight as long as they can and go down for the cause, and that's what I think we're dealing with. But, of course, if they want to turn themselves in, then we would be delighted."
| "Surprised, but delighted." |
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