... President Bush and his senior national security and military advisers are expected to decide this weekend whether to order an invasion of Falluja, even if a battle there runs the risk of uprisings in the city and perhaps elsewhere around Iraq. ... Mr. Bush flew to Camp David for the weekend, where administration officials said he planned consultations in a videoconference with the military commanders who are keeping the city under siege. .... The military is planning swift raids by Marine riflemen — backed by helicopters and gunships — aimed at the insurgents’ leaders and their gunmen, while encouraging others in the city to evacuate or stay under cover. ...
The president and his advisers ... are keenly aware that if the operation to root out the insurgents kills many civilians — or simply appears to when reports are broadcast on Arab networks — it could spark uprisings elsewhere around Iraq, from Baghdad even to some Shiite strongholds where tolerance of the American occupation has worn thin. In Washington, officials still describe the fear of uprisings in Iraq as a theory, one they say may be overblown. .... Mr. Bush is described by many officials as convinced that if the insurgents hold off American forces there, they will try to do the same in other Iraqi cities. "The stakes are too high for us to leave," he said on Friday evening at a campaign event in Florida. "This is an historic moment. You see, a free society will be a peaceful society. A free society in the heart of the Middle East will begin to change the world for the better. No, they’re trying to shake our will, but America will never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers." ....
The chief Iraqi intermediary with the coalition forces has been Hajim al-Hassani, of the Iraqi Islamic Party. This mainly Sunni group has a place on the Iraqi Governing Council, but its position has been challenged by the events in Falluja. Its credibility has been undermined because it could not prevent the Americans from fighting in Falluja and it has been accused of collaboration with the occupation authorities. Helping to avert an attack could restore some of its prestige. Another person involved in the talks is the mayor of Falluja, Mahmoud Ibrahim. But it is unclear how much power he wields. Marine officers who have dealt with him say he is roundly disliked by many of the residents. He had been the mayor for several years under Saddam Hussein’s rule. The political situation has been somewhat murky, with rival city councils appointed by American civilian and military officials, and it is unclear how Mr. Ibrahim remained mayor. In any event, he told Marine officers earlier this week that he had no control over three sections of the city — Jolan, Hayal Askeri and Shuhada — which make up about half its area....
The American military surrounding Falluja — and, indeed, all across Iraq — took quiet and nearly invisible steps to prepare for an attack that increasingly seemed inevitable to commanders.... All across Iraq, American and allied forces were repositioning and preparing for bombings, mortar attacks, ambushes and even popular uprisings in case an attack on Falluja prompted violence elsewhere, according to Pentagon and military officials. .... Behind the scenes, senior American officials reached out to members of the Iraqi Governing Council, some of whom had publicly criticized the initial combat missions to pacify Falluja after violence flared two weeks ago. The goal of the talks, Pentagon and military officials said, was to guarantee the Iraqis’ support for an offensive to quell the insurgency in Falluja should all other attempts to pacify the town fail. A final information campaign also was being prepared, senior officials said. Just before an allied offensive into Falluja, messages would be broadcast into the town urging all noncombatants to leave the city and seek refuge in designated areas where food, water, medicine and shelter would be provided by the American military.
| It shouldn't have gotten to this point. All that bitching and moaning about Vietnam and quagmires could come true if we have control over militargy objectives run directly from the White House through the State Department. The decision on how and when should rest with the commanders on site. This is one of the rare times when I think Bush has been making a mistake. I hope he rectifies it quickly. |
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