"During the 1991 Gulf War, the town suffered more than 100 civilian deaths when US missiles slammed on a busy central marketplace"
Fallujah Horror Points to Rising Anti-American Rage
BAGHDAD - The horrific killing and dismemberment of American civilian contractors in the Iraqi rebel town of Fallujah was evidence of mounting anti-US rage and a serious blow to coalition efforts to control the "Sunni Triangle".
A year after the US-led military coalition ousted president Saddam Hussein's regime, Fallujah and nearby regions have witnessed bombings, shootings and anti-occupation protests on a daily basis.
American soldiers have been killed, helicopter gunships downed, Humvees all-terrain vehicles bombed, while Iraqi policemen and officials perceived as collaborating with the occupation authorities have been gunned down.
But horror struck the town on Wednesday when angry residents hacked the charred remains of two of four American civilians killed in an ambush before hanging them from a bridge for the crowd to stone them and cheer.
"Fallujah will be the graveyard of the Americans," many repeated.
"Death to America, death to occupation, yes to Islam," echoed across the dusty town, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad.
The gruesome pictures of the terrible incident filled airwaves and front pages around the world, reminding many of the grisly scene surrounding the deaths of US soldiers in Somalia in 1993 that led to an eventual pullout.
"What happened was terrible but one should not exaggerate its impact, as the Americans are on a different mission in Iraq," said a diplomatic source.
"It will not lead to a pullout, but it will surely make them think seriously about their presence, especially with the expected public opinion pressures," said the diplomatic source.
But most of all, the incident showed the anger boiling in Fallujah, at the heart of the Sunni Triangle, northwest of Baghdad, and where insurgent attacks continue steadily to claim lives despite coalition raids, arrests and killings.
"The horrific scenes should awaken us all. The situation is not as simple as the Americans and the coalition want to present it. The problem cannot be resolved with violence," said the diplomatic source.
"The Americans may have been killed by the guerrillas, but they were dismembered by residents, so it is clear that there is a real hatred from the man on the street," it said.
As for the insurgent attacks, the coalition blamed Saddam followers or Al-Qaeda, while US overseer Paul Bremer vowed that "their deaths will not go unpunished. They (the contractors) have not died in vain."
Contrary to most reports, the Sunni town of Fallujah has never been a stronghold of Saddam Hussein despite the fact that his iron-fisted regime relied mainly on a close circle of Sunni followers.
The town was deprived under the ousted regime.
Fallujah and the rest of Al-Anbar province are ruled by Sunni conservative tribes who have traditionally resisted submission to foreign occupiers or government forces seeking to control the area by force.
Under Saddam, imams across the town refused to abide by his orders to praise him personally during daily prayers.
The "city of mosques," as it is known, is also home to a plethora of Sunni currents and religious schools, including Salafists.
After the fall of the secular Baath party regime last year, hairdressers and music shops were forced to shut down by threats and sometimes bombings.
Only a few political parties are represented in town, except for Islamic groups and the movement calling for the restoration of the monarchy of the Hashemite family of descendants of Prophet Mohammed.
Fallujah also has a long enmity with the United States.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the town suffered more than 100 civilian deaths when US missiles slammed on a busy central marketplace.
After the fall of the Saddam regime, US troops attempted to take up position in the town, especially inside the municipal council building, but deadly attacks forced them out of town.
Since then, their nearby bases and patrols passing across town have been constantly targeted by insurgents and residents accuse the US forces of harsh retaliation in which civilians are killed.
commondreams.org |
