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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (84816)	11/8/2004 9:41:32 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793801

CHESTER - Headline Roundup Doesn't seem to be much new news out of the battle this morning, but there ar some interesting stories, which I'll excerpt here. London Daily Telegraph November 8, 2004 'Cash On The Spot–If They Tell Us Where The Weapons Are' When Capt Kirk Mayfield of the US army goes into battle he will have Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and sniper teams at his disposal. But one of his most important instruments of war will be in his back pocket – a thick wad of dollar bills. "I'm going to get five grand," he told his platoon commanders at one of their final briefings yesterday. "If they tell us where the weapons caches are, where the IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and the bad guys are, we'll give them cash on the spot." Capt Mayfield, commander of Phantom troop of the 2-2 Task Force, emphasised that intelligence gathered on the battlefield could not only save the lives of American soldiers but also lay the foundations for stabilising the city after victory had been secured. Miami Herald November 8, 2004 Defenders' Aims Double-Edged? The U.S. military assessment of insurgents' goals in Fallujah is that they will fight hard and try to provoke a backlash against the expected assault. By Jim Krane, Associated Press NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. military planners and intelligence analysts believe that Iraqi insurgent leaders holed up in Fallujah will defend the city by combining scrappy fighting with a media blitz designed to provoke a worldwide outcry. The insurgents understand that they cannot beat the U.S. military but will probably try to hold off the assaulting forces, killing as many U.S. troops as possible and provoking a backlash in the United States over American casualties, U.S. Army officials say. ''He wants to make it as painful and costly as he can,'' said Army Maj. Eric Larsen, of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Brigade, referring to insurgents. ``He's testing us. How much are we willing to pay for that real estate?'' At the same time, the insurgents will seek to exploit public horror in the Muslim world as well as among U.S. allies over civilian deaths, with the goal of forcing the U.S. military and Iraqi government to negotiate, Army officials said. In April, the three-week U.S. siege of Fallujah was called off after mounting international pressure over high civilian casualties reported during the assault. For the insurgents, victory means negotiating an end to the fighting and retaining some control over Fallujah, or at least keeping the Americans out of the city. If they could fight the Americans to a stalemate, it would be viewed as a victory in the Arab world. ''They believe they can achieve what they did in April,'' said Col. Michael Formica, who commands the 2nd Brigade. ``Their goal is to maximize casualties and drag it out. They want to break the will of the United States back home and bring the Iraqi government to the bargaining table. They want to set conditions to maintain control.'' GOALS VARY Beyond those broad goals, the aims of Iraqi and foreign fighters differ, American officials believe. U.S. planners have long seen signs of a rift between the two groups. Iraqi fighters in the city seek autonomy from the U.S.-allied Iraqi government. They don't want to pursue the battle if the cost means the destruction of their homes and city. But Muslim mujahedin, including foreign fighters who have flocked to Fallujah, are thought to be willing to fight and die for the ultimate goal of an Islamic state. For them, Fallujah's destruction is a worthy sacrifice, the officials say. Formica described Fallujah as the ''Super Bowl'' for foreign jihadis willing to fight to the death against foreign occupation. `KILLING ZONES' Insurgents have had months to prepare their defense. Planners expect the toughest fight in Fallujah's old city and spiritual hub, the northern Jolan district. The densely populated warren of narrow alleys and attached houses provides the best possible fighting positions for the insurgents, who hope to lure U.S. troops into ''killing zones'' -- choke points with clean fields of fire, or booby-trapped buildings or areas that have been mined with homemade bombs. Explosives-rigged buildings are such a worry that the U.S. Navy Seabees have established a special team to extract people from collapsed buildings. The difficult part for U.S. forces will be to distinguish guerrillas from civilians.