Clashes erupt in Baghdad, US offers Falluja truce

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10611310.htm

BAGHDAD, April 10 (Reuters) - Street fighting erupted in Baghdad on Saturday as youths with rifles and grenade launchers battled U.S. troops in a Sunni Muslim area, witnesses said.

Dozens of gunmen, faces masked by Arab headdresses, attacked a police station and shot at U.S. troops from alleyways in northwest Baghdad's Adhimiya district. Reuters journalists saw an Iraqi shot dead in his car as he tried to flee the area.

As violence struck the capital, the U.S. military offered a new ceasefire deal in the Sunni town of Falluja where a week of fighting has killed hundreds of people.

"Coalition forces are prepared to implement a ceasefire with enemy elements in Falluja commencing at noon (0800 GMT) today," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told a news conference.

"At this point it's an aspiration. We are hoping to use this press conference...to get this message to the enemy."

more

[dave29]

1. We're sorry we invaded your country

please don't hurt us

[SquireJons]

2. Big Mistake

First, 4 Americans are killed on the streets of Falluja, and 5,000 Marines stationed a couple miles away do nothing. Then, the Marines surround the city and attack it randomly, causing lots of civilian casualties. They fail to meet their objective of taking control of the city, fail to punish anyone specifically for the 'crime' committed against the American mercenaries, and the Marines sustain moderately high casualties. Within a few days, the U.S. offers a truce.

Brilliant!

And, unfortunately for 'the coalition' they probably have no choice unless they want to see the whole Provisional Council to resign and go over to the other side.

I'll bet that's just the way the leaders of the resistance described the plan to their followers. It's getting pathetically easy to predict American actions and responses. Therefor it will be easier to outsmart us. I believe resentment and mistrust against anything associated with Americans is much higher than what is being reported - even by polls. There doesn't seem to be any understanding of Arab culture or tendencies within the circle elite. What's to stop this uprising from turning into an Iranian style uprising, with millions in the streets? What would we do then?

It's almost as if an idiot, a paranoid communist hater, the embodiment of corporate greed, the extreme Likud lobby, and a toxic munitions salesman all got together and made this whole thing up.

Oh yeah, I guess they did...

[BeFree]

4. Yeah they did...

And the consensus from those ass-wipes was to declare war on the People of Iraq! Taking down SH was one thing, declaring war on Joe Koran, is quite another. They've over-reached and now they will be forced back into the hole from which they emerged.

[54anickel]

3. I read in another post yesterday that our troops are running low on

supplies and ammo. May be another factor in calling a truce.

[Zech Marquis]

5. yes, the convey that was hit

seemed to had contained the supplies needed to keep the Marines going on the offensive. Oops :crazy:

Don't forget, the Marines have called for several cease fire agreements--"hey don't shoot, we're out of ammo, food, and supplies". Would I stop attacking those convey trucks--nope! In fact, I'd keep going after the convey trucks and make the marines say,"ok ok, we're leaving back to our camp, this isn't working". The easiest way o stop a bunch of Marines with tanks and the latest hi tech stuff--simple, cut off their supply lines. That works just as good as an anti tank missile tearing up those M1s.

someobody in Fallujah's using that one straight from the playbook.

[underpants]

6. Gee sounds like we are negotiating with "terrorists"

Oh sorry now they are "insurgents". Odd how that changed.


BAGHDAD, April 10 (Reuters) - Street fighting erupted in Baghdad on Saturday and sporadic gunfire echoed across Falluja despite a new U.S. truce offer and an effort by Iraqi officials to secure a peace deal with insurgents in the western city.

[lumpy]

7. Kimmitt :

"At this point it's an aspiration (aspiration?) We are hoping to use this press conference...to get the message to the enemy".
Unfortunately the'enemy'got the previous message worded by Kimmitt 'aspiring' to kill them all.

[leftchick]

8. Looks like they got an Abrams tank too!

A U.S. Army Abrams tank burns after an attack on a highway junction in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, April 10, 2004. Street fighting erupted in Baghdad and sporadic gunfire echoed across Falluja despite a new U.S. truce offer and an effort by Iraqi officials to secure a peace deal with insurgents in the western city. (Akram Saleh/Reuters)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. Freepers are nervous - Say it ain't so Kimmit!

"Any word on whether the Fallujah Street Dance has been cancelled?"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1114328/posts

[sspiderjohn]

10. Wasn't it during the last truce we raked the city with gunship fire?

nt

[DS1]

11. "pacified with extreme prejudice"

:crazy:

[janx]

12. Not this again. There has been so much disinformation about

what is happening in Falluja that it's hard to keep track! There's a cease fire...no there isn't. C-130 gunships...no there aren't. And by the way, get aljazeera out of here! Member of the hand-picked Iraqi Council are in in Falluja, trying to work out some kind of deal...HEAVY FIGHTING IN FALLUJA!

And of course there's this thread about a possible truce, and at the same time, there's this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x477950



What on earth is going on here?