US Troops Surround
Falluja
By Aljazeera
08 November, 3004
Aljazeera
Fierce
fighting has erupted east and south of Falluja, as a full-scale attack
on the city seems imminent.
Large numbers of
US troops have taken up positions on the outskirts of the city as they
prepare for an attack on Falluja.
The US army closed
all roads leading to the besieged city after Iraq's interim government
declared a state of emergency throughout the country.
The northern Kurdish
inhabited areas are exempt, the interim government said.
As night fell, artillery
shells pounded a town east of Falluja, with tanks and helicopters offering
support, an AFP photographer embedded with the American military said.
Some 20,000 US and
Iraqi soldiers and marines are camped around the city awaiting orders
to launch an assault.
Peace talks between
the interim government and Falluja have fallen through several times,
most recently last month when interim leader Iyad Allawi threatened
another attack if residents did not surrender Jordanian fugitive Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi and other suspected al-Qaida linked fighters.
But residents of
Falluja insist that neither al-Zarqawi nor members of al-Qaida are in
the city.
They also say that
constant aerial bombing and artillery barrages are killing many civilians
in the city.
UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan has warned the US, Britain and Iraq that any assault could
undermine planned elections in January.
Nevertheless, US
commanders are preparing their troops for what could prove to be a costly
affair.
"You will be
making history ... 40 years from now, 100 years from now, they (people)
will be talking about the battle of Falluja," said Major General
Richard Natonski.
"If someone
raises their hands in surrender and starts charging you, what are you
going to do? Shoot him. Why? Because of the threat of suicide bombers,"
said Colonel Michael Shupp.
On Saturday another
military commander referred to the fighters in Falluja, as 'Satan'.
"But the enemy
has got a face. He's called Satan. He lives in Falluja. And we're going
to destroy him," said Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Brandl.