US rushes armour to Iraq, Fallujah siege rumbles on

FALLUJAH – The United States is rushing tanks to Iraq, including the besieged city of Fallujah, where sporadic clashes yesterday followed President George W. Bush’s promise to do whatever was needed to retake the town.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to Bush to show restraint, saying bloodshed could turn Iraqis against the occupying forces just as the UN is working with Washington to restore an Iraqi government on June 30. “The more the occupation is seen as taking steps that harm the civilians and the population, the greater the ranks of the resistance grows,” Annan told a news conference in New York.There was no immediate resumption of the shellfire and air strikes that have shaken Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad, this week in the most devastating display of US firepower since the siege by US Marines began in early April.Local police chief Sabar al-Janabi told Reuters he was taking part in new talks with the Marines involving former Iraqi army officers and other leading citizens in the hope of reaching a deal to let US troops join Iraqi police on patrol in town.A Los Angeles Times reporter, quoted by CNN, said four former Iraqi army generals had agreed to try to bring control to Fallujah, allowing US Marines to withdraw.But the agreement is tentative and it is not clear if the Iraqi generals will be able to persuade insurgents to disarm.Thousands of people have fled the city of 300 000, where doctors say 600 died during a first US offensive three weeks ago in retaliation for the killing of four American contractors.A Reuters journalist watched US Marines open fire on a minibus at a checkpoint on the outskirts, setting the vehicle on fire.Up to four civilians died, a policeman said.Incidents such as the checkpoint shooting, often relayed on Arab television, have bedevilled US efforts to win over Iraqis, despite wide approval for toppling Saddam Hussein.Combined with heavy US losses this month, it all adds up to slipping support for Bush’s war plan in both Iraq and among the Americans who vote on his re-election in November.Latest polls and talk of rising war costs may trouble the president.Caught between a desire to avoid alienating Iraqis and a determination to root out armed opposition to the new order in Baghdad, US commanders have held off from assaults on Fallujah and a second flashpoint town, Najaf, to the south.Fallujah has become a symbol for the Sunni Muslim minority, long dominant under Saddam.Najaf, a holy Shi’ite city, is a touchstone for the long oppressed Shi’ite majority.Bush said he would not brook defiance from some 2 000 or so Sunni fighters: “Our military commanders will take whatever actions necessary to secure Fallujah,” he said.- Nampa-Reuters”The more the occupation is seen as taking steps that harm the civilians and the population, the greater the ranks of the resistance grows,” Annan told a news conference in New York.There was no immediate resumption of the shellfire and air strikes that have shaken Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad, this week in the most devastating display of US firepower since the siege by US Marines began in early April.Local police chief Sabar al-Janabi told Reuters he was taking part in new talks with the Marines involving former Iraqi army officers and other leading citizens in the hope of reaching a deal to let US troops join Iraqi police on patrol in town.A Los Angeles Times reporter, quoted by CNN, said four former Iraqi army generals had agreed to try to bring control to Fallujah, allowing US Marines to withdraw.But the agreement is tentative and it is not clear if the Iraqi generals will be able to persuade insurgents to disarm.Thousands of people have fled the city of 300 000, where doctors say 600 died during a first US offensive three weeks ago in retaliation for the killing of four American contractors.A Reuters journalist watched US Marines open fire on a minibus at a checkpoint on the outskirts, setting the vehicle on fire.Up to four civilians died, a policeman said.Incidents such as the checkpoint shooting, often relayed on Arab television, have bedevilled US efforts to win over Iraqis, despite wide approval for toppling Saddam Hussein.Combined with heavy US losses this month, it all adds up to slipping support for Bush’s war plan in both Iraq and among the Americans who vote on his re-election in November.Latest polls and talk of rising war costs may trouble the president.Caught between a desire to avoid alienating Iraqis and a determination to root out armed opposition to the new order in Baghdad, US commanders have held off from assaults on Fallujah and a second flashpoint town, Najaf, to the south.Fallujah has become a symbol for the Sunni Muslim minority, long dominant under Saddam.Najaf, a holy Shi’ite city, is a touchstone for the long oppressed Shi’ite majority.Bush said he would not brook defiance from some 2 000 or so Sunni fighters: “Our military commanders will take whatever actions necessary to secure Fallujah,” he said.- Nampa-Reuters