Good News From Falluja

[Annie]

http://www.fumento.com/military/fallujah.html

National Review Online, June 1, 2005
Copyright 2005 National Review Online

Fallujah, Iraq – Critics of the attack on Fallujah last November often invoked the damning (and mythical) utterance from Vietnam: "We had to destroy the village to save it." Never mind that the alternative to the massive assault on the city backed by artillery, tanks, and aircraft would either be a huge loss of American lives or simply allowing the al-Qaida cut-throat al-Zarqawi to keep it as the terrorist headquarters for all of Iraq. Forget that the city was already crumbling from the neglect of Saddam Hussein's regime. Today Fallujah is on the mend and then some, a symbol of renewal and American-Iraqi cooperation.

Although the area is still "red" – meaning hostile – as is all of the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force is extending power lines and laying water and sewage pipes at a steady pace. Rubble and explosive ordinance – some left over from the fighting and some freshly laid by the insurgents – is being removed. Schoolhouses and hospitals are being fixed and erected. As a bonus, military-age males (known by the abbreviation "MAM") are receiving good wages to build things instead of blowing up people.

As I traveled through the slowly repopulating city – about half of the original 250,000 are believed to have returned – I saw awesome scenes of destruction. But I also saw thriving markets, stores selling candy and ice cream, and scores of children delighted to see Americans. I did more waving than the beauty queen in the 4th of July parade and the kids squealed with delight when I took their picture – or pretended to.

"We're mostly known for killing the bad guys" says Lt. Col. Harvey Williams, a reserve officer with the Marine 5th Civil Affairs Group. But killing alone can't defeat the insurgency. Win over the populace or lose the war....

 

[nosarcasm]

Once you present us with aerial bombardment of Fallujah
Tokya style (burn them) I might agree with your upbeat
assumption.

You can either be feared or loved. Make your pick.

Fallujah became such a problem because of the despicable
retreat by politicans in the first round of conflict. Then they
handed out the city to those "friendly" militias. Later the Marine
at to clean up the mess.

I doubt that the Sunni's in Fallujah will ever thank the Americans
for getting kicked out of power (assuming that the Shiites
and Kurds will share the power in the future) But I guess
the population of Fallujah got the message.