Fallujah Fighters ‘Not To Be Harmed’

“There are undeclared items in the ceasefire agreement. The two parties agreed that resistance fighters are not to be harmed by the occupation forces or Iraqi Defense forces that will supervise security in the city, as long as they (the fighters) stick to the ceasefire,” Mohamed Fadel el-Samarraie, the Islamic Party’s political bureau member and its representative to the negotiations told IOL.

On Thursday, April 29, U.S. forces have reached the ceasefire deal under which the occupation forces were to withdraw from the city, security matters to be transferred to an Iraqi force, in return for “turning in the heavy weapons of Iraqi resistance fighters”.

According to the Washington Post Friday, the surprise agreement, authorized by Marine Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, is intended to give more responsibility to Iraqis for subduing the city while attempting to defuse tensions by pulling Marines back from front-line positions.

“But some U.S. military and civilian officials privately expressed concern that Conway’s strategy involves too hasty a retreat and relies too heavily on Iraqis whose combat skills and allegiances have not been fully examined.”

The declared items of the deal stopped short of clarifying the fate of resistance fighters in Fallujah, sparking several question marks, especially after U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell has told N.B.C. TV station Wednesday, April 29, that “Fallujah fighters have no choice but to give in their weapons and leave or just turn themselves in”.

U.S. marines have vowed to capture or kill what they estimated as 2,000 resistance fighters they believed were holed up in the city – among some 300,000-strong population – and “pacify the community”.

Meanwhile, head of the Fallujah negotiating team, Dr. Ahmed Hardan, told IOL, “We reached a peaceful solution that has no military actions by both sides, in an attempt to preserve the blood and souls of resistance members.

“The deal does not mention expelling them (fighters) from Fallujah. They belong to the city. It is their home,” Hardan who is the manager of Fallujah hospital said.

Replying to a question on whether the Fallujah resistance is working under a unified leadership, Hardan made it clear “they worked as separate factions and individuals”.

“But they respect us. We now have bridges of understanding, as we represent all currents and trends of Fallujah.

“The deal puts the participation of U.S. soldiers in running the city at a very limited and low profile level not to provoke the people.

“The Americans said they wanted security to prevail to be able to reconstruct it”.

He asserted that the U.S. forces have started to pull out of the city as from Friday, April 30, adding the withdrawal should be complete.

“Once the Iraqi forces take over security, the situation will be much better and things will soon start being back to normal,” he added.

No Foreigners

The Americans have demanded Fallujah people turn over foreign fighters they believe are helping the resistance fighters. However, the former Iraqi general they picked to lead the Iraqi forces in Fallujah surprised them.

“There are no foreign fighters in Fallujah,” General Jassim Mohamed Saleh told the Americans, adding Fallujah chiefs asserted there were no foreign fighters in their city.

Saleh was replaced by a former Iraqi military intelligence officer – who worked under Saddam Hussein – to lead a new brigade that is supposed to bring peace to Fallujah.

“Muhammad Latif, who was an intelligence officer in the Iraqi army under the regime of ousted President Saddam Hussein, will lead the new Fallujah Brigade. Latif studied at the British Staff College for military officers,” according to the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Iraqi sources told IOL, on condition of anonymity, that around “60 Arab fighters have left Fallujah and withdrawn in an organized manner during the last five days”.