The Washington Post has a story about the residents of Fallujah that decided to remain in the city during the battles of the past week. While the article predictably focused on the damage done to the city, this revealing quote was buried at the end:
The uncle, Mohammad, who also did not give his last name, said he blamed foreign insurgents in the city for forcing the battle with American forces. “If the Arab fighters leave the town, nobody can be hurt,” Mohammad said.
Those who chose to remain behind while the US and Iraqi forces cleansed Fallujah of insurgents have lived through hell. As artillery and airstrikes rained down on the city and battles raged outside, residents hid in their homes and hoped that their food and water supplies would last. Now that the battles have ended, they have emerged to find large parts of their city in ruins. But they expressed relief, not revulsion, at the sight of Iraqi and American troops who have quickly moved to provide humanitarian relief.
Despite the travails endured by those who remained in Fallujah, the Washington Post was unable to dig up even one enraged citizen. Iraqis quoted in the article expressed sadness, thanks to God for protecting them, and hatred of the insurgents, but no anger towards America. This anger, which was predicted to fuel the creation of two insurgents for every one that we killed, has simply not materialized. Instead, the insurgency appears seriously weakened, if not completely broken.
The gambit used by the insurgents in Fallujah is reminiscent of the Tet Offensive. During Tet, NVA and VC forces broke with their hit-and-run insurgent roots and launched a massive attack all across South Vietnam, exposing themselves to the full military might of the US. The result was preordained: the US won a stunning victory. The popular uprising the Communists hoped to spark never materialized and they were unable to reconstitute their numbers for years afterwards. But while the Communists lost the battle, they won the war, as images of the conflict gave the antiwar movement in America the energy it needed to force the United States to abandon the conflict.
Once again in Fallujah an insurgency has suffered a crippling defeat when it decided to stand up and fight against a far superior military force. But this sacrifice has gained the insurgency nothing. At this point, the Iraqi people are more likely to rush to join the new Iraqi security forces than the insurgency. And the images coming out of Fallujah, far from providing support for the antiwar movement, show people who are courageously enduring what they know they must in order to secure freedom and democracy for their country.
More:
Power Line: “Fallujans Welcome Liberation“
Sean Christofferson at 9:07 pm
