A LONDON-BASED Arab newspaper is warning of the danger of a ‘new Fallujah’ by American occupation forces and their puppets in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
‘Baghdad is currently witnessing bloody combing operations carried out by the US and its allied Iraqi forces,’ said a commentary on the website of ‘Al Quds’.
‘Most of the victims of these operations are innocent people.
‘The media is banned from inspecting the sites targeted by these US campaigns, and we can visualise what happened to Al-Fallujah, Al-Qa’im and Al-Anbar in similar cases.’
‘Al Quds’ said that: ‘US General Joseph Fil announced yesterday that the number of attacks in Baghdad has significantly dropped after the launch of the security operation in the Iraqi capital, while Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki quickly telephoned President Bush to congratulate him on the success of the new strategy and security plan to secure Baghdad.
‘The number of attacks may have actually dropped, but this could be short-lived as this is not the first security plan announced by the government and implemented in Baghdad.
‘Besides, not everything that the Iraqi government says is accurate. . .
‘It is enough to draw attention to what Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffiq al-Rubayei said when he told reporters that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein broke down at the execution, which he was witness to, and that Saddam was injected with sedatives to control his nerves.
‘Then, the entire world saw that the truth was the complete opposite.
‘The late president stood before the noose brave and unwavering.
‘He refused to wear a hood and mocked his executioners and their vindictive sectarian shoutings.
‘The Iraqi government spoke about achievements on the ground as a result of its security plan.
‘It said the same thing on previous similar occasions, but, the situation went back to the way it was a few days or weeks later.
‘So, on account of past experience, it is difficult to be overly optimistic or believe everything that is being said.’
The commentary continued: ‘The new security plan may or may not succeed, but, what is certain is that the Iraqi resistance proved its ability over the past weeks to develop its operations in quality and quantity, as demonstrated in shooting down seven US helicopters in less than three weeks.
‘This development could be part of a new strategy it is adopting by focusing on US military targets.’
‘Al Quds’ called on ‘humanitarian organisations’ – particularly the International Red Cross – to visit ‘the positions that are under attack now in Baghdad, so they would tell the entire world what is happening.
‘Perhaps this can help ease the suffering and rescue the lives of hundreds or possibly thousands of innocent people.’
On Sunday, three car bombs exploded in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad, killing at least 67 people and injuring more than 120, despite the huge military offensive by US and puppet Iraqi forces.
The blasts occurred just days after Iraq’s puppet regime described Operation Imposing Law as a ‘brilliant success’.
First, twin car bombings in the main shopping centre of New Baghdad, a mainly Shia district in eastern Baghdad, killed 55 people and wounded 128, police said.
Shortly afterwards, there was a suicide attack on a police checkpoint in Sadr City.
On Sunday, Iran formally denied claims that the anti-occupation Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had fled to Iran.
Before Sunday’s blasts, Iraq’s puppet government had started to reopen its borders with Iran and Syria.
Trucks and cars began to flow over the Shalamchen border crossing between Iran and southern Iraq.
Earlier, ‘Al Quds’ said: ‘What is noteworthy is that the frequency of the US helicopter crashes coincides with the start of the implementation of President Bush’s new strategy in Iraq, including the security plan announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which began by closing the border crossings with Iran and Syria and increasing the curfew hours.’
Two main reasons could be given ‘to explain the failure of the security and strategic plans and the increasing number of crashing US helicopters in the various parts of Iraq’, said ‘Al Quds’.
First was the achievement of the Iraqi resistance with regard to the level of planning and precise implementation of its operations against the US forces.
Perhaps the biggest achievement in this regard was represented by the development of shoulder-held rocket launchers, whether those used against armoured vehicles or planes.
‘The Iraqi army left thousands of those launchers in secret caches, which it set up before the US forces entered Iraq,’ the newspaper said.
The second reason was the ability of the resistance ‘to successfully infiltrate the US telecommunication systems, whether through advanced electronic equipment or by planting informants in the US Army, which allowed it to obtain accurate information about the US military operations and the movement of planes, exactly like Hezbollah succeeded in infiltrating the Israeli intelligence.’
This was a big blow to the US military command, the newspaper continued, because it relies ‘directly on helicopters in pursuing the resistance men and attacking their positions, and transporting soldiers quickly to the hot points and evacuating those wounded in the battles to hospitals.
‘It is unlikely that the resistance acquired advanced weapons from neighbouring countries because most of those countries, if not all, oppose the resistance, recognise the Iraqi Government, and are afraid of upsetting the United States.
‘Iran cannot back the resistance in Iraq, and if it did, this support would be limited to backing the Shi’i militias affiliated with it.
‘As for Syria, it has vowed to tighten its surveillance of the borders to prevent the infiltration of volunteers in response to US pressures.
‘We do not believe that either Jordan or Saudi Arabia, Washington’s close allies and the most enthused to its project in Iraq, can support the resistance or permit supplying it with advanced weapons.
‘The US crisis in Iraq is worsening politically and in the field.’
l Al-Sharqiyah Television has reported on a curfew imposed by US occupation troops on the city of Hit in Al-Anbar Governorate, western Iraq.
The curfew is supposed to be lifted today.
It also reported last Friday that: ‘A joint Iraqi-US force today launched a large-scale raid and search campaign in Al-Jami’ah neighbourhood, in western Baghdad.
‘Local residents said that the joint force sealed off the area, banned entry to or exit from the area, and raided houses in the neighbourhood. . . Warplanes and helicopters have been flying over the area since early morning.
‘Meanwhile, tens of US armoured vehicles patrolled the streets of the area.’
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise visit to Baghdad last Saturday, as Senators in the United States were debating an emergency motion on Iraq.