By Ali al-Fadhily
Asia Times
"FALLUJAH, Iraq - The city that was mostly destroyed by the US military operation Phantom Fury in November 2004 has been under curfew for more than two weeks, with no signs of relief......
A recent spike in attacks against Iraqi and US forces in and around the city has prompted harsh measures by the US military, including imposing curfews, limiting movement in and out of Fallujah, and setting up more checkpoints throughout the city - moves which have greatly angered residents.
On May 19, most of these measures, perceived by many people here as a form of collective punishment, began to be more strictly enforced.
"Americans and their Iraqi collaborators are blaming us for their failure in controlling the city and the whole country," Ahmed Alwan of a Sunni religious group, the Muslim Scholars Association, told Inter Press Service (IPS). "This kind of collective punishment only means slow death to the people of the city and is adding to their agonies that have continued since April 2003."....
The US military brought in members of the Shi'ite Badr militia and the Kurdish Peshmerga militia to run patrols and checkpoints throughout the city after the devastating November 2004 siege. Many residents believe that this was an act of provocation and an attempt to foment sectarian conflict.
Concrete walls have been set up by the US military to partition the city into small areas, possibly in advance of a new wave of raids by occupation forces.
The US military is now supported by an Iraqi security force known as the "Anbar revolutionary force", which is accused of carrying out dozens of executions during the past months, as well as detaining hundreds of young men for no obvious reason......"
As the US occupation continues with no end in sight and the level of violence and chaos increases daily, more and more people believe that violence against the occupation is the solution......."
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