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Militants tighten control of Fallujah

By Rory McCarthy

BAGHDAD, SEPT. 11. Militants in Iraq are strengthening their grip on Fallujah, four months after American commanders struck a ceasefire deal that was supposed to pacify the city and return it to Government control, residents said yesterday.

Militants have imposed religious law on communities, issuing edicts and executing those accused of spying and even stealing.

U.S. patrols no longer enter the city, 65 km west of Baghdad, and the Fallujah Brigade, a Government force established in May to maintain security, was disbanded this week.

Militants in control

Large areas of Fallujah are now entirely under the control of the militants, while other parts are patrolled by police units that sympathise with the militants.

A mujahideen shura (or council) has been established, bringing together about 20 leaders from various militant groups, often with different aims and tactics. Together, they organise guerrilla tactics against U.S. troops and enforce a hardline Islamic rule of law.

``Nobody can say they are controlling Fallujah,'' said Muhammad Hassan al-Balwa, a businessman who was the head of the city council until he resigned when the U.S. launched a major military operation against Fallujah in April. ``There are many sectors of power and there is nothing in common between their aims and their slogans.''

``I told the Americans, `If the people do not see any change then the resistance will become bigger and stronger'.''

Divided groups

He said the insurgents were divided into three groups: the largest comprises Islamist militants, some following an extremely hardline vision similar to the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan, in which they seek to establish an Islamist caliphate, a second group contains former Ba'ath party members, particularly from the military and elite security forces, and the third is made up of tribal nationalists fighting military occupation.

All three agree they want the U.S. military to withdraw from Iraq, but their visions of the country after occupation are unclear and often at odds with each other. For the past year, the city has been at the centre of the Sunni Muslim insurgency that has shaken the U.S. military occupation. More than 600 Iraqis were killed when U.S. troops launched a three-week offensive there in April, but this failed to curb the militancy.

``Fallujah is sitting on a volcano, and unless someone tries to release the pressure from the inside it will explode,'' said Dr. Balwa.

Islamic law enforced

But at the same time, the militancy has imposed its own law within its community.

Several people have been executed for stealing and robbery, said Dr Balwa. For some Iraqis, security has improved. But those seen as collaborators or spies have been punished with kidnapping and execution. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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