INDCJournal: Wish You Were Here! (& Caveat)

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September 08, 2007

Wish You Were Here! (& Caveat)

Posted by Bill

I'm holding a Russian shoulder-fired surface-to-air-missile (SAM), part of a weapons cache found by IPs and brought back to Fallujah Police Headquarters today. At my feet are fuses, detonators, an anti-personnel mine and a French anti-tank missile launcher. Out back were mortars and other artillery rounds of all shapes and sizes, often used for IEDs. One IP casually strolled into the station carrying an immense, fused artillery shell. The Marines yelled at him to "get it the hell outside," though I was already high-tailing it up the stairs before they could finish the instruction.

One piece of information to caveat my initial positive impressions of Fallujah: a significant reason the city is so peaceful is a ban on non-commercial vehicle traffic instituted at the request of the police a couple of months ago, after a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) killed and maimed Fallujans attending the funeral of a slain cop. This vehicle ban has assisted the security situation and given breathing space for the marines and IPs to finish Operation Alljah, described here. A test of Fallujah's new security gains may come when the ban is lifted. As the recent cordon off of neighborhoods prevents insurgents from escaping if they stage an attack, this, in conjunction with a large increase in tips from the populace and a smaller pool of local insurgents, should severely curtail activity from troublemakers who want to live.

Radical mujahadeen only interested in making a one-way trip will test access into the city, however. Time will tell.

This factor does not invalidate the immense gains made by the Iraqi Police and overall security in Fallujah since my last visit. Much more detail to follow.

In the meantime, check out my new pictorial essay on Operation Alljah, and stay tuned for more updates as I complete my embed with the Police Transition Team.

*****

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Posted by Bill at September 8, 2007 02:22 PM | TrackBack (0)

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Comments

Sexy.

Posted by: Flea at September 9, 2007 12:20 PM

Is that a SAM in your hand or are you just happy to see me? :)

Want to thank you for adding the Caveat, as Americans and others try to make heads or tails of the situation the more information (good or not so good) we have the better.

Posted by: Knighthawk at September 9, 2007 04:39 PM

Bill,

Wanted to know if the Iraqi Criminal Justice system has begun to deal with detainees in Fallujah?

Stay safe,

Brian

Posted by: Brian at September 10, 2007 08:16 PM

That SAM could have fed a lot of hungry kids. But no, the Islamists want to grab power for themselves at any cost. And then the American lefists side with the Islamists as their heroes. bin Laden is now a bona fidi leftist.

Posted by: morteza at September 10, 2007 11:47 PM

Lunch?

Posted by: Greyhawk at September 11, 2007 10:05 AM

Brian -

Yes, a system exists now. Further detail in an upcoming overview of the Iraqi Police.

Greyhawk -

Yep, lunch. Good, too.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at September 11, 2007 01:32 PM