The comments by Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, made shortly after he
relinquished command of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force on Sunday,
amounted to a stinging broadside against top U.S. military and
civilian leaders who ordered the Fallujah invasion and withdrawal.
He echoed an argument made by many Iraqi politicians and American
analysts -- that the U.S. attack further radicalized a restive city,
leading many residents to support the insurgents.
"When we were told to attack Fallujah, I think we certainly increased
the level of animosity that existed," Conway said.
He would not say where the order to attack originated, only that he
received an order from his superior at the time, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo
Sanchez, the overall commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
Some senior U.S. officials in Iraq have said the command originated in
the White House.
"We follow our orders," Conway said.
"We had our say, and we understood the rationale, and we saluted
smartly, and we went about the attack."
From The Washington Post, 9/13/04:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16309-2004Sep12.html
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, September 13, 2004; Page A17
FALLUJAH, Iraq --
The outgoing U.S. Marine Corps general in charge of western Iraq said
Sunday he opposed a Marine assault on militants in the volatile city
of Fallujah in April and the subsequent decision to withdraw from the
city and turn over control to a security force of former Iraqi
soldiers.
That security force, known as the Fallujah Brigade, was formally
disbanded last week.
Not only did the brigade fail to combat militants, it actively aided
them, surrendering weapons, vehicles and radios to the insurgents,
according to senior Marine officers.
Some brigade members even participated in attacks on Marines ringing
the city, the officers said.
The comments by Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, made shortly after he
relinquished command of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force on Sunday,
amounted to a stinging broadside against top U.S. military and
civilian leaders who ordered the Fallujah invasion and withdrawal.
His statements also provided the most detailed explanation -- and
justification -- of Marine actions in Fallujah this spring, which have
been widely criticized for increasing insurgent activity in the city
and turning it into a "no-go" zone for U.S. troops.
______________________________________________________
A screwup which is only a part of the massive George W. Bush-created
Iraq fiasco.
Harry
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