Rumsfeld: U.S. Troops Arresting Suspects in Falluja

Reuters ^ | 04/06/04 | Charles Aldinger

[Pikamax]

Rumsfeld: U.S. Troops Arresting Suspects in Falluja Tue Apr 6, 2004 11:53 AM ET

By Charles Aldinger WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops armed with photographs have captured a number of people in the restive city of Falluja in Iraq in a search for those responsible for an ambush that killed four American security guards there last week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday.

"The (U.S.) forces have cordoned off the city. They have photographs of a good many people who were involved in the attacks against the individuals and they have been conducting raids in the city against high-value targets," Rumsfeld told reporters in Norfolk, Virginia.

"They have captured a number of people over the last 36 hours. The city is isolated. A number of people have resisted and been have killed. It will be a methodical effort to find the individuals who were involved," he added.

Rumsfeld spoke at a news conference in Norfolk with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as U.S. and other foreign troops fought gunbattles in several Iraqi cities with militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The militia leaders have vowed to resist the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

The United States says it will end the insurrection by Sadr, which has taken the lives of a growing number of U.S. troops and dozens of Iraqis.

Washington also has vowed to find those responsible for killing the four American security guards last week in the Sunni city of Falluja. The bodies of the slain Americans were mutilated and dragged through the streets.

"Clearly all of the people in the city of Falluja were not involved in what took place," said Rumsfeld, who praised the performance of the U.S. troops.

Rumsfeld told reporters that he had seen no indication that the growing violence in Iraq would push the Bush administration to postpone a scheduled handover of power to an interim Iraqi government at the end of June.

He said there were about 135,000 U.S. troops currently in the country in a transition that originally planned to draw the force down to about 115,000 in the summer. Any decision to send more U.S. troops to Iraq would have to come from commanders on the scene, he added.

"They will decide what they need and they will get what they want," Rumsfeld said when asked about comments by a senior U.S. Central Command official on Monday that U.S. commanders did not see the need for additional troops now, but were planning for any contingency.

[zarf]

Thank goodness we have leadership who are rational actors.

I would of leveled Fallujah and then nuked it for good measure.

[johnfrink]

"U.S. troops armed with photographs have captured a number of people..."

That must be the famed .50 Kodak I've been hearing so much about.

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[wolicy_ponk]

[sarasota]

Yeah, so glad to hear of the arrests. Now we get to supervise, feed and clothe the animals.

[ImpotentRage]

You are so right. And have the International Red Cross make sure that we are treating them properly. I am for ridding the earth of them once and for all. Enough of this arresting garbage.

[oolatec]

Why bother arresting them... deal with the problem NOW instead of prolonging it...

[justshutupandtakeit]

How idiotic this RATmedia is, how devious and evil. Riots and some skirmishes are painted as though this was Chickamuga or Antietam. As though the American military could be defeated by such minor things.

These opening salvos of the Kerry campaign should be met firmly, with resolve and without hysteria. Fortunately that is what our leaders are doing. How many deaths will be on the heads of the RATmedia and the DNC because of their divisive encouragement of the enemy?

[justshutupandtakeit]

We need nothing more than you Shoot and Ask Questions Later Brigades. I hope you aren't Policemen. Or have to move outside your caves.

Fortunately the adults are in charge.

You need to watch the Godfather and see what happened to Sonny.

[MattinNJ]

Ditto. I guess guys like us are unelectable.

[metoooo]

THE ONE THEY WANT IS SADR...if they don't get him they are qasting their time

[justshutupandtakeit]

There is such a thing as proper procedure and identification. We milk info from those arrested and use that to KILL MORE. Why just kill a couple of guilty and dozens of innocents when we can kill more later after destroying their dens and getting information later.

Would it have been better to kill Sheik Mohammed than capture him? No. Would it have been better to kill Saddam than capture him? Maybe but I am looking forward to seeing him in the dock defended by a Frenchman myself. Then we can kill him.

I used "kill" Seven times in this post maybe that will make you happier.

[r9etb]

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Gesundheit!

[justshutupandtakeit]

See #13

[VOA]

bump

[Wiggins]

I have to agree with you. It just makes no sense to arrest these fanatical murderers. They will be imprisoned for a time draining more of our resources only to be released in the future to continue their attacks against us.

[Core_Conservative]

U.S. Troops Arresting Suspects in Falluja

This may be a stupid statement (but I'm making it anyway)...Why the hell are we "arresting" them - isn't this still a war and in a war zone?

[Cap Huff]

We definitely want Sadr, but he isn't anywhere near Fallujah.

[daviddennis]

For similar views expressed exceptionally well, you really can't beat Mark Steyn

Enjoy!

D