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Deal struck to end Fallujah siege

Apr-29-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

Some good news out of Fallujah?

[Link to Full Article]
By Jason Keyser, Associated Press

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Marines announced Thursday an agreement to end a bloody, nearly monthlong siege of Fallujah, saying American forces will pull back and allow an all-Iraqi force commanded by a former Saddam Hussein-regime general to take over security.

The Fallujah deal came after intense international pressure on the United States to find a peaceful solution to the standoff, following heavy U.S. bombardment of the city for the past two nights that was televised around the world.

Marines encircled Fallujah on April 5 and have fought an estimated 1,500 guerrillas in repeated battles as cease-fires unraveled, killing hundreds of Iraqis, including many civilians, according to hospital sources in the city of 200,000.

The agreement, reached late Wednesday night, was negotiated between U.S. forces and Fallujah representatives, including four Iraqi generals.

The deal provides for a new force, known as the Fallujah Protective Army, to enter the city Friday and provide security. It will consist of up to 1,100 Iraqi soldiers led by a former general from Saddam’s military, Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne said.

Marine forces will pull back from their positions in and around Fallujah, while the FPA forms a new cordon around it and then moves into the city, Byrne said.


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