Mounting Carnage in the Fallouja Attack

Americans, who believe that after destroying Iraq, or Fallouja in particular, and killing tens of thousands, we will rebuild the country, are deluding themselves. U.S. forces are in Iraq to kill and conquer.

The conquest of Iraq is now impossible. The American forces attacked Fallouja with fully 10% of the U.S. troops in Iraq. Fallouja represents a tiny fraction of a hostile population.

Iraqis are patriotic and generally object to foreign invasion and occupation. The population supports the insurgency in large enough numbers to make pacification impossible. Two years ago, it was possible that 500,000 U.S. troops could have stabilized the country, but today, after the cumulative errors, crimes and deceit, the war will only cause ever more suffering, bitterness and death.

Politicians who speak of victory in such circumstances are advocating war and killing without end.

Michael Provence

San Diego

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There was a stunning photo on the Nov. 12 front page of The Times of the interior of a mosque in Fallouja. Glowing light flows into the mosque from gracefully arched windows, illuminating rows of colorful prayer rugs. It is a beautiful place, a place of prayer. But lounging on the rugs are American soldiers in full combat gear, machine guns casually sitting here and there among them. These soldiers are good men, temporarily or permanently sacrificing their lives, and courageously serving their country. But the contrast of soldiers and machine guns in a place of prayer and the seeming disregard, no matter what religion, was such a shock to my heart and spirit that I was brought to my knees in grief and tears.

Marian Ohnstad Peak

Huntington Beach

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Have our military leaders not learned that the key to winning a guerrilla war is subduing the guerrillas? The “senior defense official” seemed satisfied that a significant portion of the rebels and their leaders had apparently fled Fallouja before our attack. Does our official military strategy allow enemy fighters to escape and kill our soldiers another day? Does he not realize, “It’s the fighters, stupid”?

Hugh Sutherland

Northridge

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I found myself unable to read much of the reports Nov. 12 about the assault on Fallouja. The pictures and text were too upsetting and discouraging. That we are in Iraq “liberating” the Iraqi people by killing them and destroying their cities is beyond comprehension. I know, I know -- Saddam Hussein was an evil man who suppressed and killed many of his own people, but I can find no justification for what is happening in Iraq today. In order to have “democracy” in Iraq, we have to overwhelm its people with our righteous intentions by subjecting them to guns, rockets and bombs. The convenient delaying of the Fallouja assault until after the election tells me it’s all a political game. When the final toll is tallied, who will have damaged and killed more, Saddam Hussein or George Bush?

Marty Wilson

Whittier