AMS: Falluja battle derails elections

Muthanna Harith al-Dhari, chief of information and culture affairs for the AMS, also warned that the "tragedy" in Falluja "will not reinforce the US military presence in Iraq".

Al-Dhari, speaking to Aljazeera, said he did not believe the situation would end in Falluja as the rest of the country had been highly affected by the battle.

"I don't believe this case will end by eliminating the resistance in Falluja," he said.

"What has happened is a rare example of resistance as the city's circumstances have forced the fighters to stay, thus, distinguishing this battle from others."

Al-Dhari said since the beginning, "no one believed that Falluja will stand firm in the face of, and beat, such a military operation".

The US military operation has now completely changed, he said. The battle has lasted for more than 11 days, proving that resistance in the city is fierce.

More cities targeted

"Even if the battles in Falluja ended, many other cities are subject to similar battles, as the interim government has announced that 16 other cities will get similar treatment," al-Dhari pointed out.

"This is the evidence that the case [of eliminating resistance] is not over.

"What is happening in Falluja has highly affected the agenda of the political process and the elections."

This, al-Dhari believes, is one of the Falluja fighters' goals.
Aljazeera

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B54CF1AC-66E8-41C6-BD4F-58976C69C692.htm