Islamic Army in Iraq warns fallujah insurgents government is using Israeli PM's tactics

AL-DHULUIYAH, Iraq - Insurgents in Fallujah have been warned against being duped by the promise of a deal with the government, in a statement Thursday attributed to the Islamic Army in Iraq.

"The mujahedeen (holy fighters) in Samarra were duped by the so-called peace initiative," said the statement by the army's so-called "Horror Battalion," a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

"We believe what happened in Samarra confirms that the Iraqi government is using tactics employed by Sharon," in reference to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

US and Iraqi forces regained control of Samarra after launching a massive offensive against insurgents in the city, north of Baghdad, on Friday that left about 150 people dead, most of them insurgents, according to the US military.

The operation also led to the arrest of 120 suspected insurgents but six of the alleged top leaders in Samarra have fled or gone into hiding, according to the commander of the operation, Major General John Batiste.

"We advise the mujahedeen in Fallujah not to fall in the same trap as their brothers in Samarra," said the statement, whose authenticity could not be verified.

"The coming days will see the punishment of the rulers of Salahuddin province who blessed the filthy Samarra operation ... They and their families are targets."

Governor Hamad Hammud had in fact warned the US military against the Samarra operation saying it would set the whole region ablaze.

He argued that a mediation effort by the city's notables and leaders to convince insurgents to retreat should have been given a chance.

The statement claimed, without elaborating, that the group has "executed three Iraqi informants who provided intelligence on the mujahedeen in the northern area and a Turkish driver in Al-Touz," south of Tikrit.

On Tuesday, US and Iraqi forces launched another operation against insurgents in the northern part of Babil province, south of the capital, arresting 60 suspects.

The government has also turned its attention to Fallujah, west of Baghdad, in a bid to subdue the insurgency bastion ahead of the planned January 2005 elections.

Officials in the government of Iyad Allawi have been meeting with community and religious leaders from Fallujah over the past few weeks in a bid to avert a showdown in the city, which has been a no-go zone for Iraqi and US forces since April.

The government has called for insurgents in Fallujah to lay down their weapons unconditionally, saying that some of them may qualify for amnesty while Fallujah delegates have demanded guarantees only Iraqi forces enter the city.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=11503