is???? Because the stinking *insurgants* were using them to hide in.

I think you must distinguish between "insurgents" and civillian population. I think there has been an overkill in Fallujash: more firepower than was needed for the job.

It's hard to say what the marines should do when fired upon. First of all, I am firmly commited to the notion that they should never have been sent there in the first place. However, having said that, they are there and must defend themselves. But, bombing the livning daylights out of a civilian population is unconsionable. I don't know what the solution is. Fact is, we're in this urban guerrila warfare now, and it's very very ugly. As Colin Powell tried to tell bushie before we went there, "You break it, you own it."

Well, we don't own it, and they don't want us. Unfortunately, the void left by removing Saddam will likely be filled by something/one worse. That is, extremist Islamists who will run the country like Iran or Saudi Arabia runs theirs - highly oppressive to anyone not practicing strict Islam. At least Saddam ran a predominantly secular society. Now, we've got this mess. An unwinnable war. And, if we leave, a very bloody civil war will likely follow.

Seems like we've got a bloody civil war, anyway. This is an unwinnable mess, reminiscent of Viet Nam. I can't believe we're doing this again.

SUPPORT THE TROOPS. BRING THEM HOME

Here are the opinions from those that really count.
Taken from BBC.com

From BBCArabic.com: I am surprised at those who describe terror as resistance. Where was this resistance during Saddam's reign? Wasn't there any injustice then? Did he not kill thousands in cold blood?
Tariq, Baghdad

From BBCArabic.com: Some are shedding tears for Falluja and for the terrorists and murderers, but no-one seems to have spared a thought for the bereaved families who have lost loved ones because of the car bombs etc, manufactured by those criminals who call themselves part of the resistance. Allawi's decision is a sound one and should have been taken and implemented long before now. Iraq does not need criminals to defend it.
Wisam, Basra, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: Since when has the hospital in Falluja been a strategic place, so much so that it became the first area to be taken over by the Americans?
Younis, originally from Falluja, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com:I am originally from Falluja. I support the government in its use of force to rid us from the terrorist gangs that have been wrecking havoc in my city and causing pain to my people. I say to Arabs outside Iraq: Please save us your comments because you don't know the crimes that have been committed by these gangs under the guise of religion and resistance.
Ahlam Jamil, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com:I agree with Allawi's decision to attack Falluja. In fact, he should have done this much earlier, when the kidnappings started in Iraq.
Jaafar Al Jabri, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: If Saddam was now in power and decided to launch such an attack against an Iraqi city, I wonder what Bush and Allawi would have said about it?
Sattar Saeed, Baghdad, Iraq

After reading the comments on this page, I say to everybody who supports Allawi and the US army - you have closed minds if you think this will bring a free life for our people. Everything's going according to Sharon's opinion of the Middle East and George W Bush is the player - this is enough to say the result of Iraq crises will be worse than Vietnam.
Dawood S Alani, Baghdad, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: Falluja today is becoming the voice of freedom, justice and sacrifice in Iraq, as the south of Iraq was once, when it stood in the face of the tyrant Saddam Hussein.
Mohamed, Nasiriya, southern Iraq

From BBCArabic.com:I blame Dr Allawi for waiting this long to take this decision. But we are with Dr Allawi in his efforts to get rid of these criminals.
Uthman Deleemi, Ramadi, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: Imposing martial law is the right step to stabilise Iraq. The battles in Falluja are fought against foreign terrorists and insurgents.
Maher Abbas, Baghdad, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com:Iyad Allawi is not the decision maker. The Iraqi people are our family and they have every right to resist. Let's put an end to the distortion of the picture of the heroes in Falluja and all the resistance.
Luay, Baghdad, Iraq

There is no alternative to what the US Army is doing in Falluja. The city must be pacified. For months now those murderers and terrorist operating out of that cursed city have been kidnapping bombing and killing thousands of innocent ordinary Iraqis. It is surprising how people in the West have such a narrow viewpoint on this matter. These murderers bomb our schools and kill our innocent children, whilst the coalition is trying its best to build and help us move forward. It is not the coalition to blame it is not they who plot and plan these attacks.
A A Ali, Baghdad, Iraq
From BBCArabic.com:How can Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi declare martial law when he cannot protect members of his own government? And what state of emergency? What laws can he implement? Did he do anything when the Abu Ghraib scandal happened?
Ahmed As-Sumaidae, Baghdad, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: The decision of Dr Allawi is the right one, but it came a bit late. We all know that all suicide bombings in Iraq are linked to Falluja.
Muwaffaq, Iraq

From BBCArabic.com: I do not think that this is the right solution to solving the crisis of Iraq; I think that things will get worse and the Iraqi government knows that. Peaceful solutions are the best solutions.
Ali Ash, Shamel, Iraq

I read some of the comments on this page that describe the resistance as terrorists and cowards. I say the only terrorists and cowards are those that commit mass murder with some of the most advanced weaponry on earth against an under armed, yet brave and determined resistance that refuses to bow down to the arrogance of the US war machine. Iraq is being raped of its resources and her people killed to satisfy one man's bloodlust - this isn't about democracy - it's about domination. I pray for the resistance and the people of Iraq against the occupiers.
Muhammad, Iraq

I think there has been an overkill in Fallujash: more firepower than was needed for the job.

If that potentially meant the saving of a single soldier's life, it was only sufficient.

Cheers,
Daiwa

Ever seen pictures of Germany shortly after WW2? How many civilians died, would you say? Did we drop bombs on France? Of course. Were French cilvilians killed? Of course. Were we at war with France? No, we were liberating it.

Not that any of this means a thing to you. You have absolutely no interest in a balanced view. If this were a totally bloodless war you'd be here ranting about the emotional damage to these people. You couldn't care less about the opinions of the Iraqis that hate these insurgents that INTENTIONALLY kill their countrymen with car bombs, destroy their infrastructure, and behead those there to help them rebuild. I'm sure they are smart enough to see that it isn't the US blowing up their oil pipelines and electrical plants. You, on the other hand....

Face facts, most of these people we are fighting now hate the average Iraqi as much as they hate Americans. That is why Iraqis are targeted so much more often than US troops. They want a vacuum to create their 7th century ideal world, and the US isn't giving them one, as much as people like you seem to wish it.

You have the right to contintue spouting Anti-American hatred here at JU. People in Iraq can do it now, too. Isn't that great? Or isn't it?

Iraq Again: The Human Cost of the Assault on Fallujah By: Bahu Virupaksha Posted: Friday, December 03, 2004 on Discussion on History and Politics Message Board: Politics The American and their collabirating forces the British have declared Fallujah "Liberated". Dutifully the Western Media has reported this with all the usual claptrap of showing extreme "restraint" in the face of grave provocation from the "terrorists". I am sure decent law abiding citizens everywhere will be shocked to learn that in the two weeks of fighting that preceded the so called liberation, almost all the buildings in Fallujah have been destroyed

This is an unmitigated load of crap.From what I'm seeing, ALL the different media sources video say you do not speak the truth

Who is Michael Hoffman and where is his website? I find numerous different Michael hoffmans when I do a search. Does he represent a credible Arab news station or is he an independent who sells his stories? If the latter then not what I would classify as a credible Arab news source, and I would like to see more than one source for the claim of 15,000. I would expect agencies such as the red cresent, who are back in Falluja and providing support for its citizens to highlight such figures if they believed them to be true, yet they are among the groups admitting that the expected humanitarian crisis did not emerge.

Paul.