At vortex of violence - Fallujah

Tigris River towns like Tikrit, more influenced by Turkey, are less religious in outlook and don't share the motivation taken up by Fallujah since the invasion. So while Tikritis have not replaced the old rallying cry of "Our blood and souls to redeem you, O Saddam,'' crowds in Fallujah today regularly chant an adapted version: "Our blood and souls to redeem you, O Islam."

"It's gone beyond 'you killed my cousin so I have to kill you.' '' says Baram. "It's about religion."

That means the trouble in Fallujah could outlast the US presence. "Their motivations and political ideas are going to extend far beyond this period,'' says Nadhim Jissoor, a political scientist at Baghdad University. "If the right balance isn't struck, the people of Fallujah might very well resist a central Iraqi government."

For now, the US military is in a bind. Baram says one of the biggest problems in Fallujah is a fundamental cultural difference in how to wage war.

"If I kill someone from your tribe, I know another member of my tribe will definitely be killed,'' he says. "But people in Fallujah have learned that when they kill Americans nothing much happens. They learned that the Americans have different values, and this makes killing an American less dangerous than killing someone from another tribe."

Retaliation also has a price. US military commanders mulled options Thursday with few signs of US activity in the city. "If you hit the whole city, you will simply be expanding the circle of your opponents,'' says Dr. Dulame. "There's not much the Americans should do now but withdraw."

Since May 2003, Fallujah has been a staging area for attacks that have killed US troops and foreign contractors. About 100 Iraqi civilians have also died in area conflict since that time.

March 31, 2004: Four US security contractors killed, their bodies mutilated. Five US soldiers killed.

March 26: US firefight kills four militants.

March 25: 1 marine killed in ambush.

March 24: Ambush injures two US soldiers and three civilians, three others killed.

Feb 14: Insurgents attack Iraqi police station, killing 23 Iraqis.

Feb 12 : Attack on convoy carrying US Gen. John Abizaid.

Jan. 24 : Two soldiers killed by explosive device.

Jan. 6 : Two French nationals killed after car breaks down in city.

Jan. 8 : Nine soldiers killed when helicopter crashes south of Fallujah.

Jan. 2 : Soldier dies in helicopter shootdown.

Dec. 28 : Soldier killed by explosive device.

Nov. 8 : Soldier killed by explosive device.

Nov, 2 : 16 soldiers die when Chinook helicopter is shot down.

Oct. 28 : Soldier killed in "nonhostile" gunshot incident.

Oct. 20 : Soldier killed by explosive device.

Sept. 14 : Soldier killed by explosive device.

August 27 : Soldier killed by explosive device.

July 18 : One soldier dies, three injured by explosive device.

June 5 : One soldier killed, five wounded in grenade attack.

May 27 : Two soldiers killed, nine wounded in grenade and gun attack.

May 1 : Seven US soldiers wounded.

April 30 : US troops fire on Iraqi civilians for second time as crowd protests a shooting.

April 28 : 13 demonstrators shot dead.

Sources: BBC, Stratfor, The Guardian, Iraqbodycount.net. Civilian counts are based on at least two media reports.

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