In Fallujah, civility returns

The eyes of Abbas Aswad shine, as a US Marine lawyer counts out 16 crisp $50 bills, and places them in his hands. The money is compensation to the Mukhtar village, to fix several fragile water lines broken hours earlier by marines, as they set up positions at the nearby Fallujah railway station.

As this Iraqi front line quiets down - there hasn't been any shooting in Fallujah in days - the payout is part of a concerted American strategy to shift away from war, and to resume the campaign to win hearts and minds. Indeed, perceptions that Iraq is a nation spiraling out of US control began to change this week. Thursday, the US ratcheted up pressure on radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, by seizing the governor's office from his fighters in Najaf. Moderate Shiites and tribal leaders have put forward plans to persuade Mr. Sadr to turn himself in.

However, returning to a practice that's been absent for more than a month, a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside the so-called Green Zone that houses the US headquarters in Baghdad, killing five Iraqi civilians and a US soldier.

Back in Fallujah, the Iraqi general entrusted with pacifying the city said Thursday that US Marines must withdraw quickly so that stability can be restored. "If they stay it will hurt the confidence, and we have built confidence. They should leave so that there will be more calm," General Muhammad Latif told Reuters.

Until such an order arrives, US soldiers are doing what they can with cash, food, and medical assistance. And this kind of campaign can do more than settle a debt. "It takes away their ability to be mad at you.... It shows people that we are here for them, to improve their lives," says Capt. Kevin Coughlin, the staff judge advocate for 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment who gave out the money. With such payments "you are making an apology for damage done."

US officers here say it is too soon to judge if this Fallujah peace will hold, but they are making post-war amends. It's not an easy task. US forces face deep skepticism about their actions across Iraq, particularly after revelations about the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. And the evidence of the ferocity of the past month's battle for Fallujah is everywhere.

Houses are burned or leveled; streets are strewn with rubble; feelings are frayed. The casualty count has been high - for both US Marines and insurgents. "Instability hasn't ended, just because no one has been shooting at us," says Lt. Col. Gregg Olson, commander of the 2nd Battalion from Cumberland, Rhode Island.

The result - in a city that has become synonymous with the anti-American resistance in Iraq - is no shortage of work for US officers now trying to defuse anger with cash and goodwill.

"We've always had two tracks: Be a better friend for those who want a democratic, stable future Iraq. We'll support them with whatever we have," says Colonel Olson. "But at the same time, these things can't exist...when people are afraid. These tasks [like compensation payments] drive out fear."

Page: 1 | 2