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The Resistance In The "Sunni Triangle" (1 of 5)
Hazem Al Amin Al-Hayat 2003/11/10
The road of smuggling that has become the road of resistance for Iraqis and Arabs
The driver who took us from Baghdad to the city of Fallujah was an Iraqi originally from the southern city of Hilla. A man of around 40 years old, who had served in the Iraqi army for nearly nine years, during the Iraq-Iran war. He, among many from the southern parts of Iraq, was born and raised in Baghdad and still resides there. "Abu Zeinab" as he likes to be called, even though his older son is called Mohamad. Men in Baghdad like to refer to their parental figure prior to the female's name and not the male's. This provides them with a sense of a protectorate feeling towards their vulnerable daughters, and instigates further the feeling of pride and secure protection. Wasn't Saddam Himself nicknamed "Abu Hala"? Or even " Father of Iraq"?
"Abu Zeinab" was also a driver in the Iraqi army, and rambled through battlefields in a small truck, providing food and supplies to the soldiers. He later on worked as a driver and escorted higher-ranking officers in the Iraqi army. As we reached the city of Fallujah in Abu Zeinab's red "Golf" car, which his brother had finally sent him from Germany, we headed to the home of Abu Zeinab's previous superior officer in the army, whom he had worked with for a long period of time. Abu Zeinab had previously visited this house, which was located west of the city of Fallujah several times. He had carried supplies the officer used to send to his family. The meeting between the soldier who now drives a new car, which he utilizes for his job, and his discharged officers who was lying around with his tribunal uniform was peculiar. Feeling of mutual introversion and moments of complete silence and desolation dominated the scene. At this moment, the military rankings were retained whereby the soldier felt as though he was a soldier again, and the officer felt that he was an officer. Abu Zeinab, who was so glad that Saddam's regime had finally fallen, stood with a feeling of melancholy in front of the officer from Fallujah who had treated him kindly during his military service, and granted him amnesty from many charges which he deserves especially when I showed up late after his vacations. The fall of Saddam's regime was a major relief for Abu Zeinab. Yet a total alteration of the situation after the collapse of the former regime had no impact on the military rankings between the two men, as the officer asked Abu Zeinab if he was in need of anything him and his family. Abu Zeinab replied by saying that things were going pretty well, but in return he had no guts to ask the same question to avoid embarrassment. He was satisfied by exchanged companionate and poignant looks. It was really an intricate yet so ironic because the soldier seemed to better of than his former superior officer, accompanied by feelings of fear from what is to come.
In the markets of Fallujah, one could easily find former Iraqi officers left unemployed after the fall of the former regime. They spend their time in small shops that belonged to their relatives, unemployed in an attempt to kill time. The city of Fallujah was the one of cities most loyal to Saddam's regime, where conduit of loyalty was embodied in the various military institutions. In spite of that mere identification of the city of Fallujah, it is nothing compared to what this city is facing today. The city of Fallujah has the largest number of mosques as opposed to the population of that city, and it is the considered to be the central city for most of the Iraqi tribes. The feeling of strong tribunal harmony and inosculation is perhaps the most prominent in the city of Fallujah as opposed to other Iraqi cities. Perhaps this factor can be attributed to the nature to this city being a city that is highly militarized, and the fact that this city received many privileges during the past two decades.
Going down to the city of Fallujah from the major highway that is connected to Baghdad and the Syrian and Jordanian Borders, the city appears to be a heap of houses highly populated, with shattered green areas here and there. The city appears to be dusty, as the Euphrates River that passes eastwards of city while continuing to Habbaniyah lake (30 km east of Fallujah) has a minor diminishing effect. The entrance of this see has become well known, because its pictures has been see all over the media. At the entrance of this city, there is the Jordanian hospital, which located towards the vicinity of the industrial neighborhood of the city. There are all also at the entrance of this city many homes, and shops that seemed to be doing well and plenty of minarets. There seems to be signs of prosperity, and the neighborhoods that enclave the city of Fallujah were not considered in any way poverty belts. Our driver who used to visit this city regularly since the early ninety's said that he barley recognized the city because of the many changes that had occurred. Saddam Hussein granted this city, to military officers to build their homes. We strolled vigilantly in the car through parts of the city due to the escalated tensions, though we had previously prepared for this visit. People of this city despite the aggravated war against the Americans still maintain their daily lives and daily routines, which encourages a feeling of relaxation and tranquility.
Fallujah is the closest city to Baghdad among the district of Anbar, which was previously called Dalim district, named after the prominent Dalim tribe, and it is the biggest district in Iraq with respect to its area (170 square km). It is also a district, which encompasses the Iraqi boarder with the states: Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Even though it represents one-third the total area of Iraq, no sign of oil wells. Not to mention that it is poor in water resources, as the Euphrates River passes through the corner of this district towards the south, leaving this desert totally dry. This factor is reflected on the people of this district, whereby they were able to cope with the situation and they sucked the marrow out of life. Life in the desert is indeed callous, and cannot be controlled except by through strong unity as a sign of survival.
Fallujah is not the capital of that district, but it is the closest city in that district to Baghdad, and it has many characteristics, which makes it remarkable. It is the entrance of this district from Baghdad, and it is the most prosperous and religious city, not mention most loyal to the bath party. These characteristics are signs of the broader picture of what the city is witnessing today. One cannot speak alone of what happened to this city, during the past 12 years without referring to what has happened to the rest of Iraq. Social and economic mobilization came Abut as a result of the food for oil program. However, government authority and control deteriorated especially in Fallujah, where other districts where more prosperous because of the relevant efficiency of the food for oil program and the transfer of the economy from a state of catered favoritism, embodied by strong feelings to commitment to the tribe and the bath party. The district took advantage of its location, and the food for oil program. People used to smuggle goods in exchange for oil, and sell these good in exchange for cash. Most of these operations were held in the District of Anbar, where these operations prompted military and tribunal alliances. Many Officers had special privileges, and their own shares in these operations. Many of the tribes had historical connections with neighboring tribes in neighboring countries. These factors facilitated the conduct to these operations. On the other hand, the regime and it deteriorating institutions, disregarded these illegal operations and alliances in an attempt to persevere its remaining authority figure over this district, knowing that these deeds would not have been disregarded and these alliances secured certain religious groups that began to emerge throughout the mosques in this that district, outside the scope of and understanding of Baathist Islam. It is true that the regime went after these religious groups who infringed from neighboring countries, but these persecutions resulted only in imprisonment of its members for several months. These activists reminded protected by the tribe and their relatively close ties to prominent members of the security apparatus of the regime. And this regime (alliance system) will later on have a significant impact on the "resistance", for its methods of smuggling and ways of attaining money is very similar to the methods today's "resistant fighters" are using today to gather money and support for their fellow Arabs. The strong religious incentives and environment, which was the product of exchange of ideas in the early ninety's of the past decade, is the major motive for these resistant fighters. One could feel that the resistance of Fallujah is a life style, people have been used to all along. These resistant fighter use the same roads that used previously to sway around the food for oil program and attain goods by slinking their boarders in their 4 wheel drives, and perhaps organizing certain trades and establishing new tribunal relations with other tribes in nearby areas.
The current situation in Fallujah today has a direct impact on the nature if things in this city. The disparity in the city is something one cannot understand. One can get the feeling that certain parts of the city witnessed growth in a short period of time. This has nothing to do with the conventional conduct of prosperity, as this can be previously detected while talking to the citizens of this city. "Abu Dawood", the Sheik of the Alboushdid tribe in Fallujah says " the situation is Fallujah is better than OK, we witnessed tough times in Iraq, but not in this city. We challenged these difficulties through the unity of our tribes. Our economic situation is a lot better than what people think." Of course Abu Dawood, did not seem surprised as to why this prosperity in the city of Fallujah while the whole country was going through tough times. He conceives it to be normal, and claims that it was one of the secrets why this city had a high level of endurance and resisted the Americans.
Inside the market of the city, one could witness normal trading behavior, while the war against the Americans occurs outside the borders of the market. There are many shops inside the marketplace, where more than one sales person stand probably the owner of the shop and the previous officer in the army who is currently unemployed. Many circumstance that stimulates confrontation with the Americans. Those disgruntled officers really pose a burden on Iraq after Saddam Hussein. They seem to be really dissatisfied with their current situation, and all you need is to trigger one word and these officers would start complaining Abut their current situation and what has happened to them after the dismantling of the army. Abu Basel says " I am retired army officer, I was imprisoned for 10 years in Iran during the battle of Qadissiah, and I was released three years ago. Now I am unemployed after the dismantling of the army, and I have not been paid 100 dollars during the past 6 months. I am a father for 9 children and I have a wife". Abu Omar who was standing by seemed to enjoy his colleague's story had a different story to tell." Abu Omar is a retired colonel, who was deprived of his salary because he belonged to a party organization and was punished accordingly. Abu Omar has 2 wives and 10 children. The complaints of these 2 men do not come under the pretext of fulfilling their demands, but an attempt to describe the broader picture of what happened after the fall of Saddam's regime. In this sense, their demands do not synchronize in any way their plead for their salaries and their rejection of the occupation, who in the first place are supposed to pay their salaries. These officers who had dark faces and long well tweaked mustaches lie around the market place, and spoke with a pitch unusual of a man of their military position. They feel insulted by going to the market place, and the reason they do that to instigate further the feeling to hatred and hostility. During these circumstances, it is has become certain that many Baathist activist are able to infiltrate with their huge amount of money and invest it to produce a resistance and various military activities. Farhan Al Mohamady for example, who is from the city of Fallujah, and a member of the central command in the Baath party, has been recruiting many people from his own tribe by luring them with money, knowing that the unemployment rate in the suburbs of Fallujah is Abut 80%.
Youngsters that were standing in front of one of the bakeries outside the market of Fallujah approached our car and offered to sell us pictures of military operations against the Americans. These youngsters know that this sort of stuff a journalist cannot resist. They said they were supports of " Abu Udai" and he will come back to discipline everyone. With regard to the photos they said that they had not taken them yet, but they could do so anytime they pleased. The Americans are very close, and these photos can be easily arranged. They are the same people that come out after every operation, and they display pictures of Saddam Hussein. There people have become known to the press, and they constitute part if the relationship between the city of Fallujah and the rest of the world, but they do not represent the sole image of this city. The Baath party today represents nothing but an image of the dreadful past. Loyalty for Saddam in this city is apparent but dreadful. Majors gaps between various thoughts and various dispositions some indifferent to the Baath party, and some thoughts or dispositions are no longer afraid to announce their hatred to the Baathist regime. There youngsters and their parents who are probably in their 50's are the strong hold image of the Baath party.
One cannot document this kind of change in the city of Fallujah to the day of the fall of the regime. The city of Fallujah is well known through out the country for being a religious city. Some of its citizens even speak of becoming the religious headquarters for the Sunni Muslims in Iraq. It religious schools and religious clerks and the role they play is very significant in producing religious advisory opinions and religious books. Among the citizens of this city who were well know and their reputation far exceeded the city and even the county are Dr. Ahmad Al Kabissi and Sheik Abdulaziz Al Samarrai. In the city there are three institutes for religious education, whereby many of its graduates become eligible to attend Saddam's college for jurisprudence in Baghdad. Citizen of Fallujah say that they oppose any other form that might infiltrate, even if it was imposed by the Baath part itself. Many occurrences has take place when a Cinema was blown up when someone tried to open a movie theater under the permission of the Baath party. Another incident, when someone blew up a music shop and a movie store. However the regime was successful, in preserving the sentiment of the city in assimilate its needs, whereby the regime supervised the schools through the ministry of "Awkaaf", and did not make an issue of the attacks on the cinema and the music shop. The campaign of religious faith that Saddam started 10 years prior to the fall of regime was in essence his way of exercising control of the city, where he started to build mosques and renovated old ones. He also opened religious schools bearing his name, not to mention that he added the phrase " Allah Akbar" (God is the greatest), to the Iraqi flag.
However the milieu of the city of Fallujah, which was in a way cohabitation between the regime and the sentiments of its citizens, was the core element of change the city is witnessing today. A journalist from the city of Fallujah says that during the ninety's the city witnessed the emergence of many Islamic militant groups the city had known before. Men with long beards started to appear, and certain groups started to buy TV sets and destroying them in one of the roads of the city. The Iraqi regime then interfered by closing down one of these mosques for quartering such groups. Abu Hareth whose brother is a member of these groups says " My oldest brother is member of these groups, and he was discharged from the army for his affiliation to these people and he became unemployed, and he started to spend most of his time in the mosque. The Baathists were closely following him, and whenever they could they would arrest some of the members of this group. This happened many times in the city of Fallujah and the city of Abu Gharib, my oldest brother was never imprisoned because my youngest brother was a member of the Baath party, and he always protected him."
It seems to very clear the level of tyranny the city of Fallujah witnessed from the groups and the regime itself. The rise of such groups can be attributed to lack of authority of the regime. The regime is derives in essence its power and legitimacy mainly from these areas, and according it is very difficult to exercise total control over these areas, and a compromise was always reached.
The Americans had arrested the Imam of the mosque of Fallujah, Sheik Jamal Shaker, his brother and his nephew. The walls of the city of Fallujah are jam-packed with slogans calling for setting him free. The citizens of Fallujah are all talking about Sheik Abu Jamal's arrest, and his followers and threatening for revenge, not just for arrest but the fact the Americans entered their mosques a sign of humiliation to its sovereignty. " We all have weapons," says one of the supporters of the Sheik, and he adds, " every Iraqi citizens knows how to handle a weapon, we have served in the army before and we know how to fight." Sheik Mohamad Al Zawbaaii, who is a professor in the Institute of Islamic studies, and a member in the administration of the Islamic assembly of religious clerks Fallujah branch says, " It has become difficult for any Imam of a mosque not to preach for Jihad, people are insisting and persistent for Jihad." With regards to perpetrators of the attacks against the Americans, he says, " these perpetrators and youngsters of strong religious faith, the people from the former regime are cowards and their role is insignificant, and after every strike on the Americans they go down to the streets cheering and displaying pictures of Saddam claiming that they were the people behind these attacks" The sheik adds " there are three main provisions in the city of Fallujah: the tribe, the mosque, and the clerks, and the tribunal factor is the main incentive for vengeance, and the religious factor calls for Jihad."
A short period of time separates us from the fall of the regime and the beginning of strikes against the Americans, an identity that has been attenuated to the people of Fallujah. A lady from this city says that the "resistance" at the beginning was unorganized and tribunal, and was the result of the first clash between the Americans and the citizens of this city. Nearly 15 people from this city died, and the tribes then sought vengeance. Later on, in a short period of time many of the men who were member of the regime and who where scattered all over the country started to come back to the city, while many of them especially senior officials fled to Syria, and returned to Iraq upon the Syrian request. They engaged in military operations benefiting from their experiences and financial wealth, during this time mosques began to call for jihad. The lady adds " during the latest period, we started witnessing strange men wandering around the city, and most of them were probably not Iraqi's"
The city of Fallujah is situated one the eastern bank of the Euphrates river. The city is living its daily routines. The Americans in this sense are even more troubled today. The operations against them represent nothing but the ongoing sentiments of tribunal vengeance. The roads of operations have been long tested and experienced by these smugglers, and the nearby borders were never really borders separating neighboring countries, which is a situation the Americans did not clearly understand and apprehend, and are being trapped by everyday.
The desert situated behind the river, where a long paved road penetrates the desert, a scene one cannot describe. It is the road of Habbaniyah, named after the Habbaniyah military base. Along did road, there are army vehicles and damaged army tanks. At the end of the paved road, one could be easily surprised by an ocean in the middle of the desert. Only to find out that this ocean is actually the firth of the Euphrates River that is encompassed around the desert. One could also find many tourist attractions that were built alongside lake. There also seems to be from distant sight a small castle and a side street leading to this castle. One of the Egyptian workers says that " this is the castle of Udai Saddam Hussein, and this is his Yacht." And "Mr." (Referring to Udai) as the Egyptian worker like to call him, spends long hours and most of his time in that resort.
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