Marines preparing to reposition in Fallujah
From Wolf Blitzer Reports staff in Washington
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Fallujah has been ravaged by weeks of violence. Now, U.S. Marines are preparing to reposition so Iraqi security troops can take on a larger role in patrolling the city of 200,000.
"The opportunity is to build an Iraqi security force from former elements of the army that will work under the command of coalition forces," explained Gen. John Abizaid, of U.S. Central Command.
U.S. Marines will integrate with Iraqi forces, gradually handing over more responsibility for security in Fallujah. That means trying to disarm some insurgents, arrest others, and collect weapons.
But Friday brought a stark reminder of the perils lurking in the area. A suicide car bomb killed two Marines and wounded six others, just three miles outside Fallujah.
In Najaf, U.S. forces stake their positions opposite Militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, the so-called Mehdi Army. Coalition officials tell CNN they're trying to bring together local leaders to reach a deal for the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps to bolster security.
But in a weekly sermon, al-Sadr bolstered his hard line, calling the United States the "enemy of Islam."
"Some people have asked me to calm down my position and to avoid further escalation with the Americans. And I reject all aspects of this occupation and I will not give up defending the rights of the believers," al-Sadr said.
In Baghdad's Sadr City, an al-Sadr's stronghold, the body of an Iraqi is found hanged, apparently tortured and beaten, with a sign on his chest reading "Mehdi Army business."
