[jessefan]

http://sify.com/news/international/fullsto...php?id=13303138

US soldiers venture into the lion's den


Saturday, 08 November , 2003, 00:34

Fallujah: Twenty all-terrain US military vehicles speed down the backroads of Fallujah in Iraq on a mission to break up an underground weapons bazaar in this volatile city's central market.


Heaps of garbage fill abandoned lots and children shout at the convoy. They do not wave or cheer.

This is Fallujah, the powderkeg that symbolises the sum of the United States' woes in Iraq. It was just outside this town, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, that a Chinook helicopter was shot down last Sunday, killing 16 in the biggest single attack since US troops invaded the country.

Here, when the soldiers dismount, more than 40 of them, and march down the winding street, a few children start to shout: "With our hearts, with our souls, we redeem you Saddam."

One of the soldiers, a young man no more than 22, yells at them, and they quickly jump back. The soldiers carry on, into a giant marketplace, with stalls of fruits and vegetables, sacks of wheat, clothing stores, and racks of women's shoes.

"We're very vulnerable at this moment. Keep your eyes open at all times," one of them says. It is the first time they have raided the market, which is a hub and center of social activity in this conservative town.

They walk past a DVD store, selling movies of Chechen Islamic guerrillas fighting the Russians -- clearly catering to those who enjoy holy war.

The soldiers move, with their M-16s pointed forward with sharp, gleaming knives taped to the end of the cylinder. The men are kitted out in full bullet-proof vests and have knee and elbow guards, in case any doors need to be broken down.

"Don't stand so close behind," one soldier shouts to a pair of teenagers, who get the message.

The danger is there for everyone. The platoon's Arabic translator has his face shrouded by a scarf and sunglasses, as he tries to disguise himself so no one will guess his identity and target him as a collaborator.

Snipers climb on rooftops and the helicopters keep circling.

Most people walk by in fear. A middle-aged man, his veiled wife and young son look down as they pass.

An old man, dressed in a brown and gold tribal headdress, picks up his pace, surprised to see US soldiers in the heart of his market on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer that takes on even more significance during the fasting month of Ramadan.

A shopkeeper props himself up against a giant sack of flour and glowers at the Americans coming through the market. He thumbs his worry beads and curses to himself.

The troops stand stone-faced and search cars and shops. They appear to find nothing. Perhaps their convoy was spotted heading through town and the arms merchants fled ahead of them.