The Wall Street Journal Review & Outlook The Price of Fallujah September 8, 2004
Monday's car bombing outside Fallujah, which killed seven American troops and three members of the Iraqi National Guard, is the latest of many blows to the First Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st MEF has the unenviable task of patrolling the restive al Anbar province west of Baghdad, and we're sorry to report their job appears to have been made all the harder by the hesitancy of their civilian leaders in the White House. Following the late-March massacre of four security contractors in Fallujah, the Marines sensibly decided it was time to impose order in the city, which had been largely left alone by the Army division that had previously occupied the area. But after several weeks of hard fighting, and just days from establishing control, the Marines were called to a halt by then Iraq czar Paul Bremer and his bosses at the National Security Council. The city was handed over to a group of local thugs euphemistically called the Fallujah Brigade, who have proven to be feckless or worse, and lately the city appears to have come under the sway of Taliban-like religious authorities. We understand the difficultly of the decisions faced by Bremer & Co., who feared that further use of force in Fallujah in April might have pushed that month's unrest beyond a tipping point. But it's also clear that the deal set a terrible precedent. Other Sunni towns like Ramadi and Samarra now appear to be slipping away from the control of legitimate authority, and Fallujah continues to serve as a haven for the terrorists and bomb-makers targeting American forces and Iraqi civilians. Monday's attack is a powerful reminder that however much the White House might want to keep Iraq quiet through November, the enemy will have a big say in events as long as they are left a sanctuary. The American people have shown impressive understanding of casualties as part of efforts aimed at victory in Iraq, but they are less likely to be tolerant of losses incurred in a holding pattern.
