Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=4/1/04

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

NAME=FALLUJAH DEATHS

NUMBER=6-130321

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

INTRO: The grisly deaths of four U-S civilian security workers in Fallujah, Iraq, Wednesday is being greeted with outrage and resolve in the American press. V-O-A's___________ joins us now with a sampling of reaction in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Several U-S newspapers feature front-page photos of two burned bodies hanging from a bridge over the Euphrates River. Below the corpses are cheering Iraqis. Many papers are drawing comparisons to a somewhat similar scene from 1993 when 18 U-S troops were killed by fighters on the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. That incident caused President Bill Clinton to withdraw American forces from Somalia. New York's Wall Street Journal has this comment on what happened in Fallujah:

VOICE: Yesterday's massacre ... should serve as a wake-up call to the occupation forces that democracy will have a hard time taking root in Iraq so long as justice takes a holiday. We'd have thought ... the immediate round-up of all those caught on film participating in this heinous act would be a no-brainer, but apparently Fallujans fear no such response. And why should they?

Not a single one of the thousands of Iraqis and jihadists detained for plotting or participating in attacks on coalition forces and civilians has so far been visibly punished. ... Is this how [General] Douglas MacArthur would have administered Iraq?

TEXT: But a resolute Chicago Tribune explains why "America won't cut and run":

VOICE: ... the ambush deaths of four contract workers -- whose bodies ... were mutilated by a mob -- catapulted the American psyche back to 1993, when Somali militia fighters attacked U-S Army Rangers and Special Forces ... in Mogadishu ... [dragging] their corpses through dusty streets. What's likely to be different this time ... is the reaction here ... even a day as horrific as Wednesday won't tempt the current president to pull troops out of Iraq.

TEXT: The Dallas [Texas] Morning News is also horrified, but calls what happened "a teachable moment."

VOICE: One way or another, the mobs of Fallujah will see what the American military is made of. Though Fallujah, a snake pit of 230-thousand souls, is the most deadly city in Iraq, the lesson will not be lost on other cities in the Sunni triangle ... How the U-S military responds is vitally important.

The mob is hoping ... the American public will ... lose its stomach for engagement there.... What must happen, though, is the unflinching determination to subdue that lawless city. Every man and boy present at the murders ... must be arrested and punished for their role ...

TEXT: The theme of the Dallas editorial is picked up by an equally stoic Denver [Colorado] Post.

VOICE: Wednesday's gruesome attacks ... were part of the ongoing effort to spook ["frighten"] the [U-S] into turning tail on its commitment in Iraq. The United States must not let the attacks achieve any such result. At stake is not only the future of Iraq, but [also] American credibility and effectiveness worldwide.

TEXT: That theme is repeated in The New York Post.

VOICE: Clearly, the thugs hope to replay events in Somalia a decade ago ... [But] This time, America's not going anywhere. Not until the job is done. ... It's important to remember that Sunni thugs like these did the same thing and worse to their o w n countrymen for decades.

TEXT: But San Francisco's Chronicle worries that what happened after the Somalia killings could happen again, suggesting: "The steady bleeding in Iraq could take a similar toll on American confidence." Lastly, Raleigh's [North Carolina] News and Observer gives balance to the developments noting:

VOICE: Images of Fallujah's streets teeming with bloodthirsty men and boys will raise the question of troops withdrawal once again. The Sunni Triangle area certainly seems hostile to American objectives ... But Iraq is the size of California, and all Iraqis are not Sunnis.

Diyala province, where a brigade of the North Carolina National Guard has just arrived, is a case in point. Its people have worked closely with coalition forces to help build a new Iraqi Army, Civil Defense Corps, police and border patrols. With its own security apparatus in place, Diyala soon will be safe enough to hold an election. That's a mission worthy of the lives lost in its name.

TEXT: On that note from Raleigh North Carolina, we conclude this sampling of comment on yesterday's attack in Fallujah.

NEB/ANG/KL