Word: fallujah
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After the November 2004 battle that pulverized the city and snuffed out what was left of its economy, a succession of American infantry units developed a security plan for Fallujah that eventually carved it up into nine precincts along traditional divisions. The districts are now separated from each other by concrete barricades and Iraqi police checkpoints and watched by thousands of Iraqi police and armed neighborhood watchmen, leading to the nickname "Fortress Fallujah." "It's an unfortunate side effect of securing the city," Miller explained, reminding his Iraqi partners that the main drag through the city, which used to feed...
With a current driving ban limiting traffic on the road mostly to buses and taxis, it will be some time before Fallujah allows full access to Sinaa. Eventually, the plan is to tear down the barriers one at a time to allow the city to gradually return to normal and end the state of martial law. Doing that in Sinaa could jump-start Fallujah's economy and revive a general sense of well-being and promise, solidifying gains and allowing the Marines to finally leave. "It's the key," said Waleed al Fallujy, Sinaa's mukhtar, or neighborhood chief...
While al-Qaeda remains the Americans' chief hang-up, locals say security is only one of their obstacles. The government in Baghdad stunts Fallujah's growth as much as al-Qaeda. After the two massive U.S. attacks on Fallujah in 2004, a government commission was set up to assess damage and calculate compensation for residents and business owners. The commission, however, fixated on some issues and dropped the ball on others, making some residents rich while leaving others empty-handed and disgruntled...
Chief among Fallujah's disgruntled proprietors are the shop and factory owners of Sinaa, who are last on the list after residential owners to receive a government check. Most are still waiting for their cash. With incentive to maintain the evidence of damage as an insurance policy until they get paid, few have rebuilt or reinvested and the entire zone remains a ghost town, a twisted testament of war and invitation to terrorists looking for a place to operate and hide...
...frustrating warp as the business owners. The success of their mission also depends on improving security and development in their zone. They've seen how fragile their hold is on the region and know what idleness breeds. A car bomb thought to be made there killed 40 people in Fallujah during a funeral procession in May, and a cell of bomb makers was cut down by Iraqi police in Sinaa as recently as August. They say they are in a race against time. "Al-Qaeda is very weak, but all of Fallujah is still afraid," said Al Fallujy, the Sinaa...