npr Reports Marine Pullback from Fallujah is Unconfirmed Rumor

[DUreader]

part of their top of the hour headlines

[kentuck]

1. My first question ?

What is the purpose of this propaganda ?

The story is surely a plant. But why? Do they want the "insurgents" to think they are withdrawing and pull them out of their holes? Or do they want the world to think they are changing their policy in Fallujah because of international pressure? Or another reason?

[jean]

2. 7 min til Cheney brings his chimp to work. . . nah - that's not it, is it?

[nostamj]

3. they've been claiming that a new Iraqi army

will be taking over. 4 ex-Saddam generals to run it.

BUT.........

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=516306

29 April 2004

A second unit of the Iraqi armed forces has mutinied at Fallujah after being involved in heavy fighting with insurgents Ali Allawi, the Iraqi Defence Minister, said yesterday.

Part of the 36th battalion of the paramilitary Iraqi Civil Defence Corps revolted last week after the unit had been fighting in the besieged city for 11 days, the minister told The Independent yesterday. Mr Allawi blamed the mutiny on "a failure of command. The commanding officer was absent, his deputy ... was seriously wounded and the number three faltered"

[pebbles1]

4. maybe they are pulling back

because MOAB is coming soon

[Sparkly]

5. MSNBC saying

our troops are withdrawing; an Iraqi "proxy force" is going to go in (door to door I think) to "restore order" with an "Iraqi face on it."