IRAQ: One of Saddam Hussein's former generals entrusted with taming Falluja said yesterday he hoped to impose security in the country's most rebellious town without firing a single bullet.
"The best strategy is to get what you want without firing a single bullet," said Gen Muhammad Latif after discussing the fate of the troubled city with a top US Marine commander.
He painted a bright picture of the task of calming people infuriated by a month-long US siege and fierce battles that have killed hundreds of people in the city west of Baghdad.
He also played down the role of foreign fighters that US Marines blame for some of the violence gripping Iraq and the challenge of retrieving heavy weapons that the Americans have been demanding from guerrillas for weeks.
"Maybe there are some, more than 30 kicked underground and the others escaped. I didn't see anyone and I have no information on anyone," said Gen Latif as he left a dusty makeshift meeting area. The heavy weapons have been silent for days as Latif's men try to spread a sense of security in Falluja.
"If they are there we will retrieve them. We will hit any group that causes trouble or whose weapons is a threat to peace," Gen Latif said. US Marines said they planned to lift a cordon around Falluja yesterday and allow traffic in for the first time in a month.
On Tuesday, troops of the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps began manning checkpoints previously guarded by US troops.
US forces are hoping the new Falluja Brigade, predominantly made up of former members of Saddam's military, will crush 2,000 rebels and root out perhaps 200 foreign militants.
Maj-Gen James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marines Division, said it was too early to gauge whether Gen Latif's men could pacify Falluja.