US: Grisly pictures of mutilated Americans and jeering crowds have made the attack on US contract workers in Fallujah a defining moment in the public perception of the war in Iraq.
The scenes, which have dominated television news in the US, reminded viewers of Mogadishu in 1993 when dead US soldiers were dragged through the streets by jubilant Somalis. That event so horrified Americans that US troops were withdrawn from Somalia shortly afterwards.
This time the White House is voicing defiance and vowing to stay in Iraq to defeat the insurgents. "We still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the advance of liberty," said President Bush after viewing some of the images. "America will complete what we have begun."
Nevertheless the depth of hatred on display in Fallujah and the brazen nature of the attacks have raised troubling questions for Americans, who have been repeatedly assured by the administration that things were improving in Iraq.
Popular discontent with the rate of casualties, now standing at 601 military deaths, and concern that there are more to come, is clearly growing. In a CBS-New York Times poll last month, 51 per cent of Americans surveyed said the results of the war with Iraq were not worth the loss in US lives, and 42 per cent said they were. A year ago two-thirds of Americans said the loss of life was worth the effort.
The horrific scenes in Fallujah provoked much debate in news organisations about what could be shown. The New York Times yesterday published a horrific colour picture of charred headless bodies hanging from a metal bridge across four columns on the front page. The daily cable news channels - CNN, Fox News and MSNBC - at first showed only the burning vehicles.
After reviewing film during the day, the CBS and ABC networks decided to show the more graphic pictures with body parts blurred and warnings not to let children watch.
The deaths of the Americans in Fallujah have also focused attention on the role of private US security companies in Iraq. The four men killed worked for Blackwater Security Consulting of Moyock, North Carolina, a subsidiary of Blackwater USA, which provides protection for US law enforcement agencies, multi-national corporations and "friendly nations".
In a statement yesterday, Blackwater, which is also providing protection for US administrator Paul Bremner, said that "while we feel sadness for our fallen colleagues, we also feel pride and satisfaction that we are making a difference for the people of Iraq".
Because of higher pay, many professional soldiers from Special Operations such as the Army Green Berets or Navy Seals are leaving military service to take jobs in Iraq with private security firms such as Blackwater, and this is a source of growing concern to the Pentagon.
The legacy of Somalia - where a Black Hawk helicopter was brought down in a fierce firefight on October 3rd 1993 that left 18 US soldiers and hundreds of Somalis dead - affected decision-making in the US for years. Nine days later an American landing in Haiti was cancelled because of a hostile crowd and the following year President Clinton refused to send troops to stop the Rwanda genocide. The attacks of September 11th made Americans more tolerant of casualties, but the sheer hatred and brutality in Fallujah has shocked people here and reinforced partisan feelings about Mr Bush's "war on terror".
Former Democratic presidential candidate, Mr Howard Dean yesterday blamed Mr Bush for the deaths of US soldiers. "That is the legacy of this president who did not tell the truth to the American people."
"Somalia was a terrible situation, but we could walk away," Republican Senator John McCain told CBS News. "American security, national security was not threatened. In contrast we cannot afford to lose this."
Democratic candidate John Kerry, who voted in the Senate to give Bush authority to go to war, said, "United in sadness, we are also united in our resolve that these enemies will not prevail."
However, he also said President Bush's credibility was the top issue in the presidential campaign now that a former aide said he didn't take the terrorism threat seriously enough before September 11th.
Mr Michael O'Hanlon, a military analyst with the Brookings Institution, was also quoted yesterday as saying Mr Bush's credibility was at stake. "The strategic importance of this operation is much greater than for Somalia, and the level of investment we've made so far is much greater."