Americans on nerves' edge at risky post

FALLUJAH - Any motorist who slows down is seen as a suspected suicide bomber. Fingers squeeze triggers at the slightest movement around nearby houses. Mortars and grenades can rain down at any time.

United States marines manning their most advanced position in Fallujah can guess what to expect when US-led forces launch a widely flagged offensive to drive insurgents from the city.

Almost daily guerrilla attacks on the position on the main road into Fallujah make it the most dangerous spot held by the marines around the bastion for Sunni Muslim rebels.

"Sometimes it's very quiet after a period of attacks. But that's when it's tricky. The biggest challenge is keeping everyone alert," post commander Lieutenant John Campbell said.

The forward post was set up to screen cars along a highway the US military says is used to move guerrillas and weapons in and out of Fallujah, 50km west of Baghdad.

Clutching M-16 rifles on a concrete tower, the marines keep a close eye on the road that leads into the industrial zone, a hotspot that starts 100m away. Bullets, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades land from every direction, including the row of houses across the street or the highway, where it's hard to spot rebels as their cars look like everyone else's. When the explosions erupt, marines move inside fortified sand bunkers for protection against mortars - the guerrilla weapon of choice.

They are mostly fired from safe distances but insurgents sometimes dart up from the industrial zone and set up their mortars on the street, risking fire from US tanks.

The marines manning the post were on high alert long before talk of another offensive against Iraq's most rebellious city.

After coming under heavy fire when it was first set up, they cleared out houses across the street which had been controlled by guerrillas. But the insurgents kept coming back.

"Quick, on top of the roof," says one marine to another and they train their M-16 rifles on nearby rooftops near houses flattened by US air strikes or tank shells.

Minutes later, they relax. But air and artillery strikes on other parts of Fallujah shake the area and they soon become suspicious of a car slowing. This time, it's a false alarm, a man getting out to push his stalled car.

- REUTERS


Herald Feature: Iraq