US in Falluja turns to officer who defied Saddam

4.00pm

FALLUJA, IRAQ - US Marines besieging Falluja brought in a new Iraqi general with a history of standing up to Saddam Hussein on Monday to lead a force they have charged with putting down insurgency in the city.

Their initial choice, who outraged victims of Saddam's regime because of past service in his feared Republican Guard, said he was stepping aside, leaving command of the new Falluja Brigade to former intelligence officer Mohammed Latif.

Latif was said by US military and Iraqi officials to have anti-Saddam credentials.

In Najaf, another flashpoint city, US troops fired on suspected supporters of an anti-American Shi'ite cleric who attacked their base with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Two Iraqis, including a policeman, were killed and 15 wounded, medics said.

As US commanders struggle to stamp out open rebellion in the two cities, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he expected the UN to approve some form of multinational force for Iraq once Washington hands back formal sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30.

However, a UN official said if security did not improve, the United Nations would not participate in Iraq's elections for a national assembly set for January.

In other violence on Monday, a US soldier and a Marine were killed in separate attacks south and west of Baghdad, the US military said. It also said that US forces killed four suspected guerrillas in an artillery barrage across the west of Baghdad.

Loyal to Saddam, Falluja has become a focus for anger among his Sunni minority since US Marines mounted a siege a month ago.

The Marines are hoping the new Falluja Brigade, predominantly made up of former members of Saddam's military, will crush 2000 rebels and root out perhaps 200 foreign militants.

They originally gave former Iraqi Republican Guard general Mohamed Jasim Saleh the task of crushing the insurgency, but Iraq's Shi'ite majority has accused Saleh of taking part in Saddam's bloody suppression of a Shi'ite uprising in 1991.

The US military now plans to replace Saleh with Latif if he passes further vetting.

Latif, who trained in Britain, was exiled and may also have spent time in prison, a US military source said.

While Saleh is a local man, Latif hails from Baghdad, which may not endear him so easily to Falluja locals.

"I doubt the people of Falluja will co-operate with the new commander because we know nothing about him," said resident Abdul Aziz Mohammed. "He was appointed by the Americans and the (Iraqi) Governing Council... This step was not thought through."

Townsfolk welcomed the arrival of Saleh's force on the streets on Saturday and the withdrawal of Marines from some siege positions as victory for the Sunni insurgents over US arms.

Marines remain in positions on the edge of town closest to areas in the north where fighting has been heaviest.

A UN human rights investigator called on Monday for an independent probe into the impact on civilians of the siege.

According to some reports, 90 per cent of an estimated 750 deaths during the siege were noncombatants, UN special rapporteur Paul Hunt said.

He said there were credible claims US-led forces had "been guilty of serious breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law".

Washington is already trying to counter damage done by the broadcast of photographs showing US soldiers abusing prisoners at Saddam's once notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Six soldiers are facing criminal charges and seven officers and non-commissioned officers have been disciplined over the affair, a military official said.

US President George W Bush told Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to take "strong actions" against those responsible.

After April became the bloodiest month for US troops in Iraq with 129 combat deaths, the United Nations appeared to offer help.

Annan said a resolution being considered by Washington could authorise a multinational force after June 30: "It's in everybody's interest to do whatever we can to stabilise Iraq."

The United Nations is currently trying to form a caretaker government until national, regional and provincial elections take place by January 31 next year.

Carina Perelli, director of the UN Electoral Assistance Division, said: "Obviously if the security situation does not improve, one of the things that is clear is that the UN will not participate in Mickey Mouse elections. Neither will we advise any (other) institution to go into elections that would not represent the will of the people."

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq