Iraq: June 20, 2004

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For four days, low level fighting has been going on in a Sunni Arab area 55 kilometers of the capital. Local Baath Party groups are trying to force the local population to not get involved in reconstruction projects. The fighting has killed or wounded over fifty Iraqis. 

The April agreement to let a security force former Iraqi army  soldier and officer police Fallujah has failed. The "Fallujah Brigade" will not confront the criminal and political gangs that use Fallujah as a base. The plan, however, appears to be to let the new Iraqi government deal with the problem, although coalition troops will go into Fallujah to grab known terrorists or war criminals from the previous government.