“Witnesses said fighting between US marines and guerrillas broke out in several districts of the Sunni Muslim town, despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the Americans on Friday.”

The unilateral ceasefire by the US is most significant. It is testimony for the mauling the US army has suffered in a week of fighting. It is only the fierce resistance which has compelled the unilateral ceasefire. The enemy prides itself with its policy of not negotiating with “terrorists”. What has constrained them to engage ‘fundamentalist' clergy and sheikhs to act as peace-brokers? The events on the battlefield in the streets of Iraq have dictated the unilateral declaration of the ‘ceasefire'.

In an attempt to save face, the U.S. invaders explained: “US forces offer the rebels in Fallujah a ceasefire to allow for peace talks after days of fighting that left hundreds of dead. Yesterday there were more clashes.”

(Sunday Tribune 11th April 2004)

The reason advanced by US forces for the ‘ceasefire' is a palpable falsity.