As the Marine Corps get ready to take over occupying much of western Iraq from the US Army, it is planning a "new approach" that stresses "restraint in the use of force, cultural sensitivity and a public message" that the fresh forces aren't from the Army, according to an internal Marine document and interviews conducted with high-level officers, the Washington Post reported.
In its Wednesday edition, the newspaper said the working plan for Marines moving into what is known as the Sunni Triangle consists of more interaction with Iraqis and a premium on respect for peaceable civilians. Marines will also be taught a few words of Arabic, counseled on religious etiquette and ordered never to wear sunglasses when speaking with Iraqi people, the report said.
In a tactic reminiscent of the American presence in Vietnam, platoons of Marines will live among the people in many Sunni towns and villages to facilitate training of the Iraqi police and civil defense forces, according to the document.
The Post further said that in order to show Iraqis that the Marines arriving in Fallujah and other centers of resistance are a "new crowd", the Marines are considering wearing green camouflage uniforms for their initial 45 days of patrolling instead of the dessert cammies worn by the Army.
Marine officers said they are also aiming for more restraint in the use of force and intend to limit the use of heavy weapons, using bombs and weapons as a "last resort". That contrasts with Army operations, according to the newspaper, in which airstrikes and artillery were sometimes used to intimidate at the outset of confrontations.
Meanwhile, American authorities, seeking to "attract support and information" from Iraqis who once supported former leader Saddam Hussein, have decided to release some 500 prisoners who have not committed acts of violence, on the condition that local leaders vouch for them in writing.
"This is not a program for those with blood-stained hands," Paul Bremer, the US top official in Iraq, said Tuesday of the prisoners, 100 of whom will be released Thursday with up to 400 more let out in the upcoming weeks.
Bremer described the new policy as "a gesture to give impetus to those Iraqis who wish to reconcile with their countrymen."
In the meantime, occupation officials said they were stepping up operations against what they described as "die-hard supporters" of Saddam Hussein and his Ba'ath Party leadership. They said they would release a list of low-to mid-level Hussein backers, for whom they will offer rewards of up to $200,000 each.
According to the Post, officials with the occupation authority, requesting anonymity, described the prisoner-release program as a "carrot-and-stick" policy and said it was an attempt to "capitalize on the momentum of cooperation and information" provided by pro-Saddam Iraqis and others since the ousted leader's capture. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
