Into The Cauldron

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The military may bear some responsibility for the town's unstable, dangerous condition. Fallujah has had six commanders in the 12 months since the end of the war. At first, troops were a visible presence in the city, routinely patrolling on foot. But after making deals with the local sheiks last winter, troops from the 82nd Airborne Division pulled back to a base 5 miles from the city center. While the retreat protected U.S. forces from attacks, it allowed criminals and ex-regime loyalists to have the run of the place. The city's chronic violence also dissuaded reconstruction workers and relief agencies from venturing in, fueling local frustration over the lack of jobs and services. On March 24 control over the city was handed to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, which has vowed to take back the streets. But the Marines have encountered resistance in their attempts to fight their way in. Two weeks ago, they fought a battle with insurgents that left several civilians dead and had locals vowing revenge.

It was into this cauldron that the four American Blackwater contractors headed last Wednesday. Spokesmen for the company say the contractors, who typically travel armed with automatic weapons, were guarding a convoy of trucks loaded with food. But the reasons for their decision to drive through such a hostile neighborhood remain murky. Sources familiar with Blackwater's operations say an investigation will have to determine whether the contractors, one of whom had arrived in Iraq only two weeks earlier, received sufficient training in avoiding and responding to ambushes. Standard operating procedure for security teams like Blackwater's, according to a former private military-company operator with knowledge of Blackwater's operational tactics, is never to stop the car in a potentially hostile area and "not to aid the other when one vehicle is hit in an ambush. They are taught to get off the X. Your own survival is the ultimate monkey."