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Facing a hostile population, the U.S.
military policed Iraqi cities and villages with a heavy hand. Scores of
Iraqis were killed as they protested against the occupation. Journalists
were gunned down as they covered U.S. military operations. Others -- who
were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time -- were shot at
military checkpoints or when soldiers raided their neighborhoods.
The U.S. occupation of Iraq followed the familiar path of previous
colonial adventures. Iraqis organized armed resistance and the U.S.
military took increasingly harsh punitive measures against the
population, inspiring fear and indignation. [92]
As U.S. soldiers and Iraqis died in daily battles, Bush's response was
swaggering cowboy rhetoric.
"There are some who feel like ... they can attack us there. My answer is
-- bring them on!" -- George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., July 2003.
I wonder if he'd like to do guard duty here in Baghdad.
As resistance grew, American commanders became increasingly frustrated
and aggressive. After four U.S. military contractors were brutally
killed in Falluja, the U.S. took revenge. Hundreds of residents were
killed as densely-packed neighborhoods were shelled by tanks and bombed
and strafed by warplanes and helicopters. The siege of Falluja only
incited wider opposition throughout Iraq to U.S. occupation [94]
By spring 2004, it was clear that Bush's grandiose plans had collapsed.
The vast majority of Iraqis wanted the U.S. out, and they wanted nothing
to do with any politicians associated with Washington.
"They don't want us here and we don't want to be here." -- Unidentified
American soldier in Baghdad. [95]
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