Last Monday LA Times reported: Major Assaults on Hold Until After U.S. Vote
The Bush administration plans to delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race.
..administration and Pentagon officials say they will not try to retake cities such as Falluja and Ramadi .. until after Americans vote in what is likely to be an extremely close election.
A similar article, which I currently can not find, did appear in the New York Times some two weeks ago. Reoccupying rebel cities would require more Iraqi forces and would have to be delayed because these forces were not yet trained.
In opposition to the above articles, a full fledged offense on Falluja did begin last night. WaPo reports
The intensified assault on Falluja, involving Iraqi and U.S. forces, started Thursday afternoon and was of a magnitude well beyond the “precision air strikes” that had become routine in recent weeks.
CIA asset Allawi had yesterday challenged the peace negotiators from Falluja to produce the ominous Jordanian militant Zarquawi. Otherwise Falluja would be “smashed”. The negotiators replied not to know about the whereabouts of Zarqawi and left the negotiations. By one report the negotiators have now been arrested.
From a psychological warfare aspect the start of a larger scale attack on the day that marks the begin of Ramadan is a mistake. It will provoke a harsh answer.
There is split between the planed leaks from individuals in the Department of Defense to the press and reality. This doesn´t sound like the usual propaganda but more like a split personality. Something mysterious is happening at the DoD. Who is in control?