BAGHDAD, 13 April 2004 — US troops made a partial pullback yesterday from Fallujah as a goodwill gesture as a shaky truce held, an Iraqi mediator said. The resistance fighters freed 16 foreign hostages, including seven Chinese, but the fate of three Japanese captives remained uncertain.
“There has been a partial pullback of troops, coalition troops, from the city as a goodwill gesture,” said Fuad Rawi, senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, which is leading mediation efforts.
But Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy coalition director of military operations, said: “I am not aware of any partial pullback.”
Rawi told reporters: “I cannot give more details about when or where the partial pullback happened, or how many troops were involved.” A Fallujah cease-fire, which began at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, was extended until last night.
US Marines are taking part in a weeklong operation, codenamed “Vigilant Resolve,” aimed at flushing out fighters blamed for the brutal murder of four US contractors here March 31 as well as for other anti-coalition attacks.
“There are still negotiations ongoing this evening, but we are very optimistic. The two parties have been respecting the cease-fire, although there have been a few minor breaches, so we remain optimistic,” Rawi said.
In Crawford, Texas, US President George W. Bush said the situation in Iraq had improved, while acknowledging again that the past week had been difficult for US-led forces. “The situation in Iraq has improved. But you’re right, it was a tough week because there was lawlessness and gangs that were trying to take the law in their own hands,” he told reporters after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Meanwhile, two delegations of mediators brokering a truce between US forces and fighters returned from Fallujah yesterday, a US officer said.
The head of US-led coalition ground forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, said the Fallujah cease-fire appeared to be holding yesterday afternoon, though US troops were still coming under attack.
“It’s tenuous,” Sanchez told a briefing of reporters in Washington from Baghdad.
“I must add that these are just initial discussions. We are not negotiating at this point until we achieve some confidence-building and a period of stability,” said Sanchez. “Then we would consider going into significant negotiations to end this battle.”
“But at this point we have had continued attacks, up until about eight to 12 hours ago.”
The number of foreigners taken captive in Iraq grew after the Czech Embassy in Baghdad confirmed two Czech television employees had been abducted north of the capital on Sunday.
But there was some good news with reports from China’s official Xinhua news agency that the seven Chinese hostages captured Sunday in Iraq had been released. Xinhua did not give further details.
The Chinese workers had entered Iraq from Jordan early Sunday and were snatched in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, according to the Chinese officials.
Nine other foreigners — Briton Gary Teeley and eight Asian drivers — were released by their captors on Sunday.
But attention was focused on three Japanese hostages, with contradictory reports about their fate and possible imminent execution.
An armed group calling itself the “Mujahedeen Brigades” had threatened to kill the first of the three hostages at 5:00 p.m. yesterday unless Japan withdraws its 550 troops from the southern town of Samawa.
In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed that Japanese troops would not bow to the kidnappers’ demands.
A self-described Iraqi mediator, Mezher Dulaimi, said that after tough negotiations, the kidnappers had agreed not to execute the Japanese following the Monday deadline.
A Japanese Embassy spokesman in Amman said he could not confirm Dulaimi’s claim.
Sanchez also said two American soldiers and seven US contractors working for a Halliburton subsidiary were unaccounted for in Iraq.
Sanchez told reporters that the seven contractors worked for Kellogg, Brown and Root, part of the Halliburton energy and services giant.
— Additional input from agencies
