The Falluja attack is getting closer

In preparation for the Falluja attack, the Iraqi interim prime minister (Ayad Allawi) declared a 60 day state of emergency in Iraq. He made it clear that US and Iraqi forces were not going to be 'easy on the suspected terrorists.' He also made it clear that they would not be waiting indefinitely to take action. This article mentions that a captain deserted from his unit on Friday. It is not clear if he is the 'commander' that I saw mentioned in articles yesterday, but it seems likely. Fortunately, he only received a low level briefing, so the mission should not be compromised. Fox News also gives some more information about the state of emergency, stating that a spokesman for the government states that there would be a curfew.

Well, it seems that things are winding up for the mission to take back Falluja. We have seen the main highway closed, a state of emergency declared, and bombing start. It is worrying that someone may have defected with some of the plans, but at least they found out now instead of when the attack was under way.