August 27, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 28, 1424

FALLUJAH, Aug 26: The mayor of the flashpoint Iraqi town of Fallujah promised on Tuesday to unleash “hell” for Turkish troops if they are deployed in the city to replace US forces, which have faced constant harassment here.

“We unanimously denounce the deployment of Turkish forces in Fallujah,” Taha Badiwi, the mayor, said.

So far Turkey has made no decision on sending troops to Iraq, as requested by Washington. At the same time, there is no indication that if Ankara does so, Turkish soldiers would be dispatched to Fallujah.

But fearing the worst, Badiwi warned that a Turkish presence could reignite “the old grudges in the Sunni region,” promising them “hell” because of the “people’s refusal” to cooperate with them.

“Residents of Fallujah, like other Iraqis, are dismayed” at the prospect of a Turkish military deployment in Fallujah’s Anbar province, Badiwi said in a statement published after a meeting between the town’s political and religious officials.

Participants called on the US military command to “reconsider the decision to deploy Turkish, or forces from any other neighbouring country to their town, because of old problems that would create a difficult situation for the Iraqi people and the coalition forces.”

They assured the US administration, however, of “their willingness to cooperate in the reconstruction of Iraq and the rehabilitation of security and administrative apparatuses to re-establish order,” the statement said. —AFP