BAGHDAD, April 12: From an allout military drive to the "political track," from a manageable insurgency to a "crisis," the US line on Iraq has shifted significantly amid deepening turmoil on the ground.
Facing stiff resistance from Iraqi insurgents and a spate of kidnappings of foreign civilians, even the upbeat US President George W. Bush conceded Sunday the occupation had gone through a "tough week."
After days of fighting that left Fallujah bloodied but unbowed and failed to tame a brash insurgency by Shiite radical militiamen, the coalition clearly switched tack over the weekend.
Absent were US threats to teach a lesson to the insurgents in Fallujah for the brutal murders of four US contractors. Forgotten was overseer Paul Bremer's vow that "the military will now show them we mean business."
The new emphasis was on a ceasefire and negotiations. "We are now looking at the political track to restore government control," said Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the coalition's deputy director of military operations.
An Iraqi delegation, including members of the US-installed Governing Council, launched mediation efforts in the city west of Baghdad where more than 600 Iraqis have been killed and 1,250 wounded since last Monday.
US officials agreed to the ceasefire at the behest of their allies in Iraq who roundly criticised the military operation. "We're hopeful that we will be able to get some productive talks going," Bremer told US television.
With barely 11 weeks to ago before the scheduled transfer of sovereignty back to the Iraqis, the Americans are appreciating the magnitude of the problems facing their year-old occupation.
If Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last week that US forces faced a serious but manageable threat from a "relatively small" number of insurgents, Bremer was speaking Sunday about a "crisis."
US commanders also showed the first public glimmer of respect for the insurgents whom Bush was writing off only days ago as a motley group of "thugs and terrorists."
On Sunday, Kimmitt spoke of "enemy forces" battling some 2,000 US marines in Fallujah, and added elliptically: "We don't know if they don't have a centralized command structure."
The US tone also changed concerning Moqtada Sadr, whose militia battled coalition forces in various cities across central and southern Iraq after they closed down his newspaper. -AFP
Key developments
* A shaky truce between US Marines and rebels in Falluja holds after talks resume despite overnight clashes.
* The US military says it intends to "kill or capture" rebel Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
* US tanks and armoured vehicles surround Mustansiriya University in Baghdad and warn armed students to surrender.
* Three US Marines were killed west of Baghdad and one US soldier was killed and four wounded near Samarra, north of Baghdad, US military says.
* US aircraft drop leaflets on Kerbala telling people to stay away from coalition bases and warning them that troops will retaliate if attacked.
* US Vice President Dick Cheney, visiting Tokyo, praises Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for resisting political pressure and keeping Japanese troops in Iraq.
* US President George W. Bush will hold a news conference on Tuesday to update Americans on Iraq, the White House says. -Reuters