Marines clear out Fallujah

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Marines yesterday cleared bodies from buildings at the scene of their biggest battle since the fall of Baghdad, securing this former insurgent stronghold for the return of thousands of civilians and upcoming elections.

But six weeks before the historic vote, a U.S. official said, fewer than 1 percent of eligible Iraqis have responded to a voter-registration drive, forcing authorities to look for other ways to build up voter lists.

Iraqis cite security worries as the main reason for the slow response, with some expressing fears of continued violence and corruption even after the Jan. 30 election for a legislative assembly.

Those dangers were underscored again as U.S. military officials announced early this morning that seven Marines had been killed in two incidents in Anbar province, where Fallujah is located.

A U.S. statement said the Marines were killed while conducting “security and stabilization operations.”

Still, U.S. military and government officials, as well as involved Iraqis, are putting enormous efforts into getting out the vote, convinced that a successful election will establish a legitimate government and declaw a vicious insurgency.

“What we are doing now is fighting the bad guys, taking care of them before the elections,” said 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Josh Byrne of Illinois, standing inches deep in mud in front of his vehicle.

He and his comrades had found several bodies — some of them Syrians and Chechens — as they cleared rooms and buildings in what had been the country’s main stronghold for insurgents and terrorists.

“We are cleaning up the city and providing security for anybody who wants to build the place back up and give them everything like we have back home,” Cpl. Byrne said.

One military official, waiting for a helicopter ride out of the city, said the streets in Fallujah still “smell like death.” But, Cpl. Byrne said, “It’s the live ones you’ve got to worry about.”

Occasional battles are still taking place amid the rubble of the low-lying city just west of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi forces clashed with guerrillas in several Fallujah suburbs yesterday, ending with U.S. air strikes on suspected enemy hide-outs.

Iraqi election officials have asked U.S. forces to help them set up blast barriers and assist with force protection in advance of the January elections.

The Iraqis “are very excited about democracy,” said Maj. Ben Wild, an elections officer working in Fallujah. “What they are worried about are suicide bombers and intimidation.”

That fear is not isolated to Fallujah. Residents of Baghdad also are saying they are not sure whether they are willing to risk their lives to cast their ballots, expressing fears that polling stations will be targeted.

Others swear they will not be deterred. One of those is the spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission, the group set up by the United Nations to organize the election.

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