Perspective: Iraqis seek a new haven in an old hotspot

Fallujah was the scene of major operations in 2004 (above), and continues to be an insurgent hotspot today.

FALLOUJA, IRAQ — In desperation and anger, they arrive daily at a Marine outpost here: Sunni Arabs fleeing the violence in Baghdad and often pleading for U.S. protection against Shiite death squads.

Two years ago, it was the opposite. Fallouja residents fled their city for the relative safety of Baghdad before a violent clash between U.S. forces and the Sunni-led insurgency.

Now, the city astride the Euphrates River has become a sanctuary from the violence in the nation's capital.

"In a bizarre way, we've become the protectors of the Sunnis," said Marine Col. Larry Nicholson, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment with responsibility for Fallouja.

The refugees, or "internally displaced persons" in the jargon of the United Nations, are directed to a small collection of buildings at the edge of the city called the Fallouja Development Center. Their goal is a plastic identification card with their name, picture and the prized designation: Fallouja resident.

Estimates of the population vary, but the International Organization for Migration said last year that nearly 40,000 people, nearly all Sunni, had fled west to Sunni-dominated Al Anbar province, where Fallouja lies. The U.S. State Department says the numbers may be much higher, and growing.

Read the rest at the LA Times