Paul Funk, began in 2007 after a Marine unit moved to the west side of the brigade's sector, cutting off al Qaeda's roads south to Fallujah and north to Tamariyah, Samarra, and Tikrit.

NPR: 'Gamble' Author: Iraq War Only Halfway Over

This is the home of Mohammed al-Azawi(ph), a wealthy merchant in Fallujah.

NPR: Spread of Iraqi Insurgency Feared in Arab World

But the interim president, Ghazi al-Yawar, sheikh of a predominantly Sunni Arab tribe, says that attacking Fallujah's insurgents is like shooting at a fly that has landed on your horse's head: you'll miss the fly but kill your horse.

ECONOMIST: Iraq