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One militia leader, Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr, appears to draw upon growing resentment between Iraqi civilians brutalized under occupation, an inherited position of legitimacy as a Islamic cleric, and a popular and resonant mixture of both religious oratory and oppositional rhetoric. Some reports indicate that he also has a degree of support from the Sunni community.
Mistaken reports in American media refer to Fallujah as a "hotbed" of "Saddam loyalism." The term insurgency refers to "rising in revolt against an established authority"; the term is almost equivalent to rebellion, but carries less of an honorable connotation. It seems clear that the term insurgency was chosen to avoid the honorable connotation of a "rebellion."
As of November 14th, 2004, top US Army officials reported that 1200 insurgents have been killed in the week long battle of Falluja while 38 US Soldiers have also been killed. Insurgents have been using Falluja as a "base" for their anti-coalition operations.