The protest began Nov. 18 when Mohammed Baroud, a local leader of a violent group, the Popular Resistance Committees, was informed by the army that his house would be hit.

Instead of leaving, the building's residents decided to stay in their homes and called in reinforcements. They were quickly joined by crowds of supporters who gathered on balconies, rooftops and in the streets outside.

The army said it called off the airstrikes because of the crowds. It condemned what it said was an exploitation "by the terrorists of uninvolved people as human shields."

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 25, 2006
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