Bewildered Falluja residents flee feared Iraq army assault

Mourners chant slogans as they carry coffins of victims killed by a suicide bomber during the funeral in the holy city of Karbala, 110 km (68 miles) south of Baghdad January 10, 2014. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed

ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqis fleeing from Falluja question whether the masked gunmen who overran their city 10 days ago are really al Qaeda-linked militants as the government says, but fear their presence will draw a ferocious response from the army regardless.

At a motel in Iraq's Kurdish north, Falluja residents said they were stunned by the speed of the takeover of the city in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, predicting a tough fight if the Shi'ite-led government orders troops to retake it.