Civilians
Bear Brunt As
Samarra 'Pacified'
By Kim Sengupta
05 October, 2004 by the
lndependent/UK
Iraqi
government and US forces declared yesterday that they had "pacified"
the rebel stronghold of Samarra, and stated that other "no-go"
enclaves such as Fallujah would be recaptured before national elections
due in January.
The Americans insisted
that the estimated 125 people killed in the storming of the city were
all insurgents. Doctors and local people reported women, children and
the elderly among the dead, and that bodies were still being brought
into hospitals.
There also appeared
to have been discord over the military action between members of the
US-sponsored Iraqi interim government. The Interior Minister, Falah
Naqib, echoed the American line that no civilians had been killed and
only "bad guys and terrorists" had suffered. It was, he said,
a "great day for Samarra". But the Human Rights Ministry,
in a letter to the Iraqi Red Crescent, described what happened in the
city as a "tragedy" and called for urgent emergency assistance.
Local people in
Samarra claimed that many of the 1,000 insurgents the Americans were
targeting had escaped before the attack, and civilians had borne the
brunt of the casualties. Of 70 bodies brought into Samarra General Hospital,
23 were children and 18 women, said Abdul-Nasser Hamed Yassin, a hospital
administrator. There were also 23 women among the 160 wounded.
Families trying
to bury the dead found the road to the cemetery had been blocked by
American soldiers. One man, Abu Qa'qa, claimed he had seen dogs picking
at corpses in the street. Abdel Latif Hadi, 45, said: "The people
who were hurt most are normal people who have nothing to do with anything."
Another resident, Mohammed Ali Amin, said: "There were American
snipers on rooftops who were shooting people trying to get to their
homes. Even at the hospital the Americans arrested injured boys of 15
saying they were insurgents."
CNN television was
told by one man that his sister-in-law and her six daughters were killed
when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by an US air strike.
Aid organisations said there was acute concern about continuing lack
of water and electricity in Samarra and the difficulties faced by people
attempting to seek medical treatment. More than 500 families had fled
the city.
Major-General John
Batiste, the commander in charge of the 5,000 US and Iraqi troops used
in the assault, said: "This has been a successful operation ...
Operations will continue for a few days before we are satisfied that
we've killed or captured as many of the enemy that we can."
In Fallujah, where
Jordanian-born militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is said to be based,
and the scene of bitter fighting in the past, is seen as the next target
for the US.
Mr Naqib said: "The
Iraqi government is moving from a defensive position to offensive position
to regain control over all of Iraq." It had been widely predicted,
however, that an assault on Fallujah - expected to be a far bloodier
enterprise - is unlikely to be authorised by Washington until after
the US presidential elections next month.
According to diplomatic
sources, Iyad Allawi's Iraqi administration is urging American commanders
to press on with an assault on Fallujah. One of the main reasons, it
is said, is the fear that if John Kerry wins the election on 2 November,
he may not want to begin his term in office with television images of
bitter fighting in Fallujah and American casualties. US air attacks
continued on Fallujah in what is viewed as a "softening-up"
process before a full attack. A coalition spokesman said: " A large
number of enemy fighters are presumed killed" in a bombing attack
yesterday. But residents in Fallujah said one air strike had killed
eight people at the home of Hamad Hdaib Mohammedi, who was known for
his opposition to the militants. Television footage showed the body
of a small girl being pulled from the rubble of the house.
US forces have also
been attacking Sadr City, a vast slum and a "no-go" area on
the edge of Baghdad, with helicopter gunships and tanks; 12 people were
killed in the past 48 hours. In Ramadi, US soldiers are said to have
killed a woman bystander after being ambushed.
© 2004 Independent
Digital (UK) Ltd