Report
From Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
25 April, 2004
The New Standard
Baghdad
, Apr 23 - Three families of refugees from the besieged city of Fallujah
who are seeking refuge in the Al-Adhamiya neighborhood of Baghdad, described
the conditions in the embattled city of Fallujah as "a horrible
disaster." A man called Khaled Abu Mujahed, speaking from Fallujah
on behalf of the Islamic Party, stated that while some relief supplies
are getting inside the city, a great number of families remain trapped
in their homes, and the stench of dead bodies has become overpowering.
Refugees streamed
out of Fallujah when fighting began after United States Marines placed
the city under siege, cut off power supplies and began an invasion of
the city. Resistance forces referred to by locals as mujahideen fought
back, killing scores of US troops. Americans killed hundreds of Iraqi
civilians, plus an unknown number of Iraqi fighters.
Crowded inside an
empty house in the Al-Adhamiya district of Baghdad, Abu Muher, patriarch
of one family that left Fallujah last Saturday, told of a harrowing
journey out of his home city. "We were nearly bombed by the Americans
when we tried to leave on Friday," he said. "Bombs fell in
front and behind us, so we had to turn back. Saturday we were lucky
to escape."
Estimates of total
refugees vary, but most reports suggest at least 60,000 Fallujans --
or about a quarter of the citys population -- have fled Fallujah
for Baghdad and other cities.
Abu Muher said US
warplanes were bombing the city heavily last Saturday prior to his departure,
and that Marine snipers continued to take their toll, shot after shot,
on residents of the besieged city. "There were so many snipers,
anyone leaving their house was killed," he recalled.
Abu Muher, along
with two other men from Fallujah who arrived in Baghdad last weekend,
said American warplanes had dropped cluster bombs on a road behind their
houses in Fallujah. One of the men was too afraid to permit his name
to be used in this article. "My neighbors saw the bomblets,"
he said, "and I heard the horrible sound that only the cluster
bombs make when they are dropped on us. My home was hit by their shrapnel.
I was too afraid to leave my home to look for myself because of the
snipers."
Abdul Aziz, the
15 year-old son of Abu Muher, stated, "I saw two of my neighbors
shot by US snipers when I went outside one time. I also saw some of
the small cluster bombs on the ground that were dropped by the warplanes
of the Americans. Most times, we were too afraid even to look out of
our windows."
Another refugee,
speaking on condition of anonymity, angrily asked, "This is the
way the Americans are freeing Iraq? Americas freedom is killing
Iraqis. Fallujah is becoming another Palestine. How long will we have
to live like this?"
The three men stated
that the city remains without electricity, and although they had running
water, they used a generator most of the time.
Abu Muhers
neighbor, a man named Abdel Salam, said medical relief was being delayed
or prevented from reaching the people of Fallujah. "Sunday when
we left the city, we saw an ambulance from the United Arab Emirates
turned around from the main checkpoint by the Americans. Why are they
not allowing ambulances into Fallujah?"
According to official
US military statements, ambulances are being escorted into Fallujah
on a regular basis. Reached for comment earlier this week, Christy Clemmons
of the Coalition Provisional Authority press center for Iraqs
Ministry of Health insisted emergency vehicles were reaching the city.
"We are working with the Ministry of Health and have so far permitted
46 ambulances to Fallujah," she said. "The US military are
escorting the ambulances since in the past they have been commandeered
by insurgents and used to attack US soldiers."
Iraq Red Crescent
Secretary General Faris Hamed told The NewStandard on Monday that no
Red Crescent ambulances had been allowed into Fallujah since April 13,
during the peak of fighting in the city. Hamed has been unreachable
for an updated report.
A resident of Al-Adhamiya
willingly cleared his home for these refugees and is housing them, free
of charge. He donated food to them as well.
Speaking by phone
today from inside Fallujah, Islamic Party spokesman Abu Mujahed, who
is assisting in the distribution of aid as well as negotiations with
the US military, said there is still a large number of civilians in
Fallujah who cannot get out of the besieged city.
"So many people
are lacking water, electricity and medical services," he said.
"Most of the time nobody can get in or out of Fallujah."
Mujahed stated that
yesterday the US military broke the supposed ceasefire by staging an
incursion into the Julan neighborhood as well as the Industrial sector
of Fallujah. He added, "This is a disaster! Only a few people can
get to the main hospital because the Americans are controlling it. Snipers
are firing into Julan and killing so many civilians."
US military reports
said the assault on Julan was in response to attacks by insurgents.
Battalian commander Lt. Colonel Brennan Byrne told the Associated Press
he considered the insurgent activity to be a "major breach"
of the agreement the US military says it brokered with resistance forces.
The AP further reported that 20 Iraqis and no Americans were killed
in the overnight skirmishes.
Mujahed said that
supplies from throughout Iraq were being sent to Fallujah. He said they
had even received aid shipments from the followers of the rebellious
Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, and he felt the situation was uniting
all Iraqis.
"Women are
bringing their gold from Baquba, a man in a wheelchair from Kirkuk brought
his wheelchair, then used crutches to leave after he donated it, and
supplies are coming from Mosul, Adhamiya, Tikrit, Nasariyah, Baquba,
everywhere in Iraq you can think of," Mujahed said.
The party official
also reported that while 50 families were allowed to return to Fallujah
Tuesday, only seven were permitted Wednesday. Many refugees report having
found nowhere suitable to go outside their hometown.
The lockdown war
ordered despite reports from Fallujah residents that many of the mujahideen
have turned their weapons over to Iraqi Police as a condition of the
ceasefire edict. Lt. Col. Byrne told the AP most of the weapons turned
over in accordance with US demands were unusable and did not comply
with the Marines insistence on acquiring all of Fallujahs
heavy weaponry.
In retaliation for
the fighters noncompliance, Byrne said the Marines would not permit
any of the hundreds of Iraqis lined up at a nearby checkpoint to return
to their homes, at least for the time being.
"We have at
least 700 dead from the fighting," Mujahed reported from inside
Fallujah. "So many of them are children and women. The stench from
the dead bodies in parts of the city is unbearable."
He said US aircraft
had bombed five houses in Julan the previous night, and the mujahideen
have now taken positions and are waiting for the Marines to return for
the full scale invasion the US has threatened.
Coalition spokesman
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said that US Marines continue "aggressive
patrols and offensive operations," in the Fallujah area, "as
well as providing humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Fallujah."
Iraqis interviewed for this story said they had only witnessed the former
aspect of the dual role.
Dahr Jamail is Baghdad
correspondent for The NewStandard. He is an Alaskan devoted to covering
the untold stories from occupied Iraq. You can help Dahr continue his
crucial work in Iraq by making donations. For more information or to
donate to Dahr, visit http://newstandardnews.net/iraqdispatches
.