BAGHDAD - Everyone saw it coming, only the US
forces did not: humanitarian disaster in Fallujah, and
stronger resistance against US and allied occupying
forces all around Iraq. The real face of the "success"
of the US military assault in Fallujah is now beginning
to present itself. Thousands of families remain trapped
inside Fallujah with no food, clean water or medical
assistance.
No one can say how many of the 1,200
"rebels" US forces claim to have killed inside Fallujah
are civilians, or whether the death toll is higher. The
Iraqi Red Crescent Society, which is supported by the
Red Cross and the United Nations Children's Fund has
called the situation in Fallujah a "big disaster".
The Iraqi Red Crescent has several teams of
relief workers and doctors, and truckloads of food
waiting for authorization from the US-backed interim
government and the US military, but they have not been
allowed in. The International Committee for the Red
Cross (ICRC) has expressed grave concern for the
civilians left in the city. "All those taking part in
the combat have a responsibility to spare civilians and
give access to the wounded," ICRC spokesman Rana Sidani
said in a statement.
US forces have said they
will now carry out "humanitarian" tasks on their own. It
could be too late, going by the people's voices that are
now emerging. Muna Salim, who managed to flee the city
with her sister after the rest of their family was
killed by US bombs, said Fallujah had turned from a
battlefield to a ghost town in recent days.
"Most families stayed inside their houses all
the time," she said after reaching Baghdad. "We were
always very hungry because we didn't want to eat our
food or drink all of the water. We never knew if we
would be able to get more, so we tried to be careful."
She could not bring herself to talk of the killings.
"The Americans didn't care about us," said a
young refugee who gave his name only as Ahmed. He
arrived in Baghdad with most of his family three days
back. "All the medical people left the city and the only
people in the city are Fallujans or from Ramadi or other
cities who came to try to help us."
People in
Fallujah had been left helpless, he said. "Anyone who
left their house would either be shot by American
snipers or recruited by the mujahideen," he said. "So we
stayed inside most of the time and prayed. The more the
bombs exploded the more we prayed and cried."
Ahmed says he did not expect to survive. "Every
night we said goodbye to one another because we expected
to die," he said. "You could see areas where all the
houses were flattened, there was just nothing left. We
could get water at times, but there was no electricity
ever."
US forces had bombed families in their
homes, he said. "Even those of us who do not fight, we
are suffering so much because of the US bombs and tanks.
Can't they see this is turning so many people against
them?"
Iraqi resistance has taken control of
many cities across Iraq following the US siege of
Fallujah. Despite US military claims of being in control
of Mosul in the north, al-Jazeera reported that the US
military, Iraqi police and National Guardsmen have
disappeared from the streets and armed men wearing masks
are wandering freely around.
A freelance
journalist spoke to al-Jazeera via telephone from the
city: "The situation is very bad, there is no security,
only armed resistance groups on the streets, and it
seems there is no government in Mosul." The US military
says it has taken back control of Mosul police stations
and other areas.
Iraqi rebels are now also in
control of large areas of Ramadi, Samarra, Haditha,
Baquba, Hiyt, Qaim, Latifiyah,Taji and Khaldiyah.
Fighting has been reported also in the Shi'ite holy city
Kerbala. The uprising has spread across the capital as
well. The districts al-Dora, al-Amiriyah, Abu Ghraib,
al-Adhamiya and Khan Dhari are now largely controlled by
resistance fighters.
US military vehicles have
been damaged and destroyed near the city Hiyt. Fighting
has spread to the normally peaceful town Hilla, just
south of Baghdad. "The security situation there has gone
from bad to worse," Ali Abdulla, a 35-year-old carpenter
from Hilla said. "You can hear the fighting all around
the city now, and the resistance is fighting against the
Polish very fiercely." Abdulla said this was the first
time there had been fighting between Polish troops and
resistance fighters.
