More than 200,000 Fallujans face winter as refugees, await rebuilding

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/NUE342394.htm

HABBANIYA, Iraq, Dec 13 (Reuters) - As winter sets in, Iraqi families who fled the U.S.-led attack on Falluja for a lakeside resort upriver wish their holiday there would come to an end.

But sporadic heavy clashes in their devastated city mean the security needed for their return, and the widespread rebuilding the city required before they do, has yet to be established.

"People are gathering firewood from the orchards to keep warm," said Alaa, a young man who fled to Habbaniya Tourist City, a resort on the banks of the Euphrates River. "We want to go to our city, our home. How long must we stay like this?"

More than 200,000 people who fled the U.S. assault on Falluja on Nov. 8 have yet to return and many are in need of aid as night-time temparatures in Iraq sink toward freezing.

more

[bin.dare]

1. Riverbend adds more of her personal details ...

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_riverbendblog_archive.html#110287340260295162

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Fuel Shortage...
It has been a sad few weeks.

The situation seems to be deteriorating daily. To brief you on a few things: Electricity is lousy. Many areas are on the damned 2 hours by 4 hours schedule and there are other areas that are completely in the dark- like A'adhamiya. The problem is that we're not getting much generator electricity because fuel has become such a big problem. People have to wait in line overnight now to fill up the car. It's a mystery. It really is. There was never such a gasoline crisis as the one we're facing now. We're an oil country and yet there isn't enough gasoline to go around...

[bemildred]

2. They'd better build to last, they'll be there a while.

I was thinking today, since all the civilians are dead or
exiled, it's now a perfect place to play urban combat until
the cows come home.

[neweurope]

3. "Lakeside resort" ! "holiday" !

:puke: :puke: :puke:

These are people who have no decent place to stay, have lost loved ones, have lost their houses, have no work to earn money to support their families etc, etc. - and Reuters talks of "vacation at a lake resort" !

The Nazis couldn't have put it any better.

[peacebird]

4. un-effin-believable. "Lakeside resort"?!? "Holiday"?!?

and i thought Wolfie talking about our "excursions" in afghanistan and iraq was unbelievable. "excursions" as if we're taking a holiday jaunt, but at least he didn't actually describe it as a HOLIDAY - wtf?!?

reuters needs to hear about this piece. seriously.

[Voltaire99]

5. ""We are freezing to death here"

Ah, humanitarianism at its finest.