Inside Falluja: 'Nothing to come back to'

[Barrett808]

Scenes of widespread destruction have greeted residents allowed back into the Iraqi city of Falluja following the US assault in November. BBC News spoke to Dr Saleh Hussein Isawi, the acting director of the Falluja general hospital, who accompanied some of the refugees into the city.

At about 0800 on Friday, the US checkpoint in the west of Falluja agreed that people from the city, especially those who live in the Andalus sector, be allowed inside to see their homes.

A shattered city awaits refugees seeking a return to Falluja

I was there, inside the city - about 60% to 70% of the homes and buildings are completely crushed and damaged, and not ready to inhabit at the moment.

Of the 30% still left standing, I don't think there is a single one that has not been exposed to some damage.

One of my colleagues... went to see his home, and saw that it is almost completely collapsed and everything is burnt inside.

When he went to his neighbours' home, he found a relative of his was dead and a dog had eaten the meat off him.

I think we will see many things like this, because the US forces have cleared the dead people from the streets, but not from inside the homes.

(more)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4124667.stm

[underpants]

1. Here here are the keys to your freedom

now be a good puppet and OWN your own freedom.....hey the 'Murkans are buying it.

[Dr.Phool]

2. Damned liberal Amerikan media

Has this stuff all over the front page.

[susu369]

3. Wrong, wrong, wrong

Rumsfailed said at press conference few days ago:

"Just a few weeks ago, Falluja was controlled by assassins and today it's a free city."

Wonderful news - freedom reigns!

/sarcasm off

[shadowknows69]

9. now it's controlled by the dead and the rubble.

[omulcol]

16. and extremely fat

dogs !

[Judi Lynn]

4. It's so hard reading this. How can this happen?

You'd think at some point someone would have said,"We can't just destroy these people's city. It's all they've got."

I don't get it. How can so many people allow themselves to be led to do something they KNOW is wrong? I wouldn't want to live with their memories for the next 50 years.

From the article, sadly:

But I saw two families who stayed in Falluja despite their homes being clearly damaged, and one man, who has only a room to live in, has told me he will stay on because he has been living in very bad conditions outside Falluja.

He told me he will bring other members of his family and will live there - he cannot do otherwise.

There is no water, no electricity, no sewage system - there is nothing inside the city, except a very small amount of medical supplies that have come from Falluja hospital by two ambulances.

There is a primary health centre inside the city with two doctors to give people medical supplies and support.
(snip)

Fallujah mosque, before _Bush decided to destroy Iraq.

[Lorien]

7. How can this happen? We let it happen

sure, we all marched before the invasion, but then what? Where are our leaders, calling for protests every weekend? Even the majority of our democratic "leadership" condoned this slaughter. We wear the black hats now; the rest of the world knows it, but most Americans would rather watch "the Apprentice".

I never thought I would be so ashamed of my country. :-(

[omulcol]

15. If we were allowed to watch

minute by minute events in Iraq in the same way they've covered the Asian Tsunami these last three days I guess there'd be a whole bunch of politicians, generals, et cet', attending war crimes tribunals right now.

The UK has had 24/ 7 news coverage of the Tsunami - my wife, ( and unashamedly) even I - have shed tears at what we have seen from Asia.

Maybe we should bear this in mind.

Being denied witnessing the horror and daily suffering of Iraqi civilians prevent tears that surely would demand changes to their suffering.

We should also remember the deaths of so many reporters and cameramen who died so prematurely and so unnecessarily.
It was they who would have provided us with reality.

To Lorien I can only say you are right in what you say , but you should feel comforted in the knowledge that had one hundred billion people stood up against this invasion .... it would still have gone ahead.

I give my shame to those who support this invasion everytime I meet them.
The last was my sister on Xmas Day calling from Australia - completely ignorant of everything happening to civilians. She has no computer . :spank: ... just a very large Television set - and now ... a very different view of Iraq !

[tabasco]

5. These complainers just don't get it !

We had to destroy the city to save it from the Iraqi peop ...errr. the terrorists!

They just don't know how much better off they are. They should tune in to Fox News and find out how much better it is.

[maxsolomon]

6. toby keith said iraq is great!

who you gon' to believe, a patriot who'll put a boot in your ass, or your lyin' eyes?

[Barrett808]

8. "In Falluja hospital last night I heard a lot of fighting and bombing"

"I was in Falluja hospital last night and I heard a lot of fighting and bombing, which continued for about three or four hours. I head very loud explosions inside the city."

But remember, "we've broken the back of the insurgency."

[Massachusetts]

10. Damn!

Don't these folks understand that freedumb is messy sometimes.:nuke:

[bpilgrim]

11. Fallujah is our Nanking

Japanese aircraft bombed south Shanghai Station Aug.28,1937.
About 200 people in the waiting room were dead or wounded by the bombing. A crying baby was left alone after the bombing. - "Life" Oct.4,1937.

what do we tell our children?

:cry:

peace

[ooglymoogly]

12. ashamed...................................................................

so fkng ashamed

[Supersedeas]

13. 60 to 70% of the city completely crushed -- yes, you are free to return

[Sara Beverley]

14. US made tsunami in Fallujah

just as devastating. lives lost, homeslost, ... it makes me sick!

[Just Me]

17. Any normal human being would hate this kind of "Freedom".

I am simply,...speechless.

[JoFerret]

18. Steve Bell

[tyedyeto]

19. But it is war...........according the * ivites........

They will try try to explain away that this is what happens when you're at war.

But I believe that during war, the invading/occupying force has or should be held accountable for whatever havoc it has wrecked.

Will this administration ever admit that the damage they have done to Iraq will ever be compensated by the 'democracy' that they are trying like hell to acheive there?.......... Just asking

[Tinoire]

20. We misunderstand

From the article

"We want to help the residents, so they will be able to live in peace and enjoy the privilege of voting in the upcoming elections."

Col. Dan Wilson

To that I answer:
http://www.ericblumrich.com/liberation.html