Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Oltre 200,000 profughi da Falluja

The Independent
Escape from Fallujah: refugees flood nearby towns
By Kim Sengupta in Babil
18 November 2004
 While United States forces mount the final military operations to 
pacify Fallujah, the people of the devastated city have taken refuge in 
outlying towns, many of them huddled in misery, without adequate food, 
water, medicine and shelter.
More than 80 per cent of the population of 300,000 are living in nearby 
towns or in Baghdad. The US military has barred aid convoys from 
Fallujah, insisting they have enough resources to look after the 
remaining civilians. But the few who have ventured to the distribution 
centres risk getting caught in crossfire.
Aid organisations say 102,000 Fallujah refugees are in Amiriyah, 50,000 
are in Baghdad; about 21,600 are in Karma, 18,000 are in Nieamiyah and 
12,000 are in Habbaniyah. Unicef and the aid groups say Amiriyah, an 
industrial centre, suffers from a serious lack of shelter, and 
Habbaniyah, formerly a tourist resort, has a severe shortage of clean 
water. It is also the place most difficult to get to because of the 
threat from insurgents.
Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim Prime Minister, has accused the Iraqi Red 
Crescent of deliberately painting a bleak picture and claimed that 
several of its senior officials had held posts under Saddam. The 
organisation, as well as other agencies, is deeply apprehensive of 
making statements lest it provokes the government into further 
curtailing agencies' activities.
General Abdul Qadir Mohan, the commander of the Iraqi government forces 
for the Fallujah assault, said refugee conditions are worsening, 
particularly in Habbaniyah. "In some cases, there are seven families 
living in one room and sometimes 300 people have to wait in line to use 
the toilet. Many are already suffering from diseases. It is a holy duty 
to return these people home."
Bilal Hussein, a 33-year-old photographer for Associated Press, who 
escaped the city during the fighting, said: "I decided to swim the 
river. But I changed my mind after seeing US helicopters firing and 
killing people who tried to cross. I saw a family of five shot dead. I 
helped bury a man by the river bank with my own hands."
Mr Hussein had planned to stay in Fallujah to cover the fighting. But he 
said he fled after feeling he was in grave danger. "US soldiers began to 
open fire on the houses, so I decided it was very dangerous to stay," he 
said. "Destruction was everywhere. I saw people dead in the streets, the 
wounded were bleeding and there was no one to help them."
Fayouz Mohammed Abdullah, a 42-year-old trader, had sent his wife and 
four children out of Fallujah just before the attack. He had stayed to 
protect his home, not just from the fighting, but the looting he thought 
would inevitably follow. He managed to get away just as US troops 
overran his neighbourhood in the north of the city, and is now with his 
family in Habbaniyah.
Mr Abdullah said by telephone: "I came out with my hands up and holding 
a white pillow case. The main danger came from Iraqi [government] 
soldiers. Two of them wanted to shoot me, and I must say it was an 
American who stopped them. They talked about arresting me, and I was 
made to sit against a wall with my head between my knees. But then there 
was more firing and they went away somewhere.
"I walked out of Fallujah. There was firing everywhere, but by Allah's 
will I was not hit. Outside the city there was a bus with women and I 
got on that. The Americans did not stop us and we got to Habbaniyah. We 
have relations here and we have somewhere to stay. But everything is in 
bad supply. There is not enough food. What little food we have, we give 
to our children. I am also worried that when we go back to Fallujah 
there will be nothing left of our home."
Ahmed Ali Safah, a teacher, arrived at Habbaniyah with his family before 
the assault. "We heard the Americans were saying it was the last chance 
we had to leave. So we came with just a few suitcases; we left 
everything behind. We are staying in a house with three other families 
and there must be 30 people here. The children are being sick but there 
is no medicine. Trucks [from the Red Crescent] came here with blankets 
and food. They also had tablets for bad water, but they had all finished 
by the time we got to the trucks."
Umm Haider lost her husband in the Iraq-Iran war. She said: "I left four 
of my sons behind. They had said they would join me here if the 
situation became worse. I do not know how much worse it can get."

stopped them.
Opsss... E i cattivi e brutti marines dove sono finiti? :)
-Stefano

 E come cavolo fa a sapere che erano "a family" lo sa solo lui :)
Qui hai toccato il fondo. Guarda il lato positivo ora puoi solo risalire 
o restare lě a strisciare.
Riot

Qui hai toccato il fondo.
...disse il bue all'asino... :)
-Stefano