Fallujah Residents Beginning to Really Hate Us

[Skywarp! 0]

Eyewitness: On the ground in Falluja

As US military commanders in Iraq say they are planning to pull back from Falluja, BBC News Online spoke to two Iraqi residents of Falluja to get a picture of life in the besieged city. The BBC is currently unable to get its own reporters inside Falluja.

Fadel al-Badrani, a Reuters reporter in Falluja, says it is calmer in the city today compared to the two previous days.

 

"Every now and again, there is shelling. There was heavy shelling and exchange of fire about an hour ago in the industrial zone.

 

 

"I've just heard that a family was killed in a civilian car, by US forces.

 

The family was allowed into the city in a lull in the fighting. When the fighting resumed they were caught up in it. I'm told that they were hit by American fire from a plane."

 

Mr Badrani describes the situation for the city's residents as a "severe humanitarian crisis", due to the lack of water and electricity supplies, and shortages of foods and medicines.

 

"No aid is getting into Falluja right now. There are many families that cannot leave their houses because of the American snipers, especially in east, west and south.

 

"For the last seven days, at least, all the international aid that has come into the city has been piling up at the Jordanian hospital to the east of Falluja."

 

Running out of food

 

Sabah Alani is a retired doctor. He spoke to BBC News Online from his home in the north east of Falluja, not far from the industrial zone where there has been heavy fighting over the last few days.

 

"When the shelling happens, our house shakes, and most of our windows are shattered. Opposite us is a US sniper position.

 

 

"We don't go out of the house at all, of course. We've run out of food. We are living off tea and bread."

He also describes a severe humanitarian crisis, especially in the area he is in.

 

"One day recently, I heard, 23 trucks of water and food made it to Falluja. They didn't get to the areas it's most needed - and are 23 trucks of water and food enough for the 150,000 people that are left in the city?"

 

Driven to hate

 

Mr Alani says that siege of the city and the shelling is just increasing support for the insurgents in the city.

 

"It's not a matter of whether I or anyone else in the city supports the 'resistance' to the Americans.

 

"I don't support them, but the way the Americans have dealt with and are dealing with this city makes me hate every American here, more and more."

 

"We are being driven to hate them - me and everyone else here."

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/midd...ast/3670587.stm

[Guest MikeSC]

Eyewitness: On the ground in Falluja

As US military commanders in Iraq say they are planning to pull back from Falluja, BBC News Online spoke to two Iraqi residents of Falluja to get a picture of life in the besieged city. The BBC is currently unable to get its own reporters inside Falluja.

Fadel al-Badrani, a Reuters reporter in Falluja, says it is calmer in the city today compared to the two previous days.

 

"Every now and again, there is shelling. There was heavy shelling and exchange of fire about an hour ago in the industrial zone.

 

 

"I've just heard that a family was killed in a civilian car, by US forces.

 

The family was allowed into the city in a lull in the fighting. When the fighting resumed they were caught up in it. I'm told that they were hit by American fire from a plane."

"I'm told" --- do I ask by whom?

Mr Badrani describes the situation for the city's residents as a "severe humanitarian crisis", due to the lack of water and electricity supplies, and shortages of foods and medicines.

Let me guess --- it's the Americans' fault, right?

"No aid is getting into Falluja right now. There are many families that cannot leave their houses because of the American snipers, especially in east, west and south.

Yup. No mention of the rebels. Nope. Americans are just randomly shooting at people. Yup. That's us.

 

Geez, is the BBC TRYING to flush away its credibility?

"For the last seven days, at least, all the international aid that has come into the city has been piling up at the Jordanian hospital to the east of Falluja."

 

Running out of food

 

Sabah Alani is a retired doctor. He spoke to BBC News Online from his home in the north east of Falluja, not far from the industrial zone where there has been heavy fighting over the last few days.

 

"When the shelling happens, our house shakes, and most of our windows are shattered. Opposite us is a US sniper position.

 

"We don't go out of the house at all, of course. We've run out of food. We are living off tea and bread."

And the soldiers are firing ONLY when fired upon.

 

If we wished to unleash an offensive --- they'd know.

He also describes a severe humanitarian crisis, especially in the area he is in.

 

"One day recently, I heard, 23 trucks of water and food made it to Falluja. They didn't get to the areas it's most needed - and are 23 trucks of water and food enough for the 150,000 people that are left in the city?"

 

Driven to hate

 

Mr Alani says that siege of the city and the shelling is just increasing support for the insurgents in the city.

 

"It's not a matter of whether I or anyone else in the city supports the 'resistance' to the Americans.

 

"I don't support them, but the way the Americans have dealt with and are dealing with this city makes me hate every American here, more and more."

 

"We are being driven to hate them - me and everyone else here."

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/midd...ast/3670587.stm

Again, the Iraqis are showing that they are too cowardly to even deserve democracy.

 

Heck, put Saddam back in and let him resume the slaughtering.

 

Those morons deserve it.

-=Mike

[Vern Gagne 0]

Fallujah was loyal to Hussein so it shouldn't suprise anyone they don't like us.

[Guest MikeSC]

Fallujah was loyal to Hussein so it shouldn't suprise anyone they don't like us.

They're TERRORISTS.

 

I doubt they like anybody.

-=Mike

[Vern Gagne 0]

No Mike they're insurgents. George Washington was a terrorist...

[MrRant 0]

I keep scrollingby Fallujah and for some reason keep reading it as Fajita. And then I have to make Mexican food.

[Guest hunger4unger]

The crazy thing now is that American forces are going to be handing over policing of the city to the Iraqi army, led by a former General in Saddam's army!

 

This resistance to the (illegal) occupation isn't by terrorists - it's by the Iraqi people.

 

Contrary to some beliefs, Saddam never randomly killed his own people or bombed the shit out of them - he kept that to the Iraqi kurds, not who Saddam thought of as the Iraqi people.

 

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

[Cartman 0]

The crazy thing now is that American forces are going to be handing over policing of the city to the Iraqi army, led by a former General in Saddam's army!

 

This resistance to the (illegal) occupation isn't by terrorists - it's by the Iraqi people.

 

Contrary to some beliefs, Saddam never randomly killed his own people or bombed the shit out of them - he kept that to the Iraqi kurds, not who Saddam thought of as the Iraqi people.

 

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

Bingo.

 

I would love to know where the media gets those "polls" that show us the People of Iraq are happy we are there and whatnot. Do they have reporters over there going door to door asking Iraqi people their opinions? All the while there is shooting and shelling in these cities? Right.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

The crazy thing now is that American forces are going to be handing over policing of the city to the Iraqi army, led by a former General in Saddam's army!

 

This resistance to the (illegal) occupation isn't by terrorists - it's by the Iraqi people.

 

Contrary to some beliefs, Saddam never randomly killed his own people or bombed the shit out of them - he kept that to the Iraqi kurds, not who Saddam thought of as the Iraqi people.

 

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

Bingo.

 

I would love to know where the media gets those "polls" that show us the People of Iraq are happy we are there and whatnot. Do they have reporters over there going door to door asking Iraqi people their opinions? All the while there is shooting and shelling in these cities? Right.

What the?

 

Why do I bother? Unger...for all I know Saddam was killing and imprisoning pretty much everyone. You're telling me Uday only raped Kurdish women? That the jails im Baghdad only housed abused Kurds.

 

Seriously. This goes to both sides. If you want to make a point, stop the damn over-generalization and CITE something.

 

And by the way, two eyewitnesses in a BBC report hardly constitutes a "respresentative sample"

 

People in Fajita probably just want the damn fighting to stop and are sick of it. That's hardly anything to be worked up about.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I like how Unger writes off the extermination of Kurds. Hey, it's only genocide, but at least they weren't his people. Besides, there was water and electricity...while civilians were being gassed. Plus there were newspapers full of Saddam's views on peace and prosperity and rainbows over their oil wells, and plentiful food and medicine that kept his people healthy as well as afforded him lavish palaces. Hell, Saddam's Iraq was grand.

 

Aside from that whole systematic elimination of a people based on ethnicity.

[Guest MikeSC]

The crazy thing now is that American forces are going to be handing over policing of the city to the Iraqi army, led by a former General in Saddam's army!

 

This resistance to the (illegal) occupation isn't by terrorists - it's by the Iraqi people.

 

Contrary to some beliefs, Saddam never randomly killed his own people or bombed the shit out of them - he kept that to the Iraqi kurds, not who Saddam thought of as the Iraqi people.

 

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

hunger,

 

You are a blithering idiot.

 

And so is Cartman for agreeing with your sub-moronic bilge.

 

If the two of you wish to share a brain, try and get a functional one next time.

 

That is all.

I like how Unger writes off the extermination of Kurds. Hey, it's only genocide, but at least they weren't his people. Besides, there was water and electricity...while civilians were being gassed. Plus there were newspapers full of Saddam's views on peace and prosperity and rainbows over their oil wells, and plentiful food and medicine that kept his people healthy as well as afforded him lavish palaces. Hell, Saddam's Iraq was grand.

 

Aside from that whole systematic elimination of a people based on ethnicity.

Should we mention that he killed, randomly, ANYBODY who wasn't in the Ba'ath party?

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

Well if I was an Iraqi, I'd hate the Americans, too.

 

I hear those sites where the mass graves were uncovered were primo vacation spots...

[Cartman 0]

They should change the name of this folder to "Ask TheMikeSC" for you know everything about everything and everyone that doesnt follow you is a moron who spounts nothing but "Bilge".

 

Can you tell me how much the Iraqi people love Americans again, I love that story.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

They should change the name of this folder to "Ask TheMikeSC" for you know everything about everything and everyone that doesnt follow you is a moron who spounts nothing but "Bilge".

 

Can you tell me how much the Iraqi people love Americans again, I love that story.

You know, I don't advocate a folder name change, but I think it would be funny as hell to have a pinned thread that was dedicated to just that...

[Spicy McHaggis 0]

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

Oh my fucking god.

[Guest hunger4unger]

Before the invasion, Saddam's Iraq enjoyed peace, jobs, security, laws, policing, their own flag, newspapers/media, running water, electricity.

Oh my fucking god.

I know. What a mess we have made now.

[Guest MikeSC]

They should change the name of this folder to "Ask TheMikeSC" for you know everything about everything and everyone that doesnt follow you is a moron who spounts nothing but "Bilge".

 

Can you tell me how much the Iraqi people love Americans again, I love that story.

Everybody is not a moron.

 

Heck, I was QUITE specific about who was a moron (you, for one) and what was bilge (your beliefs).

 

Heck, using your logic, the Jews probably had it GREAT under Hitler.

-=Mike

...And the Cambodians under Pol Pot WERE, in fact, in heaven on Earth

 

Edit: However, the name change IS a great idea

[KingPK 0]

People in Fajita probably just want the damn fighting to stop and are sick of it. That's hardly anything to be worked up about.

Well, at least things are peaceful in the towns of Burrito, Guacamole, and Taco Bell.

 

I'm sorry, it was just SITTING there, I had to take it. I'll leave now.

[MrRant 0]

My post influenced Poppick to use Fajita instead.

 

 

Sweet.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Heck, using your logic, the Jews probably had it GREAT under Hitler.

The Jews had free food and lodging, and plenty of exercise.

 

What wasn't to like about Hitler?...

[Guest MikeSC]

Heck, using your logic, the Jews probably had it GREAT under Hitler.

The Jews had free food and lodging, and plenty of exercise.

 

What wasn't to like about Hitler?...

Well, his speeches DID tend to go on and on and on.

-=Mike

..."Yeah, the Jews are the cause of all evil. We got the point 3 hours ago..."

[KingPK 0]

He also gave them free choo-choo rides, instead of making them walk all the way there. Not many heartless dictators can say THAT.

[Slayer 0]

He also gave them free choo-choo rides, instead of making them walk all the way there. Not many heartless dictators can say THAT.

Which were always on schedule, of course

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Plus hitler didn't drink or smoke. Clean living. That's pretty admirable.

[Vern Gagne 0]

He also loved animals. No who loves animals could be evil.

[Guest hunger4unger]

Let's not get silly - of course Saddam was not a great or particularly kind or democratic ruler of his people BUT living conditions in Iraq were a LOT better than they are now. I'm not saying things will stay as they are at the moment - eventually coalition forces will restore amenities and get the economy back on it's feet, Iraq will have it's own government (albeit a puppet one) and own police force and army. That is going to take a LONG time. Just because Saddam's Iraq didn't have McDonalds, Baseball or MTV it doesn't mean that it was an awful place for Iraqi's to live.

[Guest hunger4unger]

Just to quickly add another point - we went to Iraq to get rid of Saddam's evil rule (apprently) - now we reinstate a former General in Saddam's army to govern Fallujah, after bombing the citizens of the 300,000 populated town for a few days. Nice. Thought it would be a quick fix to the bungled invasion - just reinstate members of the former regime in each town, bring Sadam back to rule and it's all sorted!

[Justice 0]

See, the funniest thing about it is... A pretty sizeable majority of Iraqis believe this was the right thing to do, and they believe that the country will be better off because of it. Growing pains, yes, but right after our own revolution we nearly fell to pieces under the AoC. People just don't tend to discuss that. Hell, we were pretty hazy up until the War of 1812...

[Guest MikeSC]

Let's not get silly - of course Saddam was not a great or particularly kind or democratic ruler of his people BUT living conditions in Iraq were a LOT better than they are now. I'm not saying things will stay as they are at the moment - eventually coalition forces will restore amenities and get the economy back on it's feet, Iraq will have it's own government (albeit a puppet one) and own police force and army. That is going to take a LONG time. Just because Saddam's Iraq didn't have McDonalds, Baseball or MTV it doesn't mean that it was an awful place for Iraqi's to live.

Oh sure. Great place to live. When Iraqi athletes didn't perform to Saddam's expectations, they got tortured --- but hey, they probably had it coming.

 

Little kids were in prison because they weren't part of his political party. But, hey, they probably had it coming, too.

 

Only a psychotic leftist would argue that Iraq was better off under Saddam.

 

Let me guess --- Castro has been good for Cuba too, right?

-=Mike

[Jobber of the Week 0]

See, the funniest thing about it is... A pretty sizeable majority of Iraqis believe this was the right thing to do, and they believe that the country will be better off because of it.

And when you take away the Kurds, that number goes significantly down.

 

And Cartman, I like your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.