Collective Punishment 

by Fadhil Al Bedrani

Different crimes were and are being committing against Iraq and Iraqis by the occupying American forces but I will concentrate on Falluja.. I am speaking as a journalist and as a person from Falluja. I am an eyewitness of the two strikes against Falluja in April and November 2004. In the first massacre 518 civilians were killed among them, according to Dr Ahmed Hardan of the Falluja General Hospital, were 216 children who were killed either by the Americans or because of the lack of food and drinking water while the town was under siege. The first massacre began on April 4th 04 till May 1st. I could never forget the killing of 25 members of two families gathered in one house in Goulan area; this crime happened on April 11 04.

In the second massacre began on November 1st, not on Nov 8th as the Americans said. Their pretext was the Allawi Cabinet asked their help. Days before the strike, flayers were distributed asking the people to stay at homes otherwise they would face dander.. 150 000 from 600 00 stayed in the town. Those who stayed were surprised when the bombing targeted the houses first. I saw the women, children and elderly people were running fear of bombing here and there.

On Nov 15th, in Goulan area, 20-25 persons were running barefooted when an American warplane bombed killing and wounding them; only one elderly woman and 2 children stayed safe when they did hide themselves under rubbles of a bombed house. The dead bodies were left in the street for 20 days; because of the lack of the first aids, most wounded died.

Let me speak about Sua'ad Salam who stayed in a bombed house with the dead bodies of her whole family in Hasawa area, central Falluja.

The American forces considered the whole Falluja as a military target without taking in the consideration the humanitarian issues; they destroyed the town 100%; they destroyed the houses and infrastructures.

I think that the all remember the TV images of killing an unarmed wounded young man; that was on Nov 14th, in Hussein Shalash mosque in Al Shuhada area, south Falluja.. may be no body knows that the same American soldier with the same gun killed three others.

On Nov 25th, 15 American soldiers a house at Bathara area, central Falluja, three civilian men were there; one was handicapped, the second 61 years old and the third was 52 years old. The only one who stayed alive said, "When the Americans entered the house they saw that we were sitting unarmed; 14 left and the last one threw us a grenade saying -bye-. Two were seriously wounded I with my slight wounds tried to help them but after a while they were back; I pretended dead while the other two were suffering. They put a bullet in every head and left.

Whatever, the stories need volumes to be said; but what I want to add is the doctors and the staff of the Falluja hospital was detained on Nov 15th; the warplanes bombed the alternative hospital in downtown the town; bombed the medicines warehouses in Nazzal area; killed 4 doctors, 8 medical workers.

According to the numbers of the Association of the Moslem Scholars: 3500 civilians were killed, 7000 were wounded, and 1200 were arrested. 45 days after the massacre, the people began returning; the civil society organizations arranged an accurate body counting according to the sources of the hospital, mosques and official offices; the killed were 4000, wounded 7000.

Before ending my testimony, I should speak about an old woman, 71 years old, who died because of lack of her medicine; even before her martyrdom she asked me to take her condition to the Iraqi ministry of health and international organizations because she could not find her medicines when Falluja under siege. Also allow me mention Awwad Mohammed Al Dulaimi who lost his whole family, first wife, 5 sons, 2 daughters, a daughter in law and 2 grandchildren 6 months and 5 years old. His second wife is still surviving but blind and he had a heart attack. This happened on October 2nd 04.