Dogs Eating Bodies in the Streets of Fallujah

** Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches **

November 15, 2004

Dogs Eating Bodies in the Streets of Fallujah

It never fails to get my adrenaline flowing when my hotel rumbles from a
car bomb detonating in central Baghdad.

Last night around 7pm the explosion occurred at a hotel compound which
houses foreign contractors over near Firdos Square.

Shortly there after the “Green Zone” took a sustained mortar attack
which went on long enough for them to hit the blaring sirens which warn
the inhabitants to take cover, long after the mortar rounds had stopped
falling.

Iraq’s borders with Syria and Jordan remain closed, according to
US-appointed prime minister Allawi since declaring Iraq in a state of
“national emergency.”

Due to Baghdad International Airport being closed for the same reason, a
friend managed to drive across the “closed” border of Jordan a few days
ago because he’d grown weary of waiting for the airport to reopen.

Prior to leaving Amman he checked with the car hire kiosks who told him
they had been running cars to and from Iraq non-stop, despite the
“closed” borders.

At the Jordanian border there were, according to my friend, at least 100
cars waiting to cross the border into Iraq. An Iraqi “guard” in civilian
clothing told them, while laughing, “The border is closed, but I will
open it for you, despite what Allawi says.”

At the customs clearance building, although they were driving in a GMC
with 10 large suitcases lashed to the top of it, a quick bribe of $3 to
the official allowed them to be waved through without a single door of
their truck being opened.

There were no US soldiers, nor any Iraqi National Guard. His passport
was stamped without even being looked at, and he left within minutes.

All of the other cars and trucks traveling into Iraq near him made it
across the border as well. Again, as he said, “There were easily over 100.”

There is so much fighting and chaos around Iraq now that it is simply
impossible to report everything, so I’ll just cover a few highlights.

Four oil wells in northern Iraq have been destroyed by the resistance,
adding to the heinous fuel shortage that has wracked the country for
weeks now.

Petrol lines in Baghdad continue to stretch for miles in places, making
people angry and frustrated. Driving around the city is more and more
difficult, as the petrol lines squeeze 2 and 3 lane roads down to a
single lane, snarling traffic and raising tempers.

There are sporadic attacks continuing throughout the capital city day
and night, as the Iraqi resistance continue to fight against the
occupiers of their country.

Armed men continue to roam freely about the streets of Mosul and Ramadi
in defiance of the US military, Iraqi National Guard (ING) and Iraqi
Police (IP). A US convoy was attacked north of Ramadi and a Humvee was
exploded; no word yet from the military on casualties.

In Baquba, about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, another police station
was attacked, 5 police vehicles torched along with several Iraqi
National Guard trucks and the US base in the city was mortared. My
friend in the area told me on the phone, “There were so many bullets Mr.
Daher, I hid in my shop and God protected me, but it is crazy here. I
want to come to Baghdad to see you, but there is no petrol in Baquba.”

The horrendous humanitarian disaster of Fallujah drags on as the US
military continues to refuse the entry of an Iraqi Red Crescent (IRC)
convoy of relief supplies. The Red Crescent has appealed to the UN to
intervene, but no such luck, nor does the military relent.

IP’s, who are under U.S. control, have looted Fallujah General Hospital.

The military stopped the Red Crescent at the gates of the city and are
not allowing them in. They allowed some bodies to be buried, but others
are being eaten by dogs and cats in the streets, as reported by refugees
just out of the city, as well as residents still trapped there.

The military said it saw no need for the IRC to deliver aid to people
inside Fallujah because it did not think any civilians were still inside
the city.

Contradicting this claim, along with virtually every aid work, refugee,
and resident of Fallujah was US Marine Col. Mike Shupp who said, “There
is no need to bring [Red Crescent] supplies in because we have supplies
of our own for the people.”

IRC spokeswoman Firdu al-Ubadi added, “We know of at least 157 families
inside Fallujah who need our help.”

The media repression by the military around Fallujah continues to run
thick, as a journalist for the al-Arabia network who attempted to get
inside Fallujah was detained by the military. Meanwhile, al-Jazeera
continues to run announcements over their satellite station, apologizing
to its viewers for not having better coverage in Iraq due to their
office being closed indefinitely several months ago by the US-backed
interim government.

Nevertheless they continue to get the word out. They report today that
Asma Khamis al-Muhannadi, a doctor who witnessed the US and Iraqi
National Guard raid the general hospital said, “We were tied up and
beaten despite being unarmed and having only our medical instruments.”

She said the hospital was targeted by bombs and rockets during the
initial siege of Fallujah, and troops dragged patients from their beds
and pushed them against the wall.

Al-Muhannadi went on to say that all of them were put under intense
inspection and, “Two female doctors were forced to totally undress.”

She continued on, “I was with a woman in labor,” she said, “The
umbilical cord had not yet been cut. At that time, a US soldier shouted
at one of the (Iraqi) national guards to arrest me and tie my hands
while I was helping the mother to deliver. I will never forget this
incident in my life.”

Like I said, these are just some highlights.