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Reference

Falluja Archive Oct 2004

Falluja Table - April 26

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IBC Extracted Falluja News - April 26

News Source
-
Author
-
Title
Daily Telegraph
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Toby Harnden
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FALLUJAH WILL BE YOUR STALINGRAD, AMERICANS TOLD
Specific incidents / deaths

Two of the Iraqi dead were unidentified and buried in makeshift graves in the grounds of the hospital. "One body was brought here in a blanket by American troops," said Major Moneeb Zurikat, the hospital's security officer.

"They dumped it at the gate and shouted, 'Now you can bury your Muslim brother'. What can I say? There is nothing to say about this."

Date killed? pre-25th
Total

2 (incl. body dumped by American troops)

Civilian / Fighter

 

Cumulative deaths [and injuries]

The official estimate of civilian deaths in Fallujah since US forces entered the city three weeks ago is 271.

Date range? 5th-22nd?
Total 271
('official estimate')
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

Opposite him was his son Othman, eight, whose face had been horribly disfigured and left hand rendered useless by the blast.

"We thought we would be safe in Na'amiya," said Mr Abbas. "We were sleeping outside on the ground when the planes and helicopters came. It was 2am. My son wanted to become a surgeon, but now that can never be. They even prevented us evacuating the wounded. It was hours before we could get Othman out."

The only words his son had spoken since he was so badly injured, he said, were "I hate the Americans". As Othman stared blankly at the ceiling, his father said he wanted the Americans to pay for what they had done.

"Fallujah will be their Stalingrad. The Euphrates will be a river of their blood. Now the resistance is spreading all over Iraq and everyone is coming to Fallujah to help us. It will not be conquered."


US/military viewpoint

On the dusty road to the Jordanian Hospital on the edge of besieged Fallujah a skull and crossbones flew defiantly from the bonnet of a US military Humvee yesterday as preparations were made for a renewed offensive.

America's senior general described the city as a "huge rats' nest", while Col John Coleman, a US marine commander in Fallujah, suggested that it was a "centre of gravity" in the war against terrorism.

...

"As Fallujah goes, so goes central Iraq," he said. "As central Iraq goes, so goes the nation."

...

"We received some mortar and small arms fire from there and so we said, 'to hell with it' and just went in.

"We were supposed to wait until today, but we got pissed off and decided to draw a line. We pretty much took out anyone who was in there being stupid."

News Source
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Author
-
Title
Associated Press
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IRAQIS: US USING CLUSTER BOMBS IN FALLUJAH
Specific incidents / deaths  
Date killed?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]

Mohammed Tareq, a spokesman for the governing council of Fallujah and a member of the four-person delegation, said US military snipers were also responsible for the deaths of many children, women and elderly people.

"In Fallujah, the American troops killed at least 800 people and wounded 1,800," Tareq told reporters. "We want to inform the world about the massacres and the human rights violations by the Americans in our city."

Date range? 5th-26th?
Total

'at least' 800
[1800 wounded]

Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

A spokesman for an Iraqi delegation from the violence-gripped city of Fallujah on Monday accused US troops of using internationally banned cluster bombs against the city and said they had asked the United Nations to mediate the conflict.

...

The Iraqi delegation has been lobbying in the Jordanian capital for international pressure on the Americans to abide by a cease-fire in the battle-scarred city.

Tareq said the delegation had also sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking the UN to mediate "to guarantee the commitment of the United States to its promises."

"The citizens of Fallujah love peace and hate terrorism, that is why we knocked on the doors of the United Nations," Tareq said.

US/military viewpoint

U.S. officials say guerrillas in Fallujah have not abided by the cease-fire and have fired on US troops. The officials also say the insurgents are not surrendering their heavy weapons as the city negotiators urged them to do under the agreements.

News Source
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Author
-
Title
Aljazeera

9:30 Makka Time, 6:30 GMT
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FALLUJA TRUCE HAS 'WEAKENED RESISTANCE'
Specific incidents / deaths  
Date killed?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]  
Date range?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

The ceasefire brokered by Iraqi mediators in the Iraqi city of Falluja appears to have weakened the fighters battling US marines while also creating divisions within the Sunni Muslim community.

The fighters have been trapped by the US siege in the flashpoint city west of Baghdad for the past three weeks, after having initially succeeded in winning national support for their cause.

"The city has been completely surrounded for the past 10 days and the fighters are trapped inside and cannot leave," said one local tribal chief, Mansur al-Hadithi, who is sympathetic to the resistance.

"Most of these fighters are from Falluja and determined to defend their city in case of an attack," he said.

...

"The Americans are deluding themselves if they think they can subdue Iraqis by force or through bribery. When an Iraqi is humiliated, he rebels," said Muhammad Hamadani, a Falluja official.

...

He said the deal includes a ban on carrying weapons starting on Tuesday and the start of joint patrols by Iraqi police, para-military Iraqi Civil Defence Corps forces and occupation troops in the city on the same day.

...

The lifting of the Marines' siege is the key demand of Falluja residents who face shortages of fuel and bread.

US/military viewpoint  
News Source
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Author
-
Title

BBC
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14:48 GMT 15:48 UK
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FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN IRAQI CITY

Specific incidents / deaths

A US military spokesman said the marines were surprised by the organised nature of Monday morning's assault by Iraqi insurgents in Falluja.

Mortars and heavy machine-gun fire could be heard, and thick black smoke rose from buildings in the city after the US replied with helicopter and jet aircraft strikes.

A reporter with the marines says that after taking fire from a minaret, marines called in air support which destroyed the 60-foot tall structure.

...


A US military spokesman said eight Iraqi insurgents had been killed in the gun battle.

Date killed? 26th
Total 8 'insurgents'
Civilian / Fighter 0/8
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]

A spokesman for the delegation, Muhammad Tariq Abdullah, said more than 800 people had been killed and 1800 wounded in the town since fighting began the start of this month.

"We want to inform the world about the massacres and the human rights violations by the Americans in our city," he said.

Date range? 5th-26th?
Total 800+
[1800 wounded]
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

Meanwhile, the local council has appealed to the United Nations to investigate allegations of war crimes by American forces.

...

American troops in Falluja are training Iraqi personnel for joint patrols in the city, and are no longer saying they are ready for an imminent attack on the city.

...

At a meeting with UN officials in Jordan, members of Falluja's council said American forces had used cluster bombs against civilians there, and their snipers had shot dead non-combatants during the recent truce.

They also called for UN mediation in talks with the Americans aimed at ending the fighting.

...

US military officials have described the US operation in Falluja as "humane" and say they "do everything possible to protect non-combatants". But they say insurgents' tactics are increasing the risks for civilians.

US/military viewpoint  
News Source
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Author
-
Title
Agence France-Presse
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EIGHT KILLED IN FALLUJAH CLASHES, BAGHDAD CHEMICAL BLAST CLAIMS TWO
Specific incidents / deaths

In the Sunni Muslim bastion of Fallujah, eight rebels were killed and four Marines were injured as fierce fighting further rattled an uneasy ceasefire, US military officials said.

"Initial reports were eight enemy killed and four marines wounded," Colonel John Coleman, chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, told reporters.

Date killed? 26th
Total

8
'rebels'

Civilian / Fighter 0/8
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]  
Date range?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

Marines were fired on from a mosque which was then targeted by US forces and the minaret destroyed, an embedded pool reporter with the marines told CNN. He said another six marines were injured by shrapnel but the reports could not be immediately confirmed.

...

The top Iraqi security official said foreign prisoners, including Turks, Syrians and Moroccans, had admitted they were paid to conduct attacks against coalition troops and Iraqis.

"They confessed in clear Arabic that they have come to Iraq to carry out attacks and terrorist operations," Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, newly appointed national security advisor, told reporters.

US/military viewpoint

"Unfortunately the opposition forces... took it upon themselves to occupy a mosque," said Coleman. "Instead of serving as a centre of religious life, it was employed as a bastion in the attack."

News Source
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Author
-
Title
Knight-Ridder
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Carol Rosenberg and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson
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FIERCE FIREFIGHT IN FALLUJAH KILLS 1 U.S. MARINE, 8 IRAQI MILITANTS
Specific incidents / deaths

A fragile cease-fire broke down Monday after gun battles erupted between U.S. Marines and Sunni Muslim insurgents holed up in a mosque, killing one American and eight Iraqi militants. Nine Marines were wounded in the firefight, the fiercest in two weeks.

...

Tank fire destroyed the mosque's 50-foot-tall minaret from which the insurgents were attacking. The tall tower normally is used to call Sunni Muslims to prayer five times a day.

"Marines played instructions in Arabic over loudspeakers that told anyone in the mosque to come out with their hands raised over their heads. No one exited," said a Marine communique. The Marines then charged inside. They found expended ammunition casings on the minaret's floor but no rebels.

When they withdrew, they were fired on again. So, "Marines responded with tank fire against the minaret, silencing the attackers," the communique said.

Date killed? 26th
Total 8 ('militants' in gun battle)
Civilian / Fighter 0/8
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]  
Date range?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis  
US/military viewpoint

"I have no doubt that television coverage picks up many images of people cheering on attacks on coalition forces," said Dan Senor, the chief civilian spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. But "if you look at polling, the silent majority of Iraqis express grateful appreciation.

"They recognize their enemy is our enemy."

News Source
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Author
-
Title
New York Times
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EDWARD WONG
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TRUCE EXTENDED IN FALLUJA SIEGE, AND TALKS GO ON
Specific incidents / deaths

Whatever headway was made in Falluja came with violence. General Kimmitt said marines, assisted by an AC-130 gunship, killed 25 people on Saturday while battling a houseful of guerrilla fighters in Falluja, after an insurgent armed with a mortar had entered the building.

Date killed? 24th
Total 25 (by AC-130 gunship)
Civilian / Fighter  
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]

The Ministry of Health said last Thursday that 271 Iraqis had been killed in Falluja since the marine siege began April 5. The director of Falluja General Hospital had told The Associated Press on April 11 that more than 600 had been killed.

Date range? 5th-22nd (5th-11th)
Total 271
(AP reported 600 earlier)
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis Negotiators extended a shaky cease-fire in the volatile city of Falluja on Sunday for at least two more days, defusing the threat of an imminent Marine assault.

...

Many Iraqis now criticize the Americans for what they say is an excessive use of force, especially in Falluja, where hundreds of families have been forced to flee. People here and in Washington fear uprisings could explode across Iraq if the military were to invade Falluja or Najaf.

But military officials have now backed off any suggestion that an attack on Falluja is imminent and have said they will give advance warning to all noncombatants to leave if an invasion is ordered.

American officials and an Iraqi negotiator said an agreement was reached Saturday night to have Iraqi security forces start patrolling Falluja with American soldiers on Tuesday. Insurgents are expected to continue turning in heavy weapons, even though truckloads of arms received by American soldiers in the last several days have been deemed to be junk, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the chief military spokesman.

...

The American military struggled during the weekend to break the deadlock in Falluja. Around 7 p.m. on Saturday, two American generals and a representative of Mr. Bremer agreed with Falluja civic leaders to start joint patrols on Tuesday, averting an assault for at least a few days, said Hajim al-Hassani, an official with the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni group on the Iraqi Governing Council that is leading the negotiations.

American commanders said last week that an attack on Falluja, a city of almost 300,000 residents 35 miles west of Baghdad, would begin within "days, not weeks" if insurgents did not relinquish heavy weapons.

General Kimmitt said Sunday that although few promises had been kept so far by the insurgents during the cease-fire, "we will continue to talk, we will continue the political process as it bears fruit." Sixty-seven families were allowed to return to Falluja on Sunday, he added.

Mr. Hassani said the two sides had agreed that 200 families would be allowed back into Falluja during the next several days and that the priority was to put Iraqi security forces back in control of the city.

US/military viewpoint

Dan Senor, the occupation authority spokesman, said American officials were "cautiously optimistic."

"We've seen progress in the last 24 hours, and we've got to take that progress for what it is," he said.

In Washington, officials said the extension of the cease-fire - one that most administration officials have described as a cease-fire in name but not in fact - was the recommendation of L. Paul Bremer III, the top civilian administrator in Iraq, and American military commanders here. They saw little risk in agreeing to it, because if an invasion of the city proved necessary in coming days or weeks, the extension would allow President Bush and other officials to say that they gave negotiation every chance. "No one is eager for the military alternatives," said one senior official. "There's not much risk in giving this more time, except that the humanitarian situation in Falluja worsens each day."

News Source
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Author
-
Title
Times
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JAMES HIDER IN FALLUJAH ON THE AMERICAN CLIMBDOWN
Specific incidents / deaths  
Date killed?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Cumulative deaths [and injuries]  
Date range?  
Total  
Civilian / Fighter  
Selected info, comment, analysis

The US has agreed not to invade the town of Fallujah to flush out continued armed resistance by both Sunni and Shia Muslims guerrillas. The move is being seen as a climbdown by the US forces. James Hider, left, reports from Fallujah.

"The Marines were about a day away from invading Fallujah. They were in good spirits yesterday preparing for their big push.

"They were stopped by Paul Bremer, the head of the US-led coalition, who spoke to them after a conversation with President Bush.

"The Bush Administration is worried that further fighting will inflame the situation and the President wants a solution other than a military one.

"There was concern about the political fallout in the Arab world if the Marines were to invade Fallujah, which has became a focal point for Iraqis opposing the occupation.

...

"When the fighting started three weeks ago, they either ran away, hid in their homes or, in some cases, turned their guns on the Marines.

"There is still a lot of fighting despite the ceasefire, under which the Americans won't attack unless they are attacked first or see Iraqis with acting with hostile intent.

"If this compromise works, there will not be a tidal wave of military force across the town.

"There will instead be a slowly rising tide. If the Americans do not run into any resistance, they will push the combat patrols further and further into Fallujah.

US/military viewpoint

"They Marines have lost between 30 and 40 men, which are not heavy casualties given the scale of the operations.

"They wanted to finish the job by taking out the Iraqi guerrillas, but have been twarted by a political compromise that may eventually put them in a greater line of fire."

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