WELCOME TO FALLUJAH
We will never know what was done in Fallujah in our name.
I watched a report on Fallujah last week on Sky News by Lisa Holland for which she deserves our gratitude and a top television award. It featured a quietly spoken Iraqi neo-natal specialist, Dr Muntaha Hashim, who is finding that in that town, bombed and collectively punished by the allies, there has been a massive increase in the number of deformed babies. Dr Hashim sees children with two heads – one, a young girl with bountiful hair was curled up on a bed – and others limbless, or born without vital organs. The number has doubled since the days of Saddam.
Some unidentified chemical weaponry is responsible. Pro-war politicians, dodgy spooks, spin doctors and unrepentant media warriors such as Christopher Hitchens still claim triumphantly the war was a victory of good over evil. Their own offspring will not be born with two heads and,
At least 2.4 million pounds of depleted uranium were Used to bomb Fallujah causing beyond alarming numbers of deformed babies, miscarriages, and cancer in a place where there are scant medical supplies and no new hospitals since 1986. Some U.S. soldiers who served in Fallujah also reportedly having deformed infants THIS IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-it-is-now-impossible-to-trust-any-official-inquiry-into-iraq-1657061.htmlhttp://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090901/twl-the-truth-of-iraq-s-city-of-deformed-3fd0ae9.html
FALLUJAH, Jun 12 (IPS) - Babies born in Fallujah are showing illnesses and deformities on a scale never seen before, doctors and residents say.
The new cases, and the number of deaths among children, have risen after "special weaponry" was used in the two massive bombing campaigns in Fallujah in 2004.
After denying it at first, the Pentagon admitted in November 2005 that white phosphorous, a restricted incendiary weapon, was used a year earlier in Fallujah.
In addition, depleted uranium (DU) munitions, which contain low-level radioactive waste, were used heavily in Fallujah. The Pentagon admits to having used 1,200 tonnes of DU in Iraq thus far.
Many doctors believe DU to be the cause of a severe increase in the incidence of cancer in Iraq, as well as among U.S. veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and through the current occupation.
"We saw all the colours of the rainbow coming out of the exploding American shells and missiles," Ali Sarhan, a 50-year-old teacher who lived through the two U.S. sieges of 2004 told IPS. "I saw bodies that turned into bones and coal right after they were exposed to bombs that we learned later to be phosphorus.
"The most worrying is that many of our women have suffered loss of their babies, and some had babies born with deformations."
"I had two children who had brain damage from birth," 28-year-old Hayfa' Shukur told IPS. "My husband has been detained by the Americans since November 2004 and so I had to take the children around by myself to hospitals and private clinics. They died. I spent all our savings and borrowed a considerable amount of money."
Shukur said doctors told her that it was use of the restricted weapons that caused her children's brain damage and subsequent deaths, "but none of them had the courage to give me a written report."
"Many babies were born with major congenital malformations," a paediatric doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS. "These infants include many with heart defects, cleft lip or palate, Down's syndrome, and limb defects."
The doctor added, "I can say all kinds of problems related to toxic pollution took place in Fallujah after the November 2004 massacre."
Many doctors speak of similar cases and a similar pattern. The indications remain anecdotal, in the absence of either a study, or any available official records.
The Fallujah General Hospital administration was unwilling to give any statistics on deformed babies, but one doctor volunteered to speak on condition of anonymity - for fear of reprisals if seen to be critical of the administration.
"Maternal exposure to toxins and radioactive material can lead to miscarriage and frequent abortions, still birth, and congenital malformation," the doctor told IPS. There have been many such cases, and the government "did not move to contain the damage, or present any assistance to the hospital whatsoever.
"These cases need intensive international efforts that provide the highest and most recent technologies that we will not have here in a hundred years," he added.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern Mar. 31 about the lack of medical supplies in hospitals in Baghdad and Basra.
"Hospitals have used up stocks of vital medical items, and require further supplies to cope with the influx of wounded patients. Access to water remains a matter of concern in certain areas," the ICRC said in a statement.
A senior Iraqi health ministry official was quoted as saying Feb. 26 that the health sector is under "great pressure", with scores of doctors killed, an exodus of medical personnel, poor medical infrastructure, and shortage of medicines.
"We are experiencing a big shortage of everything," said the official, "We don't have enough specialist doctors and medicines, and most of the medical equipment is outdated.
"We used to get many spinal and head injures, but were unable to do anything as we didn't have enough specialists and medicines," he added. "Intravenous fluid, which is a simple thing, is not available all the time." He said no new hospitals had been built since 1986.
Iraqi Health Minister Salih al-Hassnawi highlighted the shortage of medicines at a press conference in Arbil in the Kurdistan region in the north Feb. 22. "The Iraqi Health Ministry is suffering from an acute shortage of medicines...We have decided to import medicines immediately to meet the needs."
The people of Fallujah want to know how many more deformed babies there will be before someone sits up and takes notice of them.
The new cases, and the number of deaths among children, have risen after "special weaponry" was used in the two massive bombing campaigns in Fallujah in 2004.
After denying it at first, the Pentagon admitted in November 2005 that white phosphorous, a restricted incendiary weapon, was used a year earlier in Fallujah.
In addition, depleted uranium (DU) munitions, which contain low-level radioactive waste, were used heavily in Fallujah. The Pentagon admits to having used 1,200 tonnes of DU in Iraq thus far.
Many doctors believe DU to be the cause of a severe increase in the incidence of cancer in Iraq, as well as among U.S. veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and through the current occupation.
"We saw all the colours of the rainbow coming out of the exploding American shells and missiles," Ali Sarhan, a 50-year-old teacher who lived through the two U.S. sieges of 2004 told IPS. "I saw bodies that turned into bones and coal right after they were exposed to bombs that we learned later to be phosphorus.
"The most worrying is that many of our women have suffered loss of their babies, and some had babies born with deformations."
"I had two children who had brain damage from birth," 28-year-old Hayfa' Shukur told IPS. "My husband has been detained by the Americans since November 2004 and so I had to take the children around by myself to hospitals and private clinics. They died. I spent all our savings and borrowed a considerable amount of money."
Shukur said doctors told her that it was use of the restricted weapons that caused her children's brain damage and subsequent deaths, "but none of them had the courage to give me a written report."
"Many babies were born with major congenital malformations," a paediatric doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS. "These infants include many with heart defects, cleft lip or palate, Down's syndrome, and limb defects."
The doctor added, "I can say all kinds of problems related to toxic pollution took place in Fallujah after the November 2004 massacre."
Many doctors speak of similar cases and a similar pattern. The indications remain anecdotal, in the absence of either a study, or any available official records.
The Fallujah General Hospital administration was unwilling to give any statistics on deformed babies, but one doctor volunteered to speak on condition of anonymity - for fear of reprisals if seen to be critical of the administration.
"Maternal exposure to toxins and radioactive material can lead to miscarriage and frequent abortions, still birth, and congenital malformation," the doctor told IPS. There have been many such cases, and the government "did not move to contain the damage, or present any assistance to the hospital whatsoever.
"These cases need intensive international efforts that provide the highest and most recent technologies that we will not have here in a hundred years," he added.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern Mar. 31 about the lack of medical supplies in hospitals in Baghdad and Basra.
"Hospitals have used up stocks of vital medical items, and require further supplies to cope with the influx of wounded patients. Access to water remains a matter of concern in certain areas," the ICRC said in a statement.
A senior Iraqi health ministry official was quoted as saying Feb. 26 that the health sector is under "great pressure", with scores of doctors killed, an exodus of medical personnel, poor medical infrastructure, and shortage of medicines.
"We are experiencing a big shortage of everything," said the official, "We don't have enough specialist doctors and medicines, and most of the medical equipment is outdated.
"We used to get many spinal and head injures, but were unable to do anything as we didn't have enough specialists and medicines," he added. "Intravenous fluid, which is a simple thing, is not available all the time." He said no new hospitals had been built since 1986.
Iraqi Health Minister Salih al-Hassnawi highlighted the shortage of medicines at a press conference in Arbil in the Kurdistan region in the north Feb. 22. "The Iraqi Health Ministry is suffering from an acute shortage of medicines...We have decided to import medicines immediately to meet the needs."
The people of Fallujah want to know how many more deformed babies there will be before someone sits up and takes notice of them.
See additional http://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/17/pentagon_reverses_position_and_admits_u
AntwortenLöschenFrom the article: The U.S. government has now admitted its troops used white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon against Iraqis during the assault on Fallujah a year ago. Chemical weapons experts say such attacks are in violation of international law banning the use of chemical weapons. We speak with columnist George Monbiot and the news director of RAI TV, the Italian TV network that produced the film “Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre.”
Thanks Baglava , here is a clip of Fallujah The Hidden Massacre
AntwortenLöschenI wrote the following on my 360 blog in December 2007:
AntwortenLöschenDepleted Uranium is the gift that keeps on killing.
It will continue to kill and sicken innocent people in Iraq long after
the occupation ends. A National Lead plant in Colonie, NY where depleted
uranium was made into armor-piercing ammunition has sickened and killed
workers and nearby residents. Urine tests of 5 former workers showed
they were still contaminated 23 years after the plant closed, as were 20%
of those who merely lived nearby.
When DU projectiles impact solid targets, a percentage of the DU is
pulverized into an extremely fine dust that is easily airborne and
breathed in whenever the dust is disturbed. Once in the body, it never
leaves.
A great deal of that dust is still in Colonie, NY, despite Federal
attempts to clean up the area after the plant closed. Children playing
in abandoned fields have had lifelong ill effects. Cancer, brain tumors,
kidney problems, decaying teeth, birth defects, and immune disorders.
DU shells were used in Desert Storm; in Bosnia and Kosovo;
and are being used now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Studies are being done, but are not yet complete. It appears that US
veterans may not be as affected as residents of the area, but they are
affected. Specific birth defects are higher among children of veterans.
Returning soldiers have only recently been tested, and many have shown
detectable levels years after exposure. There is an organization called
Campaign to Abolish Depleted Uranium. http://www.cadu.org.uk/
It seems the British are more aware of the problem than the US. Birth defects are up 20% in the Baghdad area. 90% of them do not survive. Deformities include multiple fingers, unusually large heads, unilateral lips or no arms or legs.
The term 'depleted' is misleading. Although DU is less radioactive than
natural uranium, the natural kind is not not concentrated in one place,
and is not found as a fine dust that can be inhaled. It emits alpha particles,
which are most dangerous once they are inside the body.
After the First Gulf War in 1991 the effects of DU were known and
reported in Iraq, and UN studies were requested.
Cancer rates among children almost tripled. Congenital deformities in
Basra increased four-fold from 1990 to 1999. Incidence of cancers of the
breast, thyroid gland and lymphatic system also rose.
Thousands of fish have died at fish farms near Baghdad.
After lobbying from Washington, the U.N. General Assembly
voted against an Iraqi proposal for a U.N.-backed study into the effects
of depleted uranium used in the Gulf War. In addition the US blocked
sending cancer-treatment drugs to Iraq during the embargo.
Is anyone still asking 'Why do they hate us?'
________________
Needless to say, we have left an indelible impression on Iraq, one that will be there for generations. As the Iraq occupation winds down, it is easy to forget the enormous harm we have inflicted there.
Stay tuned.
That in itself is a war crime that needs to be investigated and prosecuted. There is no excuse for that. I was wondering where Israel was getting those shells. It is pretty obvious now.
AntwortenLöschenThat's what I say since the end of the era Bush. It's not only that the world is waiting for justice, the USA itself needs to get their eyes opened about what has happened and feel the shame and regret, to get rid of these insane minds and opinions.
AntwortenLöschenI grew up as a child in Germany after world war II and I remember well the different ways of the adults to digest the guilt and shame being citizen of a criminal country resp. administration. There were many who couldn't believe that they were naive victims of criminals. Others who had a profit from the former regime felt cheated and angry that they lost their privileges. The majority I think just felt liberated by the allies and started to build up a new, better Germany. The Nuremberg Trials and later the Eichmann Process in Jerusalem helped us a lot to understand the 'Banality of Evil' (Hannah Arendt) and what had happened to us and what we had done to others.
For me the implication is although I am not guilty personally I have a responsibility for what my people have done.
I liked the article,
AntwortenLöschenBut when has christopher hitchins said anything to endorse the war or the massacre?
AntwortenLöschenand it targets the poor and weak ..... OMG its so sad , will go down though the generations
I joined an Iraqi Womens group ..... they say how can anyone be so hateful as to do this to people
AntwortenLöschenwho have suffered for so long .. how can they murder us .... what have we done ?
4 million orphans and 3 million widows with no income ....
you havent answered my question blondino,
AntwortenLöschenwhen has hitchens endorsed the war?
I am sorry, I was under the impression you wrote the article..
AntwortenLöschenAbout the link on hitchins,those stinging remarks dont make sense at all..
The author seems quite biased and angry..but who knows *sigh*
I will do some digging myself.
Thank you
Fatima Ahmed ( see top picture ) was born in Fallujah with deformities that include two heads, she has died. It was to be expected but very sad for these people . No wonder they hate us
AntwortenLöschenhttp://www.uruknet.info/index.php?p=m58926&hd=&size=1&l=e
if it does not load you can watch there
http://translucence.multiply.com/video/item/152/FALLUJAH_HAS_HIGHER_CANCER_RATES_THAN_HIROSHIMA_AFTER_A_BOMB_ATTACK?replies_read=12
AntwortenLöschen"We fucked the current generations and the future generations."
AntwortenLöschenThe American government's slogan.
who can forgive this ??????
AntwortenLöschennot me for sure
The slogan works exactly because many don't believe in him.
AntwortenLöschen