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Iraq: Eyewitness: On the Ground in Falluja
BBC News
April 29, 2004
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.
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."
"I don't support [the insurgents], but the way the Americans have dealt with and are dealing with this city makes me hate every American here, more and more"
"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."
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