URGENT: MASSACRE IN FALLUJAH
Members of the Seattle-based organization 'Another
World Is Possible' traveled to Iraq this fall. We
received a phone call this morning from an Iraqi
friend who carried 16 women and children out of
Fallujah, burned and bloody from US bombs that were
dropped by American F16 jets and Apache helicopters on
their homes early this morning, during what the US is
calling a "ceasefire." The Iraqi and international
volunteers were driving an ambulance from a local
Fallujah clinic when it was fired upon by US snipers,
at least six times, nearly killing the driver and
passenger who were able to duck. The bullets
perforated the area directly behind their heads. The
ambulance is now destroyed and the activists have
traveled back in to Fallujah in a small car,
attempting to help more injured people, the vast
majority women and children, out of the city under
fire. Reports say nearly a thousand have been killed
or wounded since the US began bombing the city three
days ago.
The first phone message follows below. We also
received an email yesterday from an activist we met in
Baghdad. She has spent the past four days with fellow
activists ferrying bodies out of Fallujah. The last
message included is a letter written on Sunday by a
peace activist in Japan, a friend of one of the
hostages, also a peace activist, facing execution if
his country's troops do not withdraw.
We call on you to heed these calls. Please forward
these messages and help however you can to make sure
that the truth about what is happening in Fallujah and
all over Iraq is heard.
PHONE MESSAGE FROM AN IRAQI FRIEND IN FALLUJAH
Saturday, April 10
"Listen Jessica or Anya. This is Gareeb from Baghdad.
This is important. There is something going on wrong
in Fallujah. We are surrounded in here. So please,
anything that you can do... A call for Fallujah,
anything please, a demonstration, whatever. Just try
to help. Bye bye."
LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL ACTIVISTS IN FALLUJAH
Saturday, April 10
1. Paola Gaspiroli, Italian, from Occupation watch and
Bridges to Baghdad:
There has been a massacre in Fallujah. Fallujah is
under siege. 470 People have been killed, and 1700
injured. There has been no ceasefire. They (Americans)
told people to leave, said they have 8 hours to leave
and people began to leave but they're trapped in the
Desert. The Americans have been bombing with B52s.
Bridges to Baghdad are pulling out. We have flights
booked out of Amman. Tomorrow a team will go to Sadr
City to deliver medicines. 50 people have been killed
there. ?? (Forgotten name) the 'elastic' sheikh in
Sadr City (I've met him, young, brilliant guy,
describes himself as 'elastic' because he is so
flexible when it comes to his interpretations of Islam
and moral conduct definitions etc, he's pretty
liberal) he has told me I should leave. He says that
even he can't control his people.
Foreigners are going to be targeted. 6 new foreigners
have been taken hostage. Four of them are Italian
security firm employees - they were kidnapped from
their car, which was found to be full of weapons, and
there were black uniforms. Baghdad was quiet today
except for Abu Ghraib (West Baghdad, where a vast
prison is located and is bursting at the seams with
12,000 prisoners) an American convoy was attacked
there and 9 soldiers were injured and 27 were
kidnapped. That's right 27. None of the newswires are
reporting it though.) It's really, really bad. They
(Americans) have been firing on Ambulances. Snipers
are following the ambulances. They cannot get in to
Fallujah. There are people in the Desert. They've left
Fallujah but they're not being allowed into Baghdad,
they're trapped in the Desert. They're like refugees.
Its terrible but the people, Iraqi people, are giving
all they can; they're bringing supplies, everybody is
giving all their help and support to Fallujah.
I want to stay but I have to go, if I want to come
back and be useful, you know I think its best to
leave, Bridges to Baghdad has decided this. It's
getting really dangerous for Italians. We feel like
we're being targeted now. (Italy has a 2500+ force
including Carabinieri occupying Nassiriyah which has
been subject to a number of resistance attacks
including the devastating attack on the Police station
which claimed the lives of 4 soldiers, one civilian,
one documentary film maker, 12 Carabinieri police and
8 Iraqis).
(Members of Bridges to Baghdad) have been great.
They've been driving into Fallujah and bringing out
people, going back and forth. They know what's going
on. Really they have been great. They want more people
to help them but we couldn't from here. It's getting
much, much worse.
------------------------------------------------
II. Message from a second activist who is in Fallujah
today and for the past few days:
We've been seeing it with our own eyes. People were
told to leave Fallujah and now there are thousands
trapped in the Desert. There is a 13 km long convoy of
people trying to reach Baghdad. The Americans are
firing bombs, everything, everything they have on
them. They are firing on Families! They are all
children, old men and women in the desert. Other Iraqi
people are trying to help them. In Fallujah they
(Americans) have been bombing hospitals. Children are
being evacuated to Baghdad. There is a child now, a
baby, he had 25 members of his family killed, he's in
the hospital and someone needs to be with him. Why
isn't anyone there to stay with him? He just lost 25
from his family!??? The Americans are dropping cluster
bombs and new mortars, which jump 3-4 metres. They are
bombing from the air. There are people lying dead in
the streets. They said there'd be a ceasefire and then
they flew in, I saw them, and they began to bomb. They
are fighting back and they are fighting well in
Fallujah. But we are expecting the big attack in 24-48
hours. It will be the main attack. They will be taking
the town street by street and searching and attacking.
They did this already in a village near-by, I forget
the name, but they will be doing this in Fallujah.
Please get help, get people to protest, get them to go
to the Embassies, get them out, get them to do
something. There is a massacre. And we need
foreigners. The foreigners can do something. We are
having a protest, Jo (Jo
Wildingwww.wildfirejo.org.uk) and the others from her
group are coming to the American checkpoint tomorrow.
We haven't slept in 3 or 4 days. We need attention. I
have photos, film, we've given it to Al jazeera, Al
Arabiya but get it out too. Do everything you can. We
are going back in tomorrow.
3. LETTER FROM JAPANESE ACTIVIST
This came from a Veteran for Peace, It is a letter
from Yumi, a wonderful peace activist from Japan. One
of the Japanese hostages just graduated from high
school and is a dedicated peace activist who was
helping to feed Iraqi children in the streets. He
inspires to be a great journalist and was in Iraq to
witness the devastation and bear witnessto the effects
of so called depleted uranium.
Sunday, April 11
Dear Friends,
The captors of my Japanese friends in Iraq just
announced now that they will kill the hostages if
Japan does not withdraw the Self Defense Force. They
changed their mind (sic. Saturday they planned to
release the hostages) after hearing Japanese
government's statement on TV that the captors were
releasing the hostage because Japanese government was
firm and didn't negotiate with "terrorists". What all
the citizens of the world tried days and nights were
wasted because of such irresponsible statements by
Japanese government and media. None of them are
released by now and one will be killed within 24
hours. I am sending this to you to share my sorrow,
and to declare my commitment to make more peaceful and sustainable world. 500+ Iraqi people are killed in Fallujah this week and many were children and babies as seen in the photos below. Think about the sorrow of the mothers and fathers. If you do not want to face what the US does in foreign countries straight, you can never change it. "How many times must a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see...." http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8CB7C17E-F69E-48A2-8034-DEA425192815.htm
Three Japanese hostages are not released as I write
this, and 3 hours to go. What has happened in Fallujah
that has triggered the kidnapping of foreigners in
Iraq? Iraqi Resistance want the occupation to end.
They want foreign troops to go home. I am almost
certain that US soldiers also want to go home safely
and hug their family. So must be the Japanese
soldiers...... All Iraqi people are asking is,
"Please leave our country with all your weapons".
"Stop killing our children".
"Stop polluting our land forever with radioactive
weapons"
Is it too much to ask?
Check this man out who is running for the US
President. http://kucinich.us
love, Yumi
P.S.. I recommend you see "What I've learned about US
Foreign Policy", compilation of 10 documentary films
compiled by Frank Dorrel. I am just about to release
the Japanese translation of it. www.addictedtowar.com