What happened in Fallujah

Our Global Exchange delegation, now in Damascas Syria met with Mr. Makki Nazzal, a late-middle-aged journalist who spoke openly and passionately about the two battles in Fallujah, Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He lived through the bloody battles in this city of just 9km in diameter.

In April, 2003, US forces began the tactic of stationing themselves on rooftops and spying on the women in their homes. In Fallujah, there was strong objection to this because the women were not properly dressed for the eyes of strangers. Hundreds marched peacefully to the US headquarters in a local schoolhouse to ask US forces to end this obtrusive practice. The US responded with gunfire, killing 17 Fallujans and wounding another 70.

Reistance fighters began to battle US forces. The US seemed to enjoy the challenge because it would legitimized their violence against the people of Fallujah. The US was soon surprised at the huge resistance. Fighting continued through the summer of 2003.

On June 30, a huge explosion at a mosque killed Sheikh Laith Khalil and eight others. The US eventually pulled back forces and totally withdrew by the end of 2003.

The following April '04, two four-wheel drive SUVs entered Fallujah. Mr Nazzal said that the people were surprised because US forces had withdrawn from Fallujah and there was no justification for this intrusion. The vehicles were identified as Blackwater, US military contractors. Unidentified gunman ambushed the vehicles killing four contractors.

US General Paul Bremer vowed vengence. Mr. Nazzal assured us that the killers were outsiders, not Fallujahns. 1,250 people of Fallujah were killed for the deaths of these four soldiers.

In June of 2004 Makki Nazzal was part of a negotiating team with the US. In the agreement the US agreed not to bomb private homes. The agreement was broken the next day by US bombs.

Throughout his experience with soldiers, Mr. Nazzal was surprised by the general lack of respect from the US soldiers even before violence broke out. He would walk by them and greet them in the Arabic word for hello, "Marhaba." The soldiers would reply, "Yeah, Fuck you too." They may have not known he could understand English.

War-related birth defects in Fallujah 
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