Fallujah Revisited: American Money Goes to Vacant Business Center While Children Are Dying

[BurtWorm]

Patrick Coburn, one of the most intrepid reporters in Iraq, filed this story for The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/return-to-fallujah-774846.html

...

At one time Fallujah had a population of 600,000, but none of the officials in the city seemed to know how many there are now. Col Feisal is hopeful of investment and took us to a white, new building called the Fallujah Business Development Centre, which had been partly funded by a branch of the US State Department. Tall American soldiers were guarding a business development conference. "It has attracted one American investor so far," said a uniformed American adviser hopefully. "My name is Sarah and I am in psychological operations," said another US officer and proudly showed us around a newly established radio Fallujah.

At the other end of the city we crossed over the iron bridge built in about 1930 and now the only link with the far side of the Euphrates. There is a modern bridge half a mile down river but it has been taken over by the American army and, say locals, used as a vehicle park. On the far side of the bridge, past beds of tall bullrushes where people escaping the city during the sieges of 2004 tried to hide, there is a building eviscerated by bombs on one side of the road. On the other side is the hospital whose officials US commanders used to accuse of systematically exaggerating the number of those killed by American bombing.

When I asked what the hospital lacked Dr Kamal said wearily: "Drugs, fuel, electricity, generators, a water treatment system, oxygen and medical equipment." It was difficult not to think that American assistance might have gone to the hospital rather than the business development centre.

Colonel Feisal said things were getting better but he was mobbed by black-clad women shouting that their children had not been treated.

"Every day 20 children die here," said one. "Seven in this very room."

The doctors said that they were tending their patients as best they could. "The Americans provide us with nothing," said one mother who was cradling a child. "They bring us only destruction."


...

[EFerrari]

1. The Bush administration is still trying to cover up for killing this city

and for using chemical weapons on civilians.

F@ck them.

[NNN0LHI]

2. "The Americans provide us with nothing. They bring us only destruction." n/t

[gratuitous]

3. Get with the program, Iraq!

Instead of wishing for oxygen, you should all catch the entrepreneur bug and start small businesses! Supply side economics, that's the ticket.

Jesus, every fucking thing with this rotten administration has to bow to politics. So when another couple dozen kids die, maybe they'll start to wise up and get with the American program that we're trying to inflict on them.

[Hissyspit]

4. .

[BurtWorm]

5. kick

[SpiralHawk]

6. "These are republicon family values. Smirk." - Commander AWOL