Fleeing Falluja: Families speak out

[Barrett808]

Thousands of Iraqis fled the city of Falluja in the weeks leading up to the assault on the city by US forces.

BBCArabic.com spoke to three families who left the city to seek shelter. They spoke of the terror they felt as violence escalated, but also of the kindness of relatives and friends who aided them despite the risks.

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The AL-JABURI FAMILY
When the US bombardments got heavier one month ago, we decided to flee from Falluja.

My family is made up of 18 people - my father and mother who are very old and the rest who are sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters.

All we wish for is to return to Falluja soon and get together as one family again

We couldn't afford to rent a house in one place and because there were so many of us we couldn't go to a relative's house.

So we decided to split ourselves in groups to live separately in different locations around Iraq.

But the majority of us went to Baghdad.

We don't have enough supplies, but the family that we are living with in Baghdad is very kind.

(more)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4020053.stm

[gratuitous]

1. What?! They actually TALKED to a refugee family?

How DARE the BBC? How fuckin' dare they? Don't they know that the press releases from the U.S. military are sufficient to all their needs -- just like Jesus? Why in hell are they going to talk with refugee families?

[Javaman]

6. Gotta talk to the refugees, the others were killed during...

the flattening of Falusha.

[Bragi]

2. Worse yet...

Why would BBC have a web news site called BBCArabic.com?

And even if they were dumb enough to have such a site, what right do they have to translate its news reports into English that decent people can read?

The FCC should investigate this. Their jurisdiction to do so may not be clear as yet, but we're talking the UK here, so it's really part of the U.S now, and it's time they were made to realize this.

[moggie]

5. Don't forget...

Al-Jazeera was started by BBC journos after the BBC World Service closed its Arabic TV news operation. A lot of Al-Jazeera staff are BBC-trained.

[nine23]

3. Three families. Three heartbreaking stories.

nt

[Barrett808]

4. But we've groken the rebellion's back, dontcha know. n/t