CNN: Red Crescent suspends Falluja work

[Pepper32]

Sunday, December 5, 2004 Posted: 6:29 AM EST (1129 GMT)


FALLUJA, Iraq (CNN) -- As part of an agreement with coalition forces, the only humanitarian organization in Falluja said Sunday it will temporarily suspend its operations there.

The Iraqi Red Crescent (IRC), which has worked with Marines to distribute food, water and medical supplies to citizens remaining in Falluja, is suspending its work for two days because of security searches to be conducted in the same area where the organization set up its headquarters, said Anas Akram Mohammad, director of the group's disaster management unit.

When the organization set up about a week ago, it did so in a neighborhood that was not entirely secured and without coordinating with coalition forces, said Lt. Col. Michael Ramos, commander of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment.

<snip>
Mohammad said Sunday that over the past three days, the IRC had delivered a week's supply of food, water and medical supplies to all the families it could identify in that region of the city.

Marines and Iraqi forces will continue coordination and distribution during the suspension, Ramos said.
MORE...
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/12/05/iraq.redcrescent/index.html

[ncrainbowgrrl]

1. Oh god, is this what it's coming to?

:cry:

[leftchick]

2. US orders Iraqi Red Crescent out of Fallujah

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=34640

BAGHDAD, Dec 5 (AFP) - The Iraqi Red Crescent said Sunday that it had left Fallujah on US military orders after the aid agency was told the former insurgent stronghold was not safe.

"Multinational forces asked the IRC to withdraw from Fallujah for security reasons and until further notice," the organisation's spokeswoman Ferdus al-Ibadi told AFP.

Ibadi, speaking in Baghdad, had said earlier that the agency left of its own free will, but she said she was only informed after the IRC left the city that it had been told to do so by US marines.

The IRC distibuted food, water and blankets to around 1,500 people in the city, whose population was around 300,000 before a massive assault by US-led forces began on November 8.

[Barrett808]

3. Military-age males in the IRC building were properly vetted, 8 detained

The US military said the IRC had requested a military escort out of the city, and that it had secured the organisation's headquarters immediately afterwards.

"All military-age males in the IRC building were properly vetted and approximately eight were detained," said US Marine Major M. Naomi Hawkins.

Wonder if the "vetted" men received yellow stars.

[madrchsod]

4. keeps them from reporting war crimes

keeps them from telling and showing the truth of our responsiblity

[livinginphotographs]

5. They're not even trying anymore.

I swear the US govt needs a new PR person. I guess Bush's "mandate" means he doesn't even have to try to convince the world that we're not committing war crimes daily in Iraq.

[Supersedeas]

6. the napalm clean-up continues

[CatholicEdHead]

7. To them, "Terrorists" are not human

And with the broad brush, they just ignore the reasons arms were taken up against the US troops. (e.g. Abu Grib and other abuses besides a very small minority of Al Qaeda).

It is all about resources as even from the start they did not attempt to keep Iraqi civilian (and military) casulity counts.