Monday's New York Times, page 1:
"American commanders said 38 service members had been killed and 275 wounded in the Falluja assault."
Monday's New York Times, page 11:
"The American military hospital here reported that it had treated 419 American soldiers since the siege of Falluja began."
Questions for the class:
1. If 275 soldiers were wounded in Falluja and 419 are treated for wounds, how many were shot on the plane ride to Germany?
2. We're told only 275 soldiers were wounded but 419 treated for wounds; and we're told that 38 soldiers died. So how many will be buried?
3. How long have these Times reporters been embedded with with military? Bonus question: When will they get out of bed with the military?
Monday's New York Times, page 1:
"The commanders estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 insurgents had been killed."
Monday's New York Times, page 11:
"Nowhere to be found: the remains of the insurgents that the tanks had been sent in to destroy. ...The absence of insurgent bodies in Falluja has remained an enduring mystery."
NOT in the New York Times:
"Every time I hear the news
That old feeling comes back on;
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the Big Fool says to push on."
- Pete Seeger, 1967
"American commanders said 38 service members had been killed and 275 wounded in the Falluja assault."
Monday's New York Times, page 11:
"The American military hospital here reported that it had treated 419 American soldiers since the siege of Falluja began."
Questions for the class:
1. If 275 soldiers were wounded in Falluja and 419 are treated for wounds, how many were shot on the plane ride to Germany?
2. We're told only 275 soldiers were wounded but 419 treated for wounds; and we're told that 38 soldiers died. So how many will be buried?
3. How long have these Times reporters been embedded with with military? Bonus question: When will they get out of bed with the military?
Monday's New York Times, page 1:
"The commanders estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 insurgents had been killed."
Monday's New York Times, page 11:
"Nowhere to be found: the remains of the insurgents that the tanks had been sent in to destroy. ...The absence of insurgent bodies in Falluja has remained an enduring mystery."
NOT in the New York Times:
"Every time I hear the news
That old feeling comes back on;
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the Big Fool says to push on."
- Pete Seeger, 1967
From Dahr Jamail in Iraq, IPS...
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of U.S. military reprisal, a high-ranking official with the Red Cross in Baghdad told IPS that â€at least 800 civilians†have been killed in Fallujah so far.
His estimate is based on reports from Red Crescent aid workers stationed around the embattled city, from residents within the city and from refugees, he said.
â€Several of our Red Cross workers have just returned from Fallujah since the Americans won't let them into the city,†he said. â€And they said the people they are tending to in the refugee camps set up in the desert outside the city are telling horrible stories of suffering and death inside Fallujah.â€
The official said that both Red Cross and Iraqi Red Crescent relief teams had asked the U.S. military in Fallujah to take in medical supplies to people trapped in the city, but their repeated requests had been turned down.
A convoy of relief supplies from both relief organisations continues to wait on the outskirts of the city for military permission to enter. They have appealed to the United Nations to intervene on their behalf.
â€The Americans close their ears, and that is it,†the Red Cross official said. â€They won't even let us take supplies into Fallujah General Hospital.â€
The official estimated that at least 50,000 residents remain trapped within the city. They were too poor to leave, lacked friends or family outside the city and therefore had nowhere to go, or they simply had not had enough time to escape before the siege began, he said.
Aid workers in his organisation have reported that houses of civilians in Kharma, a small city near Fallujah, had been bombed by U.S. warplanes. In one instance a family of five was killed just two days ago, they reported.
â€I don't know why the American leaders did not approach the Red Cross and ask us to deal with the families properly before the attacking began,†said a Red Cross aid worker, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
His estimate is based on reports from Red Crescent aid workers stationed around the embattled city, from residents within the city and from refugees, he said.
â€Several of our Red Cross workers have just returned from Fallujah since the Americans won't let them into the city,†he said. â€And they said the people they are tending to in the refugee camps set up in the desert outside the city are telling horrible stories of suffering and death inside Fallujah.â€
The official said that both Red Cross and Iraqi Red Crescent relief teams had asked the U.S. military in Fallujah to take in medical supplies to people trapped in the city, but their repeated requests had been turned down.
A convoy of relief supplies from both relief organisations continues to wait on the outskirts of the city for military permission to enter. They have appealed to the United Nations to intervene on their behalf.
â€The Americans close their ears, and that is it,†the Red Cross official said. â€They won't even let us take supplies into Fallujah General Hospital.â€
The official estimated that at least 50,000 residents remain trapped within the city. They were too poor to leave, lacked friends or family outside the city and therefore had nowhere to go, or they simply had not had enough time to escape before the siege began, he said.
Aid workers in his organisation have reported that houses of civilians in Kharma, a small city near Fallujah, had been bombed by U.S. warplanes. In one instance a family of five was killed just two days ago, they reported.
â€I don't know why the American leaders did not approach the Red Cross and ask us to deal with the families properly before the attacking began,†said a Red Cross aid worker, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
[...]
If the U.S. forces would call a temporary cease-fire â€we could get our trucks in and get the civilians left in Fallujah who need medical care, we could get them out,†he said.
Mosques have organised massive collections of food and relief supplies for Fallujah residents as they did last April when the city was under attack, but these supplies have not been allowed into the city either.
[...]
The situation within Fallujah is grim, he said. If help does not reach people soon, â€the children who are trapped will most likely die.â€
He said the Ministry of Health in the U.S.-backed interim Iraqi government had stopped supplying hospitals and clinics in Fallujah two months before the current siege.
From Jim Krane, AP...
As fighting winds down, U.S. troops face an even more difficult mission in Fallujah winning the people's allegiance. Planners want to make sure the Fallujah battle doesn't mimic the U.S.-led invasion: a well-executed military assault followed by a flawed occupation.
As soon as the city settles down, U.S. leaders and their Iraqi government partners plan to bring in a new city government including a new mayor and police chief as well as thousands of Iraqi police and paramilitary forces whose job it will be to keep order.
As soon as the city settles down, U.S. leaders and their Iraqi government partners plan to bring in a new city government including a new mayor and police chief as well as thousands of Iraqi police and paramilitary forces whose job it will be to keep order.
I believe that is what is called disconnect from reality.
All Falluja posts
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