One year ago this month the US, with the support of the British, began its second major assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah. This massive and unpredented offensive devastated a city the size of Plymouth (the US State Department estimated 100% of the city’s housing was damaged to some degree) and killed many hundreds of civilians. British troops had been redeployed specially from southern Iraq to help form a “ring of steel” around the city. An earlier attack in April 2004 had killed at least 600 civilians. See Jo Wilding’s report of riding an ambulance inside the city during the siege. Report

US forces committed major war crimes during the assaults including: bombing residential areas and killing many civilians; imposing a 'shoot-to-kill curfew' and using snipers to fire on - and kill - unarmed civilians, including children; targetting ambulances and hospitals , closing medical facilities and preventing outside medical aid into the city; killing unarmed, wounded Iraqis; and, using phosphorus weapons.

Meanwhile, further assaults during the past year on Iraqi cities including Qaim, Karabila and Tal Afar have killed many more Iraqi civilians and created thousands more refugees with little media coverage or response from the anti-war movement.

The month will start on 8 November (a year to the day last November’s attack started), with film screenings at the ICA in London followed by a discussion with author and activist <a href="http://www.selvesandothers.org/view118.html" target="_blank">Milan Rai.

See <a href="http://www.rememberfallujah.org" target="_blank">www.rememberfallujah.org for more information on Fallujah and details of all the events this month and details of the films being screened.

How many people killed?
How many families torn apart?
How many homes destroyed?
How many livelihoods gone?
How many lives ruined?
A city sacrificed.

One year ago this month the US, with the support of the British, began its second major assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah (an attack originally codenamed “Thanksgiving Massacre”). This massive and unpredented offensive devastated a city the size of Plymouth (the US State Department estimated 100% of the city’s housing was damaged to some degree) and killed many hundreds of civilians. British troops had been redeployed specially from southern Iraq to help form a “ring of steel” around the city.

An earlier attack in April 2004 had killed at least 600 civilians. See Jo Wilding’s report of riding an ambulance inside the city during the siege. Report

US forces committed major war crimes during the assaults including:

The November 2004 assault was trailed well in advance and generated a brief spurt of anti-war activity here in the UK. Reports

Since then, however, media reports on Fallujah have been few and far between, and the plight of the city’s inhabitants – including the estimated 200,000 civilians who fled the attack and have yet to return to their homes – appears to have been largely been forgotten. Not long after the assault the US and Iraqi leaders declared that Fallujah would become a "model city"' (Boston Globe, 5 Dec) and have used daily intimidation, curfews, ID cards, repression, torture and detentions to try and create it.

Meanwhile, further assaults during the past year on Iraqi cities including Qaim, Karabila and Tal Afar have killed many more Iraqi civilians and created thousands more refugees with little media coverage or response from the anti-war movement.

”My son got shrapnel in his stomach when our house was hit at dawn, but we couldn’t take him for treatment We just bandaged his stomach and gave him water, but he was losing a lot of blood. He died this afternoon” - Fallujah resident Mohammed Abboud, November 2004.

'Asked what he would tell Iraqis about televised images "of Americans and coalition soldiers killing innocent civilians," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the senior military spokesman in Iraq answered "Change the channel."' - (New York Times, 12 April)..

Month of events
It is vital that we do not allow the war crimes committed in Fallujah and the ongoing attacks on Iraq's civilian population to be forgotten. We also need to demand justice and compensation for the victims of these assaults.

Over twenty events are taking place around the UK to Remember Fallujah. Events taking place include:

The month will start on 8 November (a year to the day last November’s attack started), at the ICA in London with screenings of the films Occupation Dreamland (an award-winning documentary about marines in Fallujah) and Testimonies from Fallujah, followed by a discussion with author and activist Milan Rai. Milan Rai visited Fallujah on several occasions during the sanctions years and was convicted earlier this year of causing over £2000 worth of criminal damage when he spray-painted the Foreign Office with the slogan “Don’t attack Fallujah” just before last year’s offensive. Report.

See <a href="http://www.rememberfallujah.org" target="_blank">www.rememberfallujah.org for more information on Fallujah and details of all the events this month and details of the films being screened.