Refugees Begin Trickling Back to Iraq's Falluja
By REUTERS
Published: December 23, 2004
Filed at 9:19 a.m. ET
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqis who fled last month's U.S. offensive on Falluja returned on Thursday to check whether the homes they left in the city were still standing, but most said they would not stay amid continued fighting.
More than 200,000 people sought shelter in nearby villages ahead of the Nov. 8 attack and have yet to return. They have been living in tented camps or in nearby towns and villages for the past seven weeks, many with only the clothes on their backs.
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Falluja, which had a population of 250,000-300,000 before last month's attack, has been a virtual ghost town since. The city has been without power or water and many buildings, power and communication lines were destroyed.
``I don't want to stay in the city, I just want to see if my house has been damaged,'' said Mohammed Aboud, 45, queuing on the edge of the Sunni Muslim city. ``I don't want to come back yet. I've heard it's still not secure.''
Iraq's interim government said 2,000 people would be allowed to return to homes in the western Andalus district starting on Thursday, although sporadic fighting persists in other areas.
U.S. forces are battling pockets of insurgents in Falluja and have continued to bombard the city since the official end of the assault to expel foreign Islamist fighters and Saddam Hussein loyalists who were entrenched there.
Iraq's minister of state for national security said on Wednesday rebels who fled the city ahead of the assault were trying to slip back and attack, but were being confronted.
COMPENSATION
Despite the danger, refugees wanted to check their homes.
``I want to enter Falluja and I want to assess the damage to my house, I've heard that it was destroyed in military operations,'' said Laith Nawwaf, 47. ``If it's destroyed then I will ask for compensation from our government.''
Industry Minister Hajem al-Hassani said each resident would receive $100, a heater and fuel rations on his return. More cash would be paid to property-owners once the extent of the damage to their buildings was assessed.
U.S. Marines said they were fingerprinting, photographing and scanning the irises of ``suspicious military-age men'' returning to Falluja, to ensure fighters did not slip back in.
They were also checking identification and ration cards to ensure only those from the Andalus district got back.
``This is a security measure intended to safeguard incoming citizens from any insurgents trying to re-penetrate the city,'' said Marine spokeswoman Major Naomi Hawkins. ``Initial reports are positive ... and everyone seems to be very cooperative.''
Residents began to approach a northeastern entry point on foot at around 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), while crowds looked on, the Marines said. Many later left to retrieve their cars when they found out they would be allowed to drive in.
Witnesses said at least 100 people, who had been sheltering in the nearby village of Saqlawiya, were waiting on the northwest fringes of Falluja to get in.
At least 20 cars had managed to return, they said, and Iraqi National Guards and U.S. Marines manning two checkpoints on the way in were issuing returnees with badges to prove, once inside, that they had been officially cleared.
``I want to remove my valuables, see the house from the outside and assess the damage,'' said Abdul-Rahman Mohammed, 50. |
