Refugees from Fallujah struggle just to get by

H HABBANIYA, Iraq, Nov. 17 - By American military count, about 2,000 people came Tuesday to a makeshift food distribution site outside a military base here.

Many were refugees from Falluja, now living in old military housing next to the base; others were long-time residents. They approached the Iraqi soldiers managing the distribution cautiously. Snipers stood ready; crowds in Iraq can become targets.

But soon the people - men in long pants and short sleeves, old women in black abayas, restless children - formed lines to walk into the circle of concertina wire, to somehow haul off 110-pound bags of Indian black tea, sugar and rice, big cans of vegetable shortening, boxes of milk powder, and boxes of halal packaged food that the marines called "happy meals."

Eventually, the lines grew chaotic, and American soldiers began helping to keep order.

"It's very hard to get even a cigarette" at the refugee camp, said Taha Athir Sadham, who said he left Falluja for the camp one month ago and received a bag of food on Tuesday. He was not eager to go home. "I'm scared the insurgents will return again," he says.

The housing next to the military base here was once home to British and later Iraqi civilians and officers, perhaps a few thousand people. But the influx from Falluja, 12 miles to the east, has more than doubled the population over the past few months.

The new residents have found novel ways of coping. They have punched holes in water mains to siphon off a dwindling supply, said Chief Warrant Officer Jean Poitevien, a Marine reservist. His unit, the Fourth Civil Affairs Group, is trying to bring supplies of water, power and other essentials to the camp.

The camp's power generators are in the hands of men who sell residents enough electricity to power one or two appliances for a few hours; the price is 3,000 dinars, or about $2, a lot of money for people who, if they have good jobs, might make $5 a day, Mr. Poitevien said. A bottle of water can also sell for $2.

It is hardly a safe place. Snipers are active in the camp, and insurgents have threatened school teachers who accept supplies from American forces. A reporter and photographer were allowed to watch the food distribution and to speak with people in line, but not to visit the camp itself.

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