5/5/2004: On April 29th, it was announced that a new Iraqi force run by former Republican Guard Major General Mohammed Saleh was replacing US forces around Fallujah. Fallujah had been cut off from vital necessities for days. With the exit of US forces, food and supplies were finally able to enter the city. Refugees from Fallujah also started to return as Iraqis rallied in the streets celebrating what many saw as a victory over US forces.
On May 1st, General Saleh questioning US orders to crack down on the city saying he did not see the presence of the "foreign fighters" the US had supposedly been attacking. Claiming that pressure by Shi'ites over Saleh's Republican Guard background was causing problems, Saleh was replaced within days by Muhammad Latif, a former intelligence officer who was an opponent of Saddam Hussein. Latif has now visited Falluja and says he too sees no notable presence of "foreign fighters", but it appears the US will let him remain in charge.

The US attack on Fallujah is over for now. A UN human rights investigator is calling for an independent probe into crimes committed by the US during the month long siege of the city. Western journalists are now able to visit the city and report on the devastation caused by US bombs, tanks and snipers. Fallujans are now able to dig out their dead from collapsed buildings and bury them in a mass grave set up in what had been a soccer stadium. During the month of April an estimated 1,361 Iraqis were killed; many of the deaths occurred during the US raid on Fallujah.
Cornel West On Fallujah | Interview With Refugees | Past Fallujah Coverage: 4/25 4/15 4/11