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Inside besieged Falluja
Residents of the rebel-held city of Falluja in Iraq are packing their bags and leaving town after one of the heaviest US bombardments for weeks.
BBC News Online spoke by phone to a reporter in the city, contacted by the BBC's Arabic Service, who gave the following account of life there.
BBC News Online spoke by phone to a reporter in the city, contacted by the BBC's Arabic Service, who gave the following account of life there.
The mood in the city is grim.
It is start of Ramadan, but there is nowhere to celebrate and no food to celebrate with.
Falluja's most popular kebab restaurant used to be the place to go at the end of the day to break the Ramadan fast - but that was bombed by the Americans this week.
Many families have used a lull in the bombing to leave the city.
Fighters are engaged in skirmishes with US forces in the eastern and southern areas. US positions are about half a kilometre from Falluja.
No single militia force controls the whole city.
Different clans in the city have their own militias but they all seem to be working together to fend off US forces.
The people of Falluja are very clannish - but they have also always been very religious and right now faith is a stronger bond than family.
Police and militias
Two elements have been running the affairs of the city - the police force and local militias.
Relations between the two are good - I have seen policemen on the streets chatting to the fighters.
In fact, relations between local fighters and police have always been good - a deal struck some months ago means the police are welcome in the city provided they do not take orders from the Americans.
There are more police on the streets than usual - possibly to protect the property of residents who are leaving the city.
But the risk of looting is small - the local militias have a reputation for being very tough with the criminals.
No foreign fighters
I am not aware of any foreign fighters in Falluja.
If there are any foreigners here, they have blended in very well with the locals.
Foreigners used to frequent the city in the past, but many of them were forced to leave under a deal the city's leaders struck with the government.
Ninety-nine percent of the fighters here are Fallujans.
Local clan leaders are broadly opposed to any kind of foreign presence in the city because they fear they may be spies.
Supplies exhausted
Hospitals have all but run out of supplies and most people know this.
But still the injured are being taken there - just so that they can be near the doctors and receive some comfort.
Read More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3748966.stm
It is start of Ramadan, but there is nowhere to celebrate and no food to celebrate with.
Falluja's most popular kebab restaurant used to be the place to go at the end of the day to break the Ramadan fast - but that was bombed by the Americans this week.
Many families have used a lull in the bombing to leave the city.
Fighters are engaged in skirmishes with US forces in the eastern and southern areas. US positions are about half a kilometre from Falluja.
No single militia force controls the whole city.
Different clans in the city have their own militias but they all seem to be working together to fend off US forces.
The people of Falluja are very clannish - but they have also always been very religious and right now faith is a stronger bond than family.
Police and militias
Two elements have been running the affairs of the city - the police force and local militias.
Relations between the two are good - I have seen policemen on the streets chatting to the fighters.
In fact, relations between local fighters and police have always been good - a deal struck some months ago means the police are welcome in the city provided they do not take orders from the Americans.
There are more police on the streets than usual - possibly to protect the property of residents who are leaving the city.
But the risk of looting is small - the local militias have a reputation for being very tough with the criminals.
No foreign fighters
I am not aware of any foreign fighters in Falluja.
If there are any foreigners here, they have blended in very well with the locals.
Foreigners used to frequent the city in the past, but many of them were forced to leave under a deal the city's leaders struck with the government.
Ninety-nine percent of the fighters here are Fallujans.
Local clan leaders are broadly opposed to any kind of foreign presence in the city because they fear they may be spies.
Supplies exhausted
Hospitals have all but run out of supplies and most people know this.
But still the injured are being taken there - just so that they can be near the doctors and receive some comfort.
Read More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3748966.stm
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