another war is possible submits:

Urgent: Masssacre in Fallujah

Members of the Seattle-based organization ‘Another World Is Possible’ traveled to Iraq this fall. We received a phone call this morning from an Iraqi friend who carried 16 women and children out of Fallujah, burned and bloody from US bombs that were dropped by American F16 jets and Apache helicopters on their homes early this morning, during what the US has been calling a “ceasefire.” Reports are surfacing all over the world indicating that what is happening in Fallujah and many other cities is in fact a massacre and a forced exodus of thousands of people, who are now along the highway in the desert with no access to food, water or medical attention.The only response from General Kimmett, the US military spokesman, is when encountering images “of American and coalition soldiers firing on innocent civilians,” Americans should “change the channel” as the channels showing such footage are “not legitimate.” Our friend, along with international volunteers, was driving an ambulance from a local Fallujah clinic when it was fired upon by US snipers, at least six times, nearly killing the driver and passenger who were able to duck. The bullets perforated the area directly behind their heads. The ambulance is now destroyed and the activists have traveled back in to Fallujah in a small car, attempting to help more injured people, the vast majority women and children, out of the city under fire. Reports say nearly a thousand have been killed or wounded since the US began bombing the city three days ago.

The first phone message follows below. We also received an email yesterday from an activist we met in Baghdad. She has spent the past four days with fellow activists ferrying bodies out of Fallujah. The last message included is a letter written on Sunday by a peace activist in Japan, a friend of one of the hostages, also a peace activist, facing execution if his country’s troops do not withdraw.

PHONE MESSAGE FROM AN IRAQI FRIEND IN FALLUJAH

Saturday, April 10
“Listen ______ or _______. This is _______ from Baghdad. This is mportant. There is something going on wrong in Fallujah. We are surrounded in here. So please, anything that you can do... A call for Fallujah, anything please, a demonstration, whatever. Just try to help.
Bye bye.”

LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL ACTIVISTS IN FALLUJAH
Saturday, April 10
1. Paola Gaspiroli, Italian, from Occupation watch and Bridges to Baghdad:
There has been a massacre in Fallujah. Fallujah is under siege. 470 People have been killed, and 1700 injured. There has been no ceasefire. They (Americans) told people to leave, said they have 8 hours to leave and people began to leave but they’re trapped in the Desert. The Americans have been bombing with B52s. Bridges to Baghdad are pulling out. We have flights booked out of Amman.

Tomorrow a team will go to Sadr City to deliver medicines. 50 people have been killed there. ?? (Forgotten name) the 'elastic' sheikh in Sadr City (I’ve met him, young, brilliant guy, describes himself as 'elastic' because he is so flexible when it comes to his interpretations of Islam and moral conduct definitions etc, he's pretty liberal) he has told me I should leave. He says that even he can't control his people. Foreigners are going to be targeted. 6 new foreigners have been taken hostage. Four of them are Italian security firm employees - they were kidnapped from their car, which was found to be full of weapons, and there were black uniforms. Baghdad was quiet today except for Abu Ghraib (West Baghdad, where a vast prison is located and is bursting at the seams with 12,000 prisoners) an American convoy was attacked there and 9 soldiers were injured and 27 were kidnapped. That’s right 27. None of the newswires are reporting it though.) It’s really, really bad. They (Americans) have been firing on Ambulances. Snipers are following the ambulances. They cannot get in to Fallujah. There are people in the Desert. They've left Fallujah but they're not being allowed into Baghdad, they're trapped in the Desert. They're like refugees.

Its terrible but the people, Iraqi people, are giving all they can; they’re bringing supplies, everybody is giving all their help and support to Fallujah.

I want to stay but I have to go, if I want to come back and be useful, you know I think its best to leave, Bridges to Baghdad has decided this.

It’s getting really dangerous for Italians. We feel like we’re being targeted now. (Italy has a 2500+ force including Carabinieri occupying Nassiriyah which has been subject to a number of resistance attacks including the devastating attack on the Police station which claimed the lives of 4 soldiers, one civilian, one documentary film maker, 12 Carabinieri police and 8 Iraqis).

(Members of Bridges to Baghdad) have been great. They’ve been driving into Fallujah and bringing out people, going back and forth. They know what’s going on. Really they have been great. They want more people to help them but we couldn’t from here. It’s getting much, much worse.

II. Message from a second activist who is in Fallujah today and for the past few days:

We’ve been seeing it with our own eyes. People were told to leave Fallujah and now there are thousands trapped in the Desert. There is a 13 km long convoy of people trying to reach Baghdad. The Americans are firing bombs, everything, everything they have on them. They are firing on Families! They are all children, old men and women in the desert. Other Iraqi people are trying to help them.

In Fallujah they (Americans) have been bombing hospitals. Children are being evacuated to Baghdad. There is a child now, a baby, he had 25 members of his family killed, he’s in the hospital and someone needs to be with him. Why isn’t anyone there to stay with him? He just lost 25 from his family!??? The Americans are dropping cluster bombs and new mortars, which jump 3-4 metres. They are bombing from the air. There are people lying dead in the streets. They said there’d be a ceasefire and then they flew in, I saw them, and they began to bomb.

They are fighting back and they are fighting well in Fallujah. But we are expecting the big attack in 24-48 hours. It will be the main attack. They will be taking the town street by street and searching and attacking. They did this already in a village near-by, I forget the name, but they will be doing this in Fallujah.

Please get help, get people to protest, get them to go to the Embassies, get them out, get them to do something. There is a massacre. And we need foreigners. The foreigners can do something. We are having a protest, Jo (Jo Wildingwww.wildfirejo.org.uk) and the others from her group are coming to the American checkpoint tomorrow. We haven’t slept in 3 or 4 days. We need attention. I have photos, film, we’ve given it to Al jazeera, Al Arabiya but get it out too. Do everything you can. We are going back in tomorrow.

3. LETTER FROM JAPANESE ACTIVIST
This came from a Veteran for Peace, It is a letter from Yumi, a wonderful peace activist from Japan. One of the Japanese hostages just graduated from high school and is a dedicated peace activist who was helping to feed Iraqi children in the streets. He aspires to be a great journalist and was in Iraq to witness the devastation and bear witness to the effects of so called depleted uranium.


Sunday, April 11
Dear Friends,
The captors of my Japanese friends in Iraq just announced now that they will kill the hostages if Japan does not withdraw the Self Defense Force. They changed their mind (sic. Saturday they planned to release the hostages) after hearing Japanese government's statement on TV that the captors were releasing the hostage because Japanese government was firm and didn't negotiate with "terrorists".

What all the citizens of the world tried days and nights were wasted because of such irresponsible statements by Japanese government and media. None of them are released by now and one will be killed within 24 hours. I am sending this to you to share my sorrow, and to declare my commitment to make more peaceful and sustainable world. 500+ Iraqi people are killed in Fallujah this week and many were children and babies as seen in the photos below. Think about the sorrow of the mothers and fathers. If you do not want to face what the US does in foreign countries straight, you can never change it. "How many times must a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see...."http://Al jazerra.

Three Japanese hostages are not released as I write this, and 3 hours to go. What has happened in Fallujah that has triggered the kidnapping of foreigners in Iraq? Iraqi Resistance want the occupation to end. They want foreign troops to go home. I am almost certain that US soldiers also want to go home safely and hug their family. So must be the Japanese soldiers...... All Iraqi people are asking is,
"Please leave our country with all your weapons".
"Stop killing our children".
"Stop polluting our land forever with radioactive weapons"
Is it too much to ask?
*Check this man out who is running for the US President.
http://kucinich.us*
love, Yumi
P.S.. I recommend you see "What I've learned about US Foreign Policy",
compilation of 10 documentary films compiled by Frank Dorrel. I am just
about to release the Japanese translation of it. www.addictedtowar.com