Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH has called for Iraq to allow aid to reach starving residents of the city of Fallujah, and for the Islamic State group to allow civilians to leave.
“The people of Fallujah are besieged by the government, trapped by (IS), and are starving,” HRW’s deputy Middle East director, Joe Stork, said in a statement.
“The warring parties should make sure that aid reaches the civilian population.”
HRW cited Iraqi activists who are in contact with Fallujah residents as saying that people “were reduced to eating flat bread made with flour from ground date seeds and soups made from grass.”
Anti-government fighters took control of Fallujah, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, in early 2014 during unrest that broke out after security forces demolished a protest camp farther west, and it later became an IS stronghold.
IS seized more territory in surrounding Anbar province after launching an offensive later that year, but pro-government forces have since regained significant ground from the jihadists.
Iraqi forces have largely cut off access to Fallujah, while IS is preventing residents from leaving the city.
Tribesmen battled IS in Fallujah for several days in February in a sign that its grip was weakening, but the fighting ended after the jihadists detained dozens of residents.
IS has also announced the execution of alleged “spies” in the city.
- © AFP 2016.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Seriously look at the mess the Americans and Brits created when they got rid of Sadam Hussain.. Thirty years ago Women were highly educated in Iraq.. Nowadays Women are used as sex slaves for ISIS and people are fed a diet of grass soup.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Thanks cosmo.
Yes, Iraq was a paradise under Sadam Hussein.
It wasn’t paradise but it was a dammed sight better than it is today..
Not really Cosmo, under Saddam Hussein Iraq was a poor pariah state. It had fought in seriously damaging wars with Israel, Kuwait and Iran while Saddam had a nasty taste for ethnic cleansing using chemical weapons.
“It was’t a paradise, but it was good enough for the likes of those foreigners and the free world should have left them alone in their godforsaken hellhole”
Not so Jason,under Thatcher and Reagan, Iraq and Sadaam were supported as a strong buffer between Iran and Saudi, the free flow of Saudi oil , could not be risked by another Islamic Revolution, with the expulsion of foreign oil companies, Sadaam was just a pawn, armed and tolerated by the west until he got too big for his boots.
I get a hint of sarcasm there Neal but you’re essentially right in what you said minus the sarcasm.
@jason..but you see “We had to do something”……..well! “We” did……and the rest as they say “is history”
Isreal? Really do fill me in!
Justin, Iraq sent a very sizable force to fight against the Israeli’s during the Yom Kippur War while Saddam was a high ranking member of the Iraqi government and they provided support to the Palestinians during the both Intifada’s.
Iraq was hell hole. Saddam and his sadistic sons caused the torture of countless. The numbers will never be known. However, it was invaded for the wrong reason at wrong time. It might have been a hole but it was a stable hole. GWB has a lot of blood on his hands
Soups made from grass actually sounds quite ‘civilised’ for ISIS. One might expect soups made from apostates, gays, women etc etc.
Grass not weed
HRW, the same clowns mounting the protests against European states deporting illegal immigrants from Pakistan now want us to send aid to ISIS? At what point do these people become regarded as collaborators?
That’s not what the article says.
It says they want to send food aid into ISIS controlled areas. Who do you think will get priority to that food aid, the civilians or the fighters?
You’re right Tony, but Liam does make a valid point. It’s naive to think that any humanitarian aid would actually reach the civilians that need it.
Look at UN efforts in Somalia for example where local warlords simply seized food shipments wherever they could. They eventually sold some of the food to supportive civilians at high prices to afford more weapons on the black market but kept most of it for their fighters.
Liam…if what happened in Madaya,Damascus (which wasnt reported) is the food aid is appropriated by the islamists and sold to the starving civilians…
@Peter Fechter
“…if what happened in Madaya,Damascus (which wasnt reported) is the food aid is appropriated by the islamists and sold to the starving civilians…”
So why doesn’t the Syrian government forces and their allies advance into Madaya to fight the Islamists instead of besieging it?
As a non member of the Syrian Arab Army im somewhat constrained in my ability to adaquately answer your question Ciaran but ill guess that the Army and their allies have decided to feed the non participants AND besiege the islamists…the Syrian army seem to know what they are doing.
At least when Saddam, Gadaffi and Assad were in power, they kept the headbangers in line
The secular strong man who is not afraid to come down on Islamists like a ton of bricks whenever they pop their heads up. The only thing that works in the Middle East and North Africa.
When I catch isis they’ll be eating soup made from sh#t
Read up on the aul Koran there in case that catch up with you first and hand you your head.
They’ll be reading up on the bible when I get my hands on them
You’ll actually make a shit soup. That’s fairly horrid.
Sativa or indica?
I can’t help but look at that bloke in the picture and think “we will, we will rock you” he’s the image of Freddy Mercury.
The genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka all over again with the same players like the British arms industry hiding in the shadows,making a fortune with their governments approval.
Who ever released the Panama Papers should be given a Nobel prize.
So the spotlight has moved from Syrias unwillingness to fight ISIS to Iraqs inability to fight DAESH….so at least the bogey man remains the same…
and in Europe the lefties smoke grass.
Why don’t the Iraqi forces advance into Fallujah instead of besieging it? Are they not capable of street-to-street fighting against ISIS?
They’re barely capable of organising more than a single division that won’t turn tail and run at the sight of any enemy. The total force deployed by Coalition forces during the Second Battle of Fallujah was around 10,000 highly trained troops and took more than a month to completely rid the city of insurgents. The current Iraqi Army simply cannot provide such a force at this point.
Jason..yes,now they rely on shia militias and overwhelming firepower to destroy everything in their way.
They must have ran out of Triffid Mash.
Let them eat cake!
I like palestinian flags.
Why
Yup. And their armies got through a fair amount of Irish beef as well ….. the good ole’ Goodman days!
Fallujah! Thought that the yanks had sorted those guys out well before now? Anyone else here still remember seeing US soldiers shooting dead anyone still left alive after their massive artillery barrage on that district. Comments welcome here especially from Jason, the toy soldier?
They enjoyed torturing children as well and what was strange is the children from dead Daesh fighters have gone missing, were they sold off???
Better grass than crab
have your say