Feb 22 2012 Condolences and Prayers: Does Homs Remind You of Fallujah?

RIP Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik. We publicize the names of brave journalists killed in Syria. Let's not forget the many, many innocent civilians being murdered in the midst of the violence.

We remember when we were told that Fallujah had been evacuated before the shelling. We remember the students who arrived in Baghdad to tell the tales of the many who were left behind, unable to leave. Sure, the rich, those with transportation, those who fled on foot did escape the bombs. But what of the families too poor, too traumatized, too paralyzed to leave?

Hundreds for sure, perhaps thousands, died in Fallujah. The death toll in Homs is already over 400 [France News International], and the killing hasn't stopped.

Can you tell which is Homs; which is Fallujah?

 

Innocent civilians, as always, are paying the highest price in this latest violence in Syria. Does it matter who does the killing? The Syrian government? American troops? Violent resistors of tyranny? It's all the same to the daughter who loses her dad or the mother who loses her precious son.

We offer our condolences and prayers to the families of the lost innocents.

Comments

[Cathy]

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. I am so sorry to hear about your loss and I would like to offer you my condolences. I can understand your frustrations and pains in your heart with this world and why we should have hope because I used to feel the same way.

[bruce]

Richard, My initial sources, at that time, were refugees from Fallujah and my estimate was in the low hundreds. There are, of course, many web sources of varying degrees of reliability. Here are a few:
1) USA Today 4/11/2004 "More than 600 Iraqis have been killed in Fallujah since Marines began a siege against Sunni insurgents in the city a week ago"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-11-fallujah-casualties_x.htm
2)Australia's The Age 12/2/2004
"The US military has estimated that 1,200 to 1,600 insurgents were killed in the offensive."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Fallujah-death-toll-higher-US-admits/2004/12/02/1101923253056.html
3) Project Censored ?12/4/2004?
"Preliminary estimates as of December of 2004 revealed that at least 6,000 Iraqi citizens in Fallujah had been killed, and one-third of the city had been destroyed.
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/2-media-coverage-fails-on-iraq-fallujah-and-the-civilian-deathtoll/

[Richard S. Lowry]

Please quote your source for the claim "hundreds, possibly thousands" of civilians died in Fallujah.

Richard S. Lowry
Www.fallujahbook.com