By Samir Haddad, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD, IslamOnline.net
As the second `Eid Al-Fitr under the US-led occupation of Iraq falls on Sunday, November 14, Iraqis
are still missing the good old days and grief-stricken by the US onslaught on the resistance bastion of Fallujah.
The interim Iraqi government announces Saturday, November 12, that the Fallujah offensive was over,
with more than 1,000 fighters killed.
However, the report was immediately rebuffed by the US army which said that only its commanders on the ground can make such a conclusion,
which they have not.
For Iraqis the one and only dream that will bring back their lost smiles is an end to the barbaric
offensive on their fellow countrymen in the western Iraqi city and the withdrawal of the US-led occupation troops once and
for all.
"I couldn't feel (the holy Muslim month of) Ramadan this year because I sit here in Baghdad helplessly watching my mother and children besieged in war-torn
Fallujah," bereaved Ahmad Al-Falluji, who fled the city, told IslamOnline.net.
At least two-thirds of Fallujah's 300,000-strong population have reportedly fled the city ahead
of the fighting.
Some of the forcible evacuees took refuge in neighboring cities and Baghdad with fellow Iraqis expressing their heartfelt solidarity and displaying admirable
hospitability and generosity to solace them in their hard times.
Others, however, had to resort to mosques, hospitals and schools and are living under appalling
conditions.
Some 10,000 US marines and army forces, alongside some 2,000 Iraqi national guards unleashed a
long expected onslaught on the resistance hub on Monday, November 8, capping long nights of massive US air strikes.
An estimated 80 percent of Fallujah under occupation following a heavy five-day assault and savage
house-to-house fighting.
The invading troops have been fighting a tenacious enemy that has been hard to pin down.
The onslaught looked set to come at a heavy price for the US
military as 22 American troops have been killed and up to 200 others evacuated to the US
military hospital in the German city of Landstuhl so far.
Turning to God
Fallujah evacuees have been supplicating to God to end the unspeakable sufferings of their fellow
ones in the battered city.
Innocent children have also joined congregational prayers, hoping to return once again to their
schools and parks though wondering if they still stand in their place.
"I really don't know the fate of our homes and schools and whether they were devoured by raid flames
or marauded by occupation forces," said 14-year-old Aisha.
Performing Tarawih prayers at Al-Shahideen Mosque in Baghdad
's Al-Khadra district, many woman evacuees implored God to instill patience in the hearts of the people of Fallujah
and reward them for their steadfastness.
Others opted for raising funds for the people of Fallujah to prove that they do feel for them.
An Iraqi Red Crescent convoy of emergency supplies entered Fallujah on Saturday amid fears of a
growing humanitarian crisis.
The international aid organization said civilians hiding in the city are dying of starvation and
thirst.
Lost Happiness
As for the rest of Iraqis, they no longer feel the spirit of the Muslim feast with the foreign
occupation weighing heavily on their hearts.
"In the past, we used to go shopping before `Eid overwhelmed by joy, but now we barely buy our
basics from nearby shops due to the prevailing sense of insecurity," said Um Kareem.
Her neighbor Iman added that she could not buy new clothes for her only daughter and bought her
confectionary in a desperate bid to please her.
"I fear to go out as blasts caused by booby-trapped cars have almost become daily occurrences,"
she said.
"The US occupation
has further disunited us as families can't anymore visit each other the way they used to."
Not to mention restaurants, cafes and parks, who have virtually become ghost places.
"In the past, we used to go to the Tourist Island
in Baghdad , which used to be a breathtaking scenery, but it has now become an ugly US barricade."