Samarra Residents Flee US Hell

Hundreds of Iraqi families, mostly women and children, lined up at the main entrances of Samarra, 125 kilometers north of Baghdad, in a desperate attempt to escape the gates of hell broken loose by the American occupation forces.

"The US forces are still barring families from leaving Samarra without giving any justification," Oday Al-Samrraei told IslamOnline.net.

Samrraei, who managed to flee the city two days earlier, dismissed the American measure a "collective punishment", accusing the occupation forces of "humiliating Iraqi families."

The US army said 125 "guerrillas" were killed and 88 captured during the onslaught on Samarra.

A massive force of 3,000 American troops and 2,000 Iraqi National guardsmen had stormed the city on Thursday, September 30, allegedly to regain control before the general elections, scheduled for January.

Ambulances Barred

"The occupation forces are even preventing the families from burying their dead or evacuating wounded people scattered across the city streets, " Samrraei lamented.

Many bodies were strewn in the streets but could not be collected for fear of the American snipers, residents said.

"Dead bodies and injured people are everywhere in the city and when we tried to evacuate them, the Americans fired at us," one ambulance driver told AP Television News.

"Later on they told us than we can evacuate only injured women and children and we are not allowed to pick up injured men."

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Red Crescent has set up more than twenty tents on the outskirts of the city to help the wounded, barred by the US from leaving.

Iraqi medical sources accused the American forces of denying ambulances access into the city.

And doctors inside Samrra’s only hospital complained of sever blood and medicine shortage to help the tens of people rushed in.

They said at least 50 bodies have been brought to the hospital since the unleashing of the American onslaught.

Intermittent Fighting

On the ground, the Iraqi government and the US occupation forces claimed Saturday control over most areas in Samarra except for some pockets of resistance.

"Iraqi national guardsmen, assisted by the multinational forces, have taken control of police stations in Samarra and several other areas," Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kazem told IslamOnline.net.

Earlier, Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib told reporters inside Samarra city hall they have "cleansed the city of all the bad guys and terrorists."

However, witnesses told IOL that the eastern parts of the city saw intermittent fighting between the American forces and the residents.

One resident, Qahtan Al-Douri, spoke of "fierce resistance" inside the city.

Other sources told IOL that the American forces cordoned off the city from the four corners, while warplanes and artillery continued to bombard residential areas.

In General, the streets of Samarra were deserted while water and power were cut off in several areas.

Government Blamed

The Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), Iraq’s top Sunni religious authority, heaped blame on the interim government for the bloodshed in Samarra.

"We blame the government for the injustices and aggressions suffered by the inhabitants of Samarra," the AMS said in a statement.

"The vicious campaign carried out by the occupying forces, and regrettably blessed by the interim government, is the last in a series of aggressions against the city under the pretext of rebuilding security."

The AMS also stressed that "resorting to iron and fire" to set the scene of the general elections remains a "flawed method."

The interim government had vowed to crush all "insurgent-held enclaves" in time for the nationwide elections.

A US offensive against Fallujah in April killed at least 700 Iraqis, mostly women and children, and triggered popular outrage across the country against the occupation forces.

Samir Hadad, IOL Correspondent