Falluja families reveal true extent of horror, page 1

Fallujah families reveal horror in the city

11/16/2004 5:40:00 PM GMT

The U.S. military estimates that 70% of Fallujah residents have fled before the offensive started

Trapped in their house having nothing to eat or drink as constant bombardment and non- stop air strike rocks the city, Iyad al-Mashadani 32, a car mechanic, and his family dug a deep hole in their yard and drank the brackish water.

"We were sure that we would die," said Mashadani.

Mashadani, his wife, their six children, mother, and father, who suffer heart disease, escaped Fallujah on Wednesday and now live in a 6-by-9-foot tent in a refugee camp near the Iraqi capital.

Fallujah resident who fled their homes in the city and now live in refuge camps, are revealing harrowing stories of being caught in crossfire, harassed and threatened by U.S. and Iraqi government soldiers.

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