From the December 2004 Idaho Observer:

U.S. firebombs Fallujans with napalm

"The U.S. military is secretly using banned napalm gas and other outlawed weapons against civilians in the Iraqi city of Fallujah," al Jazeera reported from the accounts of eyewitnesses.

Al Jazeera, though decidedly opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, is a traditionally respectable Arabic newspaper that has recently been discredited by the U.S. military as a pro-insurgent propaganda mill. Al Jazeera claims that the U.S. has even engaged in activities intended to prevent its reports from circulating beyond areas of military operations.

It appears, however, that any attempts to silence al-Jazeera are not to prevent the inaccurate reporting of U.S. military operations in Iraq, but to prevent al Jazeera's accurate reporting of events from those ordinary people who are suffering first-hand the consequences of U.S. aggression.

For instance, the "embedded" journalists have not reported that the U.S. used napalm on Iraqis in Fallujah—in direct violation of international law. Yet, we have witnesses that claim U.S. use of such horrible weapons and a Pentagon that will not deny the allegations.

Having adequately qualified al Jazeera as more credible than the U.S. military's "pet" reporters in Fallujah, the following is a slightly edited version of an al Jazeera report: by al Jazeera

Residents in Fallujah reported that innocent civilians have been killed by napalm attacks, a poisonous cocktail of polystyrene and jet fuel which makes the human body melt.

Since the U.S. offensive started in Fallujah earlier this month, there have been reports of "melted" bodies which proves that the napalm gas had been used.

"Poisonous gases have been used in Fallujah," 35-year-old Fallujah resident, Abu Hammad said. "They used everything—tanks, artillery, infantry, and poisonous gas. Fallujah has been bombed to the ground." Hammad was living in the Julan district of Fallujah which witnessed some of the heaviest attacks.

Other residents of that area also said that banned weapons were used. Abu Sabah, said; "They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud… then small pieces fall from the air with long tails of smoke behind them."

He said that pieces of these strange bombs explode into large fires that burn the skin even when water is thrown on the burns.

Phosphorous arms and the napalm gas are known to have such effects. "People suffered so much from these," Abu Sabah said.

With Fallujah "almost gone," Kassem Mohammed Ahmed, who fled Fallujah last week, said that he witnessed many atrocities committed by U.S. troops in the shattered city. "I watched them roll over wounded people in the street with tanks," he said. "This happened so many times."

Another Fallujah resident Khalil (40) said that "Fallujah is suffering too much, it is almost gone now." He added that refugees are in a miserable situation now, "It's a disaster living here at this camp," Khalil said. "We are living like dogs and the kids do not have enough clothes."

In many refugee camps around Fallujah and Baghdad, people are living without enough food, clothing and shelter. Relief groups estimate that there are more than 15,000 refugee families in temporary shelters outside Fallujah.

Blair under fire over the use of napalm

On Saturday, Labor MPs have demanded that British Prime Minister confront the Commons over the use of the deadly gas in Fallujah.

Halifax Labor MP Alice Mahon said: "I am calling on Mr. Blair to make an emergency statement to the Commons to explain why this is happening. It begs the question: 'Did we know about this hideous weapon's use in Iraq?'"

Furious critics have also demanded that Blair threaten the U.S. to pullout British forces from Iraq unless the U.S. stops using napalm.

The United Nations banned the use of the napalm gas against civilians in 1980 after pictures of a naked wounded girl in Vietnam shocked the world.

The United States, which didn't endorse the convention, is the only nation in the world still using napalm.