Gorilla’s Guides

The fighting and clashes between Mehdi Army and government security forces in Sadr City, east of Baghdad, resulted in some 600 people killed, of which many of them were civilians. Movement restrictions and curfew in several sectors of Sadr city were imposed. The military operations in the area resulted in damage to water and sewage networks causing shortage of drinking water.

The situation had tragic humanitarian consequences in terms of access to water, fuel, food and education. Many shops and food stores were burned down during the clashes, thus affecting access of the population to food and other supplies. Health facilities face operational difficulties due to shortage in medical supplies and need urgent support. Most schools are not functioning. Some schools are being occupied by displaced families and others were damaged during the clashes. The most affected people were children, widows and destitute families.

Actions of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society

The Iraqi Red Crescent responded to the humanitarian needs of the affected people in Sadr City, who requested assistance from the outreaching Iraqi Red Crescent offices in the city. On 16 April 2008, the Iraqi Red Crescent established an operations room to follow-up and coordinate its relief activities in Sadr City. On the same day, the Iraqi Red Crescent offices started the distribution of humanitarian aid, which is on-going until the date of this report. Relief aid distribution plans are being prepared to provide  additional assistance to the affected population.

Humanitarian aid distribution

The Iraqi Red Crescent humanitarian aid distribution process started by identifying priority needs. Volunteers carried out field surveys to assess needs related to health and food. After that, humanitarian aid distribution plans were prepared based on the available stocks in the Iraqi Red Crescent warehouses.

In response to the current situation in Sadr City, the Iraqi Red Crescent issued purchase orders to meet the urgent needs of the affected population. Aid was distributed to the neediest families and main hospitals in Sadr City. The relief operation in Sadr City is being led by the Disaster Management department in Rasafa area. Implementation is taking place through the Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers who are affiliated to Red Crescent offices in Sadr City. These offices are: Sadr 1, Sadr 2, Orfalli, Tareq Neighborhood (Hai Tareq) and Shama’ya. Humanitarian aid distribution during the current situation in Sadr city took place as follows:

• Delivery of food aid to the families of the martyrs, widows, orphans, people with disabilities and destitute families in the areas under siege. Table 1 illustrates quantities of Iraqi Red Crescent food baskets distribution as well as distribution of rice donated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

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Sadr city relief operation Red Crescent  .

Ali Ibn Laith. Born December 14 1999 - Killed March 27 2008

Son of our much missed colleague Laith and his wife, last remaining brother to our greatly loved colleague Mohammed Ibn Laith and his sister.

O God! Pardon our living and our dead, the present and the absent, the young and the old, the males and the females.

There will be no further postings tonight.

We wish all our Muslim readers a holy, happy, and peaceful New Year, for our Iraki brothers and sisters we pray especially that God bring us freedom, peace, and fortitude, and that he drive the American barbarians from our sacred soil.

Ali, Ali Ibn Hussayn, Fatima Jameel, Haleema Al-Azzawi, Hussein Al-Bayati, Khaled Al Basrawi, Khalil Ibn Hussein, Maryam, Mohammed Al-Hamadani, Mohammed Hashi, Mohammed Ibn Laith, Nur Hussein Ghazali, Omar Khdhayyir, Ra’ed Al-Bayati, Saba Ali, Suheila Jamil, Um Thalit, Yusuf Al-Jezani.

1429 Muharram 1

Irak.