What happened to 6 drivers in Falluja?… an eye-opening report

By: Ismail Zabeeh (Jafariya News Network correspondent)

BAGHDAD, Iraq: What had happened to six young innocent shia truck drivers who were brutally slaughtered, mutilated and left naked by terrorists in Falluja where, according to the US military, the terrorists had operated up to 20 torture houses? An eyewitness who was with the six martyrs from the very first day when they were abducted till their mutilated bodies were found narrated the details. These details could not be published in Iraqi newspapers.

It was June 5, 2004 when the six truck drivers went to Falluja to deliver a load of tents to the Falluja Brigade, a force that co-operates with the US military in the restive city, 65 kilometres west of the capital Baghdad.

On their return trip to Baghdad, the drivers were stopped by armed men who identified themselves as "mujahedeen”. They forcefully got them out of their trucks, pounded them and hurled abuses at them. Then with the cooperation of the city police, owners of shops and people of the area took them to an unknown place.

Hearing the news in Baghdad, drivers’ relatives came to Falluja on the same day at 3:00pm to ask about their sons. They went to police in Falluja and found one of the trucks by them. When they asked about the owner of the truck, they were told to go to Falluja Police department and particularly to the colonel Sabbar Al-Janabi. The relatives with great difficulties went to Al-Janabi who said to them “go to mujahideen as your sons are with them”. They asked: “where are mujahideen?”. He replied: “In Al-Hazrah Al-Muhammadia Mosque.” At the same time, they went to the mosque and found armed groups therein. They answered relatives’ questions very toughly and at first denied that they know something about the six truck drivers. But when the relatives said that one of the vehicles is in the ground of the mosque, they admitted: “Yes, they are with us. We are investigating them and we will release them after completion of investigation.” As conditions were insecure and the relatives were many in number, they decided to return home and coming again on the next day in Falluja.

Next day, the relatives went to Al-Hazrah Al-Muhammadia Mosque and came to know that Sheikh Zafir Ad-Dalimi is this mosque’s imam and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Janabi is of Sa’ad bin abi waqas Mosque. They got these information from Colonel Sabbar. Sabbar said to one of his policeman to go with the group and ask Sheikh Abdullah Al-Janabi to release the group for it is creating problems for them. Colonel Sabbar sent another policeman saying him: “Bring the trucks.” When the relatives went to the house of Sheikh Zafir he was not there. Then they went to the mosque but he was also not there. They waited near the mosque, and there one man told them that Al-Haj Alaa is one of the representatives of Sheikh Zafir. Alaa spoke to them very badly and said: “Your sons work with Americans. It is me who made investigation with them.” He also told them some other details about their sons which made them sure that their sons are with him. They appealed to him to release their sons and he promised to release one of the drivers named Hamid Faisal tomorrow.

Next day when the relatives reached Falluja, they were told that none of these men were present in the city. Therefore, they returned home.

On fourth day, when the relatives reached Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas Mosque they found armed groups as well as computer systems. They also saw distribution of money to the people and also found Arab groups, most of them were Syrians. Abdullah Al-Janabi did not welcome the relatives but just told them he would release their sons after completion of their investigation. Then, they went to Al-Hazrah Al-Mohammadia Mosque where Al-Haj Alaa threatened them that they should not come here because mujahideen are hunting them and if they find them they would kill them.

On fifth day, they met with Sheikh Abdul Kadir Al-Kabisi in Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas Mosque. He asked his people to cooperate with the relatives, (he was sincere or not, only Allah knows). He satisfied them that their sons will soon be free.

Next day was also as were the earlier days except a number of Sheikhs, Leaders and scholarly personalities went to Falluja along with the relatives to hold talks with Falluja responsible personalities namely Sheikh Abdullah Al-Janabi and Sheikh Zafir Ad-Dalimi, but the delegation was told that they were not in Falluja.

The coming day was important as the relatives were told by a prayer caller that there were five naked dead bodies of young men at the gas laboratory in Falluja four days ago. This made them wondered as they were hoping to meet their sons alive. They were told that their sons were with Omar Al-Hadidi, president of Salafiya brigade. They soon contacted with him in his house. There was nobody in his house but his brother, and there were also some men waiting for him. One of these men asked Omar Hadidi’s brother about his son who work with mujahideen, while other men had acquaintance with the house and its owner as they were taking out weapons under the chairs. The weapons were such which we had never seen earlier. Then Omar Hadidi came with two well-armed bodyguards. The relatives asked about the six men, but he replied he do not know about them. He said he had one man of this and this appearance but he has released him.

On June 12, one man from Falluja said the relatives that he would tell them about their sons but he demanded 500 dollars for each driver. The relatives had only 200 dollars at that time, so the man told them taking those dollars that two of the six men have been killed and they were at a morgue in Ramadi, west of Falluja. Reaching there, an employee led them to the morgue where due to stench of the dead bodies stay was very difficult. With great effort, they found two of their sons’ mutilated naked bodies: Khalid Latif Matar Ar-Rabiyei and Ahmed Ali Hilal Ar-Rabiyei. The employee told them that the bodies would be handed them after official letter from Falluja Police Center, and that five dead bodies and not two were came to the morgue on June 7. He also confirmed them that the three remaining dead bodies were also their as all these were came to them from the same venue where they lost their sons.

On tenth day after their abduction, they were given the two dead bodies. At the same time, the employee again told them that three more dead bodies are of their sons. But the relatives were hoping to receive their four sons alive. He said if they would not take the three dead bodies, these will be buried as they could not save these any more. The relatives found 50-60 dead bodies in the morgue, even the man about whom Omar Hadidi had said that he has released him. A man and his eight-year son were also there as dead whom the relatives had seen alive during their visits to Falluja. The relatives buried their two sons in the holy city of Najaf, and then the relatives again came to Ramadi to take confirmation about the three dead bodies. At least, the relatives found that the three belong to them and they were Hamid Faisal Matar, Hameed Abbas Abal, Bassem Muhammad Faris. Sixth man remained missing. Eyewitnesses told the relatives that the so-called mujahideen (who are in fact mufsideen [rioters]) threw the sixth man in the river inside Falluja. The dead body of martyr Yas Khozair Abbas is still missing.

Are the doers of this shameful act Muslims?????

Names of the six martyrs are: Hamid Faisal Matar, Khalid Latif Matar, Hameed Abbas Abal, Yas Khozair Abbas, Ahmed Ali Hilal, Bassem Muhammad Faris.

After the tragic incident, a number of tribes issued warning to Falluja so-called mujahideen terming the attack on six drivers as an attack on them and their revenge as their own revenge. The names of the clans are:

Thirteen (13) Sayyed Clans: Al-Mousavia Sayyed Clans, Al-Yasseria Sayyed Clans, Al-Bakhaat Sayyed Clans, Ash-Shara Sayyed Clans, Ash-Shauk Sayyed Clans, Al-Jazaer Sayyed Clans, Al-Ashraf Sayyed Clans, As-Sawad Sayyed, Al-Makasis Sayyed, Al-Hassani Sayyed, Al-Husseini Sayyed, Al-Hamash Sayyed, Al-Batat Sayyed.

Fourty-one (41) other clans: Bani Laam, Al-Bu Muhammad, Bani Assad, Al-Furtous, Al-Jawebar, As-Sawaed Kafah, Al-Bahadel, Al-Fakikaat, As-Sabeeh, Al-Gharra, Bani Homer, Al-Lafta, Al-Akrad Al-Afiliah, Al-Ahlaf, Al-Raseetam, Ad-Dalfiah, Al-Izzah, Tall Afar, Mandali, Khankeen, Badrah, Bani Ka’ab, As-Sodan, Bani Malik, Al-Bu Zaid, Bani Zaid, Bani Hassan, Al-Ghazzi, KHaffajah, Rabiyah Aamah, Al-Issa WAl-Bazoun, Bani Lays, Bani Wael, Bayat, Al-Hasoun, As-Sabih, Al-Miyah, Al-Bu Darraj, Az-Zahbiyaat, Al-Jamamsah and Al-Bader.

Meanwhile, US marines said they believed they had found some of the houses in Falluja where foreign hostages were held, including those where British engineer Kenneth Bigley and US colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene "Jack" Armstrong were executed after being kidnapped in mid-September.

“They had a sick, depraved culture of violence in that city,” Lt-Col Daniel Wilson of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said at a briefing near Falluja.

Intelligence officer Major Jim West said activities at the nearly-20 "atrocity sites" included "murder and torture" and "hostages have been found chained to walls in some incidents". He showed slides of bloodstained walls and floors.

END