US army 'seized Iraqi homes'

Ahmed Janabi, Aljazeera.net

A leading Iraqi lawyer has accused the US army of throwing 211 families, including his, out of their homes. Rabah al-Alwan, 36, head of the Union of Lawyers in al-Anbar governorate in western Iraq, said that the US army has occupied his family's house and those of with dozens of other families in al-Ramadi, the capital of al-Anbar governorate. Al-Alwan has accused the US army of seizing the whole neighbourhood of al-Soufiya in the centre of al-Ramadi and using the houses for military purposes. The press desk of the US army command in Iraq did not respond to repeated requests to comment on the claim made by al-Alwan. Al-Alwan said: "Ten months ago, the US army seized my house and dozens of houses in the neighbourhood where I live. Residents were not allowed take any of their savings, jewellery, furniture or clothes." Al-Alwan said the US army had installed snipers on the roofs of the houses to prevent anyone approaching the area they have taken over. He said: "They killed a lot of people, such as Ayad Mutar and Muhamad Ayad, for approaching their houses to try to get some of their families' clothes and belongings." (...)

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