BAGHDAD (Middle East Eye) – The U.S. Navy is naming a future helicopter assault ship the USS Fallujah, after two of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War which saw heavy civilian and U.S. casualties.
The first battle in and around the Iraqi city was fought in April 2004. The second battle was fought by U.S. and British troops in November 2004.
U.S. forces suffered their heaviest losses of the Iraq war in Fallujah - 27 U.S. troops were killed in the first campaign and 82 died during the second attempt to take full control of the city.
The civilian casualties were staggering. The U.S.-led coalition conducted a devastating bombing campaign of the city before their second attack, forcing some 300,000 civilians to flee.
Between 30,000 and 40,000 civilians remained trapped in the city during the assault, living through what the Red Cross at the time called a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation.
Immediately after the battle, the Red Cross claimed that some 800 Iraqi civilians were killed in the fighting. It later accused the U.S. of using white phosphorus as a weapon.
To this day, babies born in Fallujah have suffered disproportionately high levels of birth defects, including congenital heart disease, gastroschisis (where the digestive system is found outside the baby’s body), and Spina Bifida.
Although the causes are numerous, one of the most documented reasons for the birth defects has been the lingering impact of uranium in the local environment, a remnant of the U.S. bombardment, as well as previous conflicts, including the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
The U.S. Navy said the name is meant to commemorate the U.S. troops who died in the battle.