U.S. military: I helped destroy Fallujah in 2004. I won't be complicit again

; while denied any role for al-Qaeda and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in those events .

It is worth mentioning that the battle of Fallujah in 2004 was the main motivation of what happened in Fallujah after killing and destroying four American contractors with Blackwater company by gunmen , that was followed by a comprehensive attack by U.S. forces said that had been waged against al -Qaeda militants where thousands had been killed and other wounded in that attack.

The marine , Ross Caputi said in a subject published in the Guardian British Newspaper , briefed by “Shafaq News” , that ,” I am having flashbacks to my time as a marine during the second siege of Falluja in 2004. Again, claims are being published that al-Qaeda has taken over the city and that a heavy-handed military response is needed to take the city back from the control of terrorists.

“The first time around, this claim proved to be false. The vast majority of the men we fought against in Fallujah were locals, unaffiliated with al-Qaeda, who were trying to expel the foreign occupiers from their country. There was a presence of al-Qaida in the city, but they played a minimal and marginal role in the fighting. The stories about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the alleged leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was said to be recruiting an army in Fallujah, were wildly exaggerated. There is no evidence that Zarqawi ever even set foot in Fallujah.

“The violence began just over a week ago, when Iraqi security forces disbursed a protest camp in Fallujah and arrested a politician who had been friendly to the protestors' goals. This camp was part of a non-violent protest movement – which took place mostly in Sunni cities, but was also receiving some support from the Shia community – that began a year ago. Iraqi security forces have attacked protestors in Falluja and other Sunni cities on several occasions, the most egregious example taking place in Hawija, when over 50 protestors were killed,” he added.

“ One of the results of the US occupation was that Sunnis came out feeling like a targeted community, with Fallujah being more marginalized than most Sunni cities because of its history as a center of resistance. These feelings have only been exacerbated over the past year of protests and government repression”.

“The Iraqi government's recent actions in Fallujah turned the non-violent movement violent. When the protest camp in Fallujah was cleared, many of the protestors picked up arms and began fighting to expel the state security forces from their city. It was local, tribal people – people not affiliated with transnational jihadist movements – who have taken the lead in this fight against the Iraqi government,” Ross said.

However, it is being reported that Fallujah has "fallen", that it was "captured" by ISIS, who has now raised their flag over the city, declaring Falluja an Islamic emirate. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior's claim that half of Fallujah is controlled by Isis (the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria) has been accepted as fact and has framed all discussion of these events.

They took the flag down five minutes later when ordered to by tribal leaders. This shows that the tribes control Fallujah.

It is being reported that Falluja has fallen, but the voices from inside Falluja insist that their city is standing up, once again. Undoubtedly, Fallujans are being harmed because of how the outside world perceives their struggle. Too much of the world has been satisfied with the overly simple narrative of al-Qaida capturing Falluja (twice), and of government forces battling for freedom and security.

“ As Falluja relives a nightmare, once inflicted by my own hand, I find myself in a very different position from before. Today, I hope I can say that I am somewhat wiser, more responsible, more morally engaged than I was when I helped destroy Falluja in 2004”.

This time around, I cannot sit back and do nothing as the unreliable and self-serving claims of the government are reported without question, and repeated until they become conventional wisdom. I cannot just watch as Fallujans are again forced to flee from their homes, and as their bodies are again shredded by weapons made in my homeland. I do not want to feel complicit in their suffering anymore,” he concluded.