Rafi al-Issawi, former Iraqi minister of state for foreign affairs, visited Fallujah on Aug. 22 with other members of the Sunni Accordance Bloc, al-Tawafuq.

The Iraqi Islamic Party’s TV channel, al-Baghdad, accompanied Issawi on his tour and broadcast some of the scenes from inside Fallujah. The footage exposed the painful truth of the situation here. The streets were deserted, shops were closed, and people appeared with sullen faces.

"Of course we are happy to have our city peaceful, but not this way," lawyer Ahmed Hammad told Inter Press Service (IPS). "The local police guided and supported by the U.S. Army have prevented car movements for nearly three months now. They should not be proud of having the city quiet in a way that kills everybody with hunger and disease."

A journalist who lives in Fallujah told IPS that several local journalists had been detained and warned of trouble for them if they reported anything other than "good news" about Fallujah.

People are back to riding donkeys. Everyone IPS spoke with complained of the extremely high price of basic goods and a lack of work that could raise money to meet those needs.