Inside Story Americas: Are US Weapons Causing Birth Defects in Iraq?

August 01, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

New research is under way on an alarming increase in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which reflects elevated levels of radioactivity in the city and across the country. Iraqi doctors have long reported a spike of cases involving severe birth defects in Fallujah since 2004, which are shocking in their severity. So is the US being honest about the weapons it used in the 2004 battle for the city, and in its other theaters of war? Inside Story Americas guests Ross Caputi, Dai Williams, and Raed Jarrar discuss.

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Fallujah

Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69 kilometers west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries. The city grew from a small town in 1947 to a population of ... Explore this topic

Depleted uranium

Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium.. Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm³. Civilian uses include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shielding in medical radiation therapy and industr... Explore this topic

Second Battle of Fallujah

The Second Battle of Fallujah — code-named Operation Al-Fajr and Operation Phantom Fury — was a joint American, Iraqi, and British offensive in November and December 2004, considered the highest point of conflict in Fallujah during the Iraq War. It was led by the U.S. Marine C... Explore this topic

Congenital disorder

A congenital disorder, or congenital disease, is a condition existing at birth and often before birth, or that develops during the first month of life, regardless of causation. Of these diseases, those characterized by structural deformities are termed "congenital anomalies" a... Explore this topic

Iraq War

The Iraq War was an armed conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first was an invasion of Ba'athist Iraq starting on 20 March 2003 by an invasion force led by the United States. It was followed by a longer phase of fighting, in which an insurgency emerged to oppose... Explore this topic

United States military in Iraq

Below is an estimate of the list of the major units deployed with the Multi-National Force - Iraq and other U.S. military units operating in Iraq under United States Central Command. It has been compiled through the synthesis of many Wikipedia contributors in 2006–2009. The da... Explore this topic

Iraq

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia encompassing the Mesopotamian alluvial plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the... Explore this topic

White phosphorus use in Iraq

There have been several cases in which white phosphorus (WP) has been used or has been claimed to have been used as an anti-personnel weapon in Iraq by the Saddam Hussein regime and the United States military. The use of white phosphorus is notable because of its incendiary pr... Explore this topic

US-Iraq relations

Iraq–United States relations are the diplomatic relations between Iraq and the United States. Explore this topic

Raed Jarrar

Raed Jarrar is an Arab-American architect, blogger, and political advocate based in the U.S. Capital Washington, DC. He is the Communications Director and Spokesperson of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Jarrar was born in Iraq, and raised in Jordan, Saudi Arab... Explore this topic

Also See

Fallujah

Depleted uranium

Second Battle of Fallujah

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