From the [UK] Guardian:

Doctors and parents are reporting a sharp rise in the number of children with congenital birth defects in Iraq’s Falluja area, which is known for some of the country’s fiercest fighting and largest munitions fallout.

“It’s like we are treating patients immediately after Hiroshima,” said Dr. Bassem Allah, the senior obstetrician who is chief custodian of Falluja’s newborns.

Hospitals have noted a marked increase in congenital deformities, including tumors, spina bifida, anencephaly and heart defects.

The city was the site of the two most savage and prolonged battles in Iraq during the past six years. The potentially toxic residue of precision munitions that rained down on the city for up to two months in 2004 has left many medical professionals questioning the long-term impact of modern weaponry, although few are willing, so far, to directly blame the war.

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