FALLUJAH, 27 December (IRIN) - Residents of Fallujah, devastated by a heavy US-led attack in November, are gradually beginning to return to their homes. But for the vast majority there is little left to go back to.

Since getting the go-ahead from coalition forces on 23 December to return to the city, nearly 4,000 residents who were displaced by the fighting have returned to their homes.

But these numbers are tiny compared with the total pre-attack population of almost 300,000, the majority of whom fled before the fighting began on 8 November. Many other families have returned to check their houses only to leave again after finding that they had been destroyed.

"Fallujah is nothing but destruction and empty areas. It's a new desert inside Iraq. Those who have returned to their homes in the past few days lack the minimum conditions - the city is uninhabitable," said Fadhel Kubaissy, a resident who returned home but left again with his family after finding his house in ruins.

The Minister of Security, Kassim Daoud, told IRIN that people were insisting on returning to their homes even with ongoing clashes in the city, which lies 60 km west of Baghdad, and unexploded ordinance (UXOs) in the streets.

The first residents to be given the green light to return were those from the western district of Andalus, which was reported to have been in better condition than many others. On the first day, those returning had their fingerprints checked and their irises scanned to try to ensure that no insurgents were returning. But checks have eased since then, with residents required to show only their ID and ration cards.

Despite reports, most found their homes destroyed, with the remainder finding extensive damage inside their houses. Windows, television sets and other household items had been shattered by bullets, residents said.

They are angry and disappointed by what they found. "We are three brothers and all of us have lost our homes. I really don't know how we will start our life again inside this city. I have decided to search for a place in the capital because this city cannot offer a minimum of living conditions for a year. It's a complete disaster," Abbas Jumailli, a father of five preparing to leave Fallujah, told IRIN with anger in his eyes.

In the city as a whole, the two main library buildings have been burned and schools and medical clinics have been all but destroyed and are unable to function. "We have lost so much in this city: lives, culture, history. God bless all people when they come back," Sheikh Hussein O'oda Kubaissy, who has lost thousands of books from his library, told IRIN.

There is no water or electricity and the sewerage system has also suffered heavy damage, which is likely to cause the spread of diseases, medical representatives in the city said. "In this poor hygiene situation, as soon as the families come back children will be exposed to diseases. This situation should be controlled as soon as possible by the government," Dr Ahmed Kubaissy, a city doctor, told IRIN.

Those who decide to stay must obtain photo ID badges from the US checkpoint. At the same time they are told by the US forces that troops are unable to provide security for all and are advised to adhere strictly to the curfew which runs from 1800 to 0600.

"We are trying to help those families to get back to their homes but the situation is still not absolutely clear and we continue to fear that attacks will take place and some of them [civilians] may be in danger again," Col Alb Johnson, one of the soldiers responsible for the main city checkpoint, told IRIN.

Patients are receiving treatment at two places stipulated by the US forces. One is the Al-Jeneby Teaching Hospital and the other is the Health Centre of Jollan, where US vehicles pass every two hours taking people back and forth from their homes for treatment.

Families will also receive a monthly food ration food from the government, which has also said it will give each returnee US $100 in compensation.

But for those families whose houses are within the new US camps inside the city, returns have been delayed. According to Col Johnson, it may take as long as a month for them to get back to their homes.

Ferdous al-Abadi, a spokeswoman for the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), told IRIN that they were sending a special group from their Disasters Studies Department to assess the situation in the city on Monday morning. They also expect a new convoy of supplies to leave on Wednesday for returnees.

"We hope that in a short time we can help the people from Fallujah with their essential needs. We won't stop our work," al-Abadi added