U.S. Airstrikes Take Toll on Civilians: "Eyewitnesses Cite Scores Killed in Marine Offensive in Western Iraq | By Ellen Knickmeyer | Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, December 24, 2005; Page A01
RAMADI, Iraq -- U.S. Marine airstrikes targeting insurgents sheltering in Iraqi residential neighborhoods are killing civilians as well as guerrillas along the Euphrates River in far western Iraq, according to Iraqi townspeople and officials and the U.S. military.
Just how many civilians have been killed is strongly disputed by the Marines and, some critics say, too little investigated. But townspeople, tribal leaders, medical workers and accounts from witnesses at the sites of clashes, at hospitals and at graveyards indicated that scores of noncombatants were killed last month in fighting, including airstrikes, in the opening stages of a 17-day U.S.-Iraqi offensive in Anbar province.
"These people died silently, complaining to God of a guilt they did not commit," Zahid Mohammed Rawi, a physician, said in the town of Husaybah. Rawi said that roughly one week into Operation Steel Curtain, which began on Nov. 5, medical workers had recorded 97 civilians killed. At least 38 insurgents were also killed in the offensive's early days, Rawi said. ...
...
"I wholeheartedly believe the vast majority of civilians are killed by the insurgency," particularly by improvised bombs, said Col. Michael Denning, the top air officer for the 2nd Marine Division, which is leading the fight against insurgents in Anbar province....
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Bush says 30,000 Iraqis killed since war began
Reuters Business Channel | Reuters.com: "Bush says 30,000 Iraqis killed since war began | Tuesday 13 December 2005, 7:15pm EST | By Tabassum Zakaria
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday about 30,000 Iraqis have been killed since the Iraq war began and predicted this week's election will not be perfect but will be part of a Middle East turning point.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday about 30,000 Iraqis have been killed since the Iraq war began and predicted this week's election will not be perfect but will be part of a Middle East turning point.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers
Telegraph | News | 'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers: "'By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent | (Filed: 27/11/2005)
A 'trophy' video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.
The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of the shooting incidents apparently took place on "route Irish", a road that links the airport to Baghdad.
...
In one of the videoed attacks, a Mercedes is fired on at a distance of several hundred yards before it crashes in to a civilian taxi. In the last clip, a white civilian car is raked with machine gun fire as it approaches an unidentified security company vehicle. Bullets can be seen hitting the vehicle before it comes to a slow stop.
There are no clues as to the shooter but either a Scottish or Irish accent can be heard in at least one of the clips above Elvis Presley's Mystery Train, the music which accompanies the video. ...
A 'trophy' video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.
The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to Aegis Defence Services, contained four separate clips, in which security guards open fire with automatic rifles at civilian cars. All of the shooting incidents apparently took place on "route Irish", a road that links the airport to Baghdad.
...
In one of the videoed attacks, a Mercedes is fired on at a distance of several hundred yards before it crashes in to a civilian taxi. In the last clip, a white civilian car is raked with machine gun fire as it approaches an unidentified security company vehicle. Bullets can be seen hitting the vehicle before it comes to a slow stop.
There are no clues as to the shooter but either a Scottish or Irish accent can be heard in at least one of the clips above Elvis Presley's Mystery Train, the music which accompanies the video. ...
Monday, November 21, 2005
U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north ...
Excite News: "US army accidentally killed civilians | Nov 21, 8:22 AM (ET) | By Faris al-Mehdawi
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north of Baghdad on Monday, fearing a car bomb attack, and killed at least three members of the same family, including a child, the U.S. military and survivors said.
The U.S. army's 3rd Infantry Division confirmed the incident, saying its troops had opened fire after first trying to wave the minivan to a stop and then firing warning shots. ...
BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a crowded minivan north of Baghdad on Monday, fearing a car bomb attack, and killed at least three members of the same family, including a child, the U.S. military and survivors said.
The U.S. army's 3rd Infantry Division confirmed the incident, saying its troops had opened fire after first trying to wave the minivan to a stop and then firing warning shots. ...
Saturday, November 19, 2005
north of Baghdad: suicide bomber: 36 killed, 5 US dead, about 50 wounded, 120 Iraqi dead in 2 days
Excite News: "Blasts Kill 49 in Iraq; U.S. Troops Killed | Nov 19, 3:52 PM (ET) | By CHRIS TOMLINSON
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his car in a crowd of Shiite mourners north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 36 people and raising the death toll in two days of attacks against Shiites to more than 120. Five American soldiers died in roadside bombings.
...
Police said about 50 people were injured. On Oct. 29, a bomb hidden in a truck loaded with dates exploded in another Shiite community in the same area, killing 30 people....
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his car in a crowd of Shiite mourners north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 36 people and raising the death toll in two days of attacks against Shiites to more than 120. Five American soldiers died in roadside bombings.
...
Police said about 50 people were injured. On Oct. 29, a bomb hidden in a truck loaded with dates exploded in another Shiite community in the same area, killing 30 people....
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
"I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them,"
Independent Online Edition > Middle East: "'I treated people who had their skin melted' | By Dahr Jamail | Published: 15 November 2005
...
"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud," he said. He had seen "pieces of these bombs explode into large fires that continued to burn on the skin even after people dumped water on the burns".
As an unembedded journalist, I spent hours talking to residents forced out of the city. A doctor from Fallujah working in Saqlawiyah, on the outskirts of Fallujah, described treating victims during the siege "who had their skin melted".
He asked to be referred to simply as Dr Ahmed because of fears of reprisals for speaking out. "The people and bodies I have seen were definitely hit by fire weapons and had no other shrapnel wounds," he said.
Burhan Fasa'a, a freelance cameraman working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), witnessed the first eight days of the fighting. "I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them," he said. "So they definitely used fire weapons, especially in Jolan district." ...
...
"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud," he said. He had seen "pieces of these bombs explode into large fires that continued to burn on the skin even after people dumped water on the burns".
As an unembedded journalist, I spent hours talking to residents forced out of the city. A doctor from Fallujah working in Saqlawiyah, on the outskirts of Fallujah, described treating victims during the siege "who had their skin melted".
He asked to be referred to simply as Dr Ahmed because of fears of reprisals for speaking out. "The people and bodies I have seen were definitely hit by fire weapons and had no other shrapnel wounds," he said.
Burhan Fasa'a, a freelance cameraman working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), witnessed the first eight days of the fighting. "I saw cluster bombs everywhere and so many bodies that were burnt, dead with no bullets in them," he said. "So they definitely used fire weapons, especially in Jolan district." ...
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja ...
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | A name that lives in infamy: "Mike Marqusee | Thursday November 10, 2005 | The Guardian
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja
One year ago this week, US-led occupying forces launched a devastating assault on the Iraqi city of Falluja. The mood was set by Lt Col Gary Brandl: 'The enemy has got a face. He's called Satan. He's in Falluja. And we're going to destroy him.'
The assault was preceded by eight weeks of aerial bombardment. US troops cut off the city's water, power and food supplies, condemned as a violation of the Geneva convention by a UN special rapporteur, who accused occupying forces of 'using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population'. Two-thirds of the city's 300,000 residents fled, many to squatters' camps without basic facilities.
...
The city's main hospital was selected as the first target, the New York Times reported, "because the US military believed it was the source of rumours about heavy casualties". An AP photographer described US helicopters killing a family of five trying to ford a river to safety. "There were American snipers on top of the hospital shooting everyone," said Burhan Fasa'am, a photographer with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. "With no medical supplies, people died from their wounds. Everyone in the street was a target for the Americans."
The US also deployed incendiary weapons, including white phosphorous. "Usually we keep the gloves on," Captain Erik Krivda said, but "for this operation, we took the gloves off". By the end of operations, the city lay in ruins. Falluja's compensation commissioner has reported that 36,000 of the city's 50,000 homes were destroyed, along with 60 schools and 65 mosques and shrines.
The US claims that 2,000 died, most of them fighters. Other sources disagree. When medical teams arrived in January they collected more than 700 bodies in only one third of the city. Iraqi NGOs and medical workers estimate between 4,000 and 6,000 dead, mostly civilians - a proportionately higher death rate than in Coventry and London during the blitz. ...
The destruction of Falluja was an act of barbarism that ranks alongside My Lai, Guernica and Halabja
One year ago this week, US-led occupying forces launched a devastating assault on the Iraqi city of Falluja. The mood was set by Lt Col Gary Brandl: 'The enemy has got a face. He's called Satan. He's in Falluja. And we're going to destroy him.'
The assault was preceded by eight weeks of aerial bombardment. US troops cut off the city's water, power and food supplies, condemned as a violation of the Geneva convention by a UN special rapporteur, who accused occupying forces of 'using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population'. Two-thirds of the city's 300,000 residents fled, many to squatters' camps without basic facilities.
...
The city's main hospital was selected as the first target, the New York Times reported, "because the US military believed it was the source of rumours about heavy casualties". An AP photographer described US helicopters killing a family of five trying to ford a river to safety. "There were American snipers on top of the hospital shooting everyone," said Burhan Fasa'am, a photographer with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. "With no medical supplies, people died from their wounds. Everyone in the street was a target for the Americans."
The US also deployed incendiary weapons, including white phosphorous. "Usually we keep the gloves on," Captain Erik Krivda said, but "for this operation, we took the gloves off". By the end of operations, the city lay in ruins. Falluja's compensation commissioner has reported that 36,000 of the city's 50,000 homes were destroyed, along with 60 schools and 65 mosques and shrines.
The US claims that 2,000 died, most of them fighters. Other sources disagree. When medical teams arrived in January they collected more than 700 bodies in only one third of the city. Iraqi NGOs and medical workers estimate between 4,000 and 6,000 dead, mostly civilians - a proportionately higher death rate than in Coventry and London during the blitz. ...
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilia
My Way News: "US denies using white phosphorus on Iraqi civilians | Nov 8, 3:42 PM (ET) | By Phil Stewart
ROME (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians in a November 2004 offensive on the Iraqi town of Falluja.
It confirmed, however, that U.S. forces had dropped MK 77 firebombs -- which a documentary on Italian state-run broadcaster RAI compared to napalm -- against military targets in Iraq in March and April 2003.
The documentary showed images of bodies recovered after a November 2004 offensive by U.S. troops on the town of Falluja, which it said proved the use of white phosphorus against men, women and children who were burned to the bone.
'I do know that white phosphorus was used,' said Jeff Englehart in the RAI documentary, which identified him as a former soldier in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division in Iraq.
'Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women,' said Englehart, who RAI said had taken part in the Falluja offensive. 'White phosphorus kills indiscriminately.'
The U.S. Marines in Baghdad described white phosphorus as a 'conventional munition' used primarily for smoke screens and target marking. It denied using it against civilians.
'Suggestions that U.S. forces targeted civilians with these weapons are simply wrong,' U.S. Marine Major Tim Keefe said in an e-mail to Reuters." ...
ROME (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians in a November 2004 offensive on the Iraqi town of Falluja.
It confirmed, however, that U.S. forces had dropped MK 77 firebombs -- which a documentary on Italian state-run broadcaster RAI compared to napalm -- against military targets in Iraq in March and April 2003.
The documentary showed images of bodies recovered after a November 2004 offensive by U.S. troops on the town of Falluja, which it said proved the use of white phosphorus against men, women and children who were burned to the bone.
'I do know that white phosphorus was used,' said Jeff Englehart in the RAI documentary, which identified him as a former soldier in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division in Iraq.
'Burned bodies. Burned children and burned women,' said Englehart, who RAI said had taken part in the Falluja offensive. 'White phosphorus kills indiscriminately.'
The U.S. Marines in Baghdad described white phosphorus as a 'conventional munition' used primarily for smoke screens and target marking. It denied using it against civilians.
'Suggestions that U.S. forces targeted civilians with these weapons are simply wrong,' U.S. Marine Major Tim Keefe said in an e-mail to Reuters." ...
Monday, October 31, 2005
Seven More U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January
Seven More U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January, the U.S. military reported Monday that seven more U.S. service members were killed — all victims of increasingly sophisticated bombs that have been become the deadliest weapon in the insurgents' arsenal.
Bombs also claimed a toll Monday among civilians in Basra,
Iraq's second-largest city and the major metropolis of the Shiite-dominated south, which has witnessed less violence than Sunni areas. A large car bomb exploded along a bustling street packed with shops and restaurants as people were enjoying an evening out after the daily Ramadan fast. At least 20 were killed and about 40 wounded, police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi said. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Capping the bloodiest month for American troops since January, the U.S. military reported Monday that seven more U.S. service members were killed — all victims of increasingly sophisticated bombs that have been become the deadliest weapon in the insurgents' arsenal.
Bombs also claimed a toll Monday among civilians in Basra,
Iraq's second-largest city and the major metropolis of the Shiite-dominated south, which has witnessed less violence than Sunni areas. A large car bomb exploded along a bustling street packed with shops and restaurants as people were enjoying an evening out after the daily Ramadan fast. At least 20 were killed and about 40 wounded, police Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi said. ...
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION: "Looted Hopes in Iraq | by Michael Hammerschlag | http://www.opednews.com
There has been much commotion over the lack of armor on Iraq vehicles and vests, but that’s always been a trade-off: if you reinforce a HUMV enough to survive an RPG strike, you may make it too heavy to accelerate enough to avoid getting hit, and full body armor suits are great, except when 120� temperatures causes heat prostration. As our death toll passes 2000, the far more egregious outrage is why these hundreds of thousands of tons of ordnance were allowed to be looted by insurgents in the first place. (see photo)
The Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance (out of 650,000 tons total): aircraft bombs, artillery and tank shells, mines, rockets were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion through gross negligence at the top- equivalent to 1 million 500 lb bombs. At ten 500 lb. roadside mines or market closeouts a day, that's enough for 274 years of attacks."
There has been much commotion over the lack of armor on Iraq vehicles and vests, but that’s always been a trade-off: if you reinforce a HUMV enough to survive an RPG strike, you may make it too heavy to accelerate enough to avoid getting hit, and full body armor suits are great, except when 120� temperatures causes heat prostration. As our death toll passes 2000, the far more egregious outrage is why these hundreds of thousands of tons of ordnance were allowed to be looted by insurgents in the first place. (see photo)
The Pentagon admits a breathtaking 250,000 tons of heavy ordnance (out of 650,000 tons total): aircraft bombs, artillery and tank shells, mines, rockets were allowed to be looted by our undermanned army in the 4-30 weeks after invasion through gross negligence at the top- equivalent to 1 million 500 lb bombs. At ten 500 lb. roadside mines or market closeouts a day, that's enough for 274 years of attacks."
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Spanish judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel
CBS4 Boston - New England's Source For Breaking News, Weather, and Sports for Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod, Nashua, and More: World Wire: "Spanish judge issues arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers over journalist's death
Wednesday October 19, 2005
MADRID, Spain (AP) A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday.
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case." ...
Wednesday October 19, 2005
MADRID, Spain (AP) A judge has issued an international arrest warrant for three U.S. soldiers whose tank fired on a Baghdad hotel during the Iraq war, killing a Spanish journalist and one other, a court official said Wednesday.
Judge Santiago Pedraz issued the warrant for Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, all from the U.S. 3rd Infantry.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after a U.S. army tank crew fired a shell on Hotel Palestine in Baghdad where several journalists were staying to cover the war.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, also was killed.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case." ...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes
Aljazeera.Net - Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes: "Dozens of Iraqis die in US air strikes
Monday 17 October 2005, 14:40 Makka Time, 11:40 GMT
...
US warplanes and helicopters have bombed two villages near the city of Ramadi where witnesses say at least 39 civilians have been killed, while the US army says the air strike has killed an estimated 70 fighters.
On Sunday, a group of about two dozen Iraqis gathered around the wreckage of a US vehicle destroyed the previous day by a roadside bomb. The people were hit by the US air strikes, the military and witnesses said.
The air strike hit the crowd which had gathered around to look at the wreckage of the vehicle and to pick pieces off it - as often occurs after an American vehicle is hit. The vehicle was destroyed on election day.
Chiad Saad, a tribal leader, and several witnesses who refused to give their names to protect their security, said 25 civilians were killed in the attack.
Basim al-Dulaimi, a doctor at Ramadi hospital, said he had received 25 dead and eight wounded and said relatives had told him the victims had been hit in aerial bombardments. ...
Monday 17 October 2005, 14:40 Makka Time, 11:40 GMT
...
US warplanes and helicopters have bombed two villages near the city of Ramadi where witnesses say at least 39 civilians have been killed, while the US army says the air strike has killed an estimated 70 fighters.
On Sunday, a group of about two dozen Iraqis gathered around the wreckage of a US vehicle destroyed the previous day by a roadside bomb. The people were hit by the US air strikes, the military and witnesses said.
The air strike hit the crowd which had gathered around to look at the wreckage of the vehicle and to pick pieces off it - as often occurs after an American vehicle is hit. The vehicle was destroyed on election day.
Chiad Saad, a tribal leader, and several witnesses who refused to give their names to protect their security, said 25 civilians were killed in the attack.
Basim al-Dulaimi, a doctor at Ramadi hospital, said he had received 25 dead and eight wounded and said relatives had told him the victims had been hit in aerial bombardments. ...
Friday, October 14, 2005
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week - by News
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week - by News: "October 14, 2005
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week ... Including one who died of wounds received in July
Today the Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine supporting the war in Iraq. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., 40, died of wounds recieved in July 'when the vehicle he was riding in struck an anti-tank mine while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.' This death bring the total American combat deaths from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' to 1574 and total deaths to 1967. Over just the last week, 22 US troops have been killed in operations in Iraq. Below are just a few reports of these deaths:"
22 US Troops Killed in the Last Week ... Including one who died of wounds received in July
Today the Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine supporting the war in Iraq. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., 40, died of wounds recieved in July 'when the vehicle he was riding in struck an anti-tank mine while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.' This death bring the total American combat deaths from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' to 1574 and total deaths to 1967. Over just the last week, 22 US troops have been killed in operations in Iraq. Below are just a few reports of these deaths:"
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children [... now we import bullets to keep up]
The Cakewalk War: "The Cakewalk War | By Paul Craig Roberts
09/20/05 'ICH' -- -- The 'cakewalk war' is now two and one-half years old. US casualties (dead and wounded) number 20,000. As 20,000 is the number of Iraqi insurgents according to US military commanders, each insurgent is responsible for one US casualty.
US troops in Iraq number about 150,000. Obviously, US troops have not inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi insurgents. US troops have perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children who are the 'collateral damage' of the 'righteous' and 'virtuous' US invasion that is spreading civilian deaths all over Mesopotamia in the name of democracy.
What could the US have possibly done to give America a worse name than to invade Iraq and murder its citizens?
According to the September 1 Manufacturing & Technology News, the Government Accounting Office has reported that over the course of the cakewalk war, the US military’s use of small caliber ammunition has risen to 1.8 billion rounds. Think about that number. If there are 20,000 insurgents, it means US troops have fired 90,000 rounds at each insurgent.
Very few have been hit. We don’t know how many. To avoid the analogy with Vietnam, until last week the US military studiously avoided body counts. If 2,000 insurgents have been killed, each death required 900,000 rounds of ammunition.
The combination of US government owned ammo plants and those of US commercial producers together cannot make bullets as fast as US troops are firing them. The Bush administration has had to turn to foreign producers such as Israel Military Industries. Think about that. Hollowed out US industry cannot produce enough ammunition to defeat a 20,000 man insurgency."
09/20/05 'ICH' -- -- The 'cakewalk war' is now two and one-half years old. US casualties (dead and wounded) number 20,000. As 20,000 is the number of Iraqi insurgents according to US military commanders, each insurgent is responsible for one US casualty.
US troops in Iraq number about 150,000. Obviously, US troops have not inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi insurgents. US troops have perhaps inflicted 150,000 casualties on the Iraqi civilian population, primarily women and children who are the 'collateral damage' of the 'righteous' and 'virtuous' US invasion that is spreading civilian deaths all over Mesopotamia in the name of democracy.
What could the US have possibly done to give America a worse name than to invade Iraq and murder its citizens?
According to the September 1 Manufacturing & Technology News, the Government Accounting Office has reported that over the course of the cakewalk war, the US military’s use of small caliber ammunition has risen to 1.8 billion rounds. Think about that number. If there are 20,000 insurgents, it means US troops have fired 90,000 rounds at each insurgent.
Very few have been hit. We don’t know how many. To avoid the analogy with Vietnam, until last week the US military studiously avoided body counts. If 2,000 insurgents have been killed, each death required 900,000 rounds of ammunition.
The combination of US government owned ammo plants and those of US commercial producers together cannot make bullets as fast as US troops are firing them. The Bush administration has had to turn to foreign producers such as Israel Military Industries. Think about that. Hollowed out US industry cannot produce enough ammunition to defeat a 20,000 man insurgency."
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Iraq: [if any are proven] agents of the Crusaders: 152 people and wounded 542
Al-Qaida in Iraq declares all-out war - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com: "Following attacks that killed over 150, al-Zarqawi announces war intentions | MSNBC News Services | Updated: 7:48 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After a dozen explosions ripped through the Iraqi capital Wednesday, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq purportedly declared all out war on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the country's government in an audio tape released on Internet.
Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks, which killed at least 152 people and wounded 542, targeted at laborers assembled to find work for the day.
The bloodiest attack killed at least 88 people and wounded 227 in the heavily Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah where the day laborers had gathered shortly after dawn.
...
The speaker on the released audio tape, introduced as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, also said his militant forces would attack any Iraqi it believes has cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-led offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
"If proven that any of (Iraq's) national guards, police or army are agents of the Crusaders, they will be killed and his house will demolished or burnt — after evacuating all women and children — as a punishment," the voice said in the new tape, which surfaced on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamist content. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq - After a dozen explosions ripped through the Iraqi capital Wednesday, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq purportedly declared all out war on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the country's government in an audio tape released on Internet.
Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks, which killed at least 152 people and wounded 542, targeted at laborers assembled to find work for the day.
The bloodiest attack killed at least 88 people and wounded 227 in the heavily Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah where the day laborers had gathered shortly after dawn.
...
The speaker on the released audio tape, introduced as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, also said his militant forces would attack any Iraqi it believes has cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-led offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
"If proven that any of (Iraq's) national guards, police or army are agents of the Crusaders, they will be killed and his house will demolished or burnt — after evacuating all women and children — as a punishment," the voice said in the new tape, which surfaced on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamist content. ...
Saturday, September 03, 2005
“100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” ... inclusion of Falluja would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000.
"Media Spin" on Civilian Iraqi Deaths: "'His Study Shows Numbers Have Increased Dramatically Since U.S. Invasion of Iraq | By Sarah Lozo | 09/02/05 'ICH'
Johns Hopkins University professor Les Roberts addressed the Hamilton community in a talk titled, “100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” on Thursday, Sept. 1. Roberts, an associate professor at Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Relations, presented the under-published and often misrepresented findings of a study that he conducted along with other researchers from Hopkins and Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad.
The results of Roberts’s study indicate that Iraqi civilian deaths have risen drastically since the United States invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the 14 months prior to the invasion, 46 deaths occurred in about 1,000 households surveyed, compared to 142 after the invasion; Iraqis, he said, were 2.5 times more likely to die after the war began. Whereas most deaths before the invasion were attributable to heart attacks, strokes, and other ailments, most deaths after it were the result of violence. Moreover, Roberts reported that the coalition was responsible for 84% of these violent deaths.
Relating these numbers to the general Iraqi population, researchers estimated that, if the city of Falluja is left out of calculations, there is a 50% chance that the death toll is below 100,000, and a 50% chance that it is above 100,000. The inclusion of Falluja, according to Roberts, would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000. In contrast, Roberts said, most news sources report and most American people believe that the death toll is less than half of this number."
Roberts noted that this discrepancy is based on the American media’s efforts to downplay Iraqi deaths. In Europe, Roberts reported, the findings of this study made the front pages of most major newspapers; in comparison, the study’s results appeared on page A8 of the New York Times and on page 12 of the Washington Post. European news sources provided in-depth analysis and substantial details of the study, while U.S. media coverage was only moderate. Moreover, the study’s publication in the U.S. provoked an outpouring of spin articles that led the American public to disregard the study as invalid.
Johns Hopkins University professor Les Roberts addressed the Hamilton community in a talk titled, “100,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq: A Story of Media Spin,” on Thursday, Sept. 1. Roberts, an associate professor at Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Relations, presented the under-published and often misrepresented findings of a study that he conducted along with other researchers from Hopkins and Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad.
The results of Roberts’s study indicate that Iraqi civilian deaths have risen drastically since the United States invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the 14 months prior to the invasion, 46 deaths occurred in about 1,000 households surveyed, compared to 142 after the invasion; Iraqis, he said, were 2.5 times more likely to die after the war began. Whereas most deaths before the invasion were attributable to heart attacks, strokes, and other ailments, most deaths after it were the result of violence. Moreover, Roberts reported that the coalition was responsible for 84% of these violent deaths.
Relating these numbers to the general Iraqi population, researchers estimated that, if the city of Falluja is left out of calculations, there is a 50% chance that the death toll is below 100,000, and a 50% chance that it is above 100,000. The inclusion of Falluja, according to Roberts, would certainly put the Iraqi death toll well above 100,000. In contrast, Roberts said, most news sources report and most American people believe that the death toll is less than half of this number."
Roberts noted that this discrepancy is based on the American media’s efforts to downplay Iraqi deaths. In Europe, Roberts reported, the findings of this study made the front pages of most major newspapers; in comparison, the study’s results appeared on page A8 of the New York Times and on page 12 of the Washington Post. European news sources provided in-depth analysis and substantial details of the study, while U.S. media coverage was only moderate. Moreover, the study’s publication in the U.S. provoked an outpouring of spin articles that led the American public to disregard the study as invalid.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears [of] a suicide bomber
outlookindia.com | wired: "816 killed in Baghdad bridge stampede | BAGHDAD, AUG 31 (AFP)
At least 816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears a suicide bomber was among vast crowds of Shiite pilgrims massed for a religious ceremony.
Iraq authorities said the tragedy, which unfolded after a deadly mortar attack on a Shiite shrine, was a 'terrorist' act by toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's loyalists and Al-Qaeda frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zaqrqawi.
A security official said 816 were killed and 323 injured in the crush of panicked pilgrims, adding: 'We are still recovering bodies from the river.'"
At least 816 people were crushed to death or drowned today in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge triggered by fears a suicide bomber was among vast crowds of Shiite pilgrims massed for a religious ceremony.
Iraq authorities said the tragedy, which unfolded after a deadly mortar attack on a Shiite shrine, was a 'terrorist' act by toppled dictator Saddam Hussein's loyalists and Al-Qaeda frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zaqrqawi.
A security official said 816 were killed and 323 injured in the crush of panicked pilgrims, adding: 'We are still recovering bodies from the river.'"
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
Xinhua - English: "56 civilians killed in US air strike west of Baghdad | www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-30 21:25:17
BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
'We have information that the US aircraft pounded areas near the town of Qaim near the Syrian border, destroying four houses and killing a total of 56 people,' the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Sixteen people were killed in one of the houses, which was leveled in the attack, he said, adding 40 others were killed in a second house, where three families gathered.
Only two boys aged eight and ten survived in the second house, he added.
A US military spokesman said that its aircraft shelled suspectedal-Qaida hideouts near Qaim, killing several militants, including Abu Islam.
'There was a total of three strikes targeting terrorist safe houses and Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed,' said the spokesman in Baghdad.
Earlier, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television reported that the US aircraft carried out strikes on villages near Qaim, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens."
BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The US air strike early on Tuesday near the Iraqi western town of Qaim killed 56 civilians, said an Interior Ministry source.
'We have information that the US aircraft pounded areas near the town of Qaim near the Syrian border, destroying four houses and killing a total of 56 people,' the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Sixteen people were killed in one of the houses, which was leveled in the attack, he said, adding 40 others were killed in a second house, where three families gathered.
Only two boys aged eight and ten survived in the second house, he added.
A US military spokesman said that its aircraft shelled suspectedal-Qaida hideouts near Qaim, killing several militants, including Abu Islam.
'There was a total of three strikes targeting terrorist safe houses and Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed,' said the spokesman in Baghdad.
Earlier, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television reported that the US aircraft carried out strikes on villages near Qaim, killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens."
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Another Reuters Staffer Killed by U.S. Forces in Iraq: "They treated us like dogs. ... They made us [wounded] sit in the sun on the road"
Another Reuters Staffer Killed by U.S. Forces in Iraq: "Published: August 28, 2005 2:25 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers. Iraqi police said they had been shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated.
Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report from
police sources of an incident involving police and gunmen in the Hay al-Adil district, in the west of the city.
...
"I heard shooting, looked up and saw an American sniper on the roof of the shopping centre," cameraman Kadhem, who was
wounded in the back, told colleagues who arrived at the scene.
The only known eyewitness, he was later detained by U.S. troops and was still in custody six hours later despite Reuters' requests that he be freed to receive medical attention. His precise whereabouts were not clear.
Two Iraqi colleagues who arrived on the scene minutes after the shooting were also briefly detained, then released.
"They treated us like dogs. They made us ... including Khaled who was wounded and asking for water, sit in the sun on the road," Reuters Television soundman Mohammed Idriss said.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) A Reuters Television soundman was shot dead in Baghdad on Sunday and a cameraman with him was wounded and then detained by U.S. soldiers. Iraqi police said they had been shot by U.S. forces. A U.S. military spokesman said the incident was being investigated.
Waleed Khaled, 35, was hit by a shot to the face and at least four to the chest as he drove to check a report from
police sources of an incident involving police and gunmen in the Hay al-Adil district, in the west of the city.
...
"I heard shooting, looked up and saw an American sniper on the roof of the shopping centre," cameraman Kadhem, who was
wounded in the back, told colleagues who arrived at the scene.
The only known eyewitness, he was later detained by U.S. troops and was still in custody six hours later despite Reuters' requests that he be freed to receive medical attention. His precise whereabouts were not clear.
Two Iraqi colleagues who arrived on the scene minutes after the shooting were also briefly detained, then released.
"They treated us like dogs. They made us ... including Khaled who was wounded and asking for water, sit in the sun on the road," Reuters Television soundman Mohammed Idriss said.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Kurds pave way for Iraq charter approval, 35 dead in attacks
Kurds pave way for Iraq charter approval, 35 dead in attacks - Yahoo! News: "Wed Aug 24, 1:57 PM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.
As political events unfolded, at least 35 people were killed in rebel attacks across central and northern Iraq."
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.
As political events unfolded, at least 35 people were killed in rebel attacks across central and northern Iraq."
Gunfights erupt in Iraqi capital: 17 dead, 53 wounded
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Gunfights erupt in Iraqi capital: "
At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured as gun battles erupted in the Iraqi capital following a suicide car bomb attack on police.
After the bomber struck, up to 40 masked gunman opened fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Three police officers were among the dead in Baghdad and at least 53 people were injured, police told the BBC."
At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured as gun battles erupted in the Iraqi capital following a suicide car bomb attack on police.
After the bomber struck, up to 40 masked gunman opened fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Three police officers were among the dead in Baghdad and at least 53 people were injured, police told the BBC."
Thursday, August 18, 2005
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history: 1,100 bodies -- executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured
Independent Online Edition > Robert Fisk : app4: "Secrets of the morgue: Baghdad's body count By Robert Fisk | Published: 17 August 2005
Bodies of 1,100 civilians brought to mortuary in July
Pre-invasion, July figure was typically less than 200
Last Sunday alone, the mortuary received 36 bodies
Up to 20 per cent of the bodies are never identified
Many of the dead have been tortured or disfigured
The Baghdad morgue is a fearful place of heat and stench and mourning, the cries of relatives echoing down the narrow, foetid laneway behind the pale-yellow brick medical centre where the authorities keep their computerised records. So many corpses are being brought to the mortuary that human remains are stacked on top of each other. Unidentified bodies must be buried within days for lack of space - but the municipality is so overwhelmed by the number of killings that it can no longer provide the vehicles and personnel to take the remains to cemeteries.
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history - in all, 1,100 bodies were brought to the city's mortuary; executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured to death. The figure is secret."
Bodies of 1,100 civilians brought to mortuary in July
Pre-invasion, July figure was typically less than 200
Last Sunday alone, the mortuary received 36 bodies
Up to 20 per cent of the bodies are never identified
Many of the dead have been tortured or disfigured
The Baghdad morgue is a fearful place of heat and stench and mourning, the cries of relatives echoing down the narrow, foetid laneway behind the pale-yellow brick medical centre where the authorities keep their computerised records. So many corpses are being brought to the mortuary that human remains are stacked on top of each other. Unidentified bodies must be buried within days for lack of space - but the municipality is so overwhelmed by the number of killings that it can no longer provide the vehicles and personnel to take the remains to cemeteries.
July was the bloodiest month in Baghdad's modern history - in all, 1,100 bodies were brought to the city's mortuary; executed for the most part, eviscerated, stabbed, bludgeoned, tortured to death. The figure is secret."
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded.
Santa Monica Mirror: "22 Soldiers Died Last Week in Iraq | August 17 - 23, 2005
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded."
22 US soldiers were killed last week in Iraq, bringing the total to 1,853 dead and 13,877 wounded."
Sunday, August 14, 2005
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 military dead
A Daily Look at Military Deaths in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "By The Associated Press Sun Aug 14, 5:42 PM ET
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,431 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.
As of Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005, at least 1,853 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,431 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.
Iraqis say 15 dead [and 17 wounded] after military shooting -- but U.S. denies
International news from swissinfo, the Swiss news platform: "August 13, 2005 12:20 PM
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - An attack on a U.S. military patrol followed by U.S. gunfire left 15 Iraqis dead and 17 wounded in a town west of Baghdad, residents said on Saturday, but the U.S. military said it was not responsible.
Residents of Nasaf, a town just outside the city of Ramadi, said a roadside bomb exploded next to a U.S. armoured patrol as it passed near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque shortly after prayers on Friday.
They said U.S. troops opened fire immediately after the explosion, shooting towards people emerging from the mosque.
Munem Aftan, the director of Ramadi General Hospital, said 15 people were killed, including eight children, and 17 wounded.
Pools of blood lay on the steps outside the mosque, and bullet holes marked its walls.
But the U.S. military said its troops had not been involved in any firing in the area.
"U.S. forces were not involved in any shooting incident in eastern Ramadi or anywhere near a mosque," Captain Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for the Marines in Ramadi, said in an e-mail reply to written questions. ...
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - An attack on a U.S. military patrol followed by U.S. gunfire left 15 Iraqis dead and 17 wounded in a town west of Baghdad, residents said on Saturday, but the U.S. military said it was not responsible.
Residents of Nasaf, a town just outside the city of Ramadi, said a roadside bomb exploded next to a U.S. armoured patrol as it passed near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque shortly after prayers on Friday.
They said U.S. troops opened fire immediately after the explosion, shooting towards people emerging from the mosque.
Munem Aftan, the director of Ramadi General Hospital, said 15 people were killed, including eight children, and 17 wounded.
Pools of blood lay on the steps outside the mosque, and bullet holes marked its walls.
But the U.S. military said its troops had not been involved in any firing in the area.
"U.S. forces were not involved in any shooting incident in eastern Ramadi or anywhere near a mosque," Captain Jeffrey Pool, a spokesman for the Marines in Ramadi, said in an e-mail reply to written questions. ...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Excite News
Excite News: "Seven Marines killed in Iraq, toll passes 1,800 | Aug 2, 2:38 PM (ET) | By Michael Georgy
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven American Marines have been killed in fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province, the guerrilla heartland which keeps challenging U.S. and Iraqi troops despite repeated security crackdowns.
...
The attacks push the number of U.S. troops to have died since the start of the war in March 2003 to above 1,800, according to a Reuters count based on information provided by the Pentagon. ...
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven American Marines have been killed in fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province, the guerrilla heartland which keeps challenging U.S. and Iraqi troops despite repeated security crackdowns.
...
The attacks push the number of U.S. troops to have died since the start of the war in March 2003 to above 1,800, according to a Reuters count based on information provided by the Pentagon. ...
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire
bakersfield.com | World: "Officials: Blast survivors hit by gunfire | By SINBAD AHMED, Associated Press Writer | Posted: Saturday July 30th, 2005, 1:48 PM | Last Updated: Sunday July 31st, 2005, 7:11 AM
RABIAH, Iraq (AP) - Some survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire at the scene, police, doctors and witnesses said Saturday.
The bomber wandered into a crowd of Iraqis waiting Friday to enlist in the army and detonated his explosives, said police and witnesses to the attack in this northern town near the Syrian border. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Internet.
After the blast, U.S. and Iraqi troops opened fire believing they were under attack, Rabiah's police chief, Col. Yahya al-Shammari, told The Associated Press.
He said some of the army recruits were killed by the gunfire, although it was unclear how many because dead and wounded were taken to several hospitals across a wide area of northern Iraq.
He said the death toll from the suicide attack had risen to 52 dead and 93 injured by late Saturday.
RABIAH, Iraq (AP) - Some survivors of a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi army recruits were shot and wounded immediately afterward when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers opened fire at the scene, police, doctors and witnesses said Saturday.
The bomber wandered into a crowd of Iraqis waiting Friday to enlist in the army and detonated his explosives, said police and witnesses to the attack in this northern town near the Syrian border. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility in a statement posted on the Internet.
After the blast, U.S. and Iraqi troops opened fire believing they were under attack, Rabiah's police chief, Col. Yahya al-Shammari, told The Associated Press.
He said some of the army recruits were killed by the gunfire, although it was unclear how many because dead and wounded were taken to several hospitals across a wide area of northern Iraq.
He said the death toll from the suicide attack had risen to 52 dead and 93 injured by late Saturday.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Innocent civilians ... are increasingly being killed by U.S. troops: "The reason they shot us is just because the Americans are reckless,"
Shots to the Heart of Iraq: "Shots to the Heart of Iraq | By Richard C. Paddock, Times Staff Writer | July 25, 2005
# Innocent civilians, including people who are considered vital to building democracy, are increasingly being killed by U.S. troops.
BAGHDAD — Three men in an unmarked sedan pulled up near the headquarters of the national police major crimes unit. The two passengers, wearing traditional Arab dishdasha gowns, stepped from the car.
At the same moment, a U.S. military convoy emerged from an underpass. Apparently believing the men were staging an ambush, the Americans fired, killing one passenger and wounding the other. The sedan's driver was hit in the head by two bullet fragments.
The soldiers drove on without stopping.
This kind of shooting is far from rare in Baghdad, but the driver of the car was no ordinary casualty. He was Iraqi police Brig. Gen. Majeed Farraji, chief of the major crimes unit. His passengers were unarmed hitchhikers whom he was dropping off on his way to work.
"The reason they shot us is just because the Americans are reckless," the general said from his hospital bed hours after the July 6 shooting, his head wrapped in a white bandage. "Nobody punishes them or blames them."
Angered by the growing number of unarmed civilians killed by American troops in recent weeks, the Iraqi government criticized the shootings and called on U.S. troops to exercise greater care.
U.S. officials have repeatedly declined requests to disclose the number of civilians killed in such incidents. Police in Baghdad say they have received reports that U.S. forces killed 33 unarmed civilians and injured 45 in the capital between May 1 and July 12 — an average of nearly one fatality every two days. This does not include incidents that occurred elsewhere in the country or were not reported to the police. ...
# Innocent civilians, including people who are considered vital to building democracy, are increasingly being killed by U.S. troops.
BAGHDAD — Three men in an unmarked sedan pulled up near the headquarters of the national police major crimes unit. The two passengers, wearing traditional Arab dishdasha gowns, stepped from the car.
At the same moment, a U.S. military convoy emerged from an underpass. Apparently believing the men were staging an ambush, the Americans fired, killing one passenger and wounding the other. The sedan's driver was hit in the head by two bullet fragments.
The soldiers drove on without stopping.
This kind of shooting is far from rare in Baghdad, but the driver of the car was no ordinary casualty. He was Iraqi police Brig. Gen. Majeed Farraji, chief of the major crimes unit. His passengers were unarmed hitchhikers whom he was dropping off on his way to work.
"The reason they shot us is just because the Americans are reckless," the general said from his hospital bed hours after the July 6 shooting, his head wrapped in a white bandage. "Nobody punishes them or blames them."
Angered by the growing number of unarmed civilians killed by American troops in recent weeks, the Iraqi government criticized the shootings and called on U.S. troops to exercise greater care.
U.S. officials have repeatedly declined requests to disclose the number of civilians killed in such incidents. Police in Baghdad say they have received reports that U.S. forces killed 33 unarmed civilians and injured 45 in the capital between May 1 and July 12 — an average of nearly one fatality every two days. This does not include incidents that occurred elsewhere in the country or were not reported to the police. ...
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Suicide Bomber Strikes Baghdad Police Station : 22 - 40 dead, dozens wounded. 500lb bomb
Suicide Bomber Strikes Baghdad Police Station - New York Times: "By EDWARD WONG | Published: July 24, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 24 - A suicide truck bomb exploded at a police station today in the middle of a raging sandstorm in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens of others, Iraqi officials said. The attack came on a day when Sunni Arab leaders involved in drafting the new constitution were in negotiations over an end to their boycott of the process.
The American military said it had received reports of at least 40 deaths in the explosion.
The bomb struck in the early afternoon, as a sandstorm swirled around the capital, cloaking buildings and streets with a thick layer of grit. The driver of the truck, loaded with 500 pounds of explosives, rammed into concrete barricades outside the station before the vehicle burst into a ball of fire, incinerating people standing nearby and peppering them with shrapnel, witnesses said. Many of the victims were believed to be police officers.
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 24 - A suicide truck bomb exploded at a police station today in the middle of a raging sandstorm in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens of others, Iraqi officials said. The attack came on a day when Sunni Arab leaders involved in drafting the new constitution were in negotiations over an end to their boycott of the process.
The American military said it had received reports of at least 40 deaths in the explosion.
The bomb struck in the early afternoon, as a sandstorm swirled around the capital, cloaking buildings and streets with a thick layer of grit. The driver of the truck, loaded with 500 pounds of explosives, rammed into concrete barricades outside the station before the vehicle burst into a ball of fire, incinerating people standing nearby and peppering them with shrapnel, witnesses said. Many of the victims were believed to be police officers.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Three days of suicide bombs leave 150 dead ... more than 260 wounded
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Three days of suicide bombs leave 150 dead: "Michael Howard in Irbil | Monday July 18, 2005 | The Guardian
Iraq's fledgling government stood accused of leaving its citizens defenceless yesterday after a devastating three days of suicide attacks left at least 150 people dead and more than 260 wounded."
Iraq's fledgling government stood accused of leaving its citizens defenceless yesterday after a devastating three days of suicide attacks left at least 150 people dead and more than 260 wounded."
Saturday, July 16, 2005
At least 58 killed, 86 hurt by bomb south of Baghdad
IC Publications: "16/07/2005 18:41 BAGHDAD (AFP) | At least 58 killed, 86 hurt by bomb south of Baghdad
At least 58 people were killed and 86 wounded in a powerful bomb attack Saturday evening close to a mosque in Al-Musayyib, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the capital, an interior ministry official said.
A bomb was believed to have been put on a petrol tanker, which blew up, setting neighbouring houses on fire, the official said.
At least 58 people were killed and 86 wounded in a powerful bomb attack Saturday evening close to a mosque in Al-Musayyib, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the capital, an interior ministry official said.
A bomb was believed to have been put on a petrol tanker, which blew up, setting neighbouring houses on fire, the official said.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A suicide attack every day in the new Iraq since the announcement of a new government
FT.com / Home UK - A suicide attack every day in the new Iraq: By Neil MacDonald in Baghdad | Published: July 14 2005 19:48 | Last updated: July 14 2005 19:48
Suicide bomb attacks in Iraq have averaged at least one per day since the announcement of a new government in April, according to data gathered by the US military."
Suicide bomb attacks in Iraq have averaged at least one per day since the announcement of a new government in April, according to data gathered by the US military."
8 Months After U.S.-Led Siege, Insurgents Rise Again in Falluja - New York Times
8 Months After U.S.-Led Siege, Insurgents Rise Again in Falluja - New York Times: "By EDWARD WONG | Published: July 15, 2005
FALLUJA, Iraq, July 12 - Transformed into a police state after last winter's siege, this should be the safest city in all of Iraq.
Thousands of American and Iraqi troops live in crumbling buildings here and patrol streets laced with concertina wire. Any Iraqi entering the city must show a badge and undergo a search at one of six checkpoints. There is a 10 p.m. curfew.
But the insurgency is rising from the rubble nevertheless, eight months after the American military killed as many as 1,500 Iraqis in a costly invasion that fanned anti-American passions across Iraq and the Arab world. ...
FALLUJA, Iraq, July 12 - Transformed into a police state after last winter's siege, this should be the safest city in all of Iraq.
Thousands of American and Iraqi troops live in crumbling buildings here and patrol streets laced with concertina wire. Any Iraqi entering the city must show a badge and undergo a search at one of six checkpoints. There is a 10 p.m. curfew.
But the insurgency is rising from the rubble nevertheless, eight months after the American military killed as many as 1,500 Iraqis in a costly invasion that fanned anti-American passions across Iraq and the Arab world. ...
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Iraq Suicide Blast Targeting U.S. Troops Kills 24 Children
Iraq Suicide Blast Targeting U.S. Troops Kills 24 Children: "By Borzou Daragahi and Raheem Salman, Times Staff Writers | July 14, 2005
BAGHDAD — The U.S. soldiers had come Wednesday morning to search for explosives in a neighborhood packed with children.
Instead, a suicide bomber found them.
In the deadliest insurgent attack in Iraq in more than two months and the most lethal one involving children since September, an explosives-filled SUV killed at least 27 Iraqis and an American soldier.
About two dozen of the dead were youngsters who had been playing near U.S. soldiers at an impromptu checkpoint in Jadida, a lower-class residential district of low-lying buildings and rotting water mains populated by Shiites, Sunnis and Christians.
The children were taking candy from the U.S. soldiers at the time of the blast. ....
BAGHDAD — The U.S. soldiers had come Wednesday morning to search for explosives in a neighborhood packed with children.
Instead, a suicide bomber found them.
In the deadliest insurgent attack in Iraq in more than two months and the most lethal one involving children since September, an explosives-filled SUV killed at least 27 Iraqis and an American soldier.
About two dozen of the dead were youngsters who had been playing near U.S. soldiers at an impromptu checkpoint in Jadida, a lower-class residential district of low-lying buildings and rotting water mains populated by Shiites, Sunnis and Christians.
The children were taking candy from the U.S. soldiers at the time of the blast. ....
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
100,000 Iraqi Civilian Deaths in 28 Months: US troops killed 39,000 civilians since the beginning of the war
100,000 Iraqi Civilian Deaths in 28 Months: "By Cihan News Agency |
07/13/05 'Turkish Weekly' - -
The US invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime has cost 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives.
An international research organization in Switzerland said US troops killed 39,000 civilians since the beginning of the war.
The organization indicated there were far more civilian casualties than the number announced as the 'Iraqi Body Count.' US troops' direct fire or clashes have claimed 39,000 Iraqi civilians' lives.
With suicide attacks and other accidents, the death toll amounts to 100,000 civilian dead in 28 months. The number of the losses of US and other coalition forces for the same period is 1,937. "
07/13/05 'Turkish Weekly' - -
The US invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime has cost 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives.
An international research organization in Switzerland said US troops killed 39,000 civilians since the beginning of the war.
The organization indicated there were far more civilian casualties than the number announced as the 'Iraqi Body Count.' US troops' direct fire or clashes have claimed 39,000 Iraqi civilians' lives.
With suicide attacks and other accidents, the death toll amounts to 100,000 civilian dead in 28 months. The number of the losses of US and other coalition forces for the same period is 1,937. "
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Iraqi humanitarian organization is reporting that 128,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion began in March 2003.
World Peace Herald: "raqi civilian casualties | By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL | Published July 12, 2005
BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi humanitarian organization is reporting that 128,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion began in March 2003.
Mafkarat al-Islam reported that chairman of the 'Iraqiyun humanitarian organization in Baghdad, Dr. Hatim al-'Alwani, said that the toll includes everyone who has been killed since that time, adding that 55 percent of those killed have been women and children aged 12 and under. "
'Iraqiyun obtained data from relatives and families of the deceased, as well as from Iraqi hospitals in all the country's provinces. The 128,000 figure only includes those whose relatives have been informed of their deaths and does not include those were abducted, assassinated or simply disappeared.
The number includes those who died during the U.S. assaults on al-Fallujah and al-Qa'im. 'Iraqiyun's figures conflict with the Iraqi Body Count public database compiled by Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. According to the Graduate Institute of International Studies' database, 39,000 Iraqis have been killed as a direct result of combat or armed violence since March 2003. No official estimates of Iraqi casualties from the war have been issued by the Pentagon, which insists that it does not do "body counts." The Washington Post on July 12 reported that U.S. military deaths in Iraq now total 1,755.
BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi humanitarian organization is reporting that 128,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion began in March 2003.
Mafkarat al-Islam reported that chairman of the 'Iraqiyun humanitarian organization in Baghdad, Dr. Hatim al-'Alwani, said that the toll includes everyone who has been killed since that time, adding that 55 percent of those killed have been women and children aged 12 and under. "
'Iraqiyun obtained data from relatives and families of the deceased, as well as from Iraqi hospitals in all the country's provinces. The 128,000 figure only includes those whose relatives have been informed of their deaths and does not include those were abducted, assassinated or simply disappeared.
The number includes those who died during the U.S. assaults on al-Fallujah and al-Qa'im. 'Iraqiyun's figures conflict with the Iraqi Body Count public database compiled by Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. According to the Graduate Institute of International Studies' database, 39,000 Iraqis have been killed as a direct result of combat or armed violence since March 2003. No official estimates of Iraqi casualties from the war have been issued by the Pentagon, which insists that it does not do "body counts." The Washington Post on July 12 reported that U.S. military deaths in Iraq now total 1,755.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Iraqi UN Ambassador Seeks Probe of U.S. Marines killing of his 21-year-old cousin 'in cold blood'
Iraqi Seeks Probe of Killing: "By Colum Lynch | Washington Post Staff Writer | Saturday, July 2, 2005; Page A19
UNITED NATIONS, July 1 -- Iraq's U.N. ambassador Friday accused U.S. Marines of killing his 21-year-old cousin 'in cold blood' during a June 25 raid in a village in the Sunni Muslim-dominated province of Anbar.
Samir S.M. Sumaidaie called on the United States to investigate the death of Mohammed Sumaidaie in 'a credible and fair way to ensure that justice is done.' He said the killing represents a 'betrayal' of Iraqi and U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq on a foundation of 'freedom, democracy and respect for human rights and the rule of law.'"
UNITED NATIONS, July 1 -- Iraq's U.N. ambassador Friday accused U.S. Marines of killing his 21-year-old cousin 'in cold blood' during a June 25 raid in a village in the Sunni Muslim-dominated province of Anbar.
Samir S.M. Sumaidaie called on the United States to investigate the death of Mohammed Sumaidaie in 'a credible and fair way to ensure that justice is done.' He said the killing represents a 'betrayal' of Iraqi and U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq on a foundation of 'freedom, democracy and respect for human rights and the rule of law.'"
Friday, July 01, 2005
More than 8,000 Iraqis killed in insurgent attacks - 12,000 wounded
CNN.com - More than�8,000 Iraqis killed�in insurgent attacks - Jun 30, 2005: "Spokesman: Reliance on car bombs a 'distinctive shift' | Thursday, June 30, 2005 Posted: 2009 GMT (0409 HKT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgent attacks in the last six months have killed more than 8,000 Iraqi civilians, police and troops, according to Iraq's interior minister.
...
In an interview with CNN, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Jabbur said "terrorists" had killed 8,175 people and wounded another 12,000 since January 2005.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there have been 307 U.S. fatalities in combat during the same period.
...
Unofficial estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths during the Iraq war range from about 22,000 -- according to the Web site iraqbodycount.net -- to about 100,000 -- from an independent survey reported in The Washington Post. The Pentagon does not give numbers for civilian deaths in Iraq.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgent attacks in the last six months have killed more than 8,000 Iraqi civilians, police and troops, according to Iraq's interior minister.
...
In an interview with CNN, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Jabbur said "terrorists" had killed 8,175 people and wounded another 12,000 since January 2005.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there have been 307 U.S. fatalities in combat during the same period.
...
Unofficial estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths during the Iraq war range from about 22,000 -- according to the Web site iraqbodycount.net -- to about 100,000 -- from an independent survey reported in The Washington Post. The Pentagon does not give numbers for civilian deaths in Iraq.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
VA Confirms 103,000 Iraq and Afghan Veterans Seek Healthcare
VA Confirms 103,000 Iraq and Afghan Veterans Seek Healthcare: "David Espo and Mary Dalrymple, Associated Press | Posted 2005-06-28 15:58:00.0 | By DAVID ESPO | The Associated Press | Tuesday, June 28, 2005; 3:26 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062800545.html
VA Confirms 103,000 Iraq and Afghan Veterans Seek Healthcare: Senate Plans $1.5 Billion Spending Boost for Veterans
WASHINGTON -- Struggling to prevent political damage, Senate Republicans intend to raise spending on veterans programs by $1.5 billion to make up for a shortage caused partly by the return of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
'I'm glad they have seen the light,' said Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada. He said majority Republicans had refused to provide the money when members of his party called for it earlier in the year.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who chairs the Veterans Committee, said a vote was likely Tuesday or Wednesday.
The decision to approve the funds came in response to last week's disclosure that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs $1 billion more for veterans health care this year."
...
About one-quarter of this year's $1 billion shortfall results from the services needed by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, adding that the estimate of roughly 23,000 returning veterans proved far below the actual total of 103,000.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062800545.html
VA Confirms 103,000 Iraq and Afghan Veterans Seek Healthcare: Senate Plans $1.5 Billion Spending Boost for Veterans
WASHINGTON -- Struggling to prevent political damage, Senate Republicans intend to raise spending on veterans programs by $1.5 billion to make up for a shortage caused partly by the return of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
'I'm glad they have seen the light,' said Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada. He said majority Republicans had refused to provide the money when members of his party called for it earlier in the year.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who chairs the Veterans Committee, said a vote was likely Tuesday or Wednesday.
The decision to approve the funds came in response to last week's disclosure that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs $1 billion more for veterans health care this year."
...
About one-quarter of this year's $1 billion shortfall results from the services needed by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, adding that the estimate of roughly 23,000 returning veterans proved far below the actual total of 103,000.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
U.S. Accused in Iraqi Journalist's Death --- third Iraqi journalist allegedly killed in similar incidents in the past week
Excite News: "U.S. Accused in Iraqi Journalist's Death | Jun 28, 4:44 PM (ET)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops allegedly killed an Iraqi television director Tuesday when he drove near a U.S. convoy, colleagues and a hospital official said. The U.S. military said it had no reports of the incident.
Ahmed Wael Bakri, a program director for al-Sharqiya television, was the third Iraqi journalist allegedly killed in similar incidents in the past week.
He was trying to pass a traffic accident and wasn't paying attention to a U.S. convoy when troops allegedly opened fire at his car, according to Riyadh al-Salman, a production director at the station.
...
On Sunday, Maha Ibrahim, a news editor with the local Baghdad TV channel, was killed when U.S. troops opened fire after apparently coming under attack in a Baghdad neighborhood, channel director Saad al-Bayati said. Ibrahim and her husband were on their way to the station, owned by the Iraqi Islamic Party.
On Friday, an Iraqi reporter working for an American news organization was shot and killed in Baghdad, allegedly by U.S. troops, after he apparently did not respond to a shouted signal from a military convoy, witnesses said.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops allegedly killed an Iraqi television director Tuesday when he drove near a U.S. convoy, colleagues and a hospital official said. The U.S. military said it had no reports of the incident.
Ahmed Wael Bakri, a program director for al-Sharqiya television, was the third Iraqi journalist allegedly killed in similar incidents in the past week.
He was trying to pass a traffic accident and wasn't paying attention to a U.S. convoy when troops allegedly opened fire at his car, according to Riyadh al-Salman, a production director at the station.
...
On Sunday, Maha Ibrahim, a news editor with the local Baghdad TV channel, was killed when U.S. troops opened fire after apparently coming under attack in a Baghdad neighborhood, channel director Saad al-Bayati said. Ibrahim and her husband were on their way to the station, owned by the Iraqi Islamic Party.
On Friday, an Iraqi reporter working for an American news organization was shot and killed in Baghdad, allegedly by U.S. troops, after he apparently did not respond to a shouted signal from a military convoy, witnesses said.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Surge of attacks leaves at least 73 dead in Iraq
Surge of attacks leaves at least 73 dead in Iraq: "Surge of attacks leaves at least 73 dead in Iraq
Published Monday, June 20, 2005
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - A suicide car bomber killed at least 15 traffic police and wounded about 100 more today outside the unit’s headquarters in the northern Kurdish city of Irbil, police and hospital officials said.
Iraq’s insurgency appeared unfazed by two massive U.S.-Iraqi military offensives against militant smuggling routes and training centers west and north of Baghdad, mounting attacks that have killed at least 73 in the past two days - including 28 people today."
Published Monday, June 20, 2005
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - A suicide car bomber killed at least 15 traffic police and wounded about 100 more today outside the unit’s headquarters in the northern Kurdish city of Irbil, police and hospital officials said.
Iraq’s insurgency appeared unfazed by two massive U.S.-Iraqi military offensives against militant smuggling routes and training centers west and north of Baghdad, mounting attacks that have killed at least 73 in the past two days - including 28 people today."
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
An average of about 23 patients arrive each day most from Iraq, 12,350 wounded to date
CBS 2 - New York News: World Wire: "Hospital in Germany copes with heavy flow of wounded from Iran, Afghanistan | Sunday May 29, 2005 | By MATT MOORE | Associated Press Writer
...
An average of about 23 patients arrive each day most from Iraq, where more than 12,350 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen have been injured since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003. The flow can spike sharply, as it did during the battle for Fallujah: 537 over two days.
Fighting in Afghanistan adds more patients. Since troops arrived there in October 2001, 455 have been wounded in action through early this May, almost all of them coming to Landstuhl with injuries and wounds not normally found in a civilian hospital.
In civilian medicine, ``a blast injury is a very rare event,'' said Army Col. Rhonda Cornum, the hospital's medical director. ``Unfortunately, it's a very common thing here.''
...
An average of about 23 patients arrive each day most from Iraq, where more than 12,350 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen have been injured since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003. The flow can spike sharply, as it did during the battle for Fallujah: 537 over two days.
Fighting in Afghanistan adds more patients. Since troops arrived there in October 2001, 455 have been wounded in action through early this May, almost all of them coming to Landstuhl with injuries and wounds not normally found in a civilian hospital.
In civilian medicine, ``a blast injury is a very rare event,'' said Army Col. Rhonda Cornum, the hospital's medical director. ``Unfortunately, it's a very common thing here.''
Monday, May 23, 2005
Car bombs, suicide attacks kill 49, 130 Wounded, 5 US troops dead
Car bombs, suicide attacks kill 49, scores hurt - Iraq's new chapter - MSNBC.com: "Iraqi security official slain; 5 U.S. troops die over weekend | Associated Press | Updated: 6:26 p.m. ET May 23, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A string of car bombs and suicide attacks across Iraq killed at least 49 Iraqis and wounded more than 130 Monday, striking a Baghdad restaurant popular with police, a Shiite mosque and the home of a community leader near Mosul.
...
About 610 people, including 49 U.S. troops, have been killed since April 28, when Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his new government. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A string of car bombs and suicide attacks across Iraq killed at least 49 Iraqis and wounded more than 130 Monday, striking a Baghdad restaurant popular with police, a Shiite mosque and the home of a community leader near Mosul.
...
About 610 people, including 49 U.S. troops, have been killed since April 28, when Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his new government. ...
Saturday, May 21, 2005
US Apache helicopters joined the battle: 10 IRAQIS KILLED 'IN US BUNGLE'
Mirror.co.uk - News - 10 IRAQIS KILLED 'IN US BUNGLE': "20 May 2005
BUNGLING US forces were accused of killing guards protecting an Iraqi politician yesterday.
National Assembly member Fawaz al-Jarba said the guards opened fire at insurgents who shot at his house in Mosul.
US Apache helicopters joined the battle. Al-Jarba, a Sunni and recent candidate for parliament speaker, said 10 guards died and claimed his home was bombed. He asked: 'The terrorists were firing at me. Why did the Americans?'"
BUNGLING US forces were accused of killing guards protecting an Iraqi politician yesterday.
National Assembly member Fawaz al-Jarba said the guards opened fire at insurgents who shot at his house in Mosul.
US Apache helicopters joined the battle. Al-Jarba, a Sunni and recent candidate for parliament speaker, said 10 guards died and claimed his home was bombed. He asked: 'The terrorists were firing at me. Why did the Americans?'"
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Marine-led campaign didn't distinguish between the Iraqis who supported the United States and the fighters battling it.
KR Washington Bureau | 05/16/2005 | Marine-led campaign killed friends and foes, Iraqi leaders say: "Mon, May. 16, 2005 | By Hannah Allam and Mohammed al Dulaimy | Knight Ridder Newspapers
BAGHDAD, Iraq - When foreign fighters poured into villages with jihad on their minds and weapons in their hands, some Iraqi tribesmen in western desert towns fought back.
...
And when they still couldn't uproot the terrorists streaming in from Syria, tribal leaders said, they took a most unusual step: They asked the Americans for help.
...
In interviews, influential tribal leaders and many residents of the remote border towns said the 1,000 U.S. troops who swept into their territories in the weeklong campaign that ended over the weekend didn't distinguish between the Iraqis who supported the United States and the fighters battling it.
"The Americans were bombing whole villages and saying they were only after the foreigners," said Fasal al Goud, a former governor of Anbar province who said he asked U.S. forces for help on behalf of the tribes. "An AK-47 can't distinguish between a terrorist and a tribesman, so how could a missile or tank?"
BAGHDAD, Iraq - When foreign fighters poured into villages with jihad on their minds and weapons in their hands, some Iraqi tribesmen in western desert towns fought back.
...
And when they still couldn't uproot the terrorists streaming in from Syria, tribal leaders said, they took a most unusual step: They asked the Americans for help.
...
In interviews, influential tribal leaders and many residents of the remote border towns said the 1,000 U.S. troops who swept into their territories in the weeklong campaign that ended over the weekend didn't distinguish between the Iraqis who supported the United States and the fighters battling it.
"The Americans were bombing whole villages and saying they were only after the foreigners," said Fasal al Goud, a former governor of Anbar province who said he asked U.S. forces for help on behalf of the tribes. "An AK-47 can't distinguish between a terrorist and a tribesman, so how could a missile or tank?"
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Trigger-happy US troops:"I explained that their tactics were alienating the civil population and could lengthen the insurgency by a decade.
Telegraph | News | Trigger-happy US troops 'will keep us in Iraq for years': "By Sean Rayment | (Filed: 15/05/2005)
British defence chiefs have warned United States military commanders in Iraq to change their rules for opening fire or face becoming bogged down in a terrorist war for a decade or more.
The Telegraph has learnt that the warning was issued last month in response to a series of incidents that led to the deaths of Iraqi civilians, mainly at checkpoints, after soldiers opened fire in the mistaken belief that they were being attacked by suicide bombers.
The warning is said to have taken the form of advice from senior officers who accompanied Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the chief of the General Staff, on a recent trip to southern Iraq and Baghdad to visit British troops.
...
A British officer said that some of the tactics employed by American forces would not be approved by British commanders.
The officer said: "US troops have the attitude of shoot first and ask questions later. They simply won't take any risk.
"It has been explained to US commanders that we made mistakes in Northern Ireland, namely Bloody Sunday, and paid the price.
"I explained that their tactics were alienating the civil population and could lengthen the insurgency by a decade. Unfortunately, when we ex-plained our rules of engagement which are based around the principle of minimum force, the US troops just laughed."
British defence chiefs have warned United States military commanders in Iraq to change their rules for opening fire or face becoming bogged down in a terrorist war for a decade or more.
The Telegraph has learnt that the warning was issued last month in response to a series of incidents that led to the deaths of Iraqi civilians, mainly at checkpoints, after soldiers opened fire in the mistaken belief that they were being attacked by suicide bombers.
The warning is said to have taken the form of advice from senior officers who accompanied Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the chief of the General Staff, on a recent trip to southern Iraq and Baghdad to visit British troops.
...
A British officer said that some of the tactics employed by American forces would not be approved by British commanders.
The officer said: "US troops have the attitude of shoot first and ask questions later. They simply won't take any risk.
"It has been explained to US commanders that we made mistakes in Northern Ireland, namely Bloody Sunday, and paid the price.
"I explained that their tactics were alienating the civil population and could lengthen the insurgency by a decade. Unfortunately, when we ex-plained our rules of engagement which are based around the principle of minimum force, the US troops just laughed."
Friday, May 13, 2005
Seventeen U.S. soldiers killed since Saturday
Seventeen U.S. soldiers killed since Saturday: "Friday 13th May, 2005
Seventeen U.S. soldiers killed since Saturday "
Seventeen U.S. soldiers killed since Saturday "
Thursday, May 12, 2005
The Pentagon secretly keeps track of many grim statistics in Iraq. The numbers are not encouraging.
Body Counts - Newsweek The War on Iraq - MSNBC.com: "WEB EXCLUSIVE | By Christopher Dickey | Updated: 3:31 p.m. ET May 11, 2005
The Pentagon secretly keeps track of many grim statistics in Iraq. The numbers are not encouraging.
The morning news from Iraq today brought fresh chronicles of slaughter. Yes, even more than usual. American troops are waging an offensive they call Operation Matador in a remote stretch of desert near the Syrian border, while suicide bombs are going off in Iraq’s towns and cities, including the capital. Who’s winning? Who’s losing? Who knows? ...
...
... An accidentally declassified Pentagon report about a killing on the road to Baghdad airport at the beginning of March shows quite clearly how much worse the overall situation is than the Bush administration would like us, or even its allies in the Coalition forces, to believe.
“The U.S. considers all of Iraq a combat zone,” says the report, which was wrapped up at the end of April, three months after the elections that were supposed to have turned the tide in this conflict. “From July 2004 to late March 2005,” says the document, “there were 15,527 attacks against Coalition Forces throughout Iraq.” Then comes one of several paragraphs marked S//NF (secret, not for distribution to foreign nationals): “From 1 November 2004 to 12 March 2005 there were 3306 attacks in the Baghdad area. Of these, 2400 were directed against Coalition Forces.” In a span of four and a half months, which included the election turning point, that’s not only a hell of a lot of hits in the capital city, it’s just pure hell.
...
... Everyone knows the eight-mile road from downtown Baghdad to the airport is dangerous. Here’s how dangerous: “(S//NF) Between 1 November 2004 and 12 March 2005, there were 135 attacks or hostile incidents that occurred along Route Irish,” as the military calls the airport highway. That’s just about one attack per day during those months, by the Pentagon’s calculations, or, looking at it another way, almost 17 attacks per mile. There were nine “complex attacks” combining, say, the explosion of a roadside bomb along with small-arms fire and mortars; there were 19 explosive devices found, three hand grenades, seven “indirect fire attacks” 19 roadside explosions, 14 rocket-propelled grenades, 15 car bombs and four other kinds of attacks. Investigators into the March 4 shooting had a grenade thrown at them when they tried to visit the scene.
...
ut just before she died, Marla wrote a report with a partial number she said she’d received from U.S. military sources: 29 civilians killed by small-arms fire in Baghdad alone during firefights between U.S. troops and insurgents over the course of five weeks before April 5. Estimates of the total number of Iraqi civilian casualties in this war, calculated by reporters and human-rights groups, have ranged from about 10,000 to the much-less-plausible 100,000. Does the Pentagon know? If so, it should tell.
The Pentagon secretly keeps track of many grim statistics in Iraq. The numbers are not encouraging.
The morning news from Iraq today brought fresh chronicles of slaughter. Yes, even more than usual. American troops are waging an offensive they call Operation Matador in a remote stretch of desert near the Syrian border, while suicide bombs are going off in Iraq’s towns and cities, including the capital. Who’s winning? Who’s losing? Who knows? ...
...
... An accidentally declassified Pentagon report about a killing on the road to Baghdad airport at the beginning of March shows quite clearly how much worse the overall situation is than the Bush administration would like us, or even its allies in the Coalition forces, to believe.
“The U.S. considers all of Iraq a combat zone,” says the report, which was wrapped up at the end of April, three months after the elections that were supposed to have turned the tide in this conflict. “From July 2004 to late March 2005,” says the document, “there were 15,527 attacks against Coalition Forces throughout Iraq.” Then comes one of several paragraphs marked S//NF (secret, not for distribution to foreign nationals): “From 1 November 2004 to 12 March 2005 there were 3306 attacks in the Baghdad area. Of these, 2400 were directed against Coalition Forces.” In a span of four and a half months, which included the election turning point, that’s not only a hell of a lot of hits in the capital city, it’s just pure hell.
...
... Everyone knows the eight-mile road from downtown Baghdad to the airport is dangerous. Here’s how dangerous: “(S//NF) Between 1 November 2004 and 12 March 2005, there were 135 attacks or hostile incidents that occurred along Route Irish,” as the military calls the airport highway. That’s just about one attack per day during those months, by the Pentagon’s calculations, or, looking at it another way, almost 17 attacks per mile. There were nine “complex attacks” combining, say, the explosion of a roadside bomb along with small-arms fire and mortars; there were 19 explosive devices found, three hand grenades, seven “indirect fire attacks” 19 roadside explosions, 14 rocket-propelled grenades, 15 car bombs and four other kinds of attacks. Investigators into the March 4 shooting had a grenade thrown at them when they tried to visit the scene.
...
ut just before she died, Marla wrote a report with a partial number she said she’d received from U.S. military sources: 29 civilians killed by small-arms fire in Baghdad alone during firefights between U.S. troops and insurgents over the course of five weeks before April 5. Estimates of the total number of Iraqi civilian casualties in this war, calculated by reporters and human-rights groups, have ranged from about 10,000 to the much-less-plausible 100,000. Does the Pentagon know? If so, it should tell.
21 dead, 90 wounded: Iraqis expressed growing fury at the relentless bloodshed, throwing stones at police and U.S. forces
Excite News: "Iraq Car Bombings Kill 21, Injure 90 | May 12, 7:54 PM (ET) | By ANTONIO CASTANEDA
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb exploded in a jammed commercial district Thursday, turning the sky gray as shops and restaurants caught fire in the most deadly of a string of attacks that killed 21, including a general and colonel who were assassinated.
Iraqis expressed growing fury at the relentless bloodshed, throwing stones at police and U.S. forces who came to the scene of the bombing. More than 90 were also wounded in Thursday's violence.
The attacks came as U.S. troops were in the midst of a major offensive near the Syrian border, 200 miles northwest of Baghdad. Fierce clashes were reported with insurgents on the outskirts of the town of Qaim, where angry residents lashed out at U.S. forces.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb exploded in a jammed commercial district Thursday, turning the sky gray as shops and restaurants caught fire in the most deadly of a string of attacks that killed 21, including a general and colonel who were assassinated.
Iraqis expressed growing fury at the relentless bloodshed, throwing stones at police and U.S. forces who came to the scene of the bombing. More than 90 were also wounded in Thursday's violence.
The attacks came as U.S. troops were in the midst of a major offensive near the Syrian border, 200 miles northwest of Baghdad. Fierce clashes were reported with insurgents on the outskirts of the town of Qaim, where angry residents lashed out at U.S. forces.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Iraq: Suicide bombs: 71 dead, [400 dead in last 2 weeks
Excite News: "Four suicide attacks kill at least 71 | May 11, 10:37 AM (ET) | By Andrew Marshall
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Suicide bombs killed at least 71 people in Iraq on Wednesday, taking to nearly 400 the number of Iraqis killed in guerrilla attacks since a new government was unveiled two weeks ago."
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Suicide bombs killed at least 71 people in Iraq on Wednesday, taking to nearly 400 the number of Iraqis killed in guerrilla attacks since a new government was unveiled two weeks ago."
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Irbil: Suicide bomb: 60 Iraqis were killed and 150 wounded.
Excite News: "Bomber Kills 60 at Iraq Police Center | May 4, 11:20 PM (ET) | By YAHYA BARZANJI
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - A suicide attacker slipped into line at a police recruitment center in this usually tranquil northern Kurdish city and blew himself up Wednesday, leaving the streets slick with blood in the deadliest insurgent attack in more than two months, police said. Sixty Iraqis were killed and 150 wounded.
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - A suicide attacker slipped into line at a police recruitment center in this usually tranquil northern Kurdish city and blew himself up Wednesday, leaving the streets slick with blood in the deadliest insurgent attack in more than two months, police said. Sixty Iraqis were killed and 150 wounded.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Ten U.S. soldiers killed in last 48 hours in Iraq: 50 Iraqis dead, more than 100 wounded
Ten U.S. soldiers killed in last 48 hours in Iraq: "Sunday 1st May, 2005
Ten U.S. troops are dead as a result of bombing attacks from Thursday night through to Saturday.
At least 50 Iraqis, mostly police and Iraqi soldiers have also died as a wave of bombings have swept the war-torn country. ...
Officials confirmed the 12 car bombs that exploded Friday in the capital killed at least 50 people and injured more than 100 others.
Ten U.S. troops are dead as a result of bombing attacks from Thursday night through to Saturday.
At least 50 Iraqis, mostly police and Iraqi soldiers have also died as a wave of bombings have swept the war-torn country. ...
Officials confirmed the 12 car bombs that exploded Friday in the capital killed at least 50 people and injured more than 100 others.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
String of Explosions Kills 50 in Iraq
String of Explosions Kills 50 in Iraq: "Secondary Blasts Place Rescuers at Risk; 3 U.S. Soldiers Among Dead | By Naseer Nouri and Bassam Sebti | Washington Post Foreign Service | Saturday, April 30, 2005; Page A01
BAGHDAD, April 29 -- After four waves of bombs, suicide attacks and mortars detonated Friday in the Adhamiyah neighborhood in the capital, a woman trapped in a charred, overturned van and cradling an infant in her arms screamed for help. But help was slow in coming. Security forces in some areas held back ambulances for more than an hour, fearful of more explosions aimed at rescuers."
BAGHDAD, April 29 -- After four waves of bombs, suicide attacks and mortars detonated Friday in the Adhamiyah neighborhood in the capital, a woman trapped in a charred, overturned van and cradling an infant in her arms screamed for help. But help was slow in coming. Security forces in some areas held back ambulances for more than an hour, fearful of more explosions aimed at rescuers."
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Terrified US soldiers are still killing civilians with impunity, while the dead go uncounted
News: "Terrified US soldiers are still killing civilians with impunity, while the dead go uncounted | By Patrick Cockburn | 24 April 2005
An American patrol roared past us with the soldiers gesturing furiously with their guns for traffic to keep back on an overpass in central Baghdad. A black car with three young men in it did not stop in time and a soldier fired several shots from his machine gun into its engine.
The driver and his friends were not hit, but many Iraqis do not survive casual encounters with US soldiers. It is very easy to be accidentally killed in Iraq. US soldiers treat everybody as a potential suicide bomber. If they are right they have saved their lives and if they are wrong they face no penalty.
"We should end the immunity of US soldiers here," says Dr Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Kurdish politician who argues that the failure to prosecute American soldiers who have killed civilians is one of the reasons why the occupation became so unpopular so fast. He admits, however, that this is extremely unlikely to happen given the US attitude to any sanctions against its own forces.
Every Iraqi has stories of friends or relatives killed by US troops for no adequate reason. Often they do not know if they were shot by regular soldiers or by members of western security companies whose burly employees, usually ex-soldiers, are everywhere in Iraq. ...
An American patrol roared past us with the soldiers gesturing furiously with their guns for traffic to keep back on an overpass in central Baghdad. A black car with three young men in it did not stop in time and a soldier fired several shots from his machine gun into its engine.
The driver and his friends were not hit, but many Iraqis do not survive casual encounters with US soldiers. It is very easy to be accidentally killed in Iraq. US soldiers treat everybody as a potential suicide bomber. If they are right they have saved their lives and if they are wrong they face no penalty.
"We should end the immunity of US soldiers here," says Dr Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Kurdish politician who argues that the failure to prosecute American soldiers who have killed civilians is one of the reasons why the occupation became so unpopular so fast. He admits, however, that this is extremely unlikely to happen given the US attitude to any sanctions against its own forces.
Every Iraqi has stories of friends or relatives killed by US troops for no adequate reason. Often they do not know if they were shot by regular soldiers or by members of western security companies whose burly employees, usually ex-soldiers, are everywhere in Iraq. ...
Monday, March 14, 2005
US helicopter opens fire in Mosul, wounds five civilians: Iraqi witness report 3 killed, woman and 2 children
US helicopter opens fire in Mosul, wounds five civilians: "US helicopter opens fire in Mosul, wounds five civilians | Published: 3/13/2005"
MOSUL, Iraq - At least five Iraqi civilians, including a woman, were wounded Sunday in the northern city of Mosul when a US military helicopter opened fire on insurgents, the US military and witnesses said.
"The helicopter was ... engaged by small arms fire from a nearby building. The helicopter returned fire," the military said, in response to a query.
"At least five Iraqi citizens were injured in the crossfire. The civilians were transported to a local hospital for treatment. An investigation of the incident is underway."
According to witnesses and hospital sources, three people were killed, including a woman and two children.
MOSUL, Iraq - At least five Iraqi civilians, including a woman, were wounded Sunday in the northern city of Mosul when a US military helicopter opened fire on insurgents, the US military and witnesses said.
"The helicopter was ... engaged by small arms fire from a nearby building. The helicopter returned fire," the military said, in response to a query.
"At least five Iraqi citizens were injured in the crossfire. The civilians were transported to a local hospital for treatment. An investigation of the incident is underway."
According to witnesses and hospital sources, three people were killed, including a woman and two children.
Iraq Toll Makes 2004 Worst Year for Press in a Decade
Iraq Toll Makes 2004 Worst Year for Press in a Decade: "Monday, March 14, 2005 by the Inter-Press Service | by Katherine Stapp
NEW YORK -- Violence in Iraq claimed the lives of 23 journalists and 16 media support workers in 2004, making it the most deadly year for press freedom in a decade, according to the annual report of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
At least 22 journalists were also abducted by insurgents, and one was executed by his captors.
In a reversal of the situation in 2003, when foreign journalists accounted for all but two of the casualties, Iraqis bore the brunt of the violence last year. Of the 39 killed in the violence-wracked country, 33 were local reporters and media workers.
...
Overall, 56 journalists were killed on the job. Deliberate murder was the cause of death in 36 cases; in all but nine, the killings were carried out with impunity.
NEW YORK -- Violence in Iraq claimed the lives of 23 journalists and 16 media support workers in 2004, making it the most deadly year for press freedom in a decade, according to the annual report of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
At least 22 journalists were also abducted by insurgents, and one was executed by his captors.
In a reversal of the situation in 2003, when foreign journalists accounted for all but two of the casualties, Iraqis bore the brunt of the violence last year. Of the 39 killed in the violence-wracked country, 33 were local reporters and media workers.
...
Overall, 56 journalists were killed on the job. Deliberate murder was the cause of death in 36 cases; in all but nine, the killings were carried out with impunity.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Bulgaria Says U.S. Admits Fault in Soldier's Death: U.S. forces had admitted they broke their rules of engagement
Yahoo! News - Bulgaria Says U.S. Admits Fault in Soldier's Death: "Sat Mar 12, 2:36 PM ET
SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria said Saturday U.S. forces had admitted they broke their rules of engagement last week when a unit fired on a Bulgarian patrol in Iraq (news - web sites), killing a soldier.
'The U.S. side has established that U.S. troops ... did not put enough effort into identifying the objects moving on the road and, without warning shots, as regulated, opened fire,' the defense ministry said in a statement."
SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria said Saturday U.S. forces had admitted they broke their rules of engagement last week when a unit fired on a Bulgarian patrol in Iraq (news - web sites), killing a soldier.
'The U.S. side has established that U.S. troops ... did not put enough effort into identifying the objects moving on the road and, without warning shots, as regulated, opened fire,' the defense ministry said in a statement."
Monday, March 07, 2005
Bulgaria presses Washington over 'friendly fire' death in Iraq after one of its soldiers was shot dead
Bulgaria presses Washington over 'friendly fire' death in Iraq: "Published: 3/7/2005"
by Vessela Sergueva
SOFIA - Bulgaria joined Italy on Monday in seeking answers from Washington after one of its soldiers was shot dead in a US "friendly fire" incident in Iraq, on the same day US forces killed an Italian secret agent rescuing a hostage in the country.
President Georgi Parvanov told the US ambassador to Sofia, James Pardew, that Bulgaria was "conducting a serious investigation of the incident and will demand that those to blame assume their responsibility."
Parvanov said he also expected the United States to carry out a "serious" investigation to determine reponsibility for the incident, his office said.
Bulgaria's Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov said on Monday that US friendly fire was to blame for the death on Friday of a Bulgarian machinegunner, killed as his unit patrolled some 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad.
"The information we have allows us to say with reasonable certainty that soldier Gardi Gardev was killed by friendly fire," Svinarov said, confirming an anonymous claim posted on a Bulgarian army website earlier on Monday. ...
by Vessela Sergueva
SOFIA - Bulgaria joined Italy on Monday in seeking answers from Washington after one of its soldiers was shot dead in a US "friendly fire" incident in Iraq, on the same day US forces killed an Italian secret agent rescuing a hostage in the country.
President Georgi Parvanov told the US ambassador to Sofia, James Pardew, that Bulgaria was "conducting a serious investigation of the incident and will demand that those to blame assume their responsibility."
Parvanov said he also expected the United States to carry out a "serious" investigation to determine reponsibility for the incident, his office said.
Bulgaria's Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov said on Monday that US friendly fire was to blame for the death on Friday of a Bulgarian machinegunner, killed as his unit patrolled some 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad.
"The information we have allows us to say with reasonable certainty that soldier Gardi Gardev was killed by friendly fire," Svinarov said, confirming an anonymous claim posted on a Bulgarian army website earlier on Monday. ...
Iraq death toll hits new mark; [1500 US dead] did you notice?
Chicago Tribune | Iraq death toll hits new mark; did you notice?: "Published March 7, 2005
We passed another marker in this war on terror last week. The U.S. military death toll in Iraq hit 1,500.
Did you know? Yes, there were stories about it in the national news, small and elusive at times, nothing compared to the stories about Martha and her sleek SUV ride out of the clink. In the local accounts, any mention of the 1,500 was often even less prominent."
We passed another marker in this war on terror last week. The U.S. military death toll in Iraq hit 1,500.
Did you know? Yes, there were stories about it in the national news, small and elusive at times, nothing compared to the stories about Martha and her sleek SUV ride out of the clink. In the local accounts, any mention of the 1,500 was often even less prominent."
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Yahoo! News - Not enough evidence to charge marine in point-blank Fallujah shooting
Yahoo! News - Not enough evidence to charge marine in point-blank Fallujah shooting: "
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US marine, captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi at point blank range during November's assault on Fallujah, will not be formally charged due to lack of evidence."
The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Cross as a demonstration of "utter contempt for humanity."
In the incident, a trooper raised his rifle and shot point blank at an apparently unarmed, wounded Iraqi who was slumped against one of the mosque walls, in footage captured by an embedded cameraman working for the NBC network.
Although the insurgents were found to be unarmed, investigators said the one the Marine believed he had seen moving could have been reaching for a weapon.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US marine, captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi at point blank range during November's assault on Fallujah, will not be formally charged due to lack of evidence."
The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Cross as a demonstration of "utter contempt for humanity."
In the incident, a trooper raised his rifle and shot point blank at an apparently unarmed, wounded Iraqi who was slumped against one of the mosque walls, in footage captured by an embedded cameraman working for the NBC network.
Although the insurgents were found to be unarmed, investigators said the one the Marine believed he had seen moving could have been reaching for a weapon.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Accused by American leaders of brain washing their people, of using state-sponsored propaganda
Watch Your Metaphors, Please! :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture
...
MARK SHIELDS: It’s a great screenplay. It's a great screenplay. It really is. The president spending political capital. Rich is right. Jim, we can’t call them town hall meetings. They aren’t town hall meetings; they’re pep rallies, they’re pre-selected. You can't get in there unless you've signed on, unless you've drunk the Kool-Aid and said you’re totally with the president. So these are not town meetings.
JIM LEHRER: [sternly] Watch your metaphors, please!
MARK SHIELDS: [defensively] It really is. They’re pep rallies. And I think Rich is absolutely right. The president is behind the eight ball on this politically.
This was on PBS, the American citizens’ television station. I was witnessing the chillingly tragic consequence of the Bush Administration’s attempts at public mind control.
This dawned on me because I’d just returned to the 'States' after having spent three weeks working on a project in recently freed Eastern Europe. The irony of this is that pre-Cold War communist countries were repeatedly accused by American leaders of brain washing their people, of using state-sponsored propaganda, and a plethora of other approaches to public mind control. Now, the Bush Administration had successfully accomplished with subtlety what the Soviet Union had been unable to do with its heavy handed approach.
In Bush’s world, American journalists must be careful of what they think -- and especially say – when their comments are carried on the airwaves.
...
MARK SHIELDS: It’s a great screenplay. It's a great screenplay. It really is. The president spending political capital. Rich is right. Jim, we can’t call them town hall meetings. They aren’t town hall meetings; they’re pep rallies, they’re pre-selected. You can't get in there unless you've signed on, unless you've drunk the Kool-Aid and said you’re totally with the president. So these are not town meetings.
JIM LEHRER: [sternly] Watch your metaphors, please!
MARK SHIELDS: [defensively] It really is. They’re pep rallies. And I think Rich is absolutely right. The president is behind the eight ball on this politically.
This was on PBS, the American citizens’ television station. I was witnessing the chillingly tragic consequence of the Bush Administration’s attempts at public mind control.
This dawned on me because I’d just returned to the 'States' after having spent three weeks working on a project in recently freed Eastern Europe. The irony of this is that pre-Cold War communist countries were repeatedly accused by American leaders of brain washing their people, of using state-sponsored propaganda, and a plethora of other approaches to public mind control. Now, the Bush Administration had successfully accomplished with subtlety what the Soviet Union had been unable to do with its heavy handed approach.
In Bush’s world, American journalists must be careful of what they think -- and especially say – when their comments are carried on the airwaves.
Official Total of 1,532 US Dead to date: possibly thousands not counted? (U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German
TBRNews.orgThe Bush Butcher’s Bill: 30 US Military Deaths in Iraq from 1 through 13 February 2005 – Official Total of 1,532 US Dead to date (and rising) | by Brian Harring, Domestic Intelligence Reporter
U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals are not counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005.
Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources. Ed
U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals are not counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005.
Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources. Ed
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Fallujah the safest place in Iraq, says US: "We're burning firewood to keep warm." government has not paid out any compensation money so far
Telegraph | News | Fallujah the safest place in Iraq, says US: "Fallujah the safest place in Iraq, says US
(Filed: 19/02/2005)
There is a phrase American officers have started using to describe the battered streets of Fallujah. They are calling it the safest place in Iraq."
Four months after the US military swept through the city in the biggest urban offensive since the Vietnam war, the insurgents who once controlled the city and used it as a springboard for violence elsewhere have gone. Attacks on American or Iraqi security forces are few.
...
On every street is the grim testimony of the insurgents' demise: Piles of rubble and buildings riddled with bullet holes.
The destruction left the city without power and water for weeks, a ghost town of rotting corpses and sewage-filled streets. Services have returned only sporadically.
"Basically, we emptied out the city and let the people back in one by one," said Major Wade Weems, who commands one of two marine reconstruction teams. "We've purified the town of every insurgent element."
...
"We're burning firewood to keep warm. The ministries are finished," he said. The Iraqi government has not paid out any compensation money so far, although assessment teams have been processing claims for weeks.
(Filed: 19/02/2005)
There is a phrase American officers have started using to describe the battered streets of Fallujah. They are calling it the safest place in Iraq."
Four months after the US military swept through the city in the biggest urban offensive since the Vietnam war, the insurgents who once controlled the city and used it as a springboard for violence elsewhere have gone. Attacks on American or Iraqi security forces are few.
...
On every street is the grim testimony of the insurgents' demise: Piles of rubble and buildings riddled with bullet holes.
The destruction left the city without power and water for weeks, a ghost town of rotting corpses and sewage-filled streets. Services have returned only sporadically.
"Basically, we emptied out the city and let the people back in one by one," said Major Wade Weems, who commands one of two marine reconstruction teams. "We've purified the town of every insurgent element."
...
"We're burning firewood to keep warm. The ministries are finished," he said. The Iraqi government has not paid out any compensation money so far, although assessment teams have been processing claims for weeks.
Iraq: suicide bombers and attacks: 55 dead, 91 dead in two days ...
Excite News: "Suicide Bombings, Attacks Kill 55 in Iraq | Feb 19, 9:28 PM (ET) | By MAGGIE MICHAEL
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession Saturday in a wave of attacks that killed 55 people as Iraqi Shiites marched and lashed themselves with chains in ritual mourning of the 7th century death of a leader of their Muslim sect. Ninety-one people have been killed in violence in the past two days. ...
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession Saturday in a wave of attacks that killed 55 people as Iraqi Shiites marched and lashed themselves with chains in ritual mourning of the 7th century death of a leader of their Muslim sect. Ninety-one people have been killed in violence in the past two days. ...
Friday, February 18, 2005
How The US Murdered a City: Fallujah
How The US Murdered a Ccity: "Fallujah: The Truth at Last | Doctor Salam Ismael took aid to Fallujah last month. This is a report of his visit. | 02/17/05 - -
IT WAS the smell that first hit me, a smell that is difficult to describe, and one that will never leave me. It was the smell of death. Hundreds of corpses were decomposing in the houses, gardens and streets of Fallujah. Bodies were rotting where they had fallen-bodies of men, women and children, many half-eaten by wild dogs.
A wave of hate had wiped out two-thirds of the town, destroying houses and mosques, schools and clinics. This was the terrible and frightening power of the US military assault.
...
In Saqlawiya, one of the makeshift refugee camps that surround Fallujah, we found a 17 year old woman. "I am Hudda Fawzi Salam Issawi from the Jolan district of Fallujah," she told me. "Five of us, including a 55 year old neighbour, were trapped together in our house in Fallujah when the siege began.
"On 9 November American marines came to our house. My father and the neighbour went to the door to meet them. We were not fighters. We thought we had nothing to fear. I ran into the kitchen to put on my veil, since men were going to enter our house and it would be wrong for them to see me with my hair uncovered. "This saved my life. As my father and neighbour approached the door, the Americans opened fire on them. They died instantly.
"Me and my 13 year old brother hid in the kitchen behind the fridge. The soldiers came into the house and caught my older sister. They beat her. Then they shot her. But they did not see me. Soon they left, but not before they had destroyed our furniture and stolen the money from my father's pocket."
...
Through the ruins That is why we decided to go into Fallujah and investigate. When we entered the town I almost did not recognise the place where I had worked as a doctor in April 2004, during the first siege.
We found people wandering like ghosts through the ruins. Some were looking for the bodies of relatives. Others were trying to recover some of their possessions from destroyed homes.
Here and there, small knots of people were queuing for fuel or food. In one queue some of the survivors were fighting over a blanket.
I remember being approached by an elderly woman, her eyes raw with tears. She grabbed my arm and told me how her house had been hit by a US bomb during an air raid. The ceiling collapsed on her 19 year old son, cutting off both his legs.
...
But in most of the houses, the bodies were of civilians. Many were dressed in housecoats, many of the women were not veiled-meaning there were no men other than family members in the house. There were no weapons, no spent cartridges.
It became clear to us that we were witnessing the aftermath of a massacre, the cold-blooded butchery of helpless and defenceless civilians.
Nobody knows how many died. The occupation forces are now bulldozing the neighbourhoods to cover up their crime. What happened in Fallujah was an act of barbarity. The whole world must be told the truth.
IT WAS the smell that first hit me, a smell that is difficult to describe, and one that will never leave me. It was the smell of death. Hundreds of corpses were decomposing in the houses, gardens and streets of Fallujah. Bodies were rotting where they had fallen-bodies of men, women and children, many half-eaten by wild dogs.
A wave of hate had wiped out two-thirds of the town, destroying houses and mosques, schools and clinics. This was the terrible and frightening power of the US military assault.
...
In Saqlawiya, one of the makeshift refugee camps that surround Fallujah, we found a 17 year old woman. "I am Hudda Fawzi Salam Issawi from the Jolan district of Fallujah," she told me. "Five of us, including a 55 year old neighbour, were trapped together in our house in Fallujah when the siege began.
"On 9 November American marines came to our house. My father and the neighbour went to the door to meet them. We were not fighters. We thought we had nothing to fear. I ran into the kitchen to put on my veil, since men were going to enter our house and it would be wrong for them to see me with my hair uncovered. "This saved my life. As my father and neighbour approached the door, the Americans opened fire on them. They died instantly.
"Me and my 13 year old brother hid in the kitchen behind the fridge. The soldiers came into the house and caught my older sister. They beat her. Then they shot her. But they did not see me. Soon they left, but not before they had destroyed our furniture and stolen the money from my father's pocket."
...
Through the ruins That is why we decided to go into Fallujah and investigate. When we entered the town I almost did not recognise the place where I had worked as a doctor in April 2004, during the first siege.
We found people wandering like ghosts through the ruins. Some were looking for the bodies of relatives. Others were trying to recover some of their possessions from destroyed homes.
Here and there, small knots of people were queuing for fuel or food. In one queue some of the survivors were fighting over a blanket.
I remember being approached by an elderly woman, her eyes raw with tears. She grabbed my arm and told me how her house had been hit by a US bomb during an air raid. The ceiling collapsed on her 19 year old son, cutting off both his legs.
...
But in most of the houses, the bodies were of civilians. Many were dressed in housecoats, many of the women were not veiled-meaning there were no men other than family members in the house. There were no weapons, no spent cartridges.
It became clear to us that we were witnessing the aftermath of a massacre, the cold-blooded butchery of helpless and defenceless civilians.
Nobody knows how many died. The occupation forces are now bulldozing the neighbourhoods to cover up their crime. What happened in Fallujah was an act of barbarity. The whole world must be told the truth.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses: 4 Iraqi civilians killed
MSNBC - U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses: "Four men say they witnessed shooting of unarmed civilians | By Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unit | Updated: 7:43 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2005
There are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations.
...
"These aren't insurgents that we're brutalizing," says Craun. "It was local civilians on their way to work. It's wrong." ...
There are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations.
...
"These aren't insurgents that we're brutalizing," says Craun. "It was local civilians on their way to work. It's wrong." ...
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Fighting kills 135 children: about 600 civilians per month dying, equate to about 11,000 in 12 months
The Observer | International | Fighting kills 135 children: "Antony Barnett | Sunday January 30, 2005 | The Observer
One hundred and thirty five Iraqi children have been killed in fighting or terrorist attacks in the last five months of 2004, official figures reveal.
For the first time the Iraqi Ministry of Health has released its analysis of the rising death toll among civilians in Iraq. It shows that between 1 July 2004 and 1 December 2004 more than 3,200 Iraqi civilians were killed in total as a result of military activity, either by Coalition forces or insurgent attacks
...
The official figures are certain to cause controversy. Both British and US governments have been reluctant to reveal the number of civilians who have died since the outbreak of war in March 2003.
These new figures suggest 600 civilians are dying a month - which would equate to about 11,000 casualties in the past 18 months. The Foreign Office has refused to comment on the figures.
One hundred and thirty five Iraqi children have been killed in fighting or terrorist attacks in the last five months of 2004, official figures reveal.
For the first time the Iraqi Ministry of Health has released its analysis of the rising death toll among civilians in Iraq. It shows that between 1 July 2004 and 1 December 2004 more than 3,200 Iraqi civilians were killed in total as a result of military activity, either by Coalition forces or insurgent attacks
...
The official figures are certain to cause controversy. Both British and US governments have been reluctant to reveal the number of civilians who have died since the outbreak of war in March 2003.
These new figures suggest 600 civilians are dying a month - which would equate to about 11,000 casualties in the past 18 months. The Foreign Office has refused to comment on the figures.
BBC sorry for 'mistakes' on count coaltion's victims
Scotland on Sunday - International - BBC sorry for 'mistakes' on count coaltion's victimsSun 30 Jan 2005 | NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN
THE BBC was last night forced to issue an apology after it "misinterpreted" figures and claimed more Iraqi civilians may have been killed by coalition forces and their allies than by insurgents.
The figures, released by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, gave details of Iraqi deaths in the country between July 1 last year and January 1 this year.
They showed 3,274 people died and 12,657 were injured in conflict-related violence. Of these, 2,041 deaths were the result of military operations and 8,542 people were injured. This compares with 1,233 deaths caused by terrorist operations.
The BBC’s Panorama said "military operations" meant those carried out by coalition forces and Iraqi security forces. The programme also categorised all the deaths and injuries as civilian.
But yesterday the Iraqi Ministry of Health disputed this and said those killed in military operations included terrorists and Iraqi security forces. The ministry added that "military operations" referred to Iraqis killed by terrorists as well as by coalition and Iraqi security forces.
The BBC said it "regrets mistakes in its published and broadcast reports yesterday".
THE BBC was last night forced to issue an apology after it "misinterpreted" figures and claimed more Iraqi civilians may have been killed by coalition forces and their allies than by insurgents.
The figures, released by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, gave details of Iraqi deaths in the country between July 1 last year and January 1 this year.
They showed 3,274 people died and 12,657 were injured in conflict-related violence. Of these, 2,041 deaths were the result of military operations and 8,542 people were injured. This compares with 1,233 deaths caused by terrorist operations.
The BBC’s Panorama said "military operations" meant those carried out by coalition forces and Iraqi security forces. The programme also categorised all the deaths and injuries as civilian.
But yesterday the Iraqi Ministry of Health disputed this and said those killed in military operations included terrorists and Iraqi security forces. The ministry added that "military operations" referred to Iraqis killed by terrorists as well as by coalition and Iraqi security forces.
The BBC said it "regrets mistakes in its published and broadcast reports yesterday".
U.K., U.S. Deaths Confirmed in Iraq Plane Crash
Top News Article | Reuters.com: "U.K., U.S. Deaths Confirmed in Iraq Plane Crash | Sun Jan 30, 2005 04:03 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A number of British military personnel died when an air force transport plane crashed northwest of Baghdad on Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Blair said.
The C-130 Hercules transport plane involved in the crash can carry up to 92 troops, 64 paratroopers or military equipment.
Blair, in a statement on British television, did not say how many had died but President Bush said both U.S. and British military personnel had lost their lives in the crash.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A number of British military personnel died when an air force transport plane crashed northwest of Baghdad on Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Blair said.
The C-130 Hercules transport plane involved in the crash can carry up to 92 troops, 64 paratroopers or military equipment.
Blair, in a statement on British television, did not say how many had died but President Bush said both U.S. and British military personnel had lost their lives in the crash.
At Least 232 Civilians Die Doing U.S. Work in Iraq: an increase in the fourth quarter of 2004 of 93 percent.
Excite News: "At Least 232 Civilians Die Doing U.S. Work in Iraq | Jan 30, 4:04 PM (ET) |
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 232 civilians have been killed while working on U.S.-funded contracts in Iraq and the death toll is rising rapidly, according to a U.S. government audit released Sunday.
The quarterly report sent to Congress by the inspector general appointed to audit U.S.-funded work in Iraq said security problems were the biggest obstacle to Iraq's reconstruction and workers faced grave risks daily.
...
More than 1,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq but the U.S. government does not keep an official tally of the number of civilians slain while working on U.S.-funded projects there and in support of U.S. forces.
Bowen cited U.S. Labor Department statistics that showed companies had filed 232 compensation claims under the Defense Base Act (DBA) for workers killed there, an increase in the fourth quarter of 2004 of 93 percent.
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 232 civilians have been killed while working on U.S.-funded contracts in Iraq and the death toll is rising rapidly, according to a U.S. government audit released Sunday.
The quarterly report sent to Congress by the inspector general appointed to audit U.S.-funded work in Iraq said security problems were the biggest obstacle to Iraq's reconstruction and workers faced grave risks daily.
...
More than 1,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq but the U.S. government does not keep an official tally of the number of civilians slain while working on U.S.-funded projects there and in support of U.S. forces.
Bowen cited U.S. Labor Department statistics that showed companies had filed 232 compensation claims under the Defense Base Act (DBA) for workers killed there, an increase in the fourth quarter of 2004 of 93 percent.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
US and allies 'kill most Iraqis': 60% more non-combatants in Iraq than the insurgents
BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | US and allies 'kill most Iraqis': "BBC One, Sunday, 30 January 2005 at 22:15 GMT |
Coalition and Iraqi troops may be responsible for killing 60% more non-combatants in Iraq than the insurgents, the BBC has learned.
The civilian death toll for the last six months is contained in confidential records obtained by Panorama
...
The figures reveal that 3,274 Iraqi civilians were killed and 12,657 wounded in conflict-related violence during the period.
Of those deaths, 60% - 2,041 civilians - were killed by the coalition and Iraqi security forces. A further 8,542 were wounded by them.
Insurgent attacks claimed 1,233 lives, and wounded 4,115 people, during the same period.
Coalition and Iraqi troops may be responsible for killing 60% more non-combatants in Iraq than the insurgents, the BBC has learned.
The civilian death toll for the last six months is contained in confidential records obtained by Panorama
...
The figures reveal that 3,274 Iraqi civilians were killed and 12,657 wounded in conflict-related violence during the period.
Of those deaths, 60% - 2,041 civilians - were killed by the coalition and Iraqi security forces. A further 8,542 were wounded by them.
Insurgent attacks claimed 1,233 lives, and wounded 4,115 people, during the same period.
Monday, January 24, 2005
The Invasion of Falluja: A Study in the Subversion of Truth
The Invasion of Falluja: A Study in the Subversion of Truth: "The Invasion of Falluja: A Study in the Subversion of Truth | by Mary Trotochaud and Rick McDowell
01/23/05 'Peacework' -- The illegal invasion, occupation, and subsequent violence perpetrated on the people of Iraq has lent considerable evidence to the assertion that truth is the first casualty of war.
...
Falluja should go down in history as a case study on how truth is subverted, co-opted, buried, and ignored. The first US-led siege of Falluja, a city of 300,000 people, resulted in a defeat for Coalition forces. Prior to the second siege in November, its citizens were given two choices: leave the city or risk dying as enemy insurgents. ...
Under threat of a new siege, an estimated 50,000 families or 250,000 people fled Falluja. ....
What of the estimated 50,000 residents who did not leave Falluja? The US military suggested there were a couple of thousand insurgents in the city before the siege, but in the end chose to treat all the remaining inhabitants as enemy combatants.
...
Preliminary estimates are as high as 6,000 Iraqis killed, a third of the city destroyed, and over 200,000 civilians living as refugees. ...
...
During the months of October and November, 338 Iraqis associated with the "new" government or with Americans were assassinated.
...
"In order to save the village, we had to destroy it." This chilling mantra from the Vietnam era is never far from our consciousness.
01/23/05 'Peacework' -- The illegal invasion, occupation, and subsequent violence perpetrated on the people of Iraq has lent considerable evidence to the assertion that truth is the first casualty of war.
...
Falluja should go down in history as a case study on how truth is subverted, co-opted, buried, and ignored. The first US-led siege of Falluja, a city of 300,000 people, resulted in a defeat for Coalition forces. Prior to the second siege in November, its citizens were given two choices: leave the city or risk dying as enemy insurgents. ...
Under threat of a new siege, an estimated 50,000 families or 250,000 people fled Falluja. ....
What of the estimated 50,000 residents who did not leave Falluja? The US military suggested there were a couple of thousand insurgents in the city before the siege, but in the end chose to treat all the remaining inhabitants as enemy combatants.
...
Preliminary estimates are as high as 6,000 Iraqis killed, a third of the city destroyed, and over 200,000 civilians living as refugees. ...
...
During the months of October and November, 338 Iraqis associated with the "new" government or with Americans were assassinated.
...
"In order to save the village, we had to destroy it." This chilling mantra from the Vietnam era is never far from our consciousness.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Dancing the War Away: Bush was taking the oath of office, news wires were churning out stories about the tragic mayhem in Iraq
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Dancing the War Away: "By BOB HERBERT Published: January 21, 2005
Watching the inaugural ceremonies yesterday reminded me of the scenes near the end of "The Godfather" in which a solemn occasion (a baptism in the movie) is interspersed with a series of spectacularly violent murders.
Even as President Bush was taking the oath of office and delivering his Inaugural Address beneath the clear, cold skies of Washington, the news wires were churning out stories about the tragic mayhem in Iraq. There is no end in sight to the carnage, which was unleashed nearly two years ago by President Bush's decision to launch this wholly unnecessary war, one of the worst presidential decisions in American history.
Incredibly, with more than 1,360 American troops dead and more than 10,000 wounded, and with scores of thousands of Iraqis dead and wounded, the president never once mentioned the word Iraq in his Inaugural Address. He avoided all but the most general references to the war. Lyndon Johnson used to agonize over the war that unraveled his presidency. Mr. Bush, riding the crest of his re-election wave, seems not to be similarly bothered.
Watching the inaugural ceremonies yesterday reminded me of the scenes near the end of "The Godfather" in which a solemn occasion (a baptism in the movie) is interspersed with a series of spectacularly violent murders.
Even as President Bush was taking the oath of office and delivering his Inaugural Address beneath the clear, cold skies of Washington, the news wires were churning out stories about the tragic mayhem in Iraq. There is no end in sight to the carnage, which was unleashed nearly two years ago by President Bush's decision to launch this wholly unnecessary war, one of the worst presidential decisions in American history.
Incredibly, with more than 1,360 American troops dead and more than 10,000 wounded, and with scores of thousands of Iraqis dead and wounded, the president never once mentioned the word Iraq in his Inaugural Address. He avoided all but the most general references to the war. Lyndon Johnson used to agonize over the war that unraveled his presidency. Mr. Bush, riding the crest of his re-election wave, seems not to be similarly bothered.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Film reveals true destruction to ghost city Falluja: bodies (civilians?) laying around
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Film reveals true destruction to ghost city Falluja: "Rory McCarthy in Baghdad | Tuesday January 11, 2005 | The Guardian
Fresh evidence has emerged of the extent of destruction and appalling conditions in Falluja, still deserted two months after a major US offensive against the insurgent stronghold.
Ali Fadhil, an Iraqi journalist working with the Guardian's film unit and one of the few reporters to travel independently to Falluja, describes in a Channel 4 News film tonight a 'city of ghosts' where dogs feed on uncollected corpses.
...
"It is completely devastated," Fadhil writes in the Guardian today. "Falluja used to be a modern city; now there is nothing. We spend that first day going through the rubble that had been the centre of the city; I don't see a single building that is functioning."
...
But in a graveyard, known as the "martyrs cemetery", Fadhil counts only 76 graves. In houses he finds other bodies he suspects were civilians.
"I saw other rotting bodies that showed no sign of being fighters. In one house in the market there were four bodies inside the guestroom," he writes. "In this house there were no bullets in the walls, just four dead men lying curled up beside each other, with bullet holes in the mosquito nets that covered the windows."
The allegations were put to US forces in Baghdad five days ago. There has been no reply.
Fresh evidence has emerged of the extent of destruction and appalling conditions in Falluja, still deserted two months after a major US offensive against the insurgent stronghold.
Ali Fadhil, an Iraqi journalist working with the Guardian's film unit and one of the few reporters to travel independently to Falluja, describes in a Channel 4 News film tonight a 'city of ghosts' where dogs feed on uncollected corpses.
...
"It is completely devastated," Fadhil writes in the Guardian today. "Falluja used to be a modern city; now there is nothing. We spend that first day going through the rubble that had been the centre of the city; I don't see a single building that is functioning."
...
But in a graveyard, known as the "martyrs cemetery", Fadhil counts only 76 graves. In houses he finds other bodies he suspects were civilians.
"I saw other rotting bodies that showed no sign of being fighters. In one house in the market there were four bodies inside the guestroom," he writes. "In this house there were no bullets in the walls, just four dead men lying curled up beside each other, with bullet holes in the mosquito nets that covered the windows."
The allegations were put to US forces in Baghdad five days ago. There has been no reply.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
MSNBC - �The Salvador Option�
MSNBC - �The Salvador Option�: "
The Pentagon may put Special-Forces-led assassination or kidnapping teams in Iraq | WEB EXCLUSIVE |
By Michael Hirsh and John Barry | Newsweek | Updated: 10:22 a.m. ET Jan. 9, 2005
Jan. 8 - What to do about the deepening quagmire of Iraq? The Pentagon’s latest approach is being called "the Salvador option"—and the fact that it is being discussed at all is a measure of just how worried Donald Rumsfeld really is. "What everyone agrees is that we can’t just go on as we are," one senior military officer told NEWSWEEK. "We have to find a way to take the offensive against the insurgents. Right now, we are playing defense. And we are losing." Last November’s operation in Fallujah, most analysts agree, succeeded less in breaking "the back" of the insurgency—as Marine Gen. John Sattler optimistically declared at the time—than in spreading it out.
Now, NEWSWEEK has learned, the Pentagon is intensively debating an option that dates back to a still-secret strategy in the Reagan administration’s battle against the leftist guerrilla insurgency in El Salvador in the early 1980s. Then, faced with a losing war against Salvadoran rebels, the U.S. government funded or supported "nationalist" forces that allegedly included so-called death squads directed to hunt down and kill rebel leaders and sympathizers. Eventually the insurgency was quelled, and many U.S. conservatives consider the policy to have been a success—despite the deaths of innocent civilians and the subsequent Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal. (Among the current administration officials who dealt with Central America back then is John Negroponte, who is today the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Under Reagan, he was ambassador to Honduras.)
The Pentagon may put Special-Forces-led assassination or kidnapping teams in Iraq | WEB EXCLUSIVE |
By Michael Hirsh and John Barry | Newsweek | Updated: 10:22 a.m. ET Jan. 9, 2005
Jan. 8 - What to do about the deepening quagmire of Iraq? The Pentagon’s latest approach is being called "the Salvador option"—and the fact that it is being discussed at all is a measure of just how worried Donald Rumsfeld really is. "What everyone agrees is that we can’t just go on as we are," one senior military officer told NEWSWEEK. "We have to find a way to take the offensive against the insurgents. Right now, we are playing defense. And we are losing." Last November’s operation in Fallujah, most analysts agree, succeeded less in breaking "the back" of the insurgency—as Marine Gen. John Sattler optimistically declared at the time—than in spreading it out.
Now, NEWSWEEK has learned, the Pentagon is intensively debating an option that dates back to a still-secret strategy in the Reagan administration’s battle against the leftist guerrilla insurgency in El Salvador in the early 1980s. Then, faced with a losing war against Salvadoran rebels, the U.S. government funded or supported "nationalist" forces that allegedly included so-called death squads directed to hunt down and kill rebel leaders and sympathizers. Eventually the insurgency was quelled, and many U.S. conservatives consider the policy to have been a success—despite the deaths of innocent civilians and the subsequent Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal. (Among the current administration officials who dealt with Central America back then is John Negroponte, who is today the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Under Reagan, he was ambassador to Honduras.)
South of Baghdad: US troops strike ack at the wrong target: 5 Iragi dead (2 police, 3 civilians)
Excite News: "US Troops Kill Iraq Civilians in Botched Strikes | Jan 9, 9:11 AM (ET) | By Matt Spetalnick
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops targeted by a roadside bomb mistakenly killed two Iraqi policemen and two bystanders hours after an American warplane bombed the wrong house, exacting a heavy civilian toll, Iraqi officials said.
...
Shortly afterwards, a U.S. military convoy was hit by a explosion near a police checkpoint south of Baghdad in an lawless area known as the "Triangle of Death."
Troops escorting the vehicles struck back but at the wrong target, Interior Ministry spokesman Adnan Abdul-Rahman said. Two police officers and two civilians were killed. He said a fifth Iraqi suffered a heart attack and died at the scene.
...
"Why did these poor people have to die?" lamented Baghdad taxi driver Doraid Abdul Khaliq, 28. "Bombing, shooting and running a tank over cars have all become something normal."
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops targeted by a roadside bomb mistakenly killed two Iraqi policemen and two bystanders hours after an American warplane bombed the wrong house, exacting a heavy civilian toll, Iraqi officials said.
...
Shortly afterwards, a U.S. military convoy was hit by a explosion near a police checkpoint south of Baghdad in an lawless area known as the "Triangle of Death."
Troops escorting the vehicles struck back but at the wrong target, Interior Ministry spokesman Adnan Abdul-Rahman said. Two police officers and two civilians were killed. He said a fifth Iraqi suffered a heart attack and died at the scene.
...
"Why did these poor people have to die?" lamented Baghdad taxi driver Doraid Abdul Khaliq, 28. "Bombing, shooting and running a tank over cars have all become something normal."
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Aaytha, south of the city of Mosul: f16 drops 500 pound bomb: Wrong house! 14 Iraqi civlians dead
Excite News: "Several Killed as U.S. Bombs Wrong Target in Iraq | Jan 8, 6:05 PM (ET) | By Namir Noureldine
AAYTHA, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. warplane mistakenly bombed a house in northern Iraq on Saturday, killing several people in an attack likely to inflame anti-American anger ahead of controversial elections due at the end of the month.
Furious residents of the village of Aaytha, south of the city of Mosul, said the air strike flattened a villa and killed 14 civilians. Reuters television pictures showed 14 freshly dug graves after the bombing in the early hours of Saturday.
The U.S. military said at least five people died after an F-16 warplane dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong target."
AAYTHA, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. warplane mistakenly bombed a house in northern Iraq on Saturday, killing several people in an attack likely to inflame anti-American anger ahead of controversial elections due at the end of the month.
Furious residents of the village of Aaytha, south of the city of Mosul, said the air strike flattened a villa and killed 14 civilians. Reuters television pictures showed 14 freshly dug graves after the bombing in the early hours of Saturday.
The U.S. military said at least five people died after an F-16 warplane dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong target."
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