THE UNREPORTED RESISTANCE
"US military reports clearly show much of the violence in Iraq is not revealed to journalists, and thus goes largely unreported... this (is the) account of the insurgency across Iraq over three days last week..."
20 JULY
Baghdad
A US aircraft was attacked by a surface-to-air missile over Baghdad airport. An improvised explosive device detonated under a bridge near al-Bayieh fire station. A second bomb exploded when the "Facility Protection Service" arrived. In other areas, there were four bombings, three RPG assaults and six gun attacks, almost all on US forces.
North of Baghdad
A civilian supply convoy was attacked at Samarra. A bomb exploded on a bus in Baquba, killing six. A mine went off in Balad. A US convoy was attacked with RPGs and gunfire at Salman Pak. There were roadside bombings of US forces at Mandali, Samarra, Baquba, Duluiya and Muqdadiyeh, and three grenade attacks (at Tikrit, Samarra and Kirkuk, with shootings at Muqdadiyeh, Balad, Hawija, Samarra, Tikrit and Khalis.
West of Baghdad
An American foot patrol set off a landmine at Khalidiya. A civilian tractor hit a mine at Hit. There was an RPG attack on a school in Karmah. Roadside and other bombs also detonated in Fallujah, Hit, Ramadi and Qaim. There were also attacks on US troops at Hit, Karmah, Saqlawiyeh and Ramadi.
South of Baghdad
International troops discovered two 107mm rockets aimed at the house of the governor of Diwakineh, and a roadside bomb detonated near Iskanderiyeh. In Basra, the city council co-ordinator and his three bodyguards were killed near a police checkpoint by three men in police uniform.
22 JULY
Baghdad
Two roadside bombs exploded next to a van and a Mercedes in separate areas of Baghdad, killing four civilians. A gunman in a Toyota opened fire on a police checkpoint and escaped. Police wounded three gunmen at a checkpoint and arrested four men suspected of attempted murder. Seven more roadside bombs exploded in Baghdad and gunmen twice attacked US troops.
North of Baghdad
Police dismantled a car bomb in Mosul and gunmen attacked the Western driver of a gravel truck at Tell Afar). There were three roadside bombings and a rocket attack on US troops in Mosul and another gun attack on US forces near Tell Afar. At Taji, a civilian vehicle collided with a US military vehicle, killing six civilians and injuring seven others. At Bayji, a US vehicle hit a landmine. The Americans said gunmen murdered a dentist in at the Ad Dwar hospital. There were 17 roadside bomb explosions against US forces in Taji, Baquba, Baqua, Jalula, Tikrit, Paliwoda, Balad, Samarra and Duluiyeh, with attacks by gunmen on US troops in Tikrit and Balad. A headless body in an orange jump-suit was found in the Tigris; believed to be Bulgarian hostage, Ivalyo Kepov. Kirkuk air base, used by US forces, attacked.
West of Baghdad
Five roadside bombs on US forces in Rutbah, Kalso and Ramadi. Gunmen attacked Americans in Fallujah and Ramadi.
South of Baghdad
The police chief of Najaf was abducted. Two civilian contractors were attacked by gunmen at Haswah. A roadside bomb exploded near Kerbala and Hillah. International forces were attacked by gunmen at Al Qurnah.
23 JULY
Baghdad
A US military convoy was mortared and a grenade thrown. There were seven roadside bomb attacks and five gun attacks on US forces.
North of Baghdad
A man threw a grenade at a US convoy at Tell Afar. Two gunmen killed an officer in the new Iraqi Army in Mosul. American troops also came under RPG fire in Mosul. Gunmen attacked a convoy of western mercenaries south of Samarra, a civilian convoy was attacked at Baquba. A former Iraqi army officer, former Major-General Salim Blaish died in a drive-by shooting in Mosul. Americans detained two men who had fired a rocket from a truck in Balad. There were three roadside bomb attacks on Americans in Baquba, Balad and an RPG attack at Kirkuk.
West of Baghdad
A roadside bomb against US forces at Rutbah. Gunmen also attacked the Americans in Khalidiyeh and Fallujah.
South of Baghdad
The Mussayib power station was mortared and roadside bombs exploded at Iskanderiyeh and Mussayib.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/073004D.shtml
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp?story=545736
Friday, July 30, 2004
NO MUSLIM MILITARY FORCE FOR IRAQ UNLESS THERE IS A U.S. EXIT STRATEGY
"... Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, calls for... Muslim military force for Iraq... Saudi Arabia will not itself contribute to the proposed force... (and) The new Iraqi government, wary of any interference in its affairs by its neighbours, has excluded all of them from taking part. That means Iran, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia. So who is the initiative aimed at? ... Countries which are likely to be approached - such as Bangladesh and Morocco as well as Pakistan - will not want their soldiers to be seen as part and parcel of the US-led multinational forces currently in Iraq... If.. there is no early US "exit strategy", and Muslim forces were seen as giving legitimacy to the American occupation of Iraq, that would be very difficult to sell to Muslim public opinion."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3936351.stm
"... Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, calls for... Muslim military force for Iraq... Saudi Arabia will not itself contribute to the proposed force... (and) The new Iraqi government, wary of any interference in its affairs by its neighbours, has excluded all of them from taking part. That means Iran, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia. So who is the initiative aimed at? ... Countries which are likely to be approached - such as Bangladesh and Morocco as well as Pakistan - will not want their soldiers to be seen as part and parcel of the US-led multinational forces currently in Iraq... If.. there is no early US "exit strategy", and Muslim forces were seen as giving legitimacy to the American occupation of Iraq, that would be very difficult to sell to Muslim public opinion."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3936351.stm
IRAQ FUNDS ARE FOCUS OF 27 CRIMINAL INQUIRIES
"... the U.S.-led (Coalition Provisional Authority) agency that oversaw the rebuilding of Iraq has triggered at least 27 criminal investigations and produced evidence of millions of dollars' worth of fraud, waste and abuse... U.S. officials and private contractors repeatedly violated the law in the free-wheeling atmosphere that pervaded the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild the war-torn country... Besides the more than two dozen criminal cases under investigation by the inspector general, about 35 other matters have been referred to other U.S. agencies for further investigation..."
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-probes30jul30,1,6584291.story
"... the U.S.-led (Coalition Provisional Authority) agency that oversaw the rebuilding of Iraq has triggered at least 27 criminal investigations and produced evidence of millions of dollars' worth of fraud, waste and abuse... U.S. officials and private contractors repeatedly violated the law in the free-wheeling atmosphere that pervaded the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild the war-torn country... Besides the more than two dozen criminal cases under investigation by the inspector general, about 35 other matters have been referred to other U.S. agencies for further investigation..."
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-probes30jul30,1,6584291.story
Thursday, July 29, 2004
PAY FOR NO WORK
"By snatching foreign workers, attacking civilian convoys and sabotaging infrastructure, insurgents have crippled Iraq's badly needed economic recovery.... little foreign investment has materialized. Companies... aren't willing to take the risk... (also the) commercial and industrial sector is still controlled by the Iraqi government, which is paying generous salaries to unneeded workers in unproductive state-owned companies... scarce resources also are going to fund a vast government bureaucracy staffed by workers who show up for a few hours each day, if at all... "There are people who get salaries without offering anything or even reporting to work... "The Iraqi worker's productivity today is not more than 20 minutes daily."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9265230.htm
"By snatching foreign workers, attacking civilian convoys and sabotaging infrastructure, insurgents have crippled Iraq's badly needed economic recovery.... little foreign investment has materialized. Companies... aren't willing to take the risk... (also the) commercial and industrial sector is still controlled by the Iraqi government, which is paying generous salaries to unneeded workers in unproductive state-owned companies... scarce resources also are going to fund a vast government bureaucracy staffed by workers who show up for a few hours each day, if at all... "There are people who get salaries without offering anything or even reporting to work... "The Iraqi worker's productivity today is not more than 20 minutes daily."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9265230.htm
DEFEATING TERROR AS A TACTIC OF DESPERATE PEOPLE IS IMPOSSIBLE
"... The (Adminstration's) ... fabrication... is that invading Iraq was necessary to win the War on Terror. The invasion has done nothing to defeat terrorism or bin Laden. In reality, the goal of defeating "terror" is mission impossible. Terror is a concept and a tactic used by desperate people and has been employed for centuries. Suicide bombers will be a fact of life as far ahead as we can see. They've targeted us because of U.S. policies in the Middle East...."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/4895606.html
"... The (Adminstration's) ... fabrication... is that invading Iraq was necessary to win the War on Terror. The invasion has done nothing to defeat terrorism or bin Laden. In reality, the goal of defeating "terror" is mission impossible. Terror is a concept and a tactic used by desperate people and has been employed for centuries. Suicide bombers will be a fact of life as far ahead as we can see. They've targeted us because of U.S. policies in the Middle East...."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/4895606.html
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
NO HELP IN IRAQ
"... The United States has so far lobbied several Muslim countries... seeking troops for (a) proposed new protection force. But it has apparently hit a brick wall. "We have had no concrete offers of troops from any country," a UN spokesman told Inter Press Service... (and) Annan has said that until and unless security is guaranteed he is not prepared to send a large contingent of UN staffers into Iraq... This situation is unlikely to change unless there is a major political shift in Washington".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG29Ak01.html
"... The United States has so far lobbied several Muslim countries... seeking troops for (a) proposed new protection force. But it has apparently hit a brick wall. "We have had no concrete offers of troops from any country," a UN spokesman told Inter Press Service... (and) Annan has said that until and unless security is guaranteed he is not prepared to send a large contingent of UN staffers into Iraq... This situation is unlikely to change unless there is a major political shift in Washington".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG29Ak01.html
IRAN MAY NOT BE SO EASY
"... The Iraqis in 2003 made many errors, allowing US technology to operate at maximum effectiveness; the resulting lethality enabled a small but skilled coalition force to defeat the world's 12th-largest military at a very low cost to itself... (but) The Iraqis' shortcomings created a permissive environment for coalition technology that a more skilled opponent elsewhere might not... the Americans could have succeeded just as well with the army it had in Vietnam.."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG28Ak01.html
"... The Iraqis in 2003 made many errors, allowing US technology to operate at maximum effectiveness; the resulting lethality enabled a small but skilled coalition force to defeat the world's 12th-largest military at a very low cost to itself... (but) The Iraqis' shortcomings created a permissive environment for coalition technology that a more skilled opponent elsewhere might not... the Americans could have succeeded just as well with the army it had in Vietnam.."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG28Ak01.html
BAGHDAD CAPTIVE OF RESISTANCE
"A new wave of kidnappings has sent shock waves through the diplomatic and business communities in Baghdad, virtually shutting down most embassies... The embassies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates were shuttered... Vietnamese Embassy spokesman... quickly showed journalists the door. A Pakistani envoy was first willing to address the hostage situation but declined five minutes later after consulting with senior embassy officials. An Iraqi worker at the Hungarian mission said the staff must first study media requests.At the German Embassy, no Germans were available for comment. An Iraqi guard, who was relaying media requests by radio to the embassy staff behind locked doors, offered his observations."They are now terrified," said the guard... "They receive no guests, not even journalists. "
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/9249829.htm
"A new wave of kidnappings has sent shock waves through the diplomatic and business communities in Baghdad, virtually shutting down most embassies... The embassies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates were shuttered... Vietnamese Embassy spokesman... quickly showed journalists the door. A Pakistani envoy was first willing to address the hostage situation but declined five minutes later after consulting with senior embassy officials. An Iraqi worker at the Hungarian mission said the staff must first study media requests.At the German Embassy, no Germans were available for comment. An Iraqi guard, who was relaying media requests by radio to the embassy staff behind locked doors, offered his observations."They are now terrified," said the guard... "They receive no guests, not even journalists. "
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/9249829.htm
WHITE HOUSE THE PATRON OF FROZEN HEADS ART
"... At the root of this tragedy is the unwillingness... of the Bush administration to understand either the terrorist enemy or our would-be allies among the world's Muslims.... "They hate our freedoms"... was an effective soundbite, but... Arab and non-Arab Muslims as a whole generally admire American 'values' like democracy, a free press, free speech, and universal human rights. What they hate is our support for authoritarian regimes that deny them those rights...."
"... The president has also told us that fighting poverty and poor education is "the answer to terror" (but)... Several studies of suicide bombers and the members of suicide cells have shown they come from higher socio-economic groups and are better educated than the populations from which they are drawn..."
"... Nor are most terrorists "fanatics" ... Research in Israel... finds that most suicide bombers have suffered from violence against themselves or their families..."
"... The issue was...whether... the United States might have preserved the well-spring of goodwill that existed among the majority of the world's Muslims in the days after 9/11, rather than creating precisely the climate of fear and alienation that bin Laden sought to foment..."
"A frozen head in a Saudi freezer; terrorism has become an art-form with the White House as its wealthy patron."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0728-02.htm
"... At the root of this tragedy is the unwillingness... of the Bush administration to understand either the terrorist enemy or our would-be allies among the world's Muslims.... "They hate our freedoms"... was an effective soundbite, but... Arab and non-Arab Muslims as a whole generally admire American 'values' like democracy, a free press, free speech, and universal human rights. What they hate is our support for authoritarian regimes that deny them those rights...."
"... The president has also told us that fighting poverty and poor education is "the answer to terror" (but)... Several studies of suicide bombers and the members of suicide cells have shown they come from higher socio-economic groups and are better educated than the populations from which they are drawn..."
"... Nor are most terrorists "fanatics" ... Research in Israel... finds that most suicide bombers have suffered from violence against themselves or their families..."
"... The issue was...whether... the United States might have preserved the well-spring of goodwill that existed among the majority of the world's Muslims in the days after 9/11, rather than creating precisely the climate of fear and alienation that bin Laden sought to foment..."
"A frozen head in a Saudi freezer; terrorism has become an art-form with the White House as its wealthy patron."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0728-02.htm
Friday, July 23, 2004
LOSING IN IRAQ
"... it appears that victory will go to the side most in tune with the reality of the Iraqi society of today: the leaders of the anti-U.S. resistance... The transfer of sovereignty... is a charade that will play itself out... with tragic consequences. Allawi's government, hand-picked by the United States... lacks not only a constituency inside Iraq but also legitimacy in the eyes of many ordinary Iraqi citizens... We will suffer a decade-long nightmare that will lead to the deaths of thousands more Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis. We will witness the creation of a viable and dangerous anti-American movement in Iraq that will one day watch as American troops unilaterally withdraw from Iraq..."
(Article by Scott Ritter, a UN weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998... article was distributed by Global Viewpoint for Tribune Media Services International.)
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0723-08.htm
"... it appears that victory will go to the side most in tune with the reality of the Iraqi society of today: the leaders of the anti-U.S. resistance... The transfer of sovereignty... is a charade that will play itself out... with tragic consequences. Allawi's government, hand-picked by the United States... lacks not only a constituency inside Iraq but also legitimacy in the eyes of many ordinary Iraqi citizens... We will suffer a decade-long nightmare that will lead to the deaths of thousands more Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis. We will witness the creation of a viable and dangerous anti-American movement in Iraq that will one day watch as American troops unilaterally withdraw from Iraq..."
(Article by Scott Ritter, a UN weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998... article was distributed by Global Viewpoint for Tribune Media Services International.)
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0723-08.htm
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
SOLDIERS DOUBT MISSION
"... To carry food from one base to the next, a matter of a few blocks, takes four vehicles - armored humvees and trucks - all with .50-caliber machine guns mounted on top... some have begun to question openly not only their mission but also the leaders who sent them to Iraq in the first place...."
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/9201795.htm
"... To carry food from one base to the next, a matter of a few blocks, takes four vehicles - armored humvees and trucks - all with .50-caliber machine guns mounted on top... some have begun to question openly not only their mission but also the leaders who sent them to Iraq in the first place...."
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/9201795.htm
IRAN SAYS U.S. GAVE 9/11 HIJACKERS VISAS, PERMITS AND PILOT TRAINING
"... A U.S. commission investigating the attacks will detail links between Iran and al Qaeda in its final report this week. The report is expected to say that several of the 19 hijackers passed through Iran on their way to the United States. Tehran acknowledges that some of the Sept. 11 plotters may have been in Iran before the attacks but says they did so after entering the country undetected along its lengthy and porous borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan."
"Any claim about Iran's direct or indirect links to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is fabrication and fantasy," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the official IRNA news agency. "It is not strange that some people manage to slip through a country's borders illegally ... What is funny is the fact that the country which has given them visas, residency permits, pilot training and sabotage training is making such claims."
http://www.theaerozone.com/azone/index.php?showtopic=5207
"... A U.S. commission investigating the attacks will detail links between Iran and al Qaeda in its final report this week. The report is expected to say that several of the 19 hijackers passed through Iran on their way to the United States. Tehran acknowledges that some of the Sept. 11 plotters may have been in Iran before the attacks but says they did so after entering the country undetected along its lengthy and porous borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan."
"Any claim about Iran's direct or indirect links to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is fabrication and fantasy," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the official IRNA news agency. "It is not strange that some people manage to slip through a country's borders illegally ... What is funny is the fact that the country which has given them visas, residency permits, pilot training and sabotage training is making such claims."
http://www.theaerozone.com/azone/index.php?showtopic=5207
Monday, July 12, 2004
PROPOSAL TO POSTPONE ELECTION IF AL QAEDA ATTACKS U.S.
"... intercepted "chatter" among Qaeda operatives—has led analysts to conclude "they want to interfere with the elections," says one (Homeland Security) official... officials... are reviewing a proposal that could allow for the postponement of the November presidential election in the event of such an attack..."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5411741/site/newsweek/
"... intercepted "chatter" among Qaeda operatives—has led analysts to conclude "they want to interfere with the elections," says one (Homeland Security) official... officials... are reviewing a proposal that could allow for the postponement of the November presidential election in the event of such an attack..."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5411741/site/newsweek/
SENATE SAYS BAD CIA INTELLIGENCE CAUSED WAR - EXONERATES CHENEY OF INFLUENCE
"The American Senate delivered a damning report yesterday on the case for war against Iraq, savaging the CIA and implicitly blaming British intelligence as well. It concluded that assessments of the threat of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction were wrong, unreasonable and largely unsubstantiated... Sen Jay Rockefeller... said the mistakes were "among the most devastating intelligence failures in the history of the nation". Congress would never have voted for the war in late 2002 "if we knew what we know now", he said. "Tragically, the intelligence set forth in this report will affect our national security for generations to come. Our credibility is diminished. Our standing in the world has never been lower. "We have fostered a deep hatred of Americans in the Muslim world and that will grow. As a direct consequence our nation is more vulnerable today than ever before."
"...the report did not deal with the issue of whether (the) administration exaggerated the case for war... the report cleared it of pressing intelligence agencies to force analysts to change their judgments on Iraq's weapons... it exonerated... Cheney... of trying to shape the evidence to suit his purpose during frequent visits to the CIA headquarters...."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=ENZXMJ5KOVSUDQFIQMFSM54AVCBQ0JVC?xml=/news/2004/07/10/wcia10.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/10/ixnewstop.html
"The Senate report on the intelligence failures that helped speed the march to war in Iraq was in many ways a political coup for the Republican party... The Democratic members of the Senate intelligence committee were persuaded to sign a report containing a central finding they disagreed with - that senior administration officials did not pressure CIA analysts to produce assessments that would support a war..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1258040,00.html
"The American Senate delivered a damning report yesterday on the case for war against Iraq, savaging the CIA and implicitly blaming British intelligence as well. It concluded that assessments of the threat of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction were wrong, unreasonable and largely unsubstantiated... Sen Jay Rockefeller... said the mistakes were "among the most devastating intelligence failures in the history of the nation". Congress would never have voted for the war in late 2002 "if we knew what we know now", he said. "Tragically, the intelligence set forth in this report will affect our national security for generations to come. Our credibility is diminished. Our standing in the world has never been lower. "We have fostered a deep hatred of Americans in the Muslim world and that will grow. As a direct consequence our nation is more vulnerable today than ever before."
"...the report did not deal with the issue of whether (the) administration exaggerated the case for war... the report cleared it of pressing intelligence agencies to force analysts to change their judgments on Iraq's weapons... it exonerated... Cheney... of trying to shape the evidence to suit his purpose during frequent visits to the CIA headquarters...."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=ENZXMJ5KOVSUDQFIQMFSM54AVCBQ0JVC?xml=/news/2004/07/10/wcia10.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/10/ixnewstop.html
"The Senate report on the intelligence failures that helped speed the march to war in Iraq was in many ways a political coup for the Republican party... The Democratic members of the Senate intelligence committee were persuaded to sign a report containing a central finding they disagreed with - that senior administration officials did not pressure CIA analysts to produce assessments that would support a war..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1258040,00.html
IRAQ WEAPONS PURCHASES
"... (Iraq has ordered) six C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, 16 Iroquois helicopters and a squadron of 16 low-flying, light reconnaissance aircraft... (already purchased) 50,000 handguns from Austria, 421 UAZ Hunter jeeps from Russia and millions of dollars' worth of armored cars from Brazil and Ukraine, along with AK-47 assault rifles, 9mm pistols, military vehicles, fire-control equipment and night-vision devices.... The biggest single deal was a $327 million contract with a US firm to outfit Iraqi troops with body armor, radios and other communications equipment ..."
"... (The) purchases were part of an attempt to rebuild and revitalize Iraq's sanctions-hit, weapons-starved military. But some experts question the strategy... "Purchasing weapons at this time... is more relevant to the needs of the occupier relating to the suppression of armed opposition, and consolidation of US hegemony... Before Iraq is outfitted with high-tech weaponry, it seems that the low-tech needs of clean water and reliable electricity should be met... this is not the right time for the interim leadership to embark on an arms spending spree..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG13Ak01.html
"... (Iraq has ordered) six C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, 16 Iroquois helicopters and a squadron of 16 low-flying, light reconnaissance aircraft... (already purchased) 50,000 handguns from Austria, 421 UAZ Hunter jeeps from Russia and millions of dollars' worth of armored cars from Brazil and Ukraine, along with AK-47 assault rifles, 9mm pistols, military vehicles, fire-control equipment and night-vision devices.... The biggest single deal was a $327 million contract with a US firm to outfit Iraqi troops with body armor, radios and other communications equipment ..."
"... (The) purchases were part of an attempt to rebuild and revitalize Iraq's sanctions-hit, weapons-starved military. But some experts question the strategy... "Purchasing weapons at this time... is more relevant to the needs of the occupier relating to the suppression of armed opposition, and consolidation of US hegemony... Before Iraq is outfitted with high-tech weaponry, it seems that the low-tech needs of clean water and reliable electricity should be met... this is not the right time for the interim leadership to embark on an arms spending spree..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG13Ak01.html
Sunday, July 11, 2004
BRITISH INTELLIGENCE RETRACTS WMD EVIDENCE
Archbishop of Canterbury: Blair to be judged by God over Lack of WMD Evidence
"Tony Blair's claim that Saddam Hussein posed a 'current and serious' threat to Britain is challenged by dramatic new allegations today that Britain's spy chiefs have retracted the intelligence on which it was based... The charge leaves Blair open to serious questions over why, if the nature of the proof had changed, he did not tell the public that the evidence of WMD was crumbling beneath him... the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, (warned) that Blair would be judged before God for his actions over Iraq and suggesting he would struggle with his conscience..."
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2686
Archbishop of Canterbury: Blair to be judged by God over Lack of WMD Evidence
"Tony Blair's claim that Saddam Hussein posed a 'current and serious' threat to Britain is challenged by dramatic new allegations today that Britain's spy chiefs have retracted the intelligence on which it was based... The charge leaves Blair open to serious questions over why, if the nature of the proof had changed, he did not tell the public that the evidence of WMD was crumbling beneath him... the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, (warned) that Blair would be judged before God for his actions over Iraq and suggesting he would struggle with his conscience..."
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2686
TERRORISTS ARE WINNING
"The terrorist networks have gotten very complicated. They have intelligence departments, surveillance departments - and we are trying to get them with cops at checkpoints," said Kahtan Nori Jassim, the mayor of the town of Abu Sayda. "The terrorists are winning. They keep coming over the borders like a plague. Al-Qaida was nothing here before, it was primitive, but now it's a large, complex organization. They're winning."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9109409.htm
"The terrorist networks have gotten very complicated. They have intelligence departments, surveillance departments - and we are trying to get them with cops at checkpoints," said Kahtan Nori Jassim, the mayor of the town of Abu Sayda. "The terrorists are winning. They keep coming over the borders like a plague. Al-Qaida was nothing here before, it was primitive, but now it's a large, complex organization. They're winning."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9109409.htm
Friday, July 09, 2004
WALLS - OLD AND NEW
"...The Crusading castles... (were) built almost with a frenzy over a period of approaching 200 years. ... why did the Crusaders fortify on such a lavish scale and devote so much of their time to building? ... There was a constant threat of attack from the Muslim controlled lands ...There was a distinct shortage of manpower too. ... stone would be forced to do the work of soldiers."
http://stronghold.heavengames.com/history/crusaderhistory/crusader1
"...the Berlin Wall was 96 miles long... Israel's barrier, still under construction, is expected to reach at least 403 miles in length. The average height of the Berlin Wall was 11.8 feet, compared with the maximum current height of Israel's Wall -- 25 feet."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1775.shtml
Map of Israel's Wall:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/middle_east_israel0s_security_barrier/img/2.jpg
"... The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's West Bank barrier is illegal and construction of it should be stopped immediately... The construction of the wall... [is] contrary to international law.. a fait accompli which could become permanent... "tantamount to annexation" and impeded the Palestinian right to self-determination.."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3879057.stm
"... To deter arms smugglers and foreign militants, the 101st Airborne Division built a 15-foot-high earthen barrier earlier this year along 200 miles of the border with Syria."
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/20/international/middleeast/20BORD.html
"...The Green Zone... its 15ft concrete wall now stretches for 20 miles, enclosing a vast area of central Baghdad."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/02/wirq102.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/02/ixnewstop.html
"...The Crusading castles... (were) built almost with a frenzy over a period of approaching 200 years. ... why did the Crusaders fortify on such a lavish scale and devote so much of their time to building? ... There was a constant threat of attack from the Muslim controlled lands ...There was a distinct shortage of manpower too. ... stone would be forced to do the work of soldiers."
http://stronghold.heavengames.com/history/crusaderhistory/crusader1
"...the Berlin Wall was 96 miles long... Israel's barrier, still under construction, is expected to reach at least 403 miles in length. The average height of the Berlin Wall was 11.8 feet, compared with the maximum current height of Israel's Wall -- 25 feet."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1775.shtml
Map of Israel's Wall:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/middle_east_israel0s_security_barrier/img/2.jpg
"... The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's West Bank barrier is illegal and construction of it should be stopped immediately... The construction of the wall... [is] contrary to international law.. a fait accompli which could become permanent... "tantamount to annexation" and impeded the Palestinian right to self-determination.."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3879057.stm
"... To deter arms smugglers and foreign militants, the 101st Airborne Division built a 15-foot-high earthen barrier earlier this year along 200 miles of the border with Syria."
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/20/international/middleeast/20BORD.html
"...The Green Zone... its 15ft concrete wall now stretches for 20 miles, enclosing a vast area of central Baghdad."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/02/wirq102.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/02/ixnewstop.html
Thursday, July 08, 2004
FIRM FAILED TO TEACH IRAQIS DEMOCRACY
"The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International of North Carolina a $167 million contract to help 180 Iraqi cities and towns... with setting up local neighborhood councils, providing technical advice for municipal services such as garbage collection and water supply, and funding new local community organizations and initiatives... (but) after the coalition handed Iraq over to a caretaker government, several individuals hired by (RTI) to teach Iraqis about democracy and creating civic organizations say that they completely failed in their task... the company spent 90 percent of the money on expensive expatriate staff, gave out lots of advice and held lots of meetings, but did little to provide support for local community organizations or councils..."
http://www.guerrillanews.com/human_rights/doc4804.html
"The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International of North Carolina a $167 million contract to help 180 Iraqi cities and towns... with setting up local neighborhood councils, providing technical advice for municipal services such as garbage collection and water supply, and funding new local community organizations and initiatives... (but) after the coalition handed Iraq over to a caretaker government, several individuals hired by (RTI) to teach Iraqis about democracy and creating civic organizations say that they completely failed in their task... the company spent 90 percent of the money on expensive expatriate staff, gave out lots of advice and held lots of meetings, but did little to provide support for local community organizations or councils..."
http://www.guerrillanews.com/human_rights/doc4804.html
MARTIAL LAW MAY FUEL INSURGENCY
"... large areas of the country - including at least four major cities - are now in the hands of insurgents. Hundreds of gunmen are now believed to control Samara north of Baghdad. Fallujah and Ramadi... are now virtually autonomous republics."
"Iraq has introduced legislation allowing the Iraqi authorities to impose martial law... if, as many Iraqis believe, the continued presence of a vast American army lies behind the violence, then US military support for the harsh new laws will only fuel the insurgency."
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=2142495
"... large areas of the country - including at least four major cities - are now in the hands of insurgents. Hundreds of gunmen are now believed to control Samara north of Baghdad. Fallujah and Ramadi... are now virtually autonomous republics."
"Iraq has introduced legislation allowing the Iraqi authorities to impose martial law... if, as many Iraqis believe, the continued presence of a vast American army lies behind the violence, then US military support for the harsh new laws will only fuel the insurgency."
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=2142495
IRAQ A BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
"... fundamentalist Christian Zionism in the United States ascribes to ... Manichaeism, the belief that reality is divided into absolute good and absolute evil... The day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bush declared, "This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil, but good will prevail"... "And the light [the US] has shown in the darkness [the enemies of the US], and the darkness will not overcome it [the US shall conquer its enemies]."
"He even told then-Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas that "God told me to strike al-Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [Hussein], which I did." Iraq has become the new Babylon, and the "war on terrorism"... the quintessential battle between good and evil..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG08Ak01.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37944-2003Jun26?language=printer
"... fundamentalist Christian Zionism in the United States ascribes to ... Manichaeism, the belief that reality is divided into absolute good and absolute evil... The day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bush declared, "This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil, but good will prevail"... "And the light [the US] has shown in the darkness [the enemies of the US], and the darkness will not overcome it [the US shall conquer its enemies]."
"He even told then-Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas that "God told me to strike al-Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [Hussein], which I did." Iraq has become the new Babylon, and the "war on terrorism"... the quintessential battle between good and evil..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG08Ak01.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37944-2003Jun26?language=printer
DIFFICULTY OF ELECTIONS IN COUNTRY WITHOUT SECURITY
"... Elections in (Afghanistan) have already been rescheduled from June to September to October of this year... increased attacks by Taliban, al-Qaeda and Afghan resistance forces threaten to derail the elections. United Nations... has warned that a further postponement of the elections may be warranted due to the deteriorating security situation... (and) will make a final decision on the timing of the polls later this month... two years after the fall of the Taliban, democracy is far from becoming a reality in Afghanistan. Iraq does not look too promising either...."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG08Ak03.html
"... Elections in (Afghanistan) have already been rescheduled from June to September to October of this year... increased attacks by Taliban, al-Qaeda and Afghan resistance forces threaten to derail the elections. United Nations... has warned that a further postponement of the elections may be warranted due to the deteriorating security situation... (and) will make a final decision on the timing of the polls later this month... two years after the fall of the Taliban, democracy is far from becoming a reality in Afghanistan. Iraq does not look too promising either...."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG08Ak03.html
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
BLAIR SAYS WMDs MAY NEVER BE FOUND, RULES OUT MORE TROOPS
"... Blair admitted for the first time yesterday that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq... Blair ruled out, apparently indefinitely, sending further troops to Iraq..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1255708,00.html
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=YTV1SMY0214SNQFIQMGSM54AVCBQWJVC?xml=/news/2004/07/07/nwmd07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/07/ixnewstop.html
"... Blair admitted for the first time yesterday that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq... Blair ruled out, apparently indefinitely, sending further troops to Iraq..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1255708,00.html
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=YTV1SMY0214SNQFIQMGSM54AVCBQWJVC?xml=/news/2004/07/07/nwmd07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/07/ixnewstop.html
CIA MISLED BUSH ON EXISTENCE OF WMD
"The US intelligence services withheld information from George Bush that Iraqi WMD programmes had been abandoned, to justify their prewar contention that Saddam Hussein possessed banned weapons... the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence... is expected to single out the outgoing CIA director, George Tenet, and his deputy, John McLaughlin... It found no evidence that the CIA made these mistakes because of political pressure from the White House or the Department of Defence..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1255650,00.html
"The US intelligence services withheld information from George Bush that Iraqi WMD programmes had been abandoned, to justify their prewar contention that Saddam Hussein possessed banned weapons... the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence... is expected to single out the outgoing CIA director, George Tenet, and his deputy, John McLaughlin... It found no evidence that the CIA made these mistakes because of political pressure from the White House or the Department of Defence..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1255650,00.html
VIEWS ON FUTURE OF IRAQ
" We asked eight commentators for their views on the transfer and their thoughts on the future of Iraq...
"Iraqis have already lost faith in democracy"
--Saad Jawad, Iraqi academic
"All parties have a vested interest in this working, and it will"
--Thomas Donnelly, US analyst
"Iraq may not turn out pro-West and pro-American"
--Yahia Said, Iraq specialist
"The handover is a euphemism for running away"
--Jihad al-Khazen, reporter
"Iraqis are ready for freedom - whatever anyone says"
-- Amir Taheri, Iranian writer
"A new authoritarian regime is on its way"
--Said Aburish, Arab author
"A pragmatic government will emerge"
--Henner Fürtig, German analyst
"Iraq must not be forgotten as Afghanistan has been"
--Ali Shukri, Jordanian general
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3846189.stm
" We asked eight commentators for their views on the transfer and their thoughts on the future of Iraq...
"Iraqis have already lost faith in democracy"
--Saad Jawad, Iraqi academic
"All parties have a vested interest in this working, and it will"
--Thomas Donnelly, US analyst
"Iraq may not turn out pro-West and pro-American"
--Yahia Said, Iraq specialist
"The handover is a euphemism for running away"
--Jihad al-Khazen, reporter
"Iraqis are ready for freedom - whatever anyone says"
-- Amir Taheri, Iranian writer
"A new authoritarian regime is on its way"
--Said Aburish, Arab author
"A pragmatic government will emerge"
--Henner Fürtig, German analyst
"Iraq must not be forgotten as Afghanistan has been"
--Ali Shukri, Jordanian general
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3846189.stm
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
INSURGENTS NOT FOREIGNERS
Suspected foreign fighters account for less than 2% of the 5,700 captives being held as security threats in Iraq, a strong indication that Iraqis are largely responsible for the stubborn insurgency... About 5,700 remain in custody, 90 of them non-Iraqis.... The numbers... suggest that some Bush administration officials have overstated the role of foreign holy warriors, or jihadists, from other Arab states. The figures also suggest that Iraq isn't as big a magnet for foreign terrorists as some administration critics have asserted...."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-07-05-detainees-usat_x.htm
Suspected foreign fighters account for less than 2% of the 5,700 captives being held as security threats in Iraq, a strong indication that Iraqis are largely responsible for the stubborn insurgency... About 5,700 remain in custody, 90 of them non-Iraqis.... The numbers... suggest that some Bush administration officials have overstated the role of foreign holy warriors, or jihadists, from other Arab states. The figures also suggest that Iraq isn't as big a magnet for foreign terrorists as some administration critics have asserted...."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-07-05-detainees-usat_x.htm
THE FALLACY OF FARENHEIT 9/11
"... Fahrenheit 9/11"... endorses one of the central lies that Americans tell themselves, that the U.S. military fights for our freedom. This construction of the military as a defensive force obscures the harsh reality that the military is used to project U.S. power around the world to ensure dominance, not to defend anyone's freedom, at home or abroad. Instead of confronting this mythology, Moore ends the film with it. He points out... the very people who sign up for the military "... offer to give up their lives so we can be free..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0706-08.htm
"... Fahrenheit 9/11"... endorses one of the central lies that Americans tell themselves, that the U.S. military fights for our freedom. This construction of the military as a defensive force obscures the harsh reality that the military is used to project U.S. power around the world to ensure dominance, not to defend anyone's freedom, at home or abroad. Instead of confronting this mythology, Moore ends the film with it. He points out... the very people who sign up for the military "... offer to give up their lives so we can be free..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0706-08.htm
CHARGES AGAINST SADDAM UNRELATED TO CURRENT WAR
"... the charges leveled last week against Saddam Hussein bore no relation to the reasons offered by President Bush for his preemptive invasion of Iraq... Not a word about Hussein being linked to terrorist attacks on the United States or having weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to our nation's security... after seven months of interrogation, the United States appears to have learned nothing from Hussein or any other source in the world that supports the president's decision to go to war..."
"It is therefore fitting that the preliminary indictment holds Hussein responsible for his aggression against Kuwait, which precipitated the 1991 Gulf War. How disturbing that in the current war it was the United States that committed aggression by invading Iraq based on false premises..."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-scheer6jul06,1,1507698.story
"... the charges leveled last week against Saddam Hussein bore no relation to the reasons offered by President Bush for his preemptive invasion of Iraq... Not a word about Hussein being linked to terrorist attacks on the United States or having weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to our nation's security... after seven months of interrogation, the United States appears to have learned nothing from Hussein or any other source in the world that supports the president's decision to go to war..."
"It is therefore fitting that the preliminary indictment holds Hussein responsible for his aggression against Kuwait, which precipitated the 1991 Gulf War. How disturbing that in the current war it was the United States that committed aggression by invading Iraq based on false premises..."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-scheer6jul06,1,1507698.story
Monday, July 05, 2004
IRAQ ONLY GOT 2% OF U.S. AID ALLOCATED BY CONGRESS
"The US government spent just 2% of the $18.4 billion it had obtained from Congress for the urgent reconstruction of Iraq before formally ending its occupation last week.... The White House budget office report, the first detailed audit of the reconstruction, showed that the US occupation authorities had spent nothing on healthcare or water and sanitation, two of the most urgent needs for Iraqis. In contrast, a total of $9 million was spent on administrative expenses..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1254037,00.html
"The US government spent just 2% of the $18.4 billion it had obtained from Congress for the urgent reconstruction of Iraq before formally ending its occupation last week.... The White House budget office report, the first detailed audit of the reconstruction, showed that the US occupation authorities had spent nothing on healthcare or water and sanitation, two of the most urgent needs for Iraqis. In contrast, a total of $9 million was spent on administrative expenses..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1254037,00.html
JOINT IRAQI-US PATROLS
"Military commanders hoped the sight of Americans and Iraqis walking side by side would symbolize the start of the transfer of control over security back to Iraqis. The Iraqis didn't see it that way. Loath to be seen marching through their hometown with heavily armed Americans, none of them showed up...".
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-patrol5jul05,1,7125410.story?coll=la-home-headlines
"Military commanders hoped the sight of Americans and Iraqis walking side by side would symbolize the start of the transfer of control over security back to Iraqis. The Iraqis didn't see it that way. Loath to be seen marching through their hometown with heavily armed Americans, none of them showed up...".
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-patrol5jul05,1,7125410.story?coll=la-home-headlines
RUMSFELD OK'D ABU GHRAIB TREATMENT
"... Brig-Gen Janis Karpinski... said that documents yet to be released by the Pentagon would show that Mr Rumsfeld personally approved the introduction of harsher conditions of detention in Iraq... The Pentagon has consistently denied that Mr Rumsfeld authorised the transfer of harsher techniques of interrogation and detention from Guantanamo Bay to Abu Ghraib, where all prisoners are supposed to be protected by the Geneva Conventions..."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F07%2F04%2Fwtort04.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F07%2F04%2Fixnewstop.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=9866
"... Brig-Gen Janis Karpinski... said that documents yet to be released by the Pentagon would show that Mr Rumsfeld personally approved the introduction of harsher conditions of detention in Iraq... The Pentagon has consistently denied that Mr Rumsfeld authorised the transfer of harsher techniques of interrogation and detention from Guantanamo Bay to Abu Ghraib, where all prisoners are supposed to be protected by the Geneva Conventions..."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F07%2F04%2Fwtort04.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F07%2F04%2Fixnewstop.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=9866
US LOSING WAR ON TERROR
"... a senior CIA analyst... (who) headed the "bin Laden station" within the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999 (and) still holds a position in the Counterterrorist Center... has written a new book arguing that bin Laden is winning his struggle against the United States... there is nothing bin Laden could have hoped for more than the American invasion and occupation of Iraq..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9075131.htm
"... a senior CIA analyst... (who) headed the "bin Laden station" within the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999 (and) still holds a position in the Counterterrorist Center... has written a new book arguing that bin Laden is winning his struggle against the United States... there is nothing bin Laden could have hoped for more than the American invasion and occupation of Iraq..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9075131.htm
RUNNING ON EMPTY
"US leaves Iraq running on empty... A barrage of binding decrees... combined with a lack of resources, heavy debt and the continuing presence of a massive US force, provide clear evidence that the recent handover of authority to Iraqis does not equal real control over the economy... Bremer had passed nearly 100 orders that... give US corporations "virtual free rein over the Iraqi economy while largely excluding Iraqis from a reconstruction effort which has failed to provide for their basic needs".
"... In addition, Iraq has been left with a legacy of unaccountability... for the entire year the CPA oversaw Iraq's finances, it was impossible to determine with any accuracy precisely what it has done with the $20 billion of Iraq's own money, including its oil revenue and funds deposited in the DFI (Development Fund for Iraq)..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG02Ak01.html
"US leaves Iraq running on empty... A barrage of binding decrees... combined with a lack of resources, heavy debt and the continuing presence of a massive US force, provide clear evidence that the recent handover of authority to Iraqis does not equal real control over the economy... Bremer had passed nearly 100 orders that... give US corporations "virtual free rein over the Iraqi economy while largely excluding Iraqis from a reconstruction effort which has failed to provide for their basic needs".
"... In addition, Iraq has been left with a legacy of unaccountability... for the entire year the CPA oversaw Iraq's finances, it was impossible to determine with any accuracy precisely what it has done with the $20 billion of Iraq's own money, including its oil revenue and funds deposited in the DFI (Development Fund for Iraq)..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG02Ak01.html
Sunday, July 04, 2004
CIA OFFICIAL SAYS SADDAM DID NOT GAS THE KURDS AT HALABJA
"... the top CIA official handling the matter says Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the massacre, and indicates that it was the work of Iranians... The agency (found) that each side used gas against the other in the battle around Halabja... The condition of the dead Kurds' bodies, however, indicated they had been killed with a blood agent -- that is, a cyanide-based gas -- which Iran was known to use. The Iraqis, who are thought to have used mustard gas in the battle, are not known to have possessed blood agents at the time... these facts have long been in the public domain but, extraordinarily, as often as the Halabja affair is cited, they are rarely mentioned...”
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0703-01.htm
"... the top CIA official handling the matter says Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the massacre, and indicates that it was the work of Iranians... The agency (found) that each side used gas against the other in the battle around Halabja... The condition of the dead Kurds' bodies, however, indicated they had been killed with a blood agent -- that is, a cyanide-based gas -- which Iran was known to use. The Iraqis, who are thought to have used mustard gas in the battle, are not known to have possessed blood agents at the time... these facts have long been in the public domain but, extraordinarily, as often as the Halabja affair is cited, they are rarely mentioned...”
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0703-01.htm
TOPPLING SADDAM'S STATUE WAS STAGED
"The Army's internal study of the war in Iraq criticizes some efforts by its own psychological operations units, but one spur-of-the-moment effort last year produced the most memorable image of the invasion... It was a Marine colonel — not joyous Iraqi civilians — who decided to topple the statue, the Army report said. And it was a quick-thinking Army psychological operations team that made it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking..."
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-statue3jul03,1,7327035.story
"The Army's internal study of the war in Iraq criticizes some efforts by its own psychological operations units, but one spur-of-the-moment effort last year produced the most memorable image of the invasion... It was a Marine colonel — not joyous Iraqi civilians — who decided to topple the statue, the Army report said. And it was a quick-thinking Army psychological operations team that made it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking..."
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-statue3jul03,1,7327035.story
THE CASE FOR WITHDRAWAL
"... despite the enormity of America's political failure in Iraq, just about everyone says that the US military forces... must stay to provide security and ensure stability... (but in a book) the Cato Institute... a special task force of 10 foreign policy experts, calls for the expeditious withdrawal... (because) military presence in Iraq... emboldens anti-American terrorists to expand their operations, both against the forces in the neighborhood and ultimately on American soil... weakens the forces of democratic reform by undermining an indigenous government's authority and credibility...."
"... According to the book, the US requires only three things of the new Iraq. Do not threaten the US; do not harbor anti-American terrorists; and do not develop weapons of mass destruction. If you don't everything is fine. If you do, then the US will be back. Or, as the book puts it, "We're out, and we are not responsible for your security. But we'll be watching you."
-- "Exiting Iraq: Why the US Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against al-Qaeda"
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG03Ak01.html
"... despite the enormity of America's political failure in Iraq, just about everyone says that the US military forces... must stay to provide security and ensure stability... (but in a book) the Cato Institute... a special task force of 10 foreign policy experts, calls for the expeditious withdrawal... (because) military presence in Iraq... emboldens anti-American terrorists to expand their operations, both against the forces in the neighborhood and ultimately on American soil... weakens the forces of democratic reform by undermining an indigenous government's authority and credibility...."
"... According to the book, the US requires only three things of the new Iraq. Do not threaten the US; do not harbor anti-American terrorists; and do not develop weapons of mass destruction. If you don't everything is fine. If you do, then the US will be back. Or, as the book puts it, "We're out, and we are not responsible for your security. But we'll be watching you."
-- "Exiting Iraq: Why the US Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against al-Qaeda"
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG03Ak01.html
Friday, July 02, 2004
HIGHWAY TO BAGHDAD AIRPORT CLOSED
"The treacherous six-lane route is closed to U.S. government traffic this week... an Iraqi businessman said... "The whole country is a disaster because of Americans, but we thought they'd at least be able to secure a road."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9059044.htm
"The treacherous six-lane route is closed to U.S. government traffic this week... an Iraqi businessman said... "The whole country is a disaster because of Americans, but we thought they'd at least be able to secure a road."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9059044.htm
U.S. CULTURE OF WAR TO DEFINE MIDDLE EAST FOR GENERATIONS
"... the culture of war, espoused by the US in Iraq... shall define the future of the Middle East for generations."
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2561
"... the culture of war, espoused by the US in Iraq... shall define the future of the Middle East for generations."
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=2561
PAKISTANI TROOPS TO IRAQ
"... the US now has realized that its troop operations are a failure and only Muslim armies can play a role... The US... had more specific requests of Musharraf, whose government thrives on the support given to it by Washington.... Pakistan is likely to send its troops to Iraq well before the next general elections in that country [scheduled for early next year]..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG03Df03.html
"... the US now has realized that its troop operations are a failure and only Muslim armies can play a role... The US... had more specific requests of Musharraf, whose government thrives on the support given to it by Washington.... Pakistan is likely to send its troops to Iraq well before the next general elections in that country [scheduled for early next year]..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG03Df03.html
SADDAM COURT HEARING CENSORED
"U.S. news networks agreed to let the American military censor out certain images of Saddam Hussein's court hearing... U.S. officials ordered CNN and Al-Jazeera, the pool camera crews, to disconnect their audio equipment... two U.S. military officials watching over the CNN footage being transmission ordered that some of the ambient sound be muted..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0702-10.htm
"... Saddam... was at one time guarded by reservists from Puerto Rico who were instructed only to speak Spanish in his presence..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1252959,00.html
"U.S. news networks agreed to let the American military censor out certain images of Saddam Hussein's court hearing... U.S. officials ordered CNN and Al-Jazeera, the pool camera crews, to disconnect their audio equipment... two U.S. military officials watching over the CNN footage being transmission ordered that some of the ambient sound be muted..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0702-10.htm
"... Saddam... was at one time guarded by reservists from Puerto Rico who were instructed only to speak Spanish in his presence..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1252959,00.html
INFORMATION REPROCESSING
"... Americans are told daily by the media, newsmakers and government officials that the West is winning the war... But... ... directors of the Central Intelligence Agency and the FBI warn periodically that Al Qaeda... actually is more dangerous today than it was before what Osama bin Laden calls the "blessed attacks" of 11 September...."
"... when Americans — the leaders and the led — process incoming information to make it intelligible in American terms, many not only fail to clearly understand what is going on abroad but, more ominous, fail to accurately gauge the severity of the danger that these foreign events, organizations, attitudes and personalities pose to U.S. national security and our society's welfare and lifestyle..."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-anonymous2jul02,1,1846957.story
"... Americans are told daily by the media, newsmakers and government officials that the West is winning the war... But... ... directors of the Central Intelligence Agency and the FBI warn periodically that Al Qaeda... actually is more dangerous today than it was before what Osama bin Laden calls the "blessed attacks" of 11 September...."
"... when Americans — the leaders and the led — process incoming information to make it intelligible in American terms, many not only fail to clearly understand what is going on abroad but, more ominous, fail to accurately gauge the severity of the danger that these foreign events, organizations, attitudes and personalities pose to U.S. national security and our society's welfare and lifestyle..."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-anonymous2jul02,1,1846957.story
SOVEREIGNTY ILLUSION
"Iraq's transitional government must be wondering what kind of used car they have bought from the Bush administration. They have a sovereignty that is so limited that they do not control their country's air space or its ports. The security forces they do control are so limited, undertrained, and untested that iraq's new leaders are completely dependent on foreign soldiers even for their very lives. They are being asked to rule a country that has been so reduced by the incompetence of the Americans that very few lights turn on at night in the capital, and security is so bad that us proconsul Paul Bremer had to creep away in a stealth handover..."
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=103957EB12800201&p_docnum=1
"Iraq's transitional government must be wondering what kind of used car they have bought from the Bush administration. They have a sovereignty that is so limited that they do not control their country's air space or its ports. The security forces they do control are so limited, undertrained, and untested that iraq's new leaders are completely dependent on foreign soldiers even for their very lives. They are being asked to rule a country that has been so reduced by the incompetence of the Americans that very few lights turn on at night in the capital, and security is so bad that us proconsul Paul Bremer had to creep away in a stealth handover..."
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=103957EB12800201&p_docnum=1
IRAQ WAR DRAINING RESOURCES FROM WAR ON TERROR
"... We now have nearly 140,000 troops in Iraq, with more on the way, and we'll be bogged down there for years to come. The tremendous costs in personnel and money have drained resources needed to combat terror groups around the world and shore up defenses against terror here at home..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/opinion/02HERB.html
"... We now have nearly 140,000 troops in Iraq, with more on the way, and we'll be bogged down there for years to come. The tremendous costs in personnel and money have drained resources needed to combat terror groups around the world and shore up defenses against terror here at home..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/opinion/02HERB.html
IRAQI SOVEREIGNTY
"... The sad truth is that the Iraqis do not “have their country back” and for that, matter neither do we. Iraq policy is still being set by an administration that will not level with the American public about its plans. Still missing is a serious national debate about whether the majority of our public wishes to underwrite the real Bush project – a long occupation in defiance of Iraqi wishes, which will drain our treasury and sacrifice our troops."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0702-09.htm
"... The sad truth is that the Iraqis do not “have their country back” and for that, matter neither do we. Iraq policy is still being set by an administration that will not level with the American public about its plans. Still missing is a serious national debate about whether the majority of our public wishes to underwrite the real Bush project – a long occupation in defiance of Iraqi wishes, which will drain our treasury and sacrifice our troops."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0702-09.htm
WHY WAS BUSH OBSESSED WITH IRAQ?
"Why was Bush obsessed with Iraq? ... Take into account recent scientific evidence of possible long-term brain damage associated with years of heavy drinking and cocaine use.... articles on Bush as a dry drunk... documented this phenomenon (type in “dry drunk” on google). Grandiosity, rigidity, and intolerance of ambiguity are the leading characteristics of what AA folks call the dry drunk syndrome. The dry drunk quits drinking, but the thinking is not really sober.... Obsessions with the bottle may be replaced by other obsessions—religious extremism, thirst for power, etc... Bush was driven toward Iraq because his father had fought Iraq, a battle that was not quite finished. Today, symbolically Bush treasures Saddam’s gun, the gun that was confiscated when Saddam was captured. The younger Bush has achieved what his father failed to do—subdued Saddam. Similarly, he tried to revive missions on the moon and on Mars even as his father had unsuccessfully tried to do. In short, there is a madness in Bush’s method. To understand that is to understand the why of Iraq."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0702-13.htm
"Why was Bush obsessed with Iraq? ... Take into account recent scientific evidence of possible long-term brain damage associated with years of heavy drinking and cocaine use.... articles on Bush as a dry drunk... documented this phenomenon (type in “dry drunk” on google). Grandiosity, rigidity, and intolerance of ambiguity are the leading characteristics of what AA folks call the dry drunk syndrome. The dry drunk quits drinking, but the thinking is not really sober.... Obsessions with the bottle may be replaced by other obsessions—religious extremism, thirst for power, etc... Bush was driven toward Iraq because his father had fought Iraq, a battle that was not quite finished. Today, symbolically Bush treasures Saddam’s gun, the gun that was confiscated when Saddam was captured. The younger Bush has achieved what his father failed to do—subdued Saddam. Similarly, he tried to revive missions on the moon and on Mars even as his father had unsuccessfully tried to do. In short, there is a madness in Bush’s method. To understand that is to understand the why of Iraq."
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0702-13.htm
Thursday, July 01, 2004
RESISTANCE CAMPAIGN IS THE REAL WAR OF LIBERATION
"... the resistance has decisively changed the balance of power in Iraq... they are in fact a classic resistance movement with widespread support waging an increasingly successful guerrilla war against the occupying armies. Their tactics are overwhelmingly in line with those of resistance campaigns throughout modern history, targeting both the occupiers themselves and the local police and military working for them... The popularity of the mainstream resistance can be gauged by recent polling on the Shia rebel leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who... now has the backing of 67% of Iraqis. In the past year, the Iraqi resistance has succeeded in preventing the imposition of a Pax Americana on Iraq and forced the occupation troops out of Falluja, Najaf and other Iraqi cities. By tying down the most powerful military force in the world, it has revealed the limits of American power and drastically reduced the threat of a US invasion of another state.... Its political strength lies precisely in the fact that it has no programme except the expulsion of the occupying forces... its campaign is in fact Iraq's real war of liberation..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1251120,00.html
"... the resistance has decisively changed the balance of power in Iraq... they are in fact a classic resistance movement with widespread support waging an increasingly successful guerrilla war against the occupying armies. Their tactics are overwhelmingly in line with those of resistance campaigns throughout modern history, targeting both the occupiers themselves and the local police and military working for them... The popularity of the mainstream resistance can be gauged by recent polling on the Shia rebel leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who... now has the backing of 67% of Iraqis. In the past year, the Iraqi resistance has succeeded in preventing the imposition of a Pax Americana on Iraq and forced the occupation troops out of Falluja, Najaf and other Iraqi cities. By tying down the most powerful military force in the world, it has revealed the limits of American power and drastically reduced the threat of a US invasion of another state.... Its political strength lies precisely in the fact that it has no programme except the expulsion of the occupying forces... its campaign is in fact Iraq's real war of liberation..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1251120,00.html
NEW REGIME COULD BE LIKE THE OLD
"... If Allawi is to do the job expected of him in Iraq, the U.S. may have to ... forget about democracy and human rights. To quell the insurgency, Allawi will have to rebuild Iraq's once-fearsome intelligence and security services and revert to arbitrary arrests, torture, summary executions, and other well-tried methods of Saddam Hussein's regime... Allawi's regime may turn out to be not all that different from the regime the U.S. overthrew..."
http://english.daralhayat.com/comment/06-2004/Article-20040627-67aab763-c0a8-01ed-0004-aa0240626257/story.html
"... If Allawi is to do the job expected of him in Iraq, the U.S. may have to ... forget about democracy and human rights. To quell the insurgency, Allawi will have to rebuild Iraq's once-fearsome intelligence and security services and revert to arbitrary arrests, torture, summary executions, and other well-tried methods of Saddam Hussein's regime... Allawi's regime may turn out to be not all that different from the regime the U.S. overthrew..."
http://english.daralhayat.com/comment/06-2004/Article-20040627-67aab763-c0a8-01ed-0004-aa0240626257/story.html