CHILD MALNUTRITION ALMOST DOUBLED
"Malnutrition rates in children under five have almost doubled since the US-led invasion... and more than a quarter are chronically undernourished, a UN report says..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4395525.stm
"... Overall, more than one-quarter of Iraqi children don't have enough to eat... Children who manage to survive are usually physically and mentally impaired for the rest of their lives and more vulnerable to disease. Acute malnutrition signifies a child is actually wasting away... The situation facing Iraqi youngsters is "a result of the war led by coalition forces"
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0331-08.htm
Thursday, March 31, 2005
BULGARIA WITHDRAWAL
"Bulgaria's government says it will ask parliament to back a full troop withdrawal from Iraq this year... taly, Ukraine and the Netherlands are also planning to withdraw their troops from the US-led coalition..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4398019.stm
"Bulgaria's government says it will ask parliament to back a full troop withdrawal from Iraq this year... taly, Ukraine and the Netherlands are also planning to withdraw their troops from the US-led coalition..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4398019.stm
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
ITALIAN ACCOUNT OF U.S ATTACK ON GIULIANA SGRENA
"... when Calipari was killed and Sgrena wounded, they were on a secured road that can only be accessed through the heavily-fortified Green Zone and is reserved exclusively for top foreign embassy and US officials.... Sgrena is very frustrated by the US government's claim, repeated consistently by the media, that the Italians were fired at from a checkpoint. She says it wasn't a checkpoint at all... It was simply a tank parked on the side of the road that opened fire on them. There was no process of trying to stop the car, she said, or any signals. From her perspective, it was just opening fire by a tank...
Sgrena also says that the US soldiers fired at them from behind... the bullet that injured her so badly came from behind, entered through the back of the car. And the only person who was not severely injured in the car was the driver, and she said that this is because the shots weren't coming from the front... the soldiers were firing at a car that was driving away from them.
That could explain why the US military in Iraq has blocked the Italian government from inspecting the Italians' vehicle, even though the car is the property of the Italian government which bought it from the rental agency after this incident. 'I think they have something to hide if they won't give the car over for inspection,' Sgrena told Klein. 'It's very strange. If there is nothing to hide, why not let Italian justice officials see the car?'
'It was not self-defense,' Sgrena said. 'The soldiers were to the right of us on the side of the road, they started to shoot from the right and kept shooting from behind but most of the shots came from behind, Calipari was shot from the right and I was shot in the shoulder from behind. When we stopped, they were behind us. We could see that all the back windows of the car were broken from behind. If they are afraid, they can stop the car, they can ask it to stop, then you can shoot at the wheels but they didn't do that. They didn't try to stop the car and they shot at least ten bullets at the level of people sitting inside the car. If Calipari had not pushed me down they could have killed me.'
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=5599
Audio:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8361.htm
"... when Calipari was killed and Sgrena wounded, they were on a secured road that can only be accessed through the heavily-fortified Green Zone and is reserved exclusively for top foreign embassy and US officials.... Sgrena is very frustrated by the US government's claim, repeated consistently by the media, that the Italians were fired at from a checkpoint. She says it wasn't a checkpoint at all... It was simply a tank parked on the side of the road that opened fire on them. There was no process of trying to stop the car, she said, or any signals. From her perspective, it was just opening fire by a tank...
Sgrena also says that the US soldiers fired at them from behind... the bullet that injured her so badly came from behind, entered through the back of the car. And the only person who was not severely injured in the car was the driver, and she said that this is because the shots weren't coming from the front... the soldiers were firing at a car that was driving away from them.
That could explain why the US military in Iraq has blocked the Italian government from inspecting the Italians' vehicle, even though the car is the property of the Italian government which bought it from the rental agency after this incident. 'I think they have something to hide if they won't give the car over for inspection,' Sgrena told Klein. 'It's very strange. If there is nothing to hide, why not let Italian justice officials see the car?'
'It was not self-defense,' Sgrena said. 'The soldiers were to the right of us on the side of the road, they started to shoot from the right and kept shooting from behind but most of the shots came from behind, Calipari was shot from the right and I was shot in the shoulder from behind. When we stopped, they were behind us. We could see that all the back windows of the car were broken from behind. If they are afraid, they can stop the car, they can ask it to stop, then you can shoot at the wheels but they didn't do that. They didn't try to stop the car and they shot at least ten bullets at the level of people sitting inside the car. If Calipari had not pushed me down they could have killed me.'
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=5599
Audio:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8361.htm
Monday, March 28, 2005
TWO MONTHS AFTER ELECTIONS - BETWEEN 50-60 ATTACKS A DAY
"... George Casey, the commanding US general of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, told (CNN) that current insurgent assaults were running at between 50 and 60 attacks a day.... "What it means to me is that is they're not nearly as strong or as capable as some people thought they were prior to the elections."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1332344.htm
"... George Casey, the commanding US general of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, told (CNN) that current insurgent assaults were running at between 50 and 60 attacks a day.... "What it means to me is that is they're not nearly as strong or as capable as some people thought they were prior to the elections."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1332344.htm
Sunday, March 27, 2005
BORDER CONTROL
"... 2,268 miles of border... separate Iraq from its six neighbors... The interim Iraqi government is struggling to deal with (a) sharp rise in smuggling two years after the American-led invasion left the borders wide open, even as it grapples with the border's more heralded problem: the movement of money and fighters that is helping to sustain the guerrilla war. Outside of foreign fighters, the surge in drug trafficking has Iraqi officials most concerned.... Drug trafficking was rarely a problem under Mr. Hussein because the government executed smugglers. General Abdul-Kareem, the head of border security, said... "During Saddam's time, the borders were very tightly controlled," he said. "But we have a history of thousands of years of law, dating back to Hammurabi's Code, and we will establish order again."
http://nytimes.com/2005/03/27/international/middleeast/27border.html?hp&ex=1111986000&en=b835f0e6d7c92b5d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
"... 2,268 miles of border... separate Iraq from its six neighbors... The interim Iraqi government is struggling to deal with (a) sharp rise in smuggling two years after the American-led invasion left the borders wide open, even as it grapples with the border's more heralded problem: the movement of money and fighters that is helping to sustain the guerrilla war. Outside of foreign fighters, the surge in drug trafficking has Iraqi officials most concerned.... Drug trafficking was rarely a problem under Mr. Hussein because the government executed smugglers. General Abdul-Kareem, the head of border security, said... "During Saddam's time, the borders were very tightly controlled," he said. "But we have a history of thousands of years of law, dating back to Hammurabi's Code, and we will establish order again."
http://nytimes.com/2005/03/27/international/middleeast/27border.html?hp&ex=1111986000&en=b835f0e6d7c92b5d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
HUNT FOR WMD COST A BILLION DOLLARS
March 2005
"... The Iraq Survey Group's budget is classified, U.S. officials have said. But Duelfer's predecessor, David Kay, told the AP that a report that $600 million was appropriated for 2004 was correct. That doesn't include a reported $300 million spent on the weapons hunt before the 2004 fiscal year, and additional spending in late 2004..."
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/085/world/Missiles_microbes_sacked_weapo:.shtml
January 2005
"The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end... The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley.... Congress allotted hundreds of millions of dollars for the weapons hunt, and there has been no public accounting of the money... the entire budget and the expenditures (will) remain classified."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2129-2005Jan11.html
October 2003
"... The Bush administration is seeking a further $600 million to fund the WMD search. According to The New York Times, the request... would increase the size of Mr Kay's team to 1,400 and bring spending on the so-far futile exercise to $1 billion."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1003-01.htm
March 2005
"... The Iraq Survey Group's budget is classified, U.S. officials have said. But Duelfer's predecessor, David Kay, told the AP that a report that $600 million was appropriated for 2004 was correct. That doesn't include a reported $300 million spent on the weapons hunt before the 2004 fiscal year, and additional spending in late 2004..."
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/085/world/Missiles_microbes_sacked_weapo:.shtml
January 2005
"The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end... The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley.... Congress allotted hundreds of millions of dollars for the weapons hunt, and there has been no public accounting of the money... the entire budget and the expenditures (will) remain classified."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2129-2005Jan11.html
October 2003
"... The Bush administration is seeking a further $600 million to fund the WMD search. According to The New York Times, the request... would increase the size of Mr Kay's team to 1,400 and bring spending on the so-far futile exercise to $1 billion."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1003-01.htm
Saturday, March 26, 2005
THE DUTY OF THE U.S.
"... outside Falluja, 2nd Lt Ilario Pantano of the US Marines told me what the Iraq invasion had been for... "Our duty as Marines is, quite frankly, to export violence to the four corners of the globe, to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
... when I met him near Falluja, in June of last year, his life was almost a recruiting ad for the Marines, an example of the idealism surrounding America's Iraq adventure. Now, he has just become the first US serviceman from Iraq to be charged with murder. He is accused of killing two unarmed Iraqis, shooting them in the back, and putting their bodies on display as a warning to others..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4366269.stm
"... outside Falluja, 2nd Lt Ilario Pantano of the US Marines told me what the Iraq invasion had been for... "Our duty as Marines is, quite frankly, to export violence to the four corners of the globe, to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
... when I met him near Falluja, in June of last year, his life was almost a recruiting ad for the Marines, an example of the idealism surrounding America's Iraq adventure. Now, he has just become the first US serviceman from Iraq to be charged with murder. He is accused of killing two unarmed Iraqis, shooting them in the back, and putting their bodies on display as a warning to others..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4366269.stm
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
PICNIC IN BASRA
"The students had begun to lay out their picnic in the spring sunshine when the men attacked... shouting at us that we were immoral, that we were meeting boys and girls together and playing music and that this was against Islam... they had a duty to stop the students’ “dancing, sexy dress and corruption”. Police were guarding the picnic... but allowed the armed men in without any resistance. One brought a video camera to record the sinful spectacle of the picnic... Two students... were shot — one in the leg, the other twice in the stomach. The latter was said to have died of his injuries. Fellow students say that the girl later committed suicide. Another girl who was severely beaten around the head lost her sight..."
"... (one student) reached a police station and asked for help. “What do you expect me to do about it?” a uniformed officer asked."
" ... (the student then) went to the British military base... and pleaded with the duty officer at the gate (who said) “You’re a sovereign country now. We can’t help."
"... Colonel Kareem al-Zeidy, Basra’s police chief, pleaded helplessness. “What can I do? There is no government, no one to give us authority..."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1537512_1,00.html
"The students had begun to lay out their picnic in the spring sunshine when the men attacked... shouting at us that we were immoral, that we were meeting boys and girls together and playing music and that this was against Islam... they had a duty to stop the students’ “dancing, sexy dress and corruption”. Police were guarding the picnic... but allowed the armed men in without any resistance. One brought a video camera to record the sinful spectacle of the picnic... Two students... were shot — one in the leg, the other twice in the stomach. The latter was said to have died of his injuries. Fellow students say that the girl later committed suicide. Another girl who was severely beaten around the head lost her sight..."
"... (one student) reached a police station and asked for help. “What do you expect me to do about it?” a uniformed officer asked."
" ... (the student then) went to the British military base... and pleaded with the duty officer at the gate (who said) “You’re a sovereign country now. We can’t help."
"... Colonel Kareem al-Zeidy, Basra’s police chief, pleaded helplessness. “What can I do? There is no government, no one to give us authority..."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1537512_1,00.html
Sunday, March 20, 2005
AUSTRALIA TO BE ASKED TO REPLACE PULL OUT
"The Italian announcement follows similar staged troop-withdrawals planned by Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and The Netherlands from the British-controlled area of southern Iraq before the end of the year. With 3000 Italians, 1700 Poles, 1500 Ukrainians, 1400 Dutch troops - as well as Polish armoured and Ukraine mechanised divisions - pulling out of the south, defence analysts warn the exodus will have to be covered by British or Australian troops. Former deputy defence department secretary Hugh White told The Australian that, given the Italian withdrawal, Britain and the US would undoubtedly again ask Australia for extra troops."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12571169-421,00.html
"The Italian announcement follows similar staged troop-withdrawals planned by Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and The Netherlands from the British-controlled area of southern Iraq before the end of the year. With 3000 Italians, 1700 Poles, 1500 Ukrainians, 1400 Dutch troops - as well as Polish armoured and Ukraine mechanised divisions - pulling out of the south, defence analysts warn the exodus will have to be covered by British or Australian troops. Former deputy defence department secretary Hugh White told The Australian that, given the Italian withdrawal, Britain and the US would undoubtedly again ask Australia for extra troops."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12571169-421,00.html
Thursday, March 17, 2005
AUSTRALIA TO BE ASKED TO REPLACE PULL OUT
The Italian announcement follows similar staged troop-withdrawals planned by Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and The Netherlands from the British-controlled area of southern Iraq before the end of the year. With 3000 Italians, 1700 Poles, 1500 Ukrainians, 1400 Dutch troops - as well as Polish armoured and Ukraine mechanised divisions - pulling out of the south, defence analysts warn the exodus will have to be covered by British or Australian troops. Former deputy defence department secretary Hugh White told The Australian that, given the Italian withdrawal, Britain and the US would undoubtedly again ask Australia for extra troops.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12571169-421,00.html
The Italian announcement follows similar staged troop-withdrawals planned by Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and The Netherlands from the British-controlled area of southern Iraq before the end of the year. With 3000 Italians, 1700 Poles, 1500 Ukrainians, 1400 Dutch troops - as well as Polish armoured and Ukraine mechanised divisions - pulling out of the south, defence analysts warn the exodus will have to be covered by British or Australian troops. Former deputy defence department secretary Hugh White told The Australian that, given the Italian withdrawal, Britain and the US would undoubtedly again ask Australia for extra troops.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12571169-421,00.html
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
COALITION WITHDRAWAL
"... (Italy will) begin pulling its more than 3,000 troops troops out in September... A batch of Dutch troops arrived home on Monday. The Ukrainians will be withdrawn by October. The Ukrainian presence has totalled some 1,600 troops, the Dutch about 1,400... Bulgaria, too, has now said it is looking at pulling its 450 troops out by the end of the year... there have been some acrimonious pullouts before - like those of the Philippines in response to the taking of Filipino hostages in Iraq, and Spain, after the Madrid bombings..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4350573.stm
"... (Italy will) begin pulling its more than 3,000 troops troops out in September... A batch of Dutch troops arrived home on Monday. The Ukrainians will be withdrawn by October. The Ukrainian presence has totalled some 1,600 troops, the Dutch about 1,400... Bulgaria, too, has now said it is looking at pulling its 450 troops out by the end of the year... there have been some acrimonious pullouts before - like those of the Philippines in response to the taking of Filipino hostages in Iraq, and Spain, after the Madrid bombings..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4350573.stm
Sunday, March 13, 2005
EUROPEAN JIHADIS IN IRAQ
"... There's no question the war in Iraq... has been exploited by radical propagandists to try and recruit for terrorism... the conflict in Iraq may be temporarily absorbing volunteers and energy from Europe... it is playing a major role in radicalisation, with signs of a new generation of young Europeans going to Iraq to fight..."
--Gijs De Vries, the EU's counter-terrorist co-ordinator.
"... the evidence so far of Europeans fighting in Iraq points to a worrying trend."We know from the people captured and killed in Fallujah that they were very young - 18, 19 or 20 - which means on 11 September, they were between 14 and 16. It's a new generation of jihadists which is just coming out. Before Iraq, usually the average age of the jihadists was between 25 and 30."
--Claude Moniquet, French counter-terrorism expert.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4340315.stm
"... There's no question the war in Iraq... has been exploited by radical propagandists to try and recruit for terrorism... the conflict in Iraq may be temporarily absorbing volunteers and energy from Europe... it is playing a major role in radicalisation, with signs of a new generation of young Europeans going to Iraq to fight..."
--Gijs De Vries, the EU's counter-terrorist co-ordinator.
"... the evidence so far of Europeans fighting in Iraq points to a worrying trend."We know from the people captured and killed in Fallujah that they were very young - 18, 19 or 20 - which means on 11 September, they were between 14 and 16. It's a new generation of jihadists which is just coming out. Before Iraq, usually the average age of the jihadists was between 25 and 30."
--Claude Moniquet, French counter-terrorism expert.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4340315.stm
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
SHIITES TO ASK U.S. TO LEAVE
"Les forces étrangères devront partir d'Irak aussi tôt que possible", déclare le chef de l'Alliance chiite... Des bases américaines permanentes en Irak ?... "Ha, ha ! Non. Personne en Irak ne souhaite l'établissement de bases étrangères permanentes sur notre terre. Les résolutions du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies sont claires : il appartiendra au gouvernement irakien élu de donner, le moment venu, à ces forces une date précise pour leur départ. Aussi tôt que possible."
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3218,36-400625,0.html
"Les forces étrangères devront partir d'Irak aussi tôt que possible", déclare le chef de l'Alliance chiite... Des bases américaines permanentes en Irak ?... "Ha, ha ! Non. Personne en Irak ne souhaite l'établissement de bases étrangères permanentes sur notre terre. Les résolutions du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies sont claires : il appartiendra au gouvernement irakien élu de donner, le moment venu, à ces forces une date précise pour leur départ. Aussi tôt que possible."
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3218,36-400625,0.html
Monday, March 07, 2005
TO END TERRORISM
"You want to end terrorism? End unjust military occupations. By all means have Syria conduct an orderly withdrawal from Lebanon if that is what the Lebanese public wants. But Israel needs to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria, as well. The Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank must be ended. The Russian scorched earth policy in Chechnya needs to stop. Some just disposition of the Kashmir issue must be attained, and Indian enormities against Kashmiri Muslims must stop. The US needs to conduct an orderly and complete withdrawal from Iraq. And when all these military occupations end, there is some hope for a vast decrease in terrorism. People need a sense of autonomy and dignity, and occupation produces helplessness and humiliation. Humiliation is what causes terrorism."
Juan Cole, Informed Comment, Monday, March 07, 2005
http://www.juancole.com/
"You want to end terrorism? End unjust military occupations. By all means have Syria conduct an orderly withdrawal from Lebanon if that is what the Lebanese public wants. But Israel needs to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria, as well. The Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank must be ended. The Russian scorched earth policy in Chechnya needs to stop. Some just disposition of the Kashmir issue must be attained, and Indian enormities against Kashmiri Muslims must stop. The US needs to conduct an orderly and complete withdrawal from Iraq. And when all these military occupations end, there is some hope for a vast decrease in terrorism. People need a sense of autonomy and dignity, and occupation produces helplessness and humiliation. Humiliation is what causes terrorism."
Juan Cole, Informed Comment, Monday, March 07, 2005
http://www.juancole.com/
GIULIANA SGRENA
"Giuliana (Sgrena) had information, and the US military did not want her to survive..."
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=38029
Snatches of Guliana from her writings:
January 14: "The various embassies in Iraq, under American pressure, had already instructed the journalists based there before the bombing began on the 20th March 2003, to abandon camp. The injunction was without effect, however, and the war was covered, for better or worse, both by journalists having to submit to the control of the Iraqi Ministry of Information, and by the embedded journalists censured by the Pentagon. The further deterioration of the situation in Iraq has made it even more difficult to provide information. The journalists are hostages to all the perverse effects of the military occupation and the privatization of the war.
"The hostility of the Iraqis to the military occupation has extended to all foreigners present in the territory, contractors, journalists and workers in humanitarian organizations. It's no longer enough to be French, given the French opposition to the war and the occupation, to get special treatment. And when a military occupation is dressed up as a peace mission as the Italian government has done, it is hardly surprising that subtle distinctions are not made.
29 December 2004: " 10,000 prisoners are still locked in American and British prisons in Iraq. Most are Iraqis but there are also 350 foreigners. The figures were supplied by the Iraqi Minister of Human Rights, Bakhtiar Amin. These numbers are in strong contrast with the claims made some time ago by the Americans that the number of prisoners had been considerably reduced after the releases following the scandal of Abu Ghraib. Apparently the number of prisoners has been swelled by numerous arrests of the survivors of the attacks on Samarra, Falluja and Mosul.."
"26 November This month of November will be remembered as one of the bloodiest of the occupation. Since the beginning of the month, which is not yet finished, 109 Marines have been killed, a figure already greater than that of the earlier attack on Fallujah, last April. But it is above all the Iraqis who are paying the highest tribute : 2,085 killed in the attack according to the information given out by Iraqi Security Minister Quassim Daud, without specifying the number of civilians. The problem, says the Minister, is that of identification, as many of the victims were not carrying documents. But many observers say that the problem is that many of the bodies were unrecognizable because they were so carbonized that the use of napalm was suspected.
"At the same time as the victim count from Fallujah, more disturbing news is arriving from Oslo in the form of the report of an investigation conducted by the Iraqi Health Ministry, in conjunction with the Norwegian FAFO Institute for applied international studies and UNDP, into the health of Iraqi children. The report states that since the beginning of the war (March 2003) the number of Iraqi children under the age of 5 suffering from acute malnutrition has doubled, passing from 4 to 7.7%. Further, over 400,000 are suffering from chronic diarrhea and protein deficit."
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0306-22.htm
"Giuliana (Sgrena) had information, and the US military did not want her to survive..."
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=38029
Snatches of Guliana from her writings:
January 14: "The various embassies in Iraq, under American pressure, had already instructed the journalists based there before the bombing began on the 20th March 2003, to abandon camp. The injunction was without effect, however, and the war was covered, for better or worse, both by journalists having to submit to the control of the Iraqi Ministry of Information, and by the embedded journalists censured by the Pentagon. The further deterioration of the situation in Iraq has made it even more difficult to provide information. The journalists are hostages to all the perverse effects of the military occupation and the privatization of the war.
"The hostility of the Iraqis to the military occupation has extended to all foreigners present in the territory, contractors, journalists and workers in humanitarian organizations. It's no longer enough to be French, given the French opposition to the war and the occupation, to get special treatment. And when a military occupation is dressed up as a peace mission as the Italian government has done, it is hardly surprising that subtle distinctions are not made.
29 December 2004: " 10,000 prisoners are still locked in American and British prisons in Iraq. Most are Iraqis but there are also 350 foreigners. The figures were supplied by the Iraqi Minister of Human Rights, Bakhtiar Amin. These numbers are in strong contrast with the claims made some time ago by the Americans that the number of prisoners had been considerably reduced after the releases following the scandal of Abu Ghraib. Apparently the number of prisoners has been swelled by numerous arrests of the survivors of the attacks on Samarra, Falluja and Mosul.."
"26 November This month of November will be remembered as one of the bloodiest of the occupation. Since the beginning of the month, which is not yet finished, 109 Marines have been killed, a figure already greater than that of the earlier attack on Fallujah, last April. But it is above all the Iraqis who are paying the highest tribute : 2,085 killed in the attack according to the information given out by Iraqi Security Minister Quassim Daud, without specifying the number of civilians. The problem, says the Minister, is that of identification, as many of the victims were not carrying documents. But many observers say that the problem is that many of the bodies were unrecognizable because they were so carbonized that the use of napalm was suspected.
"At the same time as the victim count from Fallujah, more disturbing news is arriving from Oslo in the form of the report of an investigation conducted by the Iraqi Health Ministry, in conjunction with the Norwegian FAFO Institute for applied international studies and UNDP, into the health of Iraqi children. The report states that since the beginning of the war (March 2003) the number of Iraqi children under the age of 5 suffering from acute malnutrition has doubled, passing from 4 to 7.7%. Further, over 400,000 are suffering from chronic diarrhea and protein deficit."
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0306-22.htm
Saturday, March 05, 2005
ITALIAN JOURNALIST WOUNDED BY U.S. TROOPS
"The companion of freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena... (said) the shooting had been deliberate."The Americans and Italians knew about (her) car coming... They were 700 meters (yards) from the airport, which means that they had passed all checkpoints." The shooting late Friday was witnessed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office which was on the phone with one of the secret service agents... Then the US military silenced the cellphones... Giuliana had information, and the US military did not want her to survive..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0305-05.htm
"Hostage fears troops targeted her... Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has suggested US troops deliberately tried to kill her moments after she was released by her kidnappers in Baghdad..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4323361.stm
"The companion of freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena... (said) the shooting had been deliberate."The Americans and Italians knew about (her) car coming... They were 700 meters (yards) from the airport, which means that they had passed all checkpoints." The shooting late Friday was witnessed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office which was on the phone with one of the secret service agents... Then the US military silenced the cellphones... Giuliana had information, and the US military did not want her to survive..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0305-05.htm
"Hostage fears troops targeted her... Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has suggested US troops deliberately tried to kill her moments after she was released by her kidnappers in Baghdad..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4323361.stm
Friday, March 04, 2005
KURDS HAVE OWN INEPENDENT GOVERNMENT
"Kurds voted January 30... for Kurdish parliament and local government through the governorate councils... amount(ing) to independence-like autonomy... to rule on the internal affairs of Kurdistan. The Kurdish parliament will rule on all matters except foreign policy and diplomatic representation, security and defense, and fiscal matters including currency.... The Kurdish parliament will have the power to resist any domestic policies coming from Baghdad and central government decisions will apply to Kurdistan only if they are ratified by the Kurdistan parliament..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GC03Ak02.html
"Kurds voted January 30... for Kurdish parliament and local government through the governorate councils... amount(ing) to independence-like autonomy... to rule on the internal affairs of Kurdistan. The Kurdish parliament will rule on all matters except foreign policy and diplomatic representation, security and defense, and fiscal matters including currency.... The Kurdish parliament will have the power to resist any domestic policies coming from Baghdad and central government decisions will apply to Kurdistan only if they are ratified by the Kurdistan parliament..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GC03Ak02.html
AMERICAN JAILS IN IRAQ BURSTING
The American military's major detention centers in Iraq have swelled to capacity... the military is holding at least 8,900 detainees in the three major prisons, 1,000 more than in late January... in Abu Ghraib... 3,160 people are being kept, well above the 2,500 level considered ideal... The largest center, Camp Bucca in the south, has at least 5,640 detainees... never before has the system had to grapple with so many detainees..."
http://nytimes.com/2005/03/04/international/middleeast/04detain.html?hp
The American military's major detention centers in Iraq have swelled to capacity... the military is holding at least 8,900 detainees in the three major prisons, 1,000 more than in late January... in Abu Ghraib... 3,160 people are being kept, well above the 2,500 level considered ideal... The largest center, Camp Bucca in the south, has at least 5,640 detainees... never before has the system had to grapple with so many detainees..."
http://nytimes.com/2005/03/04/international/middleeast/04detain.html?hp
Thursday, March 03, 2005
BANNED WEAPONS USED ON FALLUJAH
"... assigned by the (Ministry of Health) to assess the health conditions in Fallujah... an official... said that the U.S. military used internationally banned weapons during its deadly offensive... He said that the city is still suffering from the effects of chemical substances and other types of weapons that cause serious diseases over the long term... Fallujah residents reported that they saw “melted” bodies in the city, which suggests that U.S. forces used napalm... The United States... is the only nation in the world still using the deadly weapon."
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=7216
"... assigned by the (Ministry of Health) to assess the health conditions in Fallujah... an official... said that the U.S. military used internationally banned weapons during its deadly offensive... He said that the city is still suffering from the effects of chemical substances and other types of weapons that cause serious diseases over the long term... Fallujah residents reported that they saw “melted” bodies in the city, which suggests that U.S. forces used napalm... The United States... is the only nation in the world still using the deadly weapon."
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=7216