Iraq - Over 1m dead, terror normalised, 100s killed weekly

[Annie]

Hi all

Have you seen this website? A useful round-up of what's happening in Iraq:

iraqfocus@riseup.net

Regards

Annie

[ian neal]

This is the website address

http://www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk/

A few too many gatekeepers (Tony Benn, the Gorgeous One, Milan Rai) for my taste but definately worth being aware of. Current supporters

Jewish Socialists' Group
Radical Activist Network
Red Pepper magazine
War on Want

Jeremy Corbyn MP
George Galloway MP
Jean Lambert MEP
Caroline Lucas MEP
John Mcdonnell MP

Diran Adebayo
Nadje Al-Ali
Tariq Ali
Tony Benn
Gabriel Carlyle
Munir Chalabi
Ken Coates
Liz Davies
Jeremy Dear
Tim Gopsill
Suresh Grover
Jeremy Hardy
Ewa Jasiewicz
Imran Khan
James Kelman
Mike Marqusee
Geoff Martin
Andy Newman
Lou Plummer
Milan Rai
Sami Ramadani
Asad Rehman
Mark Seddon
Greg Tucker
Hilary Wainwright
Martin Wicks
Haifa Zangana

[Ravenmoon]

[Disco_Destroyer]

Probably the same as the rest of us!! We're still waiting

[WyldeChylde]

I just had a quick look at that, and that figure's just an estimate Can imagine the real figure's not far off.

[eogz]

Unfortunately your average Brit just doesn't feel Iraqi Men Women and Children are white enough to care about.

I tell people these figures and they shrug their soldiers, we are a nation of desensitized couldn't give a *!

[Anthony Lawson]

A Call to the Moderators

Would a moderator please change the heading on this thread to:

Iraq: Over 1 Million Killed Since U.S. and British Invasion

An economy of truth is a lie: A lie of omission.

[Ravenmoon]

[Anthony Lawson]

Re-Writing History – So Soon?

Why is it that so few contributors on this site are willing to admit their mistakes, or that they might be wrong, on certain issues?

[marky 54]

[John White]

[Louise]

I tell you what i woudn't like to get involved with ANY war with the USA.

Not only do you have to watch out for the so called "enemy", but you have to watch your back as well, you might get hit by friendly fire.

I feel so sorry for all those innocent people who have died because of this war.

But i feel so helpless as well, what can i do about it?.

If i felt i could make some sort of significant difference and change things for the good i'd do it of course.

[Anthony Lawson]

News Flash: Invading a Sovereign Nation is not Important

[John White]

Yes mate, and having a tizzy over a thread title is disprportionate

Do you wish to infer that either Ravenmoon or myself are unable to comprehend the sheer horror of what's been going on since 9/11?

If so, I can assure you I can find some choice words in response

I certainly understand your feelings but seeking catharsis like this is looking in the wrong place, and frankly gives the impression that your having trouble handling it: again, I can certainly understand, but again, its my POV thats a misapplication of your energies

Go find some blog or forum of the mind enslaved and go tell them about it! At least there you'll find some punters deserving of a verbal toungue lashing

[Anthony Lawson]

Missing out GB’s Involvement is still An Economy of Truth

[TonyGosling]

AFP - Iraq PM calls emergency summit
August 13, 2007 04:25am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22234600-23109,00.html
PRIME Minister Nuri al-Maliki overnight called on senior leaders in Iraq's bitterly divided communities to hold crisis talks this week in an effort to save his fraying national unity government.

His latest attempt to bring the leaders of the warring communites under one roof came at a time when the American military declared that five more of its troops battling to bring security to war-torn Iraq had been killed.

"I have invited major political leaders to a meeting to discuss substantial matters," Mr Maliki said in a televised speech.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow could be the first meeting for these leaders to discuss the political program and important strategic problems," the embattled Shiite prime minister said.

Seventeen ministerial posts in his government are empty or filled by members boycotting cabinet meetings amid protests by many parties, especially the main Sunni Arab bloc, at Mr Maliki's faltering program of national reconciliation.

Hopes that his so-called unity coalition can be saved now depend on the senior leadership of the rival parties cutting a new power-sharing deal that can convince the bitter Sunni minority to return to the fold.

Mr Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi, another Shiite, are expected to attend the crisis summit.

Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, the senior Sunni Arab in the government and a critic of Mr Maliki's alleged sectarian bias whose presence would be considered crucial, has not yet made it explicitly clear whether he will attend.

But the main Sunni bloc, the National Concord Front to which Mr Hashemi belongs, agreed to participate in the summit, despite its decision to walk out of the government.

"It (the summit) is not just a wish of the government but a wish of all the political parties, and has nothing to do with the Front's withdrawal," said Salim Abdullah, spokesman of the Front.

"We will participate in the meeting and discuss various issues, including those related to security and dealing with the militia."

The Front withdrew from Mr Maliki's government on August 1, effectively ending any claim by the Shiite-dominated coalition to be one of national unity.

The bloc has accused the government of failing to rein in Shiite militias accused of killing Sunni Arabs in the brutal Iraqi sectarian strife.

Since the US-led invasion of March 2003, Iraq has plunged into an abyss of overlapping civil conflicts that have divided its rival religious and ethnic communities, and left tens of thousands of civilians dead.

Washington has warned Iraq's leaders to work harder on unity, concerned that the political stalemate could torpedo efforts to reconcile the warring factions and undermine the work of 155,000 American troops to end the conflict.

Shiite parties are suspicious of Sunni leaders whose minority sect dominated political power under executed former dictator Saddam Hussein and accuse them of supporting violent insurgent groups.

Sunni leaders accuse the Shiite parties of ties with powerful neighbour Iran and condemn their alleged complicity with Shiite militias.

As the latest political moves unfolded, the US military said five more of its troops had been killed in fighting around Baghdad, four of whom died when a house rigged with explosives blew up south of the Iraqi capital.

The soldiers were all killed yesterday and belonged to Task Force Marne, which was deployed in the southern belt of Baghdad four months ago as part of the new US counter-insurgency troop "surge".

US military spokesman Sergeant First Class Craig Zentkovich said four of the soldiers were killed "due to a house rigged or booby-trapped with explosives" after the troops entered the property during a clearing operation.

"There was more than one explosion," said Sgt Zentkovich, but said the number of blasts was unclear in what could have been evidence of a sophisticated trap.

The fifth soldier was killed by small arms fire while on foot patrol south-east of the capital, the military said.

At least 29 American soldiers have now died in Iraq this month, and the latest deaths took US losses in the country since the 2003 invasion to 3684, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.

Also overnight, six policemen in the Shiite-dominated police force, a soldier and a woman, were killed in random attacks across northern Iraq, local commanders said.

[TonyGosling]

Daily news feed from Iraq - A detailed account of how the Iraqi people are fighting back day by day. Unfortunately the only way the Iraqi people have left to resist this ilegal occupation - due to the western media censorship - is to kill as many of the occupying soldiers as possible. Much to the delight of the racist, bloodthirsty Zionists and NeoCons.
http://www.albasrah.net/pages/mod.php?header=res1&mod=gis&rep=rep

http://www.albasrah.net/index.php

[eogz]

Marky 54, I hope you are right.

I work with lots of people who choose to believe what they are told as opposed to looking into things a little bit.

When it comes to generalising public opinion the media, controlled or not dictate most public opinion.

Sorry if I offended you, but I do feel that unless victims in the world are white, as am I, the general population breathes a sigh of relief and stops worrying about the massive scale of death and suffering out there. Unfortunately ignorance in this age of information and internet access is no excuse.

I could be wrong about what I said, I am often wrong when emotive, but in some ways I fear not.

Sorry if this is off the thread people.

[Anthony Lawson]

Still a Dishonest Headline

[John White]

The problem Andrew isnt the headline title or what it should or should not be:

Its your unfounded and disturbingly paranoid inferences that there is a covert agenda at play amongst the site admin by NOT altering everything posted by other people to some kind of "authorised" tune, that apparently only you are qualified (dunno how) to call

I maintain your making a berk out of yourself, and I don't mind saying that I am less inclined to alter a thread title on your behalf the more you continue to do so, as it appears to me to be pandering to hysteria

Again: you seem to be unable to credit basic intelligence and common sense to the other members of the forum

[Anthony Lawson]

Inaccuracies

[John White]

Andrew, Anthony, whatever, I'm a busy fellow and bored with your moaning on this thread as it is

YES YOU DID infer this site is "protecting" and "covering up" something

Just get over yourself

[Dogsmilk]

Technically speaking, a lot of other nations were in the 'coalition of the willing' as well - for example, I notice there is no mention of Spain or the Phillipines who also played their minor role. In fact, unless the thread title lists every single country in the COTW and John White changes 'damnable escapade' to 'Unspeakable horror without precedent the very mention of which causes me to weep blood' I will never even think about this site again let alone post on it. Or I may just scream and scream until I am sick. So there.

[TonyGosling]

These exchanges should be on PMs rather than here on the board
IMHO the headline wording is a trivial matter but I'll try and make a bit of peace by slightly changing it and hope that doesn't cause a masive ruccus

This is not to imply ANY wrongdoing at all by John who's a wonderful and longsuffering moderator on here and deserves a bit more respect for a few mild offhand commets.

Please do whatever you can to stick to a mature discussion of the issues - as about a hundred people a day are being murdered by the effing Coalition of Willing Nazis' in Iraq.

cheeze

Tony

[Anthony Lawson]

Make good your claim.

[Mark Gobell]

[Mark Gobell]

[John White]

A pathologically sick man.

Loved this comment:

[blackbear]

Iraq - Grandeur & Destruction. Part I
Layla Anwar, An Arab Woman Blues

December 15, 2007

Breakthrough & Nostalgia

When I say and repeat that you, Americans have destroyed everything in Iraq, I am met with scorn and anger.

Some of you are too simplistic and equate destruction with buildings in ruins.

Having a limited a vision, you can’t go beyond the material, the physical...

I reiterate, you Americans have destroyed everything in Iraq. And I mean EVERYTHING.

Since 1958 until 2003, Iraq, its government and its people strove relentlessly to build a modern nation state.

The biggest developmental boom took place under the Baath regime and in particular under Saddam Hussein. Like it or not.

In 1972, the oil was nationalized. By 1982, illiteracy and preventable diseases were eradicated.

Education including higher education was free of charge. The government would disburse 5000 grants yearly for postgraduate studies abroad to England, Germany, Russia, France...

By 2003, Iraq accounted for 30’000 scientists. Yes, you read me right, 30’000 scientists. And when in 2003, Bush said that Iraqis were very educated people, he knew what he was talking about.

Now you understand why the targeting of academics, scientists and intellectuals was part of the American plan. It was actually no.1 on the agenda way before "sectarian warfare" broke out.

Since, over 600 scientists and academics have been murdered in cold blood, the rest have fled and many are reported missing...

University libraries and schools were booming with books and publications, the National library in Baghdad held the most ancient manuscripts ever to be found.

Iraqis were known to devour books, and Baghdad was a publishing center. Books would even be distributed free of charge to other Middle Eastern countries including some parts of Africa.

The Universities were equipped with the latest technology and labs. The student dorms were specially designed to accommodate the highest number of students – a lot of them came and studied and lived free of charge in Iraq. They came from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Algeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan...

In the medical field, Iraq was considered the most developed nation -along with its educational system, in the whole of the Middle East . Both WHO and UNICEF stated that Iraq on these two fronts could be considered as having overcome "underdevelopment" and was ready to join the "developed world."

All specialists were sent abroad for post-doctorate research and for further specialization.

We had the most advanced hospitals, with the latest equipment, there were health dispensaries in every neighborhood. Medication was subsidized, and all you needed to do is pay a symbolic fee of 1 dinar. 1 Dinar for a medical visit and that was it.

Infrastructures were diligently built. Roads, highways, bridges, sewage system, electricity, telecommunications, industry, commercial buildings, hotels, agribusiness...All of these were built by Iraqis. Not some foreign labor, but Iraqis themselves.

In fact, Iraqis were the main asset. And the government under Saddam Hussein, invested heaps into the main riches of Iraq- its people.

Women were particularly favored during that time. We had equal rights, equal pay, 2 years maternity leave, we could divorce when we saw fit, no one would tell us how to dress, 70% of us were working women, we had access to schools, universities, education, government institutions...We could travel, drive, and run our own businesses...

Some of us were professors, others doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, archeologists, financial managers, diplomats, judges, lawyers, artists, singers, writers, actresses...

We could walk the streets alone, during the day and night, we could go out, dress as we pleased (within reasonable limits), marry whom we wanted in a civil court if we had so wished...Polygamy was forbidden and domestic violence was punishable by law.

Our children had access to free schooling, free meals, free health care and were vaccinated free of charge. Iraq had the lowest child mortality rate in the whole of the Middle East. Our children went to good schools with heating, with desks and chairs, they had enough to eat, they had places to go to and play, they had parks and gardens, swings and playgrounds, they had a mother and a father and grew up into healthy adulthood...

Those who had lost their parents were either taken care of by the rest of the extended family and were given a governmental pay allocation for that or placed in orphanages that were subsidized and supervised by the government. And trust me that government was quite strict with any form of abuse if it ever happened.

The few gays we had, were tolerated and were not harassed or targeted and were not tortured or murdered in broad daylight.

Minorities like the Kurds had their own regional autonomy. Saddam Hussein built them universities and schools where they could teach and learn in their own language. They were allowed their own press in Kurdish, their culture- music, customs and their own style of dress. They were free to circulate in the whole of Iraq, attend universities and live anywhere they wished.

In fact a lot of them remained in Baghdad . They were allowed to be part of the government and were represented in it. We had Kurdish ministers and ambassadors.
And intermarriage between Kurds and Arabs was very common. Kurdish even became a compulsory secondary language in Baghdad’s high schools.

Other minorities like the Sabeans, the Yazidis and the Turkmen were allowed to form associations, practice their own religion, language or ethnic customs...And again, intermarriage was common.

Christians were protected, particularly protected. They were given posts in government. Had access to all the Iraqi institutions, owned their own businesses, were free to worship as they pleased, the government even had a special budget for the construction of churches. They were allowed Sunday off instead of the traditional Muslim Friday. They celebrated their religious holidays in all freedom, they were Iraqis before anything else...They were even free to have their own hospitals, schools, and pension homes.

The Shiites formed the bulk of the government employees and the army. They were considered as Iraqi citizens first and foremost, were allowed to worship in their own mosques and study in their own religious centers, they had access to education, housing, employment, higher studies, high governmental posts, ministerial posts, diplomatic posts...

They were allowed to marry anyone they pleased. And the fact is that the rate of intermarriage between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis is the highest in the Middle East compared to let’s say Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon or Saudi Arabia where Shiite minorities exist. There is not one Iraqi family which is not of mixed sects- Sunni/ Shia.

Iraq produced Shiite doctors, professors, scientists, artists, sportsmen...

Palestinians, and they used to call themselves Iraqi-Palestinians, numbered around 35'000 in total.

They were specially protected by Saddam Hussein and his government. They were given equal rights just like the Iraqis, were allowed to own their businesses, marry -marriage between Iraqis and Palestinians was common, had access to free schools, universities, grants, medical services just like any Iraqi.
Palestinians were considered the rightful owners of a just cause and they were fully and unconditionally supported -no matter the cost or the consequences. And that is the way to do it.

Culturally and artistically, Iraq was a truly booming place. Baghdad was known for its poets, writers, artists, musicians, painters, dancers...

And Saddam Hussein invested heavily in Iraqi art.

There was a special Institute for plastic arts, sculpture and ceramics... The Iraqi school of Art was known to be the most prominent in the Middle East and produced many famous names that were later emulated by other Arab artists.

Furthermore, to encourage both Iraqi and non Iraqi art, the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein, established cultural offices supervised by its cutural attachés abroad.

For instance you had an Iraqi cultural center in London, one in Paris and another one in Geneva.

These centers would promote Iraqi and non Iraqi artists, organize Iraqi dance festivals, Iraqi exhibitions of crafts and traditionally designed clothes, would invite traditional Iraqi musicians...

The aim was to bridge any cultural gaps between the Arab world/Iraq and the West. And all these activities were free of charge. The government paid for everything- every single activity and covered all the costs it entailed.

As some of you may know, Iraq is the land of the first civilizations known to humankind. The skeleton of the Alphabet started in Sumer with the first cuneiforms. Even cooking recipes were engraved on tablets. Techniques for civil construction, agricultural irrigation and also the preliminaries for urban planning - all took root in this ancient civilization. Epics, poetry, music, jurisprudence with Hammurabi’s over 700 codified rules, philosophy and metaphysics also took root in this land...

I don’t want to go into Mesopotamian history right now, but suffice to say, that Iraq counts for the highest number of archeological sites in the world covering thousands of years, and bearing witness to different epochs of history. From the Sumerians right through to the monotheistic prophets and beyond...

Before the sanction years and I will touch on the sanctions years in my next chapter, the government under Saddam Hussein spent millions of dollars in the restoration, preservation and protection of these sites that are considered part of the universal patrimonial heritage according to UNESCO’s definitions.

The hanging gardens of Babylon were even considered part of the 7 wonders of the world. Not anymore. They have been replaced by Petra in Jordan.

The Iraqi museum was home to thousands of priceless artifacts, numbered, classified and recorded...Experts in ancient history and archeology would spent unlimited hours excavating, restoring, preserving, protecting and teaching our Mesopotamian heritage that stretched all the way to the Abbasid Caliphate right into Modern Iraq.

Right up to the sanctions years and despite the Iran-Iraq war, one can safely say that the Iraqi state was a fully modern functioning independent entity. When I talk about state I am not only talking of governmental institutions.

There were these and there was the army, a modern strong capable army. But state also entails other aspects...

State entails other societal institutions, like universities, schools, hospitals, cultural bodies, associations...infrastructural systems, civic society and national and cultural identity.

The Iraqi State and its ideology overcame tribalism, sectarianism, ethnic chauvinism...And it was fully functional State without outside help. It was run by Iraqis for Iraqis.

I am absolutely convinced that, had Khomeinism not appeared on the scene, and Khomeinism was greatly helped to accede to power thanks to the West...

I am absolutely convinced had there not been this tumor called political Shiism, and Persianism. I am absolutely convinced that had Iraq not had such disgusting treacherous neighbors- Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait...

I am absolutely convinced had Iraq been truly allowed to continue on its developmental path without having to constantly ward off outside influences, it would have become a fully fledged Arab Democracy with its own specificity...

In fact Iraq had ALL the necessary prerequisites and ingredients to become so.

It had a strong government with a vision, it had institutions, it had eradicated illiteracy and had a highly educated population, it was developed in more ways than one...

And this, the West can never accept. Nor the West, nor the rest of the feudal backward Arab states, nor the criminal Israel and Iran.

And it is with the objective of destroying what the Iraqi government and in particular Saddam Hussein took great pains in building in only 3 decades, and 3 decades are not much in the history of a country, the Americans came to invade and occupy...

America’s objectives and the primary goal on its agenda was the erasing of the Iraqi identity because America understood that it was precisely that identity that proved to be America’s main stumbling block despite years of grotesque, criminal sanctions. Sanctions, previously unknown to contemporary mankind.

Not since the League of Nations, has anyone witnessed such a collective effort to destroy and steal the soul of a nation that tried to stand on its own two feet alone with its own resources.

And its resources were:
1) a hardworking, intelligent, educated people
2) its natural geography - a) the finest quality of crude oil gushing from the biggest, largely unexplored oil reserves in the world. b)sweet water flowing from two rivers. c) a fertile land and,

4) its deep, ancient, historical roots from which it drew pride and moral strength.

A deadly combination for the covetous, barbaric West and for their b****** criminal whore mistresses the Jewish State of Israel and Persian-Iran.

Here was an independent, progressive, modern, secular, strong, proud, Arab identity...that freed itself from the shackles of the Ottoman then British colonialism and on its way towards true economic, political, intellectual and moral independence...Here was a country who refused to be a lapdog, a slave that would bow down...And that was simply not acceptable.

And the breakthrough that started as a dream and took root in reality, was forbidden to further unfold...Not only was it forbidden to unfold, it had to be smashed, destroyed to pieces. It was in fact a must.

http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m39229&hd=&size=1&l=e

[blackcat]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/25/foreignpolicy.iraq