Gorilla’s Guides

The big news is the al-Sadr’s “Stand Down” —more accurately termed Maliki’s “climb down” follow this link or click the image below to see the original text of al-Sadr’s declaration. There will be plenty of statements and counter statements and a lot of misinformation especially in the Western media and the pro-government Iraki media. This is my “take” on the matter.

Text of the declaration:

Based upon our responsibilities under the law [shariah] and for the sparing of Iraki blood and for the protection of the reputability of the Iraqi people, and for their unity both in terms of people and in terms of territory, and in preparation for its independence and liberation from the armies of oppression; and in order to put out the fires of fitna which the occupier and his followers wish to keep burning between Iraki brothers, we call upon the beloved Iraki people to measure up to their responsibility and their cognisance of law in sparing bloodshed and preserving peace in Irak, and its stability and independence.

The following is resolved:

1. Ending armed manifestations in Basra governorate and all the other governorates.
2. Ending of attacks and illegal arbitrary detentions.
3. Demand that the government apply the law on general amnesty, and release all prisoners who have not had charges confirmed against them, in particular prisoners belonging to the Sadrist current.
4. We announce that we will repudiate those who carry weapons and target the government and service agencies and institutions, or the offices of political parties.
5. Cooperation with government agencies to bring about security and to charge criminals, according to due process of law.
6. We reassert that the Sadrist movement does not possess heavy weapons.
7. Efforts [meaningful efforts are to be made] for the return to their residential areas of those who were forced out as a result of security incidents.
8. We demand respect for human rights by the government in all of its security activities.
9. Working [meaningful efforts are to be made] towards the realisation of development and service projects in all governorates.

The first thing that must be said is that these are exactly the same demands that al-Sadr has been making for months. He reiterated them again when the fighting started. Maliki has been forced to accept every single one of them. I wonder how he managed to delude himself that the spectacularly misnamed “Saulat al-Forsan” (Charge of the Knights) would succeed.

Basrah is the country’s economic lung and the Mahdi army, the Badr Brigade, and Virtue (Fadhila) party all have a heavily armed presence there. Politically it is arguable whether it is the Virtue party or the Sadrists who are likely to do best in the forthcoming elections both are likely to do very well indeed, the SIIC is unlikely to do well, they will be lucky if the retain and significant presence.

The Mahdi Army was well-prepared:

The Mahdi army took the lessons of recent events to heart. Since the fighting in Karbala followed by further recent operations to reduce if not eliminate, their presence the Mahdi army have been digging in and preparing a defense in depth in Basrah. They plainly also planned to interdict the arrival of reinforcements for GZG troops once the fighting which everyone could see was coming got underway. They succeeded in their goals:

• They successfully prevented attempt after attempt after attempt to retake the Qurnah bridge.
• Far from being dislodged from their strongholds they successfully carried out a very difficult military operation — a tactical retreat under heavy fire to ready prepared defensive positions.
• They successfully counter-attacked repeatedly.

During several of those counter-attacks they captured and/or destroyed heavy weaponry from GZG forces they also on several occasions cut off and then destroyed attacking forces.

We can now confirm that in regard to al Taminmiyah the reports from residents in this earlier posting “Other residents report that GZG troops attempted an incursion and are now trapped there are similar reports from Zubair and al-Ashar“turns out to have been no more than the truth and that the same is true of Zubair and al-Ashar.

The GZG defense minister admitted that his forces were unprepared either for the ferocity with which the Mahdi army fought or for the sophistication of much of their weaponry. Nor were they prepared for the combination of a simple refusal to fight by many of the soldiers coupled with wholesale defections.

That was not all they were unprepared for. The South erupted. That is a dramatic way of saying that the Mahdi Army successfully opened a number of new fronts in the fighting, Nasiriya, Karbala, Hilla, Diwaniyah, and Kut all saw very fierce fighting. Apart from the benefit to its fighters in Basrah there was the added benefit of reducing the pressure on its fighters in Karbala. They successfully seized Kut - they remain in control of that city for the moment, and in Nasiriyah, Dawa’s heartland, they not only seized ground they laid siege to the governor in his palace and the large number of GZG troops who were protecting him. Every time those troops tried to effect a breakout they were easily beaten back. Desperate negotiations ensued before the final Mahdi army assault, and the governor remains alive, and under siege, - for now.

As to what happens next on these secondary fronts it is hard to tell. My guess, and it is no more than an educated guess, is that the Mahdi army will gradually cede partial control of Kut and the other cities once the local GZG authorities demonstrate good faith. The problem of course lies in those two words “good faith” - at no point have Dawa and SIIC ever done so and I find it difficult to believe GZG officials loyal to those parties will do so now. I hope to be proved wrong in this but I am not optimistic. The fact that operations by GZG forces are continuing in several places including in Basrah makes me even less optimistic.

Let us get back to what we know instead of guesswork. It is clear that the GZG was also unprepared for the ferocity of the fight back in Baghdad. The Mahdi army not only were not dislodged they succeeded in gaining territory and will not lightly give it up. A measure of how desperate the situation was the GZG in Baghdad can be found in the fact that they had to massively reinforce Karrada and prevent all access to Kazhimiya. They had to get the Americans to help them besiege Sadr city. They lost badly in al-Shula. Baghdad did not see the wholesale defections of Basrah but there were enough of them including among elite units - army and police, to make the GZG military leadership very doubtful of their men.

Another measure of GZG desperation is that they used peshmerga forces in Basrah (and in Baghdad). I find it hard to find the words to describe how thoroughly hated the Peshmerga regiments have made themselves in the central and southern governorates. They see themselves as entitled to exact every piece of revenge they possibly can at every possible opportunity and do so. This may be understandable but it is very bad tactics.

What happens next? I do not know. But on past performance we can expect a lot of chest thumping from the GZG and from the Americans. We can also expect a lot of “incidents” of varying severity from the GZG side - probing attacks in other words.

What of Maliki - the man whose arrogance and disastrous lack of judgement has drastically weakened the GZG. What will happen to him?

Who cares …

Saba Ali Ihsaan,
Baghdad,
Irak

Baghdad, Jan. 26, (VOI) – Analysts of the situation in Iraq recognize that extremist violent Shiite groups, such as the Soldiers of Heaven and Ansar Ahmad Al-Yamani (Supporters of Ahmed Al-Yamani), began appearing in Iraq after April of 2003.

Shiite literature indicates that Al-Yamani was the individual who lay the ground for the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Montadhar (The 12th Imam of the Imami Shiites). Sources explain that the organization of Ahmad al-Yamani is a Shiite group that calls itself Ansar Al-Mahdi (Supporters of Al-Mahdi), headed by Ahmad Bin Al-Hassan who refers to himself as Al-Yamani. 

In spite of the different names, these movements have mutual points of similarity. They are all Shiite, refuse to accept any political or religious clergy other than their leaders, they all have extremist beliefs that reject the current situation in Iraq, and they adopt violent approaches as means of changing the situation. In addition, they all try to recruit young, ignorant, socially neglected Shiites that have strong ties to the Shiite religious communities.  

A few days ago, heavy clashes erupted in the two southern Shiite cities of Basra and Nassiriya (590 km and 380 km respectively, south of Baghdad), between Iraqi armed forces and gunmen belonging to Ansar Ahmad Al-Yamani group.

Hundreds of the gunmen were killed or arrested, while tens of Iraqi militaries and civilians were either killed or wounded. This coincided with the celebrations for Ashura, an Islamic Shiite occasion, in the mid and southern parts of Iraq.

Read more »

Note to Americans they don’t hate you for your freedoms they hate you for starving, maiming, and murdering their children.

This posting is available for download as a PDF follow this link to get the PDF: 2007 Year In Review June 1st to June 29th

June 1, 2007

• “Well done I hope you’re fucking proud of yourselves”

June 2, 2007

Summary:

• Despite a heavy American presence the curfews that the Americans and greenzone goverernment troops attempted to impose there has been renewed very heavy fighting between armed groups in Amiriyah, Baghdad.
• In a major escalation of the campaign to destroy key bridges throughout Irak bombers destroyed about half of the Sahra bridge over the the al-Adham river near Touz Kourmatu
• British forces will withdraw from their occupation of Irak by the end of this year.
• In the second such incident this week an armed group kidnapped today Saturday, three greenzone government soldiers from the Facilities Protection Service in an armed ambush south west of Kirkuk.
• Green zone government security during the past 48 hours, have seen 11 of their number killed, including one officer, and 15 others wounded, including one officer in combat missions in Baghdad.

Scenes From An Iraki Childhood - Diyala

1. Mohammed Mahmoud Azzawi was 11-years-old. He was killed on Saturday, June 2, 2007 by a U.S airstrike this morning on the Al-mafraq district of central Baqubah. He was one of the 3 civilians killed. Five other civilians were wounded the Joint Coordination Center said. The lady mourning over his body is his grandmother.
2. A mother kisses her son’s forehead in Baqubah hospital Saturday June 2nd 2007. The boy was one of five civilians wounded by a U.S airstrike this morning on the Al-mafraq district of central Baqubah.

   

3. Two other children Karim Suhail Abedand, and Jassim Khalaf who were cousins were killed the photograph at the link shows there mothers mourning over there blanket wrapped corpses at Baqubah morgue.

June 3, 2007

• IRAQ: Local tribes in south set up schools

June 4 2007

“It seems to me sometimes that even the memory of happiness is gone from my life. But today I was going through Firdous Square. I saw the photograph to the right being taken and stood and watched the children play in the waters of the fountain in front of the Mosque.

For a while today while I watched I remembered happiness and was happy.”

• Summary June 4 2007:
• The political war of words between Turkey and the Kurds continued to heat up today.
• Iraki Muslim scholars held a conference at which they founded an organisation to promote Muslim and Iraki unity.
• Twenty eight bodies were discovered in Baghdad.
• 76 unidentified and unclaimed bodies were buried brought from a morgue in Baghdad and buried in al-Wadi al-Jadid bringing the total of such funerals in al-Wadi al-Jadid since May 2006 to 2560.
• There is yet another operation being mounted to pacify al-Fadil in central Baghdad.
• 8 green zone government soldiers and 4 green zone government police have been wounded.
• Two civilians killed and the wounding of ten others in a bomb in Zafaraniyah. Two brothers shot dead in Zafaraniyah.
• Abdullah al-Aadhab the local leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq armed group and his deputy killed in a raid in Adhamiya northern Baghdad.
• In Kirkuk the city’s police force detained a gang of three members accused of abduction and murder and freed the gang’s hostages. One of the three gang members is a policeman
• In Basrah the “permanence” of the British “reforms” of the police was clearly demonstated by an announcement from the green zone government interior ministry that they were forming a new police regiment of 250 members to be recruited: “under the [procedural] controls in place at the Ministry of Interior.”
• A suicide truck bomber attacked the home of local police brigadier Brigadier Ali Attallah near Mosul wounded 11 people in the attack including two of the Brigadier’s nephews.

The founding conference for the Union of Muslim Scholars in Iraq, which was held in Baghdad under the title “Muslim scholars unity symbol for Iraqi people unity” and attended by more than 130 religious character, including Sunnis, Shiites and Kurdish leaders, agreed to leave the union membership open for all Iraqi scholars .

The so-called Islamic Army released a video of the two captured American soldiers. A speaker on the video said:

“Fearing the occupying army will continue its searches, harming our Muslim brothers … (the Islamic State in Iraq) decided to settle the matter and announced the news of their killing to cause bitterness to God’s enemies”

The American army of occupation said it is studying the video. I have uploaded three screengrabs from the video which you can see by clicking the links or the thumbnails in the list below. The files are large and may take time to load on a slow connection. They are sufficiently large to be able to clearly read the text in the documents which appear to me to be authentic.

Screen grab 1:

Masked fighters standing in front of a chart.

Click here or click the thumbnail to see full size.

Filesize: 193.77 KB (198417 bytes)

Width: 720px Height: 576px

Screen grab 2:

Part of what appears to be an identification document with signature shown. Click here or click the thumbnail to see full size.

Filesize: 138.88 KB (142216 bytes)

Width: 720px Height: 576px

Screen grab 3:

What appear to be Geneva Convention identification documents for the two captured soldiers. Click here or click the thumbnail to see full size.
Filesize: 191.75 KB (196351 bytes)

Width: 720px Height: 576px

• IRAQ: Reporters Without Borders calls for special unit to protect journalists

June 5, 2007

 

Christ On a Crutch

I despise him root and branch. He exemplifies everything that’s gone disastrously wrong with the U.S.A and her armed services. If you want the perfect example of the callously criminal way in which the U.S government, armed forces, and yes her most of her people regard Irak and her people - oh yes sand niggers are people, didn’t you know? Major General William B. Caldwell IV is it. I talked a bit about him and his appreciaton of art on the old site:

• Iraq: Situation continues to worsen, local governorates overwhelmed - UNHCR | Iraq
• Irak’s Exodus Of Pain

June 5, 2007 Continued:

Summary:

• The petroleum workers strike in Wasit is escalating.
• 33 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today. Thus, the total number unidentified corpses that were found in Baghdad since the start of June  until now is 119 was found. Last month the month May 2007 were found a total of 750 unidentified bodies in Baghdad alone.
• The green zone government and parliament both talked tough.
• An American armoured patrol has been bombed in al Amil.
• Also in al Amil the American invaders raided the green zone government police station
• And the American AP news agency finally got around to noticing that the Americans are bombing Iraki civilians from the air again.

June 7, 2007

• Aswat Al Iraq Journalist Murdered In Mosul
• Voices of Iraq (VOI) correspondent Sahar Hussein al-Haydari was killed on Thursday afternoon in al-Hadbaa neighborhood in Mosul by unidentified gunmen.
• Minutes after they left their home, nearby bombings sent shrapnel flying at the family, injuring his three daughters Arsalan, 14, Suzan, 12 and Ban, 9.

Reports from Irak June 7 2007 Summarised From Arabic

Summary:

• Green zone government prime minister Maliki tried to shore up te Diwaniyah peace agreement yesterday.
• Aswat Al Iraq’s correspondent in Mosul has been murdered.
• University lecturers in Karbala University are to be assigned bodyguards and given weapons permits to protect themselve.
• 7 university students all of the Obeidis were kidnapped near Khalis.
• Two bombings in Sadr City killed at least 5 and wounded at least 15.
• Also in Baghdad green zone government guards ran out of ammunition during an attack on their building in Bai’ia - they were rescued by residents who joined in the fighting and chased the attackers away.
• Yacoub Yousef’s body along with those of his 3 sons have been found - he was accountant in the port company in Basrah
• A child was wounded in crossfire between green zone government forces and gunmen who set up a fake checkpoint in Babil governorate. The body of an investigating magistrate has been found.

June 8, 2007

• Al Sadr’s Interview
• Qurnah Market Bombing:

  Fatah Basha Mosque Destroyed In Second Bombing Attack

  The bombing toll of the double bombing of the mosques and Husseiniyah in  Kirkuk has risen to five dead and 26 wounded  45 casualties. 19 people are dead 26 wounded (Earlier reports gave lower casualties.) The bombings both targeted worshippers at Shiite mosques south of Kirkuk.

  Two police commanders killed a third wounded

  Police commander’s family abducted

June 9, 2007

• Water Crisis Hits Baghdad

June 10, 2007

• IRAQ: Iraq’s displacement crisis continues to worsen, UNHCR says

June 11, 2007

• Bridge Bombing Campaign Escalates Further

June 12, 2007

• The “Iraq Without Violence Network” have released their report on Monday on violence against civilians in Irak during the first five months of this year. The report makes for grim reading.
• IRAQ: NGO warns of rising rates of child labour

June 13, 2007

• Reports From Irak June 13 2007 Summarised From Arabic - Askariya Shrine Attack
• The Al-Askariya Shrine in Samarra one of the most sacred sites for Shiite Muslims in the world was bombed again today. The shrine had recently had responsibility for its protection transferred to special troops of the Ministry of The Interior. (Source: link to Arabic language report ) The shrine contains the tombs of the 10th Shi’ite Imam Ali l-Hadi (”the guided”) and his son Hassan al-Askari the 11th Shiite imam. The shrine is connected to the shrine of the 12th Shi’te Imam Mohammed al-Mahdi, known as the “hidden imam,” Many Shi’tes believe al-Mahdi will return as a saviour and for this reason you will often hear him referred to as Muhammad “al Muntazar” (”the awaited”). The shrine is considered by Shia Muslims to be one of the holiest places in the world and many make pilgrimages there. Like many places revered by the Shia it was severely damaged in the 1991 uprising and Saddam’s soldiers were frequently photogaphed posed in front of Mosques and Husseiniyahs exulting in the destruction and the humiliation felt by the populace. This coupled with the massive repression unleashed by Saddam in the south remains a source of lasting bitterness.
• Bridge Bombing Campaign Escalates Further - Updated with 3rd bombing
• Reports From Irak June 13 2007 Summarised From Arabic Part 2 Ztigon Bridge Bombing
• IRAQ: Mahmoud Rafid, Iraq, “I have to keep working despite being sexually abused”

June 14, 2007

• IRAQ: Sectarian violence and displacement follow Samarra attack

June 15, 2007

• Five cities in Anbar still without electricity
• People fleeing violence in Iraq have begun to move into atrocious makeshift camps on the fringes of cities such as Najaf, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.
• Reports From Irak June 15 2007 Summarised From Arabic

  There were two major developments in Irak today. We lead first with the sermon in Karbala by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s representative Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalaie. He made it clear that he had reliable information that the authorities new an attack was planned and denounced the complacency. He also raised the sovereignty issue and revealed that Karbala was also threatened. This is important because it follows up on the earlier statements made by the Grand Ayatollahs. It represents a major threat to the legitimacy of the Maliki regime.

  There were many sermons on the bombings today including one in Najaf by the SCIRI leader and one in Kufa by Al-Sadr’s representative. We haven’t reported on those as they were entirely predictable in content.

  The second major incident was the bombing of the tomb of Talha Ibn Ubaid Ilah, a companion of The Prophet (PBUH) whose tomb and shrine are in al-Zubair, this is a major place of pilgrimage for Sunni Muslims from all over the world. How much of a disaster for the Maliki “government” it is may be judged by following the link to the Aswat Al Iraq Arabic language report - it got more than 1000 hits by early in the day and was still rising a few minutes ago - beyond 1,400 nearly 24 hours after the event.

June 16, 2007

Bodies of Iraq tae kwondo squad found in desert

June 17, 2007

• IRAQ: Plight of refugees worsens as Syria, Jordan impose restrictions

June 18, 2007

• IRAQ: Threats, violence in Baghdad threaten new wave of displaced
• I was cooking for him but he was already dead
• BAGHDAD, As Noor Muhammad, 36, was cooking dinner for her family in their Baghdad home two months ago, she heard her son scream from the living room. He had just seen his father dead on TV.

Reports From Irak June 18th 2007 Summarised From Arabic

Summary:

• There are confirmed outbreaks of rabies in Both Basrah and Wasit governorates.
• 6 green zone government soldiers were killed, 16 wounded and six armoured transports set in flames in clashes that went on for 5 hours near Khalis — the soldiers were part of a relief column.
• Three major bombings in Fallujah. 
• Fighting in Dhi Qar.(There is what WNA The Independent Iraki News Broadcasting Service describes as “lively” fighting in Dhi Qar.)
• Diyala is seeing major engagements.
• There is very heavy fighting in Basrah and Maysan.
• Nouri Al Maliki’s public mental meltdown continued in full cry.
• There are major political rows between the green zone government and the Sadrists in Wasit and with the Governorate council in Karbala.
• Not to be outdone the Saudis continue to have ill-disguised panic attacks about the violence in Irak spilling over and toppling them.
• 33 unidentified bodies have been recovered in Baghdad today 3 of them were women. 
• Kirkuk has started to boil over and the Ztigon bridge bombing has drastically reduced the ability of green zone government forces to respond. as a result the bombing campaign against the power grid has been stepped up.
• Several major bombings in Baghdad.
• Reuters Alertnet has no less than 28 news reports out of Irak today.
• And Moldavia has sent 11*  soldiers from an engineering unit to Irak help in the American crusade to resubjugate the ungrateful Iraki sand niggers surge.

June 19, 2007

Caught In A Whirlwind With Fire Baghdad June 19th 2007

June 20, 2007

• Caught In A Whirlwind With Fire Baghdad June 20th 2007
• O God! Pardon our living and our dead, the present and the absent, the young and the old, the males and the females.
• There will be no posting today — funerals
• Khalil

June 21, 2007

• The coffin is for his mother who was killed in a bomb attack. He’s waiting for relatives to come back with her body. If you look at the coffin you can see that it’s been used before.
• I wish the officials taste the pains of the poor civilians. I wish they drink from the same glass of pain that we drink from everyday. I wish they live in fear just like we do. I wish them the worst and may God make my wishes true.
• Iraqi Labor Leaders Blame US for the Bloodshed in Iraq and say Get Out!

June 22, 2007

• With their colleagues dying in record numbers, Iraqi journalists face an unenviable choice — stay and risk becoming another statistic of unrelenting violence or leave and endure economic hardship and isolation abroad.
• Chilling stories from the Madhi Army
• Despite some tactical successes, U.S. voters are increasingly convinced that U.S. forces will be unable to restore stability in Iraq. As political disillusionment with the Iraq war gradually forces a troop drawdown, attention is turning to the likely consequences for Iraq and the region of a reduced U.S. military presence after 2009.
• Thanks to U.S. invasion, the Tigris River has turned into a cemetery of floating bodies. The murderous militias and death squads – which the invaders brought with them and nurtured – see the depths of the Tigris as a perfect place to hide their sectarian killings of innocent Iraqis by dumping the bodies of their victims there.

June 23, 2007

• Iraqi Voices Series

June 24, 2007

• Al Kauther carries a brief report on Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) announcement that their programme in Jordan can now take 100 cases a month.

  Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) left Iraq in November 2004 as targeted attacks on international aid organisations meant it was no longer possible to work directly in Irak, they now supply desperately needed medicines to hospitals in Irak and work with the Jordanian Red Crescent in providing medical care to victims of attacks . There they treat patients such as 8 year old Ahmed:

• Bombing of shrines…early war in Anbar?
• 138

June 25, 2007

• Al Mansour hotel bombed as Sheikhs from Anbar are holding a meeting inside.
• Reports From Irak June 25th 2007

  A massive bomb detonated by a suicide bomber in the heavily guarded Al Mansour hotel in Al Kharkh (Western side of the river). Killed 12 people and left scores injured. The hotel is very heavily guarded and has stringent security precautions. The force of the blast was such that rescuers found 5 bodies “caked to their seats” according to Nahrain.com’s report.

  Major General Ali Hamid, member of the leadership of joint operations who works in the Office of the Adjutant General of the green zone government armed forces was among the wounded he is described as having been seriously lacerated. The security guards of the hotel, among them members of the police have been arrested.

  “The names of (five) tribal chiefs who were killed in the blast are: Sheikh Fesal al-Kaaood, one of al-Bounamr tribe’s sheikhs, Sheikh Tareq al-Essafi of al-Bouasaf tribe, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Fahdawi of al-Bofahd, Sheikh Hussein al-Shaalan al-Khezaai of Khuzaa tribe and Sheikh Aziz al-Yaseri of al-Bouyasser tribe,” a police source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

  “A number of tribal chiefs were wounded in the attack, including Sheikh Ali Khaliefa, Sheikh Ryah al-Elwani and Sheikh Daham al-Ubeidi,” the source added. A police source said earlier that the death toll from the suicide bomb attack had risen to 12 dead, including six tribal chiefs.

  The official al-Iraqi satellite television also said that Poet Rahim al-Maliki, a program producer and presenter for the TV channel, was among them.

  “The bomber was wearing an explosive belt and blew himself up inside a hall where leaders of clans from the Sunni province of Anbar were meeting,” a police source said. A spokesman for the U.S. army said that “preliminary reports assert the killing of six tribal chiefs.”

  Sources various including: Aswat Aliraq (English) and the Arabic report here Following the Mansour Hotel bombing armed clashes took place between Sunni militias and tribesmen. Green zone government Ministry of the Interior officials are making contacts with a number of tribal leaders to urge them to take control of the situation to prevent the clashes becoming tribal feuds. In a related story Al Melaf point out that the American initiative of arming tribesmen is unconstitutional.

  Sheikh Dulaimi a leader of the powerful tribe in Al-Anbar said in an interview that there are differences between various Sunni forces. Dulaimi said in an interview to journalists after the explosion, that differences occurred recently between Sunni forces and that these had reached the level of fighting, and assassination operations, including the recent operation. Dulaimi refused to divulge the name of these forces. [Readers will recall the recent operation in Baghdad involving fighters allied with the Americans and that their leader said he had infiltrated what he described as “plain clothes agents” to carry out targeted assassinations. Note to American readers — failed attempts at “divide and rule” lead to something called “blowback” the Dulaimi’s are a very large and powerful tribe they also have a well earned reputation for being warlike. Once they find who ordered the actual bombing they are likely to vent their displeasure on the root cause of the feud arising.]

• Well it’s like this. Football supporters, the ones who buy tickets and turn up for matches, in Irak tend to be young and poor, quite a lot of them wear black when they’re not wearing a football shirt and jeans — and they’re expecting trouble. (See remarks about recruiting sergeants.)
• Don’t Ever Do That To Us Again
• 13129

 

• 

13129

13129 malformed children have been born in Iraq in the last five years. Their deformities have been caused by American Depleted Uranium munitions used in the American led 1991 “Desert Storm” war with Irak launched after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The war saw heavy use of depleted uranium rounds by American and British forces and was followed by a punitive sanctions regime enforced by the United Nations primarily at America’s behest. The sanctions included preventing Irak from importing drugs for the treatment of cancers and birth defects. The current war on Irak was launched on the pretext that Irak was failing to comply with sanctions and had weapons of mass destruction.

Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it.

–60 Minutes (5/12/96)

Source: “We Think the Price Is Worth It”

Does “peace” mean that your aunt does not weep as she talks of how the young couples she serves ask her after the X-Ray

Well is it a child or is it a monster?

And how she curses the Americans who littered our land with Uranium munitions and then denied us the cancer drugs. Because we needed to be,

contained.

We sand niggers who had been abandoned to the tyrant you had supported for years needed to be,

contained.

Source: Gorilla’s Guides » Blog Archive » What will we talk about today you and I?

According to the green zone government Ministry of Health the numbers of maimed children born with defects in Irak after the United States used over 940 thousand depleted uranium rounds in the war with Iraq in 1991 in the last 5 years is 13129.

The report from Al Melaf gives the statistics from a Ministry of Health briefing on the number of children born with birth defects since 2001 as 13129 in total.

The number of deformed children born last year was more than 1919.

Ninewa (Nineveh) province, has the highest number of children born maimed as 411.

Baghdad is next with 372 children born distorted.

Basra has seen the birth of 300 distorted children .

Between 30 to 40 children per month are born with defects attributed to their mothers inhalation of radioactive dust from depleted uranium rounds. The American army used depleted uranium during the last war and this was confirmed by a German team who visited Irak recently and were able to obtain a missile which proved after checking that the American forces used depleted uranium.

Editor’s note:

The full text of the report from Al Melaf contains interviews with parents and accounts their children’s deaths. I haven’t had the time to translate them. They can be found here.

Readers will recall that Albright was Secretary of State (Foreign Minister) under President Clinton. They may also recall that current American Senator and presidential candidate Senator Hilary Clinton was a willing participant in the Clinton “two for the price of one.” electioneering which helped bring her husband to the White House.

I have been unable to find any expression of concern by Senator Clinton either for the fate of the children affected by DU or the sanctions regime which denied cancer and other drugs to treat those children or even any expression of concern about the health of American soldiers in that war affected by DU dust. I did however find plenty of coverage of her remarks about how she would not withdraw American troops from Irak.

Senator Clinton’s campaign recently launched an campaign advertisement in which her concern for ex-President Clinton’s health was highlighted.

A video report Paying The Price: Killing The Children Of Iraq on this topic can be viewed below the link will open in a new window. The report lasts 1 hr 15 min 4 sec the film was made before America launched the current war on Irak.

Note to Americans they don’t hate you for your freedoms they hate you for starving, maiming, and murdering their children.

markfromireland

June 26, 2007

Reports From Irak June 25th 2007 UPDATE Reports From Irak June 25th 2007 UPDATE 2

You get absolutely no prizes for guessing which “foreign intelligence bodies” Sheikh Dulaimi was talking about. Hint for the hard of comprehension they don’t speak this language or this one. Anger in Anbar following the slaughter of tribal chiefs

June 27, 2007

• Reports From Irak June 27 2007

  The campaign of bombings of sites of major religious significance continued with the bombing in Kadhimiya in Baghdad.

  The bridge bombing campaign in Baghdad continued with a suicide attack on one of the checkpoints at Jadriya bridge this evening that killed one policeman, wounded three others, and damaged the bridge.

June 28, 2007

• There are several major incidents in Baghdad today.

June 29, 2007

• Al-Sadr cancels march to Samarra Reports From Irak June 29th 2007
• The public criticism of the Maliki regime’s performance by the religious establishment continued unabated — Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s representative warned during his Friday sermon in Karbala that leaving Irak’s borders open to weapons smuggling would undo any progress in the security situation. During the sermon he also wondered what had happened to all the money allegedly spent on the armed forces saying:

  “$ 19 billion was spent to build the security organs .. Where is this money gone? Either it was stolen or … … the figures are exaggerated. “

Fighting is raging between Shiite militias in southern Iraq particularly in the cities of Diwaniya and Karbala.

There are reports of casualties and at least 40 civilians are said to have been injured. Residents say some neighborhoods of Diwaniya have turned into battlefields.

The fighting pitches unauthorized gunmen of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr against the unruly militias of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council currently led by Amar al-Hakeem.’

The two factions command both political and military wings. Moqtada’s Mahdi Arm and Hakeem’s Badr Corps are their military wings and are said to be better equipped and armed than Iraqi troops.

Hakeem and Sadr had signed an agreement to halt the fighting and form a joint committee to supervise a ceasefire. But the deal collapsed.

U.S. troops have come to the assistance of Iraqi police and army in Diwaniya.

Hakeem’s men control the provincial councils in the two cities and their police forces.

Sadr, despite the popularity of his movement, feels to be marginalized in the running of provincial affairs.

The cleric has asked U.S. troops to withdraw from Diwaniya and stop meddling in Iraqi affairs.

Clashes involving disparate Shiite militia groups were also reported in Basra.

Source: Azzaman in English

Sunnis stay clear of hospitals for fear of being targeted by Shia death squads.

By IWPR reporters in Baghdad (ICR No. 233, 19-Sep-07)

For Sunni Arabs in the capital, getting medical treatment can be a death sentence.
Public hospitals here are operated by Iraq’s Shia-run health ministry and allegations are common that hospital staff have helped militia members abduct and kill Sunni patients.
Omar Othman, 24, a Sunni who works in a car parts shop, was hit by a bus on his way home from work in December 2006, badly injuring his leg. His father believes he only narrowly escaped a worse fate.
On admittance to the al-Kindi hospital in a Shia region of the capital, Omar’s surname - typically Sunni - marked him as a target.
“The staff started looking at me suspiciously. I felt I was threatened. No one approached me or treated me,” said Omar, who called his father to say where he was.
“I went into the hospital like a madman,” his father, Abdullah, a retired police officer, recalled, describing how he rushed from one ward to another before a security guard called him by name.
“Aren’t you Abu Othman?” the security guard asked.
“Yes, I am,” he replied. “Who are you, and how do you know me?”

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