News & Views 10/03/07

Photo: Shi'ite pilgrims attend a religious ceremony marking the death anniversary of Imam Ali, at his shrine in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad October 3, 2007. Shi'ite pilgrims converged on the Iraqi city of Najaf on Wednesday amid tight security for their first major religious ceremony since clashes between Shi'ite militias killed 52 people in nearby Kerbala in August. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish (IRAQ)

To our Muslim readers: Ramadan Mubarak

REPORTS – LIFE IN IRAQ

Militants Pick Off Mosul Snappers

Shortly after paying his last respects to his dead friend, Aswan Lutfallah Jaf, Mosul journalist Karim Abbas received a call from Jaf’s mobile phone. "Aswan’s murderers told me that all journalists and photographers will face death," said Abbas. Aswan Lutfallah Jaf, a father of two, worked for the the American agency the Associated Press and the Zagros Kurdish satellite channel until his murder in December 2006. The militants who killed him took his camera and mobile phone, using it to threaten journalists, photographers and cameramen throughout the city. The threats alarmed many journalists, but they did not come as a surprise. Sunni extremists in Mosul, 400 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, have long been intimidating those who record the life and death in the city. Photojournalists and cameramen are high on the extremists’ list of targets, as their puritanical interpretation of Islam prohibits the capturing of images. You can be killed for taking photographs at a wedding or a child’s birthday. In recent times, the extremists have murdered several photojournalists and cameramen who covered the security and political situation in Mosul. Hussam Hilal Sarsam, a Kurdistan TV cameraman, was murdered after trying to escape kidnappers in 2005. Karam Hussein, a photojournalist for a European Press photo agency, was killed in 2004. Police were never able to identify the killers.

Karbala Radio Station Challenges Traditions

A radio station in Karbala is pushing boundaries in this holy Shia city by broadcasting music and cultural programming that some clerics and leaders consider inappropriate.
Originally backed by the Iraqi National Congress, a moderate party led by Ahmad Chalabi, Karbala FM launched in October 2003 from a small home in the city’s Hussein neighbourhood. Karbala FM is now independent and is the most popular station in the city - particularly among its youth. Karbala FM today broadcasts from a studio in the city and runs programming for much of the day, covering everything from culture to politics to religion. Its content frequently challenges traditions, raising eyebrows in this conservative city. "We have limited experience, but we’re pushing for progress and creativity,” said Huda Amir as she clicked through a sound editing programme in the studio. Amir is one of three female producers at the station. “I haven’t worked at other radio stations because they’re very religious and don't give women any opportunities," she said. "Our independence allows us to have diverse programming,” said Hadi al-Rubai’i, who produces several Karbala FM shows. “The radio’s management is independent of any movement, party or Marji'iyyah [Shia religious clerics]." “We broadcast the beliefs and views of all people,” said programmes director Mohammed Fayhan. “We’ve even hosted Adnan Dulaimi (a hard-line Sunni lawmaker) because in our shows people from all Iraqi backgrounds get to have a voice.”

Proposed Press Law Too Limited

While many independent journalists are backing a draft media law that would boost press freedom in northern Iraq, many say it does not go far enough. Although leading media figures are supporting the proposed legislation, which would replace draconian Ba’ath-era Iraqi penal codes that criminalise libel, most say it will have a limited impact on press freedom. "If parliament passes the press bill, Kurdish journalism will begin a new phase marked by growing press freedom," said Saman Fawzi, a media law professor at the University of Sulaimaniyah. Despite public and official opposition to Ba’athist-era laws since Saddam was overthrown in 2003, Iraqi officials and judges still employ penal codes from this period to punish journalists - under which they can be sent to prison for “insulting” certain parties, including officials, civil servants and foreign countries. Over the last few years, independent Iraqi Kurdish journalists have faced dozens of lawsuits - primarily from Kurdish officials - and say the Ba’athist laws are one of the biggest hurdles to press freedom in this autonomous region of Iraq. The proposed law would not only prohibit jail sentences for journalists but would also do away with the need for government permission to launch new media - although it would require publications to register with the Kurdistan Journalists’ Syndicate, a professional association. The draft took months to finalise because of long-standing tensions between the syndicate, which is loyal to Kurdish authorities, and independent Kurdish journalists who say their freedoms have been restricted in Iraqi Kurdistan. The original version included prison sentences for reporters and other restrictions, but journalists pushed to have these removed during a consultation phase. The final draft, which has been sent to the Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly for consideration, is one of the most progressive media laws in the Middle East, said the syndicate.

Baghdad’s TV Escapists

Glued to their favourite cartoon show, Kadim Muhammed’s two children and wife protest when he tries to switch over to watch the news. “My husband and I used to listen to detailed news bulletins about Iraq every day,” said his wife, Sheima Juma. “But when a satellite channel reported a bombing in a popular market in Baghdad in which my brother was killed, I went into shock. Ever since that tragedy, I swore not to watch the news at all." Baghdad residents are escaping the violent reality of daily life by watching hours of anything from cartoon shows to music videos. Television helps stave off the depression and boredom born of having to endure constant curfews and shortages. The ministry of health estimates that 25 per cent of Iraq's population suffers mental health problems because of the country’s successive wars, poverty and political persecution. Meisa' Sahib, a psychologist at the University of al-Mustanisiriyyah, said television entertainment allowed Iraqis to forget their cares and woes, especially children who see too much violence on the news. "The tragic scenes on the news have a dangerous affect on Iraqis [of all ages and] from all walks of life,” she said. An aversion to the news is a relatively recent phenomenon here. In the past, Baghdadis were keen to know what was going on, with the latest headlines and political chatter dominating social interaction.

Cholera cases in Iraq double

Geneva- The number of cholera cases in Iraq has more than doubled in just under two weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement in Geneva Wednesday, confirming reports from within the country that the disease is likely to spread. The WHO says it estimates 30,000 people are now suffering acute watery diarrhoea, one of the first signs of the disease. Up to 3,315 cases have been confirmed compared with 1,500 just 12 days ago and 14 people have died. Cholera had now spread to 9 out of 18 provinces across Iraq since it was first diagnosed in mid-August in the northern city of Kirkuk, which still has the majority of cases (2,309) followed by Sulaymaniah (870). The WHO said it was "highly possible" the outbreak, caused mainly
by contaminated water, would spread to areas unaffected so far. The number of cases had remained stable in Basra, Baghdad, Dahuk, Mosul and Tikrit but the first case had been confirmed in Wasit.

Health official warns of cholera epidemic in Iraq

A senior Iraqi Ministry of Health official on Wednesday warned of cholera outbreak in the country in the coming two months and said in a speech before the parliament that his ministry is unable to prevent the disease from spreading. "The disease is expected to break out in October and November," Adel Mohsen told the parliament. Linking the cholera epidemic to the low level of chlorine in potable water, Mohsen indicated that the ministry needs 150 million chlorine pills until the end of the year. The official admitted his ministry's inability to prevent the spread of the disease from Kirkuk, where the first cases were recorded, to other Iraqi provinces and slammed border security measures that he said prevented chlorine-loaded trucks from entering Iraqi territories. "Trucks carrying a massive load of chlorine were stuck at the Iraqi-Syrian borders because of security measures, prompting the companies to take back their goods," he added. Mohsen indicated that the confirmed Cholera cases have reached 2,196 in Kirkuk, 842 in Sulaimaniya, five in Salah al-Din, two in Baghdad, in addition to one case in each of Ninewa, Duhuk, Basra and Anbar.

Shiite Pilgrims Fill Iraqi Holy City

Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims defied fears of violence and converged around a gold-domed mosque Wednesday in the first major religious procession since Shiite battles last month turned a procession into a scene of bloodshed. Men in white Arab gowns and women shrouded in black passed through a series of searches as they packed the courtyard of the Imam Ali mosque and the narrow streets in the Shiite holy city of Najaf to mark the seventh-century death of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. "We are not afraid of terrorist attacks. Violence will not deter us from visiting Imam Ali shrine," said Karim Dohan, a 49-year-old government employee from Hillah who was wearing a black shirt to symbolize grief over the saint's death. "Before coming to Najaf, I told my wife that to be killed near the shrine on such a holy day is an honor and reward to us. The security measures are tight and a little bit too excessive, but they are necessary to protect the pilgrims," he said, sitting with his wife and two children near the shrine.

From Errand To Fatal Shot To Hail Of Fire To 17 Deaths

It started out as a family errand: Ahmed Haithem Ahmed was driving his mother, Mohassin, to pick up his father from the hospital where he worked as a pathologist. As they approached Nisour Square at midday on Sept. 16, they did not know that a bomb had gone off nearby or that a convoy of four armored vehicles carrying Blackwater guards armed with automatic rifles was approaching. Moments later a bullet tore through Ahmed's head, he slumped, and the car rolled forward. Then Blackwater guards responded with a barrage of gunfire and explosive weapons, leaving 17 dead and 24 wounded - a higher toll than previously thought, according to Iraqi investigators. Interviews with 12 Iraqi witnesses, several Iraqi investigators and an American official familiar with an American investigation of the shootings offer new insights into the gravity of the episode in Nisour Square. And they are difficult to square with the explanation offered initially by Blackwater officials that their guards were responding proportionately to an attack on the streets around the square.

The new details include these: - A deadly cascade of events began when a single bullet apparently fired by a Blackwater guard killed an Iraqi man whose weight probably remained on the accelerator and propelled the car forward as the passenger, the man's mother, clutched him and screamed. - The car continued to roll toward the convoy, which responded with an intense barrage of gunfire in several directions, striking Iraqis who were desperately trying to flee. - Minutes after that shooting stopped, a Blackwater convoy - possibly the same one - moved north from the square and opened fire on another line of traffic a few hundred yards away, in a previously unreported separate shooting, investigators and several witnesses say.

But questions emerge from accounts of the earliest moments of the shooting in Nisour Square. The car in which the first people were killed did not begin to closely approach the Blackwater convoy until the Iraqi driver had been shot in the head and lost control of his vehicle. Not one witness heard or saw any gunfire coming from Iraqis around the square. And following a short initial burst of bullets, the Blackwater guards unleashed an overwhelming barrage of gunfire even as Iraqis were turning their cars around and attempting to flee. As the gunfire continued, at least one of the Blackwater guards began screaming, "No! No! No!" and gesturing to his colleagues to stop shooting, according to an Iraqi lawyer who was stuck in traffic and was shot in the back as he tried to flee. The account of the struggle among the Blackwater guards corroborates preliminary findings of the American investigation.

REPORTS – IRAQI MILITIAS, POLITICIANS, POWER BROKERS

Shiite Bloc Condemns U.S. Policy Of Recruiting Sunni Tribesmen

The largest Shiite political coalition in Iraq demanded Tuesday that the U.S. military abandon its recruitment of Sunni tribesmen into the Iraqi police, saying some are members of "armed terrorist groups" and are engaged in killing, kidnapping and extortion under the guise of fighting the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq. The statement by the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite bloc of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, is the most direct rebuke to a policy that U.S. military officers hold up as one of their most important achievements over the past year. U.S. forces have given wide support to thousands of Sunni tribesmen across the country who have pledged to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq. U.S. officials describe the effort as promoting grass-roots reconciliation that brings disenfranchised Sunnis into the government and provides protection for their neighborhoods. U.S. officials acknowledge that many of the recruits have been involved with various Sunni insurgent groups; expressions of antipathy toward the Iraqi security forces and government are common among them.

Kurds in Iraq strike 4 new oil deals, angering Baghdad

Worsening a deep divide with Iraqi leaders, the Kurdish regional government has struck four new oil exploration deals over the strong objections of the Baghdad central government. The deals are the latest effort by the Kurds to jump-start their oil industry as national oil legislation languishes in Parliament. The new deals follow an agreement last month between the Kurds and Hunt Oil Co. of Dallas that was criticized as illegal by the Iraqi oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani. Kurdish officials, who have said they want to be producing at least one million barrels of new oil daily within five years, say all the deals are consistent with the Iraqi Constitution. But the deals have aggravated tensions with the Arabs who dominate the national government, calling into question whether Iraqi politicians will ever be able to work out differences on how to develop the huge petroleum reserves.

REPORTS – US/UK/OTHERS IN IRAQ

U.S. Senate drops bid for records of president's briefings before Iraq war

The Senate has scrapped its bid to obtain the archive of daily intelligence briefings given to the president on Iraq prior to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. That request was among several controversial provisions dropped from an intelligence bill, leading to the measure's unanimous Senate passage Wednesday. The provision sought to give the Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees access to all presidential daily briefs between 1997 and 2003 that referred to Iraq — an attempt to determine whether the White House mischaracterized intelligence prior to the war. Senate Republicans objected, saying the documents had already been reviewed by an independent commission, according to a congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Today's photo: List of foreigners fighting for al-Qaeda in Iraq

The images were released earlier today by the Pentagon during a briefing on the death of Abu Usama al-Tunisi, an al-Qaeda in Iraq leader who they described as the emir of foreign fighters. "Following the strike, ground forces secured the area and continued to collect evidence at the scene. One item that was found was a handwritten letter believed to be written by Tunisi," Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson says. "The key points in this handwritten note include: he's surrounded, communications have been cut, and he is desperate for help. This was a dangerous terrorist who is no longer part of al-Qaeda in Iraq. His death deals a significant blow to their operation. He was a foreigner who brought al Qaeda terrorists into Iraq."

House Passes Bill on Pullout

The House, with overwhelming, bipartisan support, voted yesterday to give the Bush administration two months to present to Congress its planning for the withdrawal of combat forces in Iraq. [bush already gave us his plan – leave them there until 2009. – dancewater]

IRAQI REFUGEES

Lost in France: the Iraqis seeking a new life in Britain

The build-up of Iraqis sleeping rough in Cherbourg is now alarming local politicians. The northern French port has become a no man's land of Iraqis desperately trying to get to England to claim asylum. Known as the "ghosts of Cherbourg", the young Iraqis have only one goal: Britain. They know they have one chance at claiming asylum in Europe and must pick their country carefully. France, they believe, is a miserable place for them. "But England is a good country," said Ali. "It gives you a job, gives you a passport, gives you a house." Because Iraq is at war, the Iraqis cannot be forcibly deported. Caught by French police at the ferry terminal, they end up being released and head straight back to Cherbourg. Caught at a British ferry terminal, they are escorted back to their port of departure - Cherbourg, where the cycle restarts. In the leftwing town, people are proud of France's anti-war stance and see the fleeing Iraqis as victims. But Bernard Cazeneuve, Cherbourg's Socialist mayor, recently spoke out in the French National Assembly demanding the government take responsibility for the "extreme suffering" of the migrants risking their lives. In July, one Iraqi was injured by a bullet as a driver fired a gun, trying to stop stowaways.

How to Help Iraqi Refugees

ANOTHER Way to help: The Collateral Repair Project

COMMENTARY

Having a Carnage Party

But here's the most curious thing in this strange exercise in counting to three -- simply that it happened in the United States. Let's imagine, for a moment, that the Iraqi Parliament had voted a non-binding resolution to grant congressional representation to Washington DC or to allow California's electoral votes to be divided up by district. Or what if the Iranian parliament had just passed a non-binding resolution to divide the United States into semi-autonomous bio-regions? Such acts would, of course, be considered not just outrageous and insulting, but quite mad and, on our one-way planet, they are indeed little short of unimaginable. But no one I noticed in the mainstream of political Washington or the media that covers it -- whether agreeing with the proposal or not -- seemed to find it even faintly odd for the U.S. Senate to count to three in support of a plan that, at best, would put an American stamp of approval on the continuing ethnic cleansing of Iraq. No matter how meaningless Biden's resolution may turn out to be as policy, it has the benefit of taking us directly to bedrock Washington belief systems -- specifically, that it is America's global duty to solve the crises of other nations (even the ones that we set off). We are, after all, the nation-building nation par excellence and, despite all evidence to the contrary in Iraq, it is still impossible for official Washington to imagine us as anything but part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

……..And as it happens, though he didn't mention it that day, the military were also assiduously counting corpses. We know that because last week they released figures to USA Today on how many insurgents U.S. forces have supposedly killed since the invasion of Iraq ended: 18,832 since June 2003; 4,882 "militants" so far in 2007 alone. That represents a leap of 25% in corpse-counting from the previous year. These previously derided body counts, according to American officials quoted in Stars and Stripes, now give the necessary "scale" and "context" to the fight in Iraq. As the USA Today report points out, last year Centcom Commander John Abizaid had suggested that the forces of the Sunni insurgency numbered in the 10,000-20,000 range. If the released figures are accurate, nearly 25%-50% of that number must have been killed this year. (Who knows how many were wounded.) Add in suspected Sunni insurgents and terrorists incarcerated in American prisons in Iraq only in the "surge" months of 2007 -- another 8,000 or so -- and it suddenly looks as if something close to the full insurgency has essentially been turned into a ghost resistance between January and September of this year. (Again, Vietnam had its equivalents. After the nationwide Tet Offensive in February 1968, for instance, the U.S. military requested more troops from the Johnson administration. They also claimed that the Vietnamese had lost 45,000 dead. As historian Marilyn Young wrote in her book, The Vietnam Wars, "UN Ambassador Arthur Goldberg wanted to know what was enemy troop strength at the start of Tet. The answer: between 160,000 and 175,000. And the ratio of killed to wounded? Estimated at three and a half to one, answered the officer. 'Well, if that's true,' Goldberg calculated quickly, 'then they have no effective forces left in the field.' This certainly made additional American forces seem redundant.")

Quote of the day: Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you: Friedrich Nietzche