News & Views 10/25/07

Photo: Women grieve next to the coffin of a relative after claiming his body from a morgue in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, October 25, 2007. Police reported finding eight bodies in different places in Baquba on Thursday.

REPORTS – LIFE IN IRAQ

Special Report: Iraqi Electricity Crisis

Introduction

Despite vast investment, Iraq’s sclerotic electricity network shows little sign of improvement, to the despair of residents and businesses alike. …Despite the widespread violence, bombs and shootings do not affect every province - but the lack of electricity is a burden every Iraqi must bear. In the hour or so it took to write this report, for example, the power blacked out and returned five times in the Sulaimaniyah neighbourhood where IWPR is based. For outsiders, electricity may seem a trivial concern compared with the rest of Iraq’s problems. But the reality is that there is a lot of talk about megawatts, kilovolts and amperes among ordinary people, most of whom have no professional background in electricity but have become experts nonetheless. Power is a primary issue for Iraqis, one that the United States and Iraq’s national and local governments recognise is integral to the development of the country. Electricity has, in many ways, become Iraq’s most valued resource.

Baghdad Suffers Worst Cuts

Baghdad in the first week in October averaged six hours of electricity per day, half as much as the rest of the country, according to the United States State Department. The capital’s residents have become almost entirely dependent on expensive private generators to light their homes and run basic appliances such as refrigerators. Iraq’s electricity grid nearly collapsed this summer and the shortages were the worst since the summer of 2003, reported the ministry of electricity, and some Baghdad neighbourhoods have had only a few hours of power a day. The capital’s power supply is “woefully inadequate”, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told American lawmakers in September. Baghdad had 16 to 24 hours of power daily in March 2003. Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein directed the lion’s share of the country’s electricity supply to the capital, leaving other areas short. US and Iraqi authorities have tried to repair the power systems and equalise electricity distribution in Iraq. But as demand has increased for electricity, violence, corruption and mismanagement have hindered years of efforts to improve the power supply - particularly in the capital - and have weakened Iraqi confidence in their government. …..Insurgents regularly target both Iraq’s oil-reliant electricity systems and its oil infrastructure, crippling both. About 2,500 megawatts are lost per day because of attacks on power transmission towers and distribution infrastructure, as well as fuel and water shortages, according to a September report by the US government’s Energy Information Administration.

Kurds Struggle to Generate Own Supplies

Most power projects have not been completed or made little or no impact. The authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan have sought to deal with their power shortages by striking its own electricity provision deals, but locals have seen little benefit from them. In the north of Iraq, buildings are going up and oil wells are being drilled, while tens of thousands of Iraqi families escaping violence in the south have fled to Kurdish areas to set up businesses or find work. But Iraqi Kurdistan’s infrastructure cannot provide for the region’s four million population, never mind cope with the additional pressure of new businesses and residents. Electricity shortages are the main source of public dissatisfaction with the authorities in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah. The third Iraqi Kurdish province, Duhok, receives power from neighbouring Turkey and cuts are rare. Electricity supplies in Iraqi Kurdistan have been irregular ever since it broke away from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to become a semi-autonomous region 16 years ago, leaving it cut off from the country’s power grid.

Scams Enrage Karbala Residents

Politicians and militia accused of stealing electricity supplies. Officials and local militia groups in the southern province of Karbala are siphoning off the province’s dwindling power supply, leaving residents to rely on private generators, say local people. “There are some terrorists who set off bombs, and there some are terrorists who steal, like those officials [who keep electricity for themselves],” said Ali Jafar, a 55-year-old resident of the Shia city’s al-Malimeen neighbourhood. The Iraqi government estimates it is only supplying about half the electricity to service the needs of the public and businesses across the country, which are demanding more power than ever before. In Karbala, the power runs for about two hours for every four hours of blackouts.

IRAQ: Child prisoners abused and tortured, say activists

Iraqi NGOs have raised concerns about the condition of children in local prisons, saying they are abused and tortured during interrogation. "Children are being treated as adults in Iraqi prisons and our investigations have shown that they are being abused and tortured," said Khalid Rabia'a, a spokesman for the Prisoners' Association for Justice (PAJ). "Our investigation started after families brought their five sons to our organisation looking for psychological help for their children who were recently released from prison, and what we found out was shocking," Rabia'a added. According to Rabia'a, child prisoners between 13 and 17 are being accused of supporting insurgents and militias. Most were detained during Iraqi army military operations in the Baghdad neighbourhoods of Adhamiya, Latifiya, Alawi, Doura and Hay al-Adel. "The five children showed signs of torture all over their bodies. Three had marks of cigarettes burns over their legs and one couldn't speak as the shock sessions affected his conversation," Rabia'a said. "It is against international law that protects children and we call for interventions in all Iraqi prisons to save the lives of these children." The Ministry of Interior denied the accusations, saying children and youth taken for interrogation are released after a maximum of 48 hours without being abused or tortured. A campaign against child abuse is being launched in Baghdad with the support of Iraq's Vice-President Tarek al-Hashimy. …..At least 220 children are believed to be held in Iraqi prisons. IRIN requested permission to visit the prisons said to be holding child prisoners but the request was denied.

IRAQ: Mental problems and stress disorders increase

Salah Hashimy, 14, has lost his parents, sisters and many friends since the US-led invasion in 2003; finally there was no one to look after him. He lacks education, love and support, a combination that, according to doctors, caused his mental health problems. “My memory is very weak but I cannot forget when I saw my sister being raped by militants until she died,” Hashimy said. Hashimy, who is being treated at Ibn-Rushd psychiatric hospital in Baghdad, has at last found a place to stay at Keeping Children Alive (KCA), a local NGO that takes care of children with mental disorders. However, after recent threats against the NGO, Salah might have to find another place to live if it is forced to close. “Salah is just one example of dozens of children and adults who come to our unit in this hospital and all of them have developed mental disorders after the war,” said Shalan Aboudy, director of Ibn-Rushd psychiatric hospital. “All patients have similar histories. Some have lost relatives, children became orphans, women were raped, men lost their fiancés a couple of days before marriage,” Aboudy added.

REPORTS – IRAQI MILITIAS, POLITICIANS, POWER BROKERS

Basra police detain 267 foreign 'criminals'

The city's police chief Jalil Khalil Shuail said the police detained 267 foreigners from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran who "infiltrated into Basra and committed crimes." Without elaborating on the nature of their crimes, Shuail said they had been detained over a period of time since June. On Wednesday, Suhail himself escaped an assassination attempt by gunmen who fired on him as he took a tour of a local market. One of his guards was killed in the shooting. The defence ministry, meanwhile, said there had been clashes between militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in recent days.

Sadrists urge followers to abandon arms

The Sadr bloc's political board on Thursday urged its followers to abandon all arms throughout Iraq. "We issued strict instructions to al-Mahdi army to abandon all armed forces throughout Iraq and to not deal with weapons or use them under any condition, even under the pretext of self defense," the political board said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr decided on August 31 to freeze his Mahdi Army militias for six months, labeling the step as a "chance" for all militias in Iraq to follow suit. "We call on our brothers in al-Mahdi army to commit to our leadership's instructions," the statement added. The statement also said that the Sadrists announced they are resolved to leaving no stone unturned to stop Iraqi bloodshed. They also urged the Iraqi officials to honor their commitments regarding ending the Iraqis' suffering and illegal arresting.

Arrest warrants against 50 cops, including seven officers in Diwaniya

The Diwaniya investigation department issued arrest warrants for 50 policemen in the light of detainees’ confessions about their alleged involvement in terrorist activities, a police source said on Thursday. "On Wednesday, the Department issued warrants for the arrest of 50 policemen, including seven officers," the source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), providing no information about the ranks of the arrested policemen. "Confessions from gunmen who were recently arrested indicated the involvement of some police personnel, including officers, in terrorist activities inside the province," the source added. No information was provided about whether the concerned policemen have been arrested or not.

21 suspected gunmen detained under Baghdad security plan

Iraqi security forces arrested 21 suspected gunmen during the past 24 hours under the Baghdad law-imposing plan, the Baghdad operations command said on Thursday. "The security forces arrested 21 suspected gunmen and defused 11 roadside bombs in different parts of Baghdad during the last 24 hours," the Baghdad operations command said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The statement also said "the forces also found a weapon cache including 52 artillery shells in Baghdad al-Jadidah neighborhood, eastern Baghdad."

REPORTS – US/UK/OTHERS IN IRAQ

Turkish Troops Kill 64 Suspected Rebels Near Iraq

Turkish troops have killed at least 64 suspects rebels this week, including more than 30 poised to attack a military unit on the border on Tuesday, Turkey's military said Thursday. A pair of warplanes were spotted flying from northern Iraq back into Turkey, a day after Turkish warplanes reportedly pounded rebel positions along the border. "We are totally determined to take all the necessary steps to end this threat," Gul said before a visit by a high-level Iraqi delegation. Turkey's top leadership, seeking to put pressure on Iraq's Kurds to act against the rebels, has called for economic measures against Iraq. The self-ruling Kurdish administration in Iraq's north relies heavily on Turkish investment. Ankara is "expecting them to come with concrete proposals — otherwise, the visit will have no meaning," Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said.

Firm blamed for Baghdad embassy flaws gains new jobs

The Kuwaiti contractor that's building the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad — behind schedule and plagued by allegations of shoddy construction and safety flaws — is still winning lucrative new contracts to build U.S. diplomatic installations overseas. Late last month, First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co. was part of a team that won a $122 million State Department contract to build a U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to contract documents. That's one of at least three State Department jobs, in addition to the Baghdad project, that First Kuwaiti won in association with a U.S. firm, Grunley Walsh LLC of Rockville, Md. Since 2006, by operating as a subcontractor to Grunley Walsh, First Kuwaiti has won contracts for work on a new U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon; on a consulate in Surabaya, Indonesia; and on the Jeddah project. Such partnerships are increasingly common as foreign companies try to win shares of embassy construction contracts that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year under the State Department's aggressive building program. Under a 1986 law, only U.S. firms can bid on embassy construction. But industry analysts said that First Kuwaiti appears to be the financial muscle behind the partnership with Grunley Walsh.

Quote of the day: What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world: Robert E. Lee, letter to his wife, 1864