Current Affairs Perspectives

America's adventure in Iraq has been a disaster

2004-05-21T13:36:00.001+01:00

America's ambitious plans for Iraq look to be in tatters today.

The US have managed to get themselves into a position where they are fighting 3 different enemies on 3 fronts within Iraq. You have the Sunni resistance fighters in the all-important Sunni Triangle, the Shia militia in the south who are asserting themselves around the holy sites and of course Al-Qaeda who are primarily foreign influenced and have shown the ability to cause huge carnage.

Each adversay is now jockeying for position for the post-occupation Iraq which they now know may come sooner rather than later. Of course the reality is, the Americans cannot leave completely. Their CPA HQ will become the world's largest US embassy and there will be a permanent US base presence in-country to keep an eye on things.

The biggest victory for the legitimate resistance fighters will be a wholesale withdrawal of US forces from major population and urban centres. The US would genuinely like this to come sooner rather than later.

The US is already in a position where a total victory is no longer possible. If they stay, they will continue to receive a bloody nose from resourceful guerrilla tactics; if they leave it will be a seen as a victory for the resistance.

The Americans are very good at shooting themselves in the foot. One example: The prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. This was the perfect recruiting platform for both the indigenous resistance movement and the various terrorist groups around the Middle-East. The abuse policy of US Military Intelligence to 'soften up' Iraqis (who according to the Red Cross are largely innocent anyway) has basically endangered the lives of all troops including British troops- who have been a highly professional force compared to the US soldiers.

Colin Powells comments a few days ago about 'we would leave if asked to' by a 'soverign' Iraqi leadership is just nonsense and hypothetical and he knows it. He knows that no new client regime would ask the Americans to leave and lose their basis of power!! It would be suicide. In any case, judging from continuing assassinations of IGC members, participating in any political leadership in Iraq is a poisoned chalice right now.

If so many people weren't suffering, Americas predicament would have been laughable. The US Government knowingly got themselves into this mess- even after they had been warned by their allies.

This is what happens when you have a US president who knows nothing about foreign affairs and therefore allowed himself to be easly hoodwinked by certain members of the right-wing republican lobby connected to the terrifying PNAC(Project for A New American Century). These are people who want nothing less than a total military domination of the Middle East, energy resources and safeguarding the Israeli right to unlimited security.

To all you pro-warriors out there. I think 'I told you so' comes to mind. Wouldn't you agree?

US adventure in Iraq has been a disaster

2004-05-21T13:01:00.000+01:00

America's ambitious plans for Iraq look to be in tatters today.

The US have managed to get themselves into a position where they are fighting 3 different enemies on 3 fronts within Iraq. You have the Sunni resistance fighters in the all-important Sunni Triangle, the Shia militia in the south who are asserting themselves around the holy sites and of course Al-Qaeda who are primarily foreign influenced and have shown the ability to cause huge carnage.

Each adversay is now jockeying for position for the post-occupation Iraq which they now know may come sooner rather than later. Of course the reality is, the Americans cannot leave completely. Their CPA HQ will become the world's largest US embassy and there will be a permanent US base presence in-country to keep an eye on things.

The biggest victory for the legitimate resistance fighters will be a wholesale withdrawal of US forces from major population and urban centres. The US would genuinely like this to come sooner rather than later.

The US is already in a position where a total victory is no longer possible. If they stay, they will continue to receive a bloody nose from resourceful guerrilla tactics; if they leave it will be a seen as a victory for the resistance.

The Americans are very good at shooting themselves in the foot. One example: The prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. This was the perfect recruiting platform for both the indigenous resistance movement and the various terrorist groups around the Middle-East. The abuse policy of US Military Intelligence to 'soften up' Iraqis (who according to the Red Cross are largely innocent anyway) has basically endangered the lives of all troops including British troops- who have been a highly professional force compared to the US soldiers.

Colin Powells comments a few days ago about 'we would leave if asked to' by a 'soverign' Iraqi leadership is just nonsense and hypothetical and he knows it. He knows that no new client regime would ask the Americans to leave and lose their basis of power!! It would be suicide. In any case, judging from continuing assassinations of IGC members, participating in any political leadership in Iraq is a poisoned chalice right now.

If so many people weren't suffering, Americas predicament would have been laughable. The US Government knowingly got themselves into this mess- even after they had been warned by their allies.

This is what happens when you have a US president who knows nothing about foreign affairs and therefore allowed himself to be easly hoodwinked by certain members of the right-wing republican lobby connected to the terrifying PNAC(Project for A New American Century). These are people who want nothing less than a total military domination of the Middle East, energy resources and safeguarding Israeli right to unlimited security.

To all you pro-warriors out there. I think 'I told you so' comes to mind. Wouldn't you agree?

April 2004- End of a terrible month for US occupied Iraq

2004-04-30T20:43:00.000+01:00

The Americans have had 135 of their soldiers killed in the Fallujah area. 135!! That's over 4 soldiers killed every day. This is more than the invasion phase of April last year. If anyone doubts that there is a war going on; this is surely conclusive proof.

In the past month, Fallujah fighters have been highly resourcefull despite seeing many of their family members killed and injured in the town. Slowly, they have been sapping US morale, judging from this report from Al-Jazeera.

"The problem is they know everything about us. They hear us coming, they know what vehicles we ride in and calculate how many in each vehicle," said Private First Class Joseph France, 19, of Batesville, Indiana.

"We know nothing about them. We don't know who they are. They know how to surprise us and they are resourceful with their weapons and know how to escape."

Announced today, a 'withdrawal of US Marines from Fallujah. They have appointed General Salih formerly of Saddam's Republican Guard to provide security in the city.

Also, closing this weeks major events, shockwaves throughout the world with graphic photgraphs of Iraqi prisoners being abused and humiliated by US soldiers.

This has been a terrible month for ordinary iraqi civilians who have lost so much (600 dead in Fallujah alone), for the US who have been humbled by a fierce resistance in Fallujah and who have had to finally relinquish control of Fallujah to an ex- Iraq Army General.

It has been month of u-turns for the US occupation. From talk of the US Marines 'taking' Fallujah to withdrawing completely to outlying areas; from de-Baathification to a reversal of that policy.

America's supposed moral high ground has also taken a battering with worldwide publication of photos showing prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib prison.
Baghdadis knew for months that 'bad' things were happening there- ever since the US took over the running of that prison. But now that the photos are out; it is a very huge and embarrassing blow to the US indeed -which they cannot talk out of so easily..

Letter to Prime Minister from fomer senior diplomats

2004-04-27T20:02:00.000+01:00

The letter sent by more than 50 former British ambassadors to Tony Blair, urging him either to influence US policy in the Middle East or to stop backing it:

"We the undersigned former British ambassadors, high commissioners, governors and senior international officials, including some who have long experience of the Middle East and others whose experience is elsewhere, have watched with deepening concern the policies which you have followed on the Arab-Israel problem and Iraq, in close co-operation with the United States.

Following the press conference in Washington at which you and President Bush restated these policies, we feel the time has come to make our anxieties public, in the hope that they will be addressed in Parliament and will lead to a fundamental reassessment.

The decision by the USA, the EU, Russia and the UN to launch a "Road Map" for the settlement of the Israel/Palestine conflict raised hopes that the major powers would at last make a determined and collective effort to resolve a problem which, more than any other, has for decades poisoned relations between the West and the Islamic and Arab worlds.

... But the hopes were ill-founded. Nothing effective has been done either to move the negotiations forward or to curb the violence.

Britain and the other sponsors of the Road Map merely waited on American leadership, but waited in vain.

Worse was to come. After all those wasted months, the international community has now been confronted with the announcement by Ariel Sharon and President Bush of new policies which are one-sided and illegal and which will cost yet more Israeli and Palestinian blood.

Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land and which have been the basis for such successes as those efforts have produced.

This abandonment of principle comes at a time when rightly or wrongly we are portrayed throughout the Arab and Muslim world as partners in an illegal and brutal occupation in Iraq.

The conduct of the war in Iraq has made it clear that there was no effective plan for the post-Saddam settlement.

All those with experience of the area predicted that the occupation of Iraq by the Coalition forces would meet serious and stubborn resistance, as has proved to be the case.

To describe the resistance as led by terrorists, fanatics and foreigners is neither convincing nor helpful.

Policy must take account of the nature and history of Iraq, the most complex country in the region.

... The military actions of the Coalition forces must be guided by political objectives and by the requirements of the Iraq theatre itself, not by criteria remote from them.

It is not good enough to say that the use of force is a matter for local commanders.

Heavy weapons unsuited to the task in hand, inflammatory language, the current confrontations in Najaf and Falluja, all these have built up rather than isolated the opposition.

... We share your view that the British government has an interest in working as closely as possible with the United States on both these related issues, and in exerting real influence as a loyal ally.

We believe that the need for such influence is now a matter of the highest urgency.

If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure. "

The signatories are: Brian Barder; Paul Bergne; John Birch; David Blatherwick; Graham Boyce; Julian Bullard; Juliet Campbell; Bryan Cartledge; Terence Clark; David Colvin; Francis Cornish; James Craig; Brian Crowe; Basil Eastwood; Stephen Egerton; William Fullerton; Dick Fyjis-Walker; Marrack Goulding; John Graham; Andrew Green; Vic Henderson; Peter Hinchcliffe; Brian Hitch; Archie Lamb and David Logan.

Also: Christopher Long; Ivor Lucas; Ian McCluney; Maureen MacGlashan; Philip McLean; Christopher MacRae; Oliver Miles; Martin Morland; Keith Morris; Richard Muir; Alan Munro; Stephen Nash; Robin O'Neill; Andrew Palmer; Bill Quantrill; David Ratford; Tom Richardson; Andrew Stuart; David Tatham; Crispin Tickell; Derek Tonkin; Charles Treadwell; Hugh Tunnell; Jeremy Varcoe; Hooky Walker; Michael Weir and Alan White.

Generals question US policy

2004-04-21T20:11:00.000+01:00

Anothey bloody week with car bombs in Basra which killed many people including schoolchildren and a suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia, aimed at a security building.

Just in from the BBC:
Two US generals in Iraq have criticised the policy of excluding senior Baath Party members - including Iraqi army officers - from jobs in the post-war administration.

Maj Gen John Batiste - commander of the US First Infantry Division - told the New York Times newspaper that it would be a good thing to harness their energies.

The US commander in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Brig Gen Carter F Ham, said the de-Baathification policy has left many Sunni Muslims feeling disenfranchised, which has clearly had a destabilising effect.

This is what we said all along. And in a way the Americans have really shot themselves in the foot in post-war Iraq. The very people that were needed to stabilise the country, technocrats, civil servants, administrators, army soldiers, were all summarily sacked in the opening days of US rule. The US foolishly thought that they were destroying Baathist influence.

What they have in fact done is disenfranchised an important sector of society, the sunnis and therefore made normalisation so much more harder.

In addition, an indeginous army and security force would have been so much more effective at suppressing criminal activities due to their local knowledge and network of informants.

This was a key mistake made by the US and they are now paying for it, because step by step, the actions of America are creating a new breed of resistance against the occupation.

Battles rage across Iraq. US seeks ceasefire in Fallujah.

2004-04-10T17:25:00.000+01:00

Hundreds of civilians are reported to have been killed in Falluja, and women and children have been trying to leave the city after six days of violence.

The US Marines know very well that if they enter Fallujah now- as it is - their safety is not guaranteed. Urban warfare dimishes their technological superiority

Attacks against the US military during the last 12 months were largely localised in the Sunni heartland. So far the resistance had been confined to squads of ex-military/ex-baath fighters and most recently militia members in the Shia south. The American nightmare must now surely be the possible linking up of these 2 separate fronts into a national resistance movement. Such a campaign would then have a popular broad base of support amongst Sunni and Shia alike- which would have national co-ordination.

This scenario is possible and if it does form, then the US military will find it even harder to suppress the will of the people.

AT THE END OF THE DAY THE AMERICANS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS MUST UNDERSTAND- YOU CAN'T RULE A COUNTRY FROM A TANK. THEY NEED GRASS ROOT SUPPORT. WITH EVERY CIVILIAN THEY KILL - THEY ARE LOSING THE VERY LITTLE SUPPORT THEY DID HAVE.

The war in Iraq has been a disaster from day 1. The US themselves guaranteed the disaster by disbanding the Iraq Army -which would have been very useful now.

The last 7 days have significantly damaged the US occupation for 4 reasons:
1. The ferocity of the resistance and willingness to defend their towns
2. The kidnapping of foreigners (e.g. Adding political pressure to the Japanese Govt. and thereby the 'coalition')
3. The drawing in of coalition troops into a 'real' combat role.(Ukrainians were forced to withdraw under fire in the town of Kut).
4. Huge civilian fatalaties (450 in Fallujah alone in a few days.)

There are increasing signs of unease among some of the US' military allies in Iraq as the upsurge of fighting draws them into combat.
Ukrainian troops pulled out of the town of Kut south-east of Baghdad on Wednesday after coming under attack by militia supporting the Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr.

But public opposition to the policy is increasing.

The US assembled a coalition of nearly 40 countries on the ground in Iraq. Many countries sent small numbers of troops to please Washington, to show solidarity or for other political reasons.

They did not expect to be involved in serious fighting, and often sold their engagement to a dubious public with the argument that it was a form of humanitarian aid or reconstruction.

Those assumptions have been blown away by the armed uprising by supporters of Mr Sadr.

The US forces in Iraq are already overstretched
Coalition soldiers have been involved in fighting in several Shia cities in the south: The Ukrainians who retreated from Kut; the Bulgarians and Poles in Karbala; the Spaniards in Najaf; the Italians in Nasiriya.

Elsewhere, 500 Japanese non-combat troops and a similar number of South Koreans have suspended activities outside their military camps.

The only new announcement of formal withdrawal came from Kazakhstan, which said its tiny deployment would end next month.

Even in countries where the government has restated its determination to stay in Iraq, political and public opinion is divided and vulnerable. Opposition in Italy, Poland and Australia is becoming more vocal.

In most cases, the withdrawal of allied troops would not be militarily significant. Apart from the UK, only a few countries have contingents of more than 1,000 -notably Italy, Poland, Ukraine and Spain.

The new Socialist government in Madrid has said it will pull its forces out unless the United Nations takes charge in Iraq by the end of June.

These kinds of numbers may not matter in absolute terms, but they would cause problems because the US military is overstretched.

However, the political impact of troop withdrawals would be more significant.

It would tend to confirm that the occupation was essentially an American-British affair; it would increase the demand for a much greater UN role; and it would influence US and British public opinion, inflicting political damage on US President George W Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Iraqi Shia militia challenge US authority. Gunships firing on Baghdad targets.

2004-04-05T19:52:00.000+01:00

US helicopter gunships targeted militia members loyal to Mr Sadr in the mainly Shia district of al-Shuala in Baghdad.

Coalition officials told a news conference in Baghdad that the warrant for Mr Sadr's arrest had been drawn up by an Iraqi judge and would be executed "without advance warning".

If the situation wasn't so serious and grave- it would be quite laughable: seeing the US in such an embarrassing predicament. They have already lost hundreds of soldiers and marines in the Sunni Triangle over the last 11 months in an ongoing struggle with the defiant resistance in that region.

Now the last thing the Americans needed was an opening of a second front in central and southern Iraq!! Clashes have occured in Sadr City, Najf, Kufa and Basra with this private Shia militia and their followers.

But to compound a bad situation even more, the Americans have no interest in pacifying them by negotiations and compromise. No! They have deployed Apache gunships, tanks and fired in residential areas and killed scores of civilians as well. What's more they have issued an arrest warrant on this Mr Sadr for a crime which supposedly took place last year!

The Americans have placed themselves head to head with Mr. Sadr's Mehdi Army militia.

Paul Bremer says that Mr. Sadr is now 'outside the law'. And was America inside the law when they decided to invade Iraq on dodgy intel?

Did we ever see Saddam's Iraqi Army helicopter gunships putting down Shia uprising in the capital city? Never !! It never happened before!

Many of Iraq's Shia welcomed last year's invasion but now their tolerance of the occupation is wearing thin. Is this the beginning of the end of America's adventure?

US contractors killed in Fallujah horror

2004-04-01T19:33:00.000+01:00

Any decent person who heard what happened in Fallujah were disgusted. I feel very sorry and sad for the victims families.

But let's make 3 things clear:

1. The guys killed were private "security contractors" working for the US military.

Let's recognise that these guys were not private individuals and civilians just minding their own business or giving out sweeties to children! Oh no- They and their employers were some of the financial beneficaries of this inhumane war.

Their employer- Blackwater Consulting- takes it's core personnel from the US Special Ops community. These guys who died were very likely to be highly trained killer/operators providing guard services to the US military. (i.e. mercenaries, the US Govt. being one of their clients). There deployment in Iraq allows the US Govt. to reallocate their own soldiers elsewhere.

The contractors were in the line of fire and they knew it, they were armed in a theatre of war. YES- THEY WERE COMBATANTS IN A CONFLICT ZONE.

There - I've said it. Something which the media cannot say and have not said.

But let's state very clearly that obviously this does not excuse the horrific abuse of their dead bodies. It was WRONG and saddening that the crowds could not act in a civilised manner with a civilised mentality.

It is likely the the resistance fighters executed the 'hit' on the convoy and then escaped to fight another day.

What then happened is obvious- the crowds began the hideous mutilation of the dead bodies. Something which disgusted everyone.

2. And when it comes to "THEY WERE GUARDING FOOD CONVOYS" - the US are somehow giving the impression of a moral authority. No- don't get too moral. The food only needed guarding due to the collapse in security, law and order in Iraq. AND there were no reports of a grain truck in the convoy that was attacked!!!

3. Why are some people and the media not more disgusted by the equally horrendous deaths of over 10,000 Iraqi civilians killed by American bombs and bullets. They did not choose war, but the death and destruction came to them in many painful ways. Isn't it also a gruesome sight to see a person killed from a JDAM bomb launched from a B52? Or a child with arms and legs blown off from a forgotten cluster device?

Face it , the US have opened a can of worms in Iraq. The Sunni Triangle is now a kill zone for the Americans and it is entirely of their doing.

Well done America for another foreign policy success!

America WILL lose this war. Not militarily of course. I mean hearts and minds world-wide. And unless the US realises that fact, they will continue to fight an enemy they can't see clearly and an enemy they can't predict very well.

British muslims arrested in anti-terror swoop

2004-03-31T13:37:00.000+01:00

Anti-terrorism officers are continuing to question eight men as they investigate an alleged bomb plot.
The arrests in south-east England came as detectives seized half a ton of fertiliser, of a type used as explosive in the Bali and Istanbul bombings.

Aged from 17 to 32, the men are thought to be UK citizens of Pakistani descent.

This is was the biggest anti-terror operation by UK police in a number of years and hopefully will prove fruitful. It is important that the police and the Government tread the middle ground. i.e. not to be seen to be excessively pandering to muslim sentiment in the one extreme but also not demonising ordinary British muslims.

Muslims just want to be treated like any other British citizen and not any different.

If the operation proves that these guys were planning something on the UK mainland then I find it extremely shocking that British people (muslim or non-muslim) would want to hurt their own country and their own economy with acts of terror.

It is obvious that there is a sense of rage especially amongst younger generations of muslims growing up in the UK. This will just accelerate the growth of surveillance operations within the UK Muslim community.

Arabs in Israel

2004-03-15T18:44:00.000Z

From an Al-Jazeera report:
In a shocking re-enactment of Nazi Germany practices, Palestinian construction workers were forced to wear distinguishing marks on their hard hats to differentiate them from other nationalities.

Some excerpts:According to reports in the Israeli media, the crosses were being used by snipers posted on the Knesset rooftop to train their sites on the Arab workers and follow them around the building site.

An official said the crosses would be removed once lengthy security checks had been completed on the workers.

"As far as is known, Israel is the only country in the world where McDonald's staff is ordered to talk only one language while on duty.
Many workplaces ban Arabic because they don't like being reminded that their Jewish state is full of Arabs too."

Such discrimination dates back to the earliest days of Zionism, he said, when the movement's leaders argued that Palestine was "a land without people for a people without land".

The first Jewish immigrants began a policy of "Hebrew labour" - only employing other Jews.

A report published in January by the Adva Centre - a Tel Aviv group promoting equality and social justice - showed that the 36 worst employment black spots in Israel are all Arab areas. (By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth).

Spanish ruling party defeated

2004-03-14T23:54:00.000Z

Spain's ruling Popular Party has suffered an unexpected defeat in the country's general election.

The Socialists defeated the right-wing party and capitalised on the greater turn-out after the terrorist atrocity last week. In the aftermath of the bombing, Aznar's Popular party intended to divert attention away from any talk of international terror and immediately blamed ETA. They knew that 90% of the Spanish people were against the bombing and invasion of Iraq- and so the possibility of a revenge attack by Al-Qaeda would turn the Spanish people against Aznar.

We have to remember that under Prime Minister Aznar, Spain actively promoted the Bush plan to invade Iraq. In addition to the heavy price Spain has paid in this bombing, a few months ago, a number of Spanish intelligence agents and troops in Iraq were ambushed and killed by the Iraqi resistance.

If the train bombings are proven to be an Al-Qaeda affiliated operation, then this must be the first time the network has managed to so heavily influence an election in a western democracy.

This fact is also combined with the fact that Spain may now withdraw it's troops and most definitely weaken the Bush 'coalition'.

Madrid train bombing horror

2004-03-14T15:59:00.000Z

This was a truly horrific event and a tragedy for Spain. Some guys of Morrocan and Indian descent have so far been arrested in the course of the investigation so far. It remains to be seen if these arrests are linked to the bombing, or not.

If this was the work of Al-Qaeda with the collaboration of some local elements than this is serious news for all of Europe. Intelligence agencies in European capitals must be really re-assessing their security right now.

5 released from Guantanomo - return to UK

2004-03-14T09:39:00.000Z

5 British citizens were released last week from US custody and finally handed over to British authorities. My feeling is that if these guys were terrorists and were planning and involved in acts of terrorism (and evidence were offered) then they should have been put on trial under the due process of law. This is what the British people expect and deserve.

The Americans failed to do this initially of course- and are continuing to flout international law and with hundreds of prisoners from all over the world still in Guantanomo without charge. They have effectively created a legal limbo. The US proving again that it has no right to play the moral and legal gaurdian of world security.

The few days some of the British muslims spent in Paddington Green Police Station upon arrival was merely a media charade to show that the British will complete their own enquiries. It was laughable- because the reality was that MI5/MI6 had access to these guys for 2 years- and so if there was a case --we had 2 years to prepare a prosecution!!

One of these guys apparently was a prisoner of the Taliban! He was captured whilst sitting in a jail cell. Oh my- That sounds very threatening to UK national security!!!

So- where do we draw the line on people like this. British citizens fighting for foreign causes abroad is nothing new. One example- Bosnia. Some muslims and and a few christians from the UK (not huge numbers) joined the wars in Bosnia in the early '90s. Some did it for religion some did it as professional mercenaries. Were they caught and prosecuted when they returned to London? No. There was no need to at the time.

The fact of the matter is that this will happen from time to time. But the question is did British muslims go to Afghanistan to fight and overthrow the British state and plan acts of terror? The answer is a definite no in the most part.
Some of these guys naiively went to support the Taliban as a religious movement and fight what they thought was a jihad against the Russian and Indian supported Northern Alliance.

These lowly foot-soldiers may have passed through some training camps to learn fighting skills - but almost certainly were not aware of the atrocity being planned in New York in 2001.

These guys did not bring the fight to London or New York. We took the fight to them. And in the aftermath of the US assault on Afganistan - were picked up by US forces- they picked up anyone who looked non-Afghan.

In perspective- if these were 5 white christian British guys who were held by Zimbabwe for 2 years without charge would we have tolerated that either? No- I don't think so - quite rightly. And that is why the rule of law is important.

US 'abuses' in Afghanistan

2004-03-09T09:32:00.000Z

Read the BBC report from here.
US-based Human Rights Watch accuses US personnel of using excessive force, carrying out arbitrary detentions and mistreating people in custody.

Some excerpts from the above report:
The report is damning. Entitled Enduring Freedom - Abuses by US Forces in Afghanistan, it focuses on the American system of detaining people at bases across the country, which it describes as "almost entirely outside the rule of law".

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 1,000 Afghans and other nationals have been taken into custody since 2002.

These arrests have often been accompanied by excessive or indiscriminate force, it says, leading to death and injury to innocent civilians.

Appropriate criminal and disciplinary action may never take place

Human Rights Watch report Helicopter gunships have been used to
fire on residential areas, when US troops were facing no opposition.

Such behaviour, it concludes, sends a message that "the US operates on a set of double standards", which also undermines support for its war on terror.

The above is another example that has been highlighted that in America's war on 'terror', it ,itself, is creating new terror and injustices wherever it may have major military operations.

Latest Israeli Army action leaves many dead

2004-03-07T09:29:00.000Z

Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships have been engaged in fierce battles against suspected Palestinian militants in central Gaza.
Palestinians said 14 people - including an eight-year-old boy - were killed.

From the BBC report:

Some of the Palestinians killed were said to be militants from Hamas, which has been responsible for the deaths of scores of Israelis in suicide bombings and ambushes.

Palestinian doctors said more than 50 people had been wounded, including several children.

"It's a big massacre today against our people. We call on the whole world to condemn it," said the governor of central Gaza, Abdallah Abu Samhadama.

A taste of military occupation in Baghdad

2004-03-07T09:15:00.002Z

From an interesting Al- Jazeera report 'the pleasures' of living under the 'new-found' freedom of US military occupation.

In occupied Iraq, Baghdad resembles a sprawling military camp.

Coils of barbed wire snake around many businesses, educational institutions, government buildings and, of course, US military bases.

Concrete barriers, ranging from one to two-and-a-half metres, have sliced major streets in two, surrounded hotels and government institutions. In upscale neighbourhoods, including Mansur where a number of embassies are housed, armed men patrol the streets.

US occupation forces conduct their patrols in pairs of armoured vehicles, zooming through the capital’s streets. On the second vehicle there is usually a soldier pointing his machine gun at civilian cars.

It is a constant, grim reminder for Iraqis of who is in charge.
Iraqis living there need to navigate through rigorous US checkpoints, where they wait for hours until testy occupation soldiers start inspections. Soldiers, who often do not speak Arabic, shout orders in English at approaching cars. Their Iraqi translators are not always on hand.

Sayf describes how occupation forces comb his car on a daily basis: they open the bonnet, trunk and interior and search them all before letting him pass through.

US checkpoints in the capital have left motorists frustrated

"This is a prison, not freedom," he says. "We used to watch the Palestinians on television and feel bad for them. Now we are living the same thing… They have a wall and we have many walls," he said, referring to the concrete barrier Israel is constructing cutting off parts of the occupied West Bank.

Iraqis blame occupation forces for the most recent indignities. "It was better before. We were free to move around," says Sayf.

Humiliation at home

Waiting at a checkpoint in their own country for foreign forces to wave them through is humiliating, they say.

"We thought things would get better, but it seems to be getting worse and worse," says Ahmad.

He has chosen to rent an apartment outside the Green Zone, "because I can't wait every day for two or three hours to get home".
The zone has also made Baghdad’s streets chaotic.

One of the capital's seven vital bridges, Jisr al-Muaalaq, has been sealed off. It provided passage from Karrada in central Baghdad to the other half of the city. Motorists are forced to travel through the leafy - and once quiet - residential area of Qadasiyya.

Strict security checks are part of a daily routine for Iraqis

Residents of this up market neighbourhood are frustrated by the extra traffic and the concrete barrier that has sprouted in the middle of their district.

About 2m high and 2km long, the wall encloses the residencies of some of the Iraqi Governing Council members, including Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, and some media outlets, such as the US government-funded television station al-Hurra. (By Amal Hamdan, Al-Jazeera)

Iraqi Shia suffer worst terrorist atrocity post-war

2004-03-03T11:47:00.000Z

This was truly horrific. All I can say is that the perpetrators are determined to not only massacre but incite a religous war between sunni and shia muslims.

More than 140 people have been killed in blasts targeting Iraqi Shias as they celebrated the climax of a holy ritual in the cities of Karbala and Baghdad.

The Shia of Iraq have suffered enough. For years under Saddam, then in the "new liberated" Iraq they have been targeted. Let's hope they can absorb this and that all Iraqis retain their tolerance of each other and work towards the common goal of unity.

Just shows what a 'can of worms' the US has opened in Iraq. Under Saddam's brutal regime there were 13 separate intelligence agencies operating in Iraq dealing with matters of security (and of course to prop up his power base). But but now with the devastating effect of the US invasion- all the security apparatus had been dismantled from day 1. The Americans have reduced the Iraqi security forces to a band of cops with pistols and AK-47s. There is talk of the Americans recreating a secret police in Iraq.

Under international law (when the US decides to follow it) it states the "safety of the civilian citizens of a territory is the responsibility of the occupying power".

The US exit strategy will be interesting. We all know that these acts of terror will continue at some level and how will the US combat this without any form widespead co-operation from potential Iraqi informers (which at the moment is minimal) in the most important areas. i.e. The Sunni Triangle.

Well done George for giving Kerry a nice little present to inherit if he takes the White House this year!!

British army faces court action over civilian deaths

2004-02-29T19:54:00.000Z

Greiving relatives in Iraq deserve the truth, but I am surprised that there is not a similar class action against the US forces. Americans have been accused of being too willing to kill civilians at road-blocks and checkpoints. The US are fond of 'force protection' i.e. the lives of their soldiers is of a much higher importance than the possibility of killing innocent civilians.

Britain's Ministry of Defence is facing a series of lawsuits relating to the deaths of civilians killed by British troops in southern Iraq.

Lawyers acting for the families of some of the dead have said they are demanding improved compensation and an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers, which is pursuing the claims, said there had to be an independent inquiry and full damages paid to all the families.

"The MoD must establish a fair and rational compensation scheme so all those who have been affected by unlawful killings, injuries or loss of property, can be compensated without the stress of litigation," he said in a statement.

"It is a shock to discover that British troops have caused the deaths of so many innocent Iraqis since our occupation began on 2 May 2003."

In one alleged incident, a couple of soldiers beat up a 17 year-old Iraqi boy and then made him swim across a river. This I don't expect from today's British army but these claims should be investigated- but knowing how the UK MoD treat's British personnel - it remains to be seen how far this could go.

More calls to make the legal advice public

2004-02-29T15:06:00.000Z

On the BBC:
According to the Observer and the Independent on Sunday military officials were concerned that their troops could be prosecuted for fighting illegally.

They allegedly demanded an unequivocal statement that the invasion was lawful from the attorney general.

The former Tory leader told BBC's Breakfast with Frost it was in Tony Blair's interest to reveal Lord Goldsmith's full advice.

John Major throws his weight in. This is just going to continue and continue and all the while Tony Blair is looking like he is on the defensive. This is not the political agenda he wanted to kick off the year with in 2004. But hey - he's the guy who made the decision to send British troops to an illegal war.

Israelis win Iraqi Oil contract

2004-02-29T12:13:00.000Z

News which has stunned the Arab world-

One of Israel's largest oil marketing firms has won a multi-million dollar tender to supply fuel to US troops in Iraq.

According to a IsraelNationalNews.com report, the tender awarded to Sonol gasoline company, along with its foreign partner Morgantown International, is valued at $70-80 million.

The company is expected to supply the US forces with 25 million litres of fuel each month.

The tender was issued by the US-based KDR Company, a subsidiary of Halliburton, which has been entrusted with the majority of US military contracts in Iraq. Among Sonol’s competitors was Delek, another Israeli company, the report added.

Until now, the US forces have received most of their fuel from Kuwait. However, following Halliburton’s admission that it overcharged the US military by passing on the Kuwaitis' inflated price, the US Army decided to approach other suppliers.

Remember Halliburton (with links to Dick Chenie) was the company appointed by Bush's cronies without any bidding process to rebuild a large part of Iraqi infrastructure.

For many it's not surprising. Another example that the Americans are willing to ride roughsod over the opinions of the Arab people. I wonder what the average Iraqi on the street will think of an Israeli company on their soil. Where's the democracy in that?

Thing's like this will just 'fuel' the anger of opposition to the US occupation. No pun intended.

Tit for tat

2004-02-28T22:17:00.000Z

Nice bit of tit for tat diplomacy brewing between Russia and Qatar.

Russian intelligence has arrested two Qatari nationals in Moscow claiming they were connected to armed groups.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Saturday that the two Qataris are accused of having links to armed groups in the Russian territories – making reference to the breakaway province of Chechnya.

The arrest came a day after Russian officials angrily denounced Qatar’s arrest of two of its intelligence agents in Doha and demanded their release.

The officials have warned of a diplomatic row between the two nations over the affair.

This incident comes days after a controversial former Chechen seperatist leader was assassinated in a car bomb in Qatar. Qatari security forces picked up 2 Russian special agents in the area immediately after the bombing. Russia understandably now wants them handed back. Might have been a black op in revenge for the killing of Russian citizens.

Labour strikes back

2004-02-28T15:42:00.000Z

Labour chairman Ian McCartney has indicated that Clare Short will not be expelled from the party over her United Nations bugging claims.
He told BBC Scotland on Saturday: "I'm not going to make her a martyr".

That's right- that is a surprise. Labour don't want to dig the ditch any deep than it already is. I suppose they can't do her under the Official Secrets Act either!

Richard Butler, the former UN chief weapons inspector, has also claimed at least four countries bugged his conversations and he is convinced the UN's headquarters in New York is full of spies.

A few respectable diplomats and former weapons inspectors are now all saying the same thing. It is now being systematically being proven that whatever intel the UK had access to - was being utilised to promote war and sabotage peace with Iraq.

Has there ever been a war in modern British history where a war has been so highly questioned and unjustifiable? Tony Blair should be remembered for this acheivement, and this acheivement only, in the history books.

2004-02-27T13:21:00.000Z

Welcome to this new blog. Primarily launched to counteract and balance the huge weight of bias and histeria on some sites regarding the war on terror, islam and other issues.

Blogsite Mission Statement

Highlight the true terrorism in the world today and present perspectives on current affairs and strategic issues in the UK and the world

The Intelligence Game

2004-02-26T17:54:00.000Z

Katharine Gun, the GCHQ officer, has an interesting story to tell.

The GCHQ officer had all Crown Prosecution charges against her dropped. I wonder why! Possibly the prospect of a long drawn out trial could be highly embarrassing for the Government. This was clearly a political decision in order to save Blair further harassment.

This is the bit I find funny.

She had "only ever followed her conscience" to prevent an "illegal war against Iraq".

What I don't understand about this lady is that by joining an intelligence agency she should know that this kind of illegal activity is what she has signed up for.

This is what intelligence agencies do !! Legal or illegal- they bug, they burgle, they look for compromising evidence and they gather political/economic intel as well as security related intel. This is what our spooks are paid to do - and I would expect nothing less from them. I suspect that she was slightly naive if she actually thought this wouldn't happen. The US email request to GCHQ to 'bug' the UN particularly used the word "surge". i.e. a huge increase in existing activity. So we can in fact assume the eavesdropping was already ongoing.

Everyone is in the game- the French, Russians, the US. I'd be more surprised if there were no bugging operations at the UN !!

Now with Clare Short's allegations, looks like the pressure on Blair continues- he has come out publicly refuting allegations of wrongdoing. Needless to say, his performance was not convincing.

Tony Blair is hiding behind the excuse of "National Security" in order not to elaborate!! He had no qualms to use intel before this illegal war did he? Oh no- he exposed methods and operations to the people to push his decision through.

I'm not in favour of wily-nily whistle blowers in sensitive posts but in this case, the public interest has been served and one good consequence is more pressure on Blair! Hoorah!!