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Autor: "G.Lange" (2004-11-11 14:38:34)
* USA setzt Phosphor ein
* US Troops Reportedly Gassing Fallujah
* Dutzende Moscheen zerstört
* Alles unter Kontrolle?
US-Truppen wollen Falludscha bis Freitag einnehmen.
Widerstand weicht aus: Zahlreiche Angriffe auf
Besatzer. Verwandte von Allawi entführt
* Mujahideen Release Intense Fireworks
Forcing US Pull Back In The North
* Fighting in Falluja rages amid confusion
* Iraqi Resistance Report
for events of Wednesday, 10 November 2004
* Falluja`s defiance of a new empire
It is Bush and Blair, not the Iraqi resistance,
who fear free elections
* »Wir sind allesamt moralische Feiglinge«
Mehr als 100.000 Iraker sind bisher aufgrund der
US-Invasion gestorben - wo ist die Scham, wo die Wut?
* Die neue korporative Befreiungstheologie,
von Arundhati Roy
* The heroic City of Al Falluja Picture
http://www.dagbladet.no/download/fallujastortkart.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------
Die Invasion Iraks wird mit Gewißheit in die Geschichte als einer
der feigsten Kriege eingehen. Es war ein Krieg, in dem eine Bande
von reichen Nationen, ausgerüstet mit genügend Kernwaffen, um die
Welt mehrfach zu zerstören, ein armes Land einkesselte, es fälsch-
lich des Besitzes von Kernwaffen bezichtigte, die Vereinten Nati-
onen zwang, es zu entwaffnen, es dann überfiel, besetzte und nun
dabei ist, es zu verkaufen. Arundhati Roy
------------------------------------------------------------------
USA setzt Phosphor ein
10.11.2004
Einem Bericht der Washington Post vom Mittwoch zufolge setzt
das US-Militär bei der Großoffensive gegen die irakische Stadt
Fallujah (Falludscha) auch Chemiewaffen ein.
Demnach feuerten mehrere Artilleriegeschütze der USA Granaten ab,
die weißen Phosphor enthielten und bei ihrem Einschlag eine Feuer-
wand erzeugen, die nicht mit Wasser gelöscht werden kann. Weißer
Phosphor beginnt allein durch den Kontakt mit dem in der Luft ent-
haltenen Sauerstoff mit einer Temperatur von 1.300 Grad Celsius zu
brennen. Er ist die reaktionsstärkste Form des Phosphors und wurde
daher bereits im 2. Weltkrieg unter anderem gegen deutsche Städte
eingesetzt. Neben der Brandwirkung und den verheerenden Verletzungen,
die Hautkontakt schon bei kleinen Mengen verursacht, ist der Stoff
außerdem hoch giftig. Bereits 50 Milligramm werden als tödliche
Dosis angesehen. Der Tod tritt bei einer solchen Vergiftung inner-
halb von 5 bis 10 Tagen ein.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphor
http://mail.edo.uni-dortmund.de/~wniehues/feuerkraut/Feuerkraut/
Bombenterror/14Tante Else.htm
Durch die giftige Wirkung des weißen Phosphors und des bei seiner
Verbrennung entstehenden Rauchs ist dieser Stoff als Chemiewaffe
einzustufen. Der Einsatz solcher Brandstoffe in einer Stadt, wo
die Verletzung oder Tötung von Zivilisten höchstwahrscheinlich ist,
ist zweifellos als ein weiteres Kriegsverbrechen zu bezeichnen. Der
Einsatz von weißem Phosphor ist aufgrund der Giftigkeit des Stoffes
noch weitaus mehr zu verurteilen als der bereits vorangegangene
Einsatz von Napalm im Irak.
http://www.freace.de/artikel/aug2003/napalm060803.html
So wurde auch im Zusatzprotokoll von 1977 zur Genfer Konvention
erneut der Einsatz von Waffen, die überflüssiges Leiden oder
übermäßige Verletzungen hervorrufen, verboten.
Kamal Hadeethi, ein Arzt in einem Krankenhaus der Stadt, sagte:
"Die Körper der Mujaheddin, die zu uns gebracht wurden, waren
verbrannt und manche Körper waren geschmolzen."
http://www.freace.de/artikel/200411/101104a.html
* * *
US Troops Reportedly Gassing Fallujah
FALLUJAH, November 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - US
troops are reportedly using chemical weapons and poisonous gas
in its large-scale offensive on the Iraqi resistance bastion of
Fallujah, a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein`s alleged gassing
of the Kurds in 1988.
"The US occupation troops are gassing resistance fighters and
confronting them with internationally-banned chemical weapons,"
resistance sources told Al-Quds Press Wednesday, November 10.
The fatal weapons led to the deaths of tens of innocent civilians,
whose bodies litter sidewalks and streets, they added.
"They use chemical weapons out of despair and helplessness in the
face of the steadfast and fierce resistance put up by Fallujah
people, who drove US troops out of several districts, hoisting
proudly Iraqi flags on them. Resistance has also managed to destroy
and set fire to a large number of US tanks and vehicles.
"The US troops have sprayed chemical and nerve gases on resistance
fighters, turning them hysteric in a heartbreaking scene," an Iraqi
doctor, who requested anonymity, told Al-Quds Press.
"Some Fallujah residents have been further burnt beyond treatment
by poisonous gases," added resistance fighters, who took part in
Golan battles, northwest of Fallujah.
In August last year, the United States admitted dropping the
internationally-banned incendiary weapon of napalm on Iraq,
despite earlier denials by the Pentagon that the "horrible"
weapon had not been used in the three-week invasion of Iraq.
After the offensive on Iraq ended on April 9 last year, Iraqis
began to complain about unexploded cluster bombs that still
litter their cities.
Media Blackout
The sources said that the media blackout, the banning of Al-Jazeera
satellite channel and subjective embedded journalists played well
into the hands of the US military.
"Therefore, US troops opted for using internationally banned weapons
to soften the praiseworthy resistance of Fallujah people.
"More and more, the US military edits and censors reports sent
by embedded journalists to their respective newspapers and news
agencies," the sources added.
Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Al-Shaalan had said Tuesday, November
9, would be decisive.
"Al-Shaalan declaration meant nothing but the use of chemical
weapons and poisonous gases to down Fallujah fighters," observers
told Al-Quds Press.
The reported gassing stands as a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein`s
alleged gassing of the Kurdish community in the northern city of
Halbja in 1988.
While the West insisted that Saddam was the one behind the
heinous attack, the ousted president pointed fingers at the
then Iranian regime.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-11/10/article05.shtml
* * *
Dutzende Moscheen zerstört
10.11.2004
Wie Al-Jazeera am Mittwoch berichtete, sind bereits fast die
Hälfte der Moscheen in der irakischen Stadt Fallujah (Falludscha)
durch das seit Tagen andauernde schwere Bombardement des US-
Militärs zerstört worden.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6E722418-6B50-4D2A-93E1-
77C9A8FC6DAC.htm
Der irakische Journalist Fadil al-Badrani sagte gegenüber Al-
Jazeera, daß die Zahl der Moscheen in der "Stadt der
Moscheen"
vor dem Beginn des Bombardements über 120 betrug.
"Fast die Hälfte der Moscheen der Stadt wurden zerstört,
nachdem
sie zum Ziel von Angriffen aus der Luft und von Panzern wurden",
so al-Badrani.
Das massive Bombardement der Stadt kann als Indiz dafür angesehen
werden, daß der Angriff für die US-Soldaten nicht so problemlos
ist, wie dies zumeist dargestellt wird. Einen weiteren solchen
Hinweis liefert die Aussage des US-Feldwebels Ishmail Castillo
gegenüber Reuters.
"Da sind viele von ihnen. Wir wurden schwer beschossen", sagte er.
"Sie haben auf meinen Panzer gefeuert. Sie sehen nicht aus, als
würden sie klein beigeben wollen." Während sein Panzer 6
Wider-
standskämpfer getötet habe, wurden 2 Mann der Besatzung verletzt.
"Einer der Marines wurde am Kopf von einem Schrapnell getroffen",
so Castillo. "Sie trafen uns aus einer Richtung und dann direkt
danach aus einer anderen. Es gibt eine tiefgreifende Organisation.
Es gab die ganze Nacht über Angriffe mit Schußwaffen."
Auch nach Aussage von al-Badrani scheint der Vormarsch nicht so
leicht zu erfolgen, wie dies vom US-Militär dargestellt wird.
"Zwei Panzer des US-Militärs wurden bisher im Ortsteil Julan,
wo es zu den gewalttätigsten Kämpfen kommt, zerstört",
sagte er.
"Drei gepanzerte US-Fahrzeuge wurden außerdem in anderen Teilen
der Stadt zerstört. Die Kämpfe waren sehr gewalttätig.
Kämpfer
sind aus anderen Stadtteilen und Straßen gekommen, die die US-
Soldaten nicht gut kennen."
"US-Soldaten drangen gegen 12:00 Uhr [Ortszeit] in die Stadtmitte
ein, wurden aber von den Kämpfern heftig angegriffen", so al-
Badrani. "Sie zogen sich aus dem Gebiet eine halbe Stunde später
in Richtung ihrer Stellungen in den nördlichen Teilen der Stadt
zurück."
Anwohner sagten al-Badrani gegenüber, die Besatzungen zweier
US-Panzer seien aus diesen geflüchtet, so daß sie in die
Hände
der Widerstandskämpfer gefallen seien. Inwieweit dies zutrifft
ist allerdings bisher nicht nachprüfbar.
http://www.freace.de/artikel/200411/101104b.html
* * *
Alles unter Kontrolle?
US-Truppen wollen Falludscha bis Freitag einnehmen.
Widerstand weicht aus: Zahlreiche Angriffe auf Besatzer.
Verwandte von Allawi entführt
Rüdiger Göbel / Rainer Rupp
Die US-Armee im Irak ist zuversichtlich, ja fast schon euphorisch
siegessicher - bis zum morgigen Freitag wollen die Besatzer
Falludscha erobert haben. »Wenn alles wie geplant verläuft,
werden wir binnen 48 Stunden die Kontrolle über die Stadt
haben«, meinte ein US-Offizier am Mittwoch in Falludscha. Gestern
kontrollierten die Besatzungstruppen nach eigenen Angaben
70 Prozent der 300.000 Einwohner zählenden Stadt. Verblieben
seien allenfalls noch kleinere »Widerstandsnester«. Nach US-
Militärangaben sollen bei der »Operation
Morgendämmerung«, wie
die am Montag gestartete Bodenoffensive zur Eroberung Falludschas
im militärinternen Jargon genannt wird, bislang elf amerikanische
Soldaten sowie zwei irakische Kollaborateure getötet worden sein.
Auch unzählige Aufständische seien bei den Kämpfen ums Leben
gekommen. Zu Opfern unter der Zivilbevölkerung, die ohne Strom
und Wasser ausharren muß, machte die US-Armee keine Angaben.
Der von massiven Bombardements begleitete Vorstoß ins Stadtzentrum
und die vermeintliche Eroberung Falludschas dürfte sich für
die US-Armee jedoch rasch als Pyrrhussieg erweisen. Der frühere
britische Außenminister Robin Cook wertete die Offensive bereits
als »kontraproduktiv«. Es werde den US-Truppen aufgrund ihrer
überlegenen militärischen Stärke ohne Zweifel gelingen, die
Stadt
einzunehmen, sagte Cook, der im vergangenen Jahr aus Protest
gegen den Irak-Krieg aus dem Kabinett von Premier Anthony Blair
ausgeschieden war, im Nachrichtensender BBC. Allerdings werde
danach die Gewalt der Aufständischen gegen die Besatzer zunehmen.
»Sie begreifen nicht, daß sie einen Guerilla-Kampf gegen einen
Feind führen, der sich vor ihren Augen auflösen und dann um sie
herum neu organisieren wird.«
Es zeichnet sich immer deutlicher ab, daß weite Teile des Zentral-
iraks für die USA und ihre Marionettenregierung unter Ijad Allawi
nicht zu gewinnen sind. Alle Meldungen deuten darauf hin, daß nur
wenige, aber gut organisierte Kämpfer in Falludscha als eine Art
Nachhut geblieben sind. Das Gros der bewaffneten Besatzungsgegner
hat sich in klassischer Guerilla-Manier erst gar nicht in einen
aussichtslosen Kampf gegen einen haushoch überlegenen Gegner ein-
gelassen. Die Zahl der derzeit im Zentral-Irak explosionsartig
angestiegenen Widerstandsoperationen läßt erahnen, wo die Masse
der
Kämpfer geblieben ist, die die US-Marines vergeblich in Falludscha
zu töten versuchen.
Zur Erinnerung: Als eine Art Generalprobe für Falludscha hatten
die US-Truppen im Oktober eine Blitzoffensive gegen die von Wider-
standsgruppen kontrollierte Stadt Samarra unternommen. Nach kurzem
Kampf und angeblich 100 getöteten Widerstandskämpfern erklärte
die US-Armee den Sieg für »Freedom and Democracy«. Samarra
wurde
der Kontrolle der »neuen irakischen Armee« und der Polizei
Allawis
überlassen. Bereits am 6. November, kurz vor dem Angriff auf
Falludscha, brach das Chaos über die US-Kollaborateure in Samarra
herein. In mehreren gut koordinierten Angriffen starben über 30
Polizisten, mindestens 40 weitere wurden verwundet.
Am Mittwoch meldeten die Agenturen, zahlreiche Bewaffnete hätten
nach schweren Gefechten mit US-Soldaten große Teile der nord-
irakischen Stadt Mossul unter Kontrolle gebracht. Die Polizeikräfte
hätten sich in ihrer Wache verbarrikadiert. In den Straßen waren
laut AFP mit Raketenwerfern und automatischen Gewehren bewaffnete
Männer zu sehen, die Kontrollposten errichteten. Auch in Baidschi,
Samarra und Bakuba sowie in Ramadi gab es schwere Kämpfe. Aus der
irakischen Hauptstadt wurde derweil die Entführung von drei Ver-
wandten Allawis gemeldet.
junge Welt, vom 11.11.2004
http://www.jungewelt.de/2004/11-11/001.php
* * *
Mujahideen Release Intense Fireworks
Forcing US Pull Back In The North
Nov 10, 2004
By Omar Al-Faris, JUS
In fresh reports just into JUS, early this morning the Mujahideen
released intense fireworks on the invading US troops, forcing them
to pull back their armored equipment from the north. Eyewitnesses
reported that the sudden attack sent US supply lines into disarray,
forcing the Americans to retreat to the north of the rail road
tracks. American snipers are still posted atop high rooftops,
although their armor had pulled back under heavy rocket fire from
the mobile Mujahideen using rocket launchers.
Some 25 balls of fire, 16 of them very intense, were seen overhead
as the result of Bradleys and Abrams tanks being hit by rocket
fire.
In addition, Mafkarat al-Islam is reporting that the Mujahideen
have succeeded to draw US forces into the ash-Shurtah and the
ad-Dubbat neighborhoods close to the center of the city which
is part of the impending battle plan. At the time of their
correspondents filing, Fallujah is undergoing US bombardment,
and the fighting on the ground has has sharply intensified.
Meanwhile the Mujahideen bombed American troop concentrations
with more than 150 rockets in various sectors at the front in
the city that US forces had advanced from in four directions
last night. The rockets attacks halted the American advance for
the time being.
Eyewitnesses report that the US bombing is more intense than
what Baghdad was subjected before it was occupied by the
Americans in spring 2003, with some 90,000 cluster bombs being
dropped on the city so far in "Operation Al-Fajr".
The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent wrote in his report that
although the morale of the people of al-Fallujah and their
determination to fight remains high, the humanitarian situation
in the city is at tragic levels and is becoming of increasing
concern. Those wounded are without prospect of medical treatment
or doctors available following the US bombing of the al-Hadar
Hospital and the Zayid Mobile Hospital. Curiously, the Red Cross
and world humanitarian organizations remain silent.
Sources close to the Mujahideen tell JUS that they are continuing
to draw US forces further into the city and that there are now
upwards of US 5000 troops slowly making their way to Fallujah
central (JUS)
Muhammad Abu Nasr, Free Arab Voice contributed to this report.
http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre internal.php?article=
100462&list=/home.php&
* * *
Fighting in Falluja rages amid confusion
Conflicting reports are coming from besieged Falluja, with US-led
forces saying they have tightened their grip on most of the city
and fighters saying they are still in control.
As the US military seized what it said was more than two-thirds of
the city by early Thursday, Iraqi troops fighting alongside them
said they found houses where foreign captives had been held and, in
some cases, killed.
Machine gun, mortar and rocket fire shook the city as US warplanes
made several bombing runs over the Julan district in the space of
15 minutes.
With US marines backed by Iraqi troops moving from building to
building, a US officer said they expected to take command of the
city before the weekend.
"If everything goes as planned we will take full control of the
city in the next 48 hours," he said on condition of anonymity,
adding that it would take "at least 10 days to clear the city".
Counter claims
But Abu Shams al-Fallujy, a member of the National Islamic
Resistance in Falluja, told Aljazeera that US forces had
entered the city`s centre rapidly because they were surrounded
in the Julan neighbourhood and were being targeted by snipers.
"The US troops say they have controlled the town. In fact, they
are only in control of the town centre where there are no resistance
fighters. The town`s centre is resided by the civilian population
who had escaped the outskirts of the town to avoid a crossfire as a
result of the intense US bombing and resistance.
"With respect to Julan, al-Askary, Nizal, Jibail and the industrial
quarter, they are still under control of the resistance which vows
not to allow the US forces to control the town unless it is turned
into dust," al-Fallujy said.
"The situation in the town is very critical. The US forces began
a retreat under intense resistance fire. They are conducting a
ferocious aerial bombing and artillery barrage. They have not
accomplished any advance towards the edges of the town," al-Fallujy
added.
Signs of the killings of captives were found by Iraqi troops in
the northern districts, according to an Iraqi general.
"We have found hostage slaughterhouses in Falluja that were
used by these people and the black clothing that they used to
wear to identify themselves, hundreds of CDs and whole records
with names," Major-General Abdul Qader Mohan said.
Acting on the orders of US-appointed interim Iraqi Prime
Minister Iyad Allawi after weeks of heavy US aerial and
artillery bombardment, about 10,000 US and 2000 Iraqi
soldiers stormed Falluja late on Monday.
Allawi`s kin captured
Allawi has vowed to crush the rebellion ahead of elections planned
for January.
But the tough-talking premier`s family got caught up in the battle
when a gang in three cars snatched his cousin, Ghazi Allawi, his
wife and their son in Baghdad overnight, spokesman for the interim
government Thaer al-Nagib said.
They were captured in front of their home in Yarmuk district in
Baghdad.
A previously unknown group, Ansar al-Jihad, threatened in an
internet statement to kill all three within 48 hours unless
Allawi halted the Falluja attack and released all Iraqi prisoners.
Scores of fighters have been killed and at least 11 US and two
Iraqi soldiers have died in the offensive, the US military said.
But al-Fallujy told Aljazeera: "The toll among the resistance is
very scant. Most of the dead are civilians in the town centre in
al-Dhubbat and al-Wuhda neighbourhoods.
"There are so many dead and wounded civilians who need medical
assistance. But the physicians and the ambulances cannot reach
these people because of the US sniper fire," he added.
No medical help
The Red Cross and Red Crescent expressed concern over the fate
of the wounded, as the government said some of the tens of
thousands who fled were ill and living in cramped conditions.
Up to half the population of 300,000 may have stayed behind.
In an effort to persuade fighters in the Sunni Muslim city to
lay down their arms, Allawi offered an amnesty to those who had
"committed no major crimes".
The assault on the city - where residents say wounded children
are dying from lack of medical help, food shops are closed and
power has been cut - has angered Muslim clerics.
And in a move that could potentially undermine the planned 27
January elections, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS),
urged a boycott.
"The clerics call on the ... people of Iraq to boycott the coming
elections that they want to hold on the remains of the dead and
the blood of the wounded from Iraqi cities like Falluja and others,"
Harith al-Dhari, its top official, said.
The AMS also reported that one of its members, Shaikh Abdul Wahab
al-Janabi, was killed in the Falluja attack.
Iraqi journalist Fadil al-Badrani said many civilians had died
in the bombing of the city and people had resorted to burying
their dead in gardens. Many houses have also been destroyed.
Aljazeera
Thursday 11 November 2004 6:31 AM GMT
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BDA88E14-AA23-45FA-
BE96-51730F9CA0B4.htm
* * *
Iraqi Resistance Report
for events of Wednesday, 10 November 2004
Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member editorial
board The Free Arab Voice. http://www.freearabvoice.org
Wednesday, 10 November 2004.
Al-Fallujah.
Resistance pounds US rear lines north of al-Fallujah Wednesday-
Thursday night.
In a report posted at 2:40am Thursday morning, local time (1:40am
Mecca time) the Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent in al-Fallujah
reported that Resistance fighters continued to carry out attacks
on the rear of US troops engaged in the offensive on al-Fallujah.
At the time of writing, the correspondent said, Resistance rocket
attacks on the American rear had been under way for about three
hours. During that time more than 55 rockets of various types -
not counting mortar rounds - had been pumped into the American
troop concentrations.
US forces had tried to keep Resistance forces pinned down in al-
Karmah and as-Saqlawiyah to prevent their hitting the American
rear lines in support of their brothers in al-Fallujah. But the
Resistance fought back, forcing the Americans to retreat, and then
unleashed their barrages on the US forces encircling al-Fallujah.
During the middle of the night, then, US forces found themselves
between two sides of an Iraqi Resistance pincer - those inside the
city on the one side, and those attacking their rear lines to the
north, on the other.
Resistance reasserts control over al-Fallujah after dark Wednesday-
Thursday night.
In a dispatch posted at 1:07am Thursday morning local time (12:07am
Thursday Mecca time) the correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in al-
Fallujah reported that Iraqi Resistance organizations had been able
to crush US aggressor forces and compel them to retreat from al-
Fallujah.
The correspondent wrote that caught between Resistance attacks from
inside the city and Resistance attacks on the American rear to the
north outside the city, the Americans had pulled out of al-Fallujah
with the exception of a few snipers still posted atop some rooftops.
Fierce fighting, however, was under way to the north of the
al-Jawlan, al-Jaghifi, and al-Mu`allimin neighborhoods. In the
southern part of the city, meanwhile, violent fighting continued
in the industrial zone after major operations Wednesday morning
yielded significant losses, and some captives taken when two
Humvees and their crews fell into Resistance hands.
Fighting completely ceased in the al-Jumhuriyah and ad-Dubbat
neighborhoods. The correspondents reported that the scenes
of American troops in al-Fallujah currently being broadcast
internationally were filmed yesterday, but are still being
broadcast to give the false impression that the Americans retain
the initiative.
The correspondents in al-Fallujah note, however, that the Resistance
forces tend to dominate at nighttime, but are much less able to
hold predominant positions during the daylight hours. The overall
situation in the city, therefore, remains extremely complicated and
difficult, particularly inasmuch as the American aggressors` habit
is to begin their attacks with the first light of dawn.
Meanwhile, a Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent reported that an
American Apache helicopter was shot down around 1pm Wednesday
over the al-Jawlan neighborhood.
Outside the city, US forces turned to fight Iraqi Resistance forces
in the al-Karmah area after realizing that their rear supply lines
were under a severe threat from that quarter by the Resistance.
Iraqi Resistance makes tactical withdrawal, pulling battle inside
al-Fallujah. Fierce fighting rages, as Resistance holds firm.
In a dispatch posted at 8:20pm local time Wednesday night (7:20pm
Mecca time) the Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent in al-Fallujah
reported that the Iraqi Resistance, in response to the fierce
bombing to which the city environs were being subjected by American
aircraft, took a resolute tactical decision to bring the fighting
inside the city.
The correspondent wrote that accordingly the Resistance opened the
two main routes into the city of al-Fallujah - the first 7 April
Street which is 17 to 20 meters wide, and which extends from the
Railroad network in the north of the city through the al-Mu`allimin
neighborhood, the 7 April Neighborhood, runs by the al-Furqan Mosque
in al-Jumhuriyah, and winds up in the ash-Shuhada` neighborhood.
The other main road opened by the Resistance was ath-Tharthar Street
which extends from the railroad where the US forces have massed
through the al-Jaghifi neighborhood, and splits the second al-
Mu`allimin neighborhood from the ash-Shurtah neighborhood, and the
al-Muhandisin neighborhood from the ad-Dubbat neighborhood, and
which then ends up in the industrial zone. Ath-Tharthar Street is
15 to 18 meters wide.
The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent in al-Fallujah reported that
the Resistance had fallen back in order to allow the American
invaders to proceed down those two roads, aware as they were of
the dangers involved in taking that step.
The correspondent reported that the US occupation forces were at
the time of writing concentrated on those two streets only. Fierce
and bloody fighting was underway between the US attackers and the
Iraqi Resistance. But the situation for the Resistance fighters
is now far better than it was on the day before (Tuesday). The
Resistance forces are holding completely firm after having been
able to absorb the previous day`s American offensive. The Resistance
remains in control of 70 percent of the city.
Resistance units are awaiting nightfall for them to begin their
operations against the rear lines of the American occupation
troops, as they did Tuesday night.
The correspondent added that fierce fighting was currently underway
in the ash-Shuhada` neighborhood. The Resistance maintains control
of al-Jaghifi neighborhood, al-Mu`allimin neighborhood, and
al-`Askari neighborhood, and their morale is very high.
US snipers are only present along the two main streets 7 April
and ath-Tharthar.
The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent reminded readers that urban
guerrilla combat is characterized by rapid shifts in the balance
of fortunes of battle. This happened on Tuesday when the US
aggressor troops at the beginning had command of the situation.
Then later, however, the situation changed under Resistance
attacks, and in a short period of time the Americans were compelled
quickly to fall back.
The correspondent also noted that claims by some news media that
large numbers of Resistance fighters had been killed and wounded
by the aggressor troops` fire were incorrect. There had been
claims that 90 Resistance fighters had fallen, he said, but such
figures were totally baseless, the true numbers being far fewer.
Resistance captures eight Americans during Tuesday-Wednesday night.
In a dispatch posted at 8:25pm local time (7:25pm Mecca time) the
al-Fallujah correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported that during
the night of Tuesday-Wednesday, Resistance forces had taken eight
American troops prisoner after attacking them as they drove two
Humvees into al-Fallujah. Resistance fighters, having commandeered
the Humvees from the captured Americans then took joy rides through
the streets of the city, raising the morale of the people and their
Resistance fighters.
The eight new prisoners followed 36 Americans, including some women
soldiers, who had been captured in the south of the city on Monday.
Nineteen Resistance fighters martyred, 43 Americans killed in
al-Fallujah combat Tuesday.
In a preliminary review of losses inflicted by the Resistance on
US aggressor forces on Tuesday-Wednesday night, Mafkarat al-Islam`s
correspondent in al-Fallujah compiled the following report posted
at 9:26pm Wednesday night local time (8:26pm Wednesday night Mecca
time).
In the clashes that took place Tuesday inside al-Fallujah the
Resistance destroyed seven US tanks, shot down one US Apache
helicopter, and killed over 43 US troops. Nineteen Iraqi
Resistance fighters were martyred, but that number is likely
to rise due to the large number of wounded Resistance fighters.
Outside the confines of al-Fallujah, Resistance forces struck
the attacking Americans in their rear, setting 25 vehicles
ablaze according to preliminary figures.
The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent extended his apologies to
readers for the delay in presenting this run-down on the losses
of Tuesday`s fighting, noting that it was hard to obtain current
statistics due to the difficulties inherent in getting around
the city and in communicating.
Al-Jazeera broadcasts video tape of 20 puppet troops captured by
Resistance fighters in al-Fallujah.
Al-Jazeera satellite television broadcast a videotape Wednesday
distributed by an Iraqi Resistance group referred to as "Mujahidi
al-Fallujah" (i.e., "the Mujahideen of al-Fallujah") that had
captured 20 puppet so-called "Iraqi national guards" in
al-Fallujah.
Men wearing Iraqi uniforms were shown with their backs to the
camera.
A Resistance fighter, his face masked, read a statement on the
tape, but al-Jazeera did not air the audio portion of the tape.
The station said the Resistance group promised not to kill
the prisoners shown on the tape but threatened to kill puppet
"national guardsmen" captured in the future.
On Monday Iraqi Resistance forces captured 36 Americans in the
south of al-Fallujah and provided video tapes of the prisoners
to al-Jazeera and al-`Arabiyah TV, but both stations refused to
air the footage out of fear of US reprisals for showing American
troops. The broadcast on Wednesday would suggest that American
censors are less sensitive about the broadcast of scenes of Iraqi
puppet prisoners.
Resistance in control of downtown areas of ar-Ramadi, Mosul,
al-Hadithah, Hit, `Anah and Rawah.
Iraqi Resistance forces on Wednesday expelled US aggressor forces
and imposed their control on several major cities in the country.
In a dispatch posted at 12:55am Thursday morning Baghdad time
(11:55pm Wednesday, Mecca time) The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondents
in Mosul, ar-Ramadi, al-Hadithah, Hit, `Anah, and Rawah reported
that those cities are in the hands of the Iraqi Resistance after
Resistance forces succeeded in forcing occupation troops to flee
from the urban areas to their bases outside the cities where they
are now hiding.
The Resistance did not allow the aggressor troops to relax in their
hiding places, however. Not half an hour goes by without at least
three rockets or mortar rounds being fired into those aggressor
bases.
The number of Resistance attacks in Baghdad itself was relatively
small on Wednesday because the American military presence has been
cut back greatly in the city, as US troops attack al-Fallujah and
hide in their bases out of fear of Resistance attacks in Baghdad.
Baghdad.
Six US Marines killed, seven wounded in Wednesday night ambush in
Baghdad.
Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US Marine patrol with anti-
personnel RPG7 rockets at about 10pm Wednesday night, killing
six Americans and wounding seven others.
Four puppet troops killed by old Diyala Bridge.
Iraqi Resistance fighters attacked a puppet "national guard" patrol
in the area of the old Diyala Bridge at about 4:45pm Wednesday,
killing four puppet troops and destroying a Nissan pickup truck.
Four US troops killed in attack on US convoy near "green zone."
At 4pm Wednesday afternoon, Iraqi Resistance fighters attacked
a US column heading towards the Republican Palace in what the
Americans have dubbed the "green zone" where they have the
headquarters of their occupation. The Resistance attacked the
convoy in front of the al-Mansur hotel in as-Salihiyah, destroying
three trucks and killing four US troops. Three drivers of Arab
nationality working for the US occupation were also killed.
Clash in as-Sayyidiyah leaves four US troops, six Iraqi puppet
policemen dead.
At 8:30 Iraqi Resistance forces in the old as-Sayyidiyah area
clashed with US troops, destroying a Humvee and two Land Cruisers
belonging to the puppet police. Four US troops and six puppet
policemen were killed. One Iraqi Resistance fighter also died
in the combat.
Car bombing kills Seven US troops, Americans shoot six Iraqi
civilians in reply.
At 7pm Wednesday evening, an Iraqi Resistance car bomb exploded
by a US patrol in the az-Zayunah area between Palestine Street
and the as-Sadr neighborhood, destroying two Humvees, damaging
a third vehicle, and killing seven US troops and wounding
four other US soldiers. Four Iraqi puppet so-called "national
guardsmen" were also killed. Six Iraqis who were passing
by were cut down and killed and 20 others wounded by the
indiscriminate US gunfire that followed the attack.
Nine US troops killed in three attacks in Abu Ghurayb area Wednesday
afternoon.
At 1:30pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces fired RPG7 rockets
in an attack on a US convoy in Abu Ghurayb, destroying a civilian
truck loaded with supplies for US forces and killing the two
American soldiers who were driving the vehicle.
At about 3:30pm Wednesday, a heavy Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded
on the Old Street in Abu Ghurayb, destroying a Bradley armored
vehicle and killing three US troops and wounding two others.
An Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded at about 4:15pm Wednesday
afternoon near the Abu Ghurayb prison camp, destroying a small
US troop carrier and killing four and wounding nine other
American soldiers.
Eight US troops killed in midday battles in al-Ghazaliyah.
At 1pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces attacked US troops in
al-Ghazaliyah sparking clashes that left two Humvees destroyed
and two Bradley armored vehicles disabled and eight US troops dead.
One Iraqi Resistance fighter was martyred. After the fighting, US
troops opened fire indiscriminately, killing four Iraqi civilians
including a woman and a child.
Eight US troops killed in martyrdom car bombing in al-Mahmudiyah.
At 3:30pm an Iraqi Resistance car bomb driven by a martyrdom
fighter exploded by a US patrol in al-Mahmudiyah, destroying
two Bradley armored vehicles and one Humvee and disabling
another Humvee. Eight American troops were killed.
Three US troops killed in ar-Ridwaniyah Wednesday evening.
At 5:40pm Wednesday evening, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded
in ar-Ridwaniyah, destroying a Humvee and killing three US
troops and wounding three other American soldiers.
Resistance rocket brings down US military aircraft.
At about 2pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance fighters fired a C5K
missile at a US military aircraft setting it ablaze. The aircraft
reportedly crashed and burned.
US soldier killed in ambush of supply truck.
The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent in Baghdad reported that
an Iraqi Resistance bomb blew up a US supply truck loaded with
provisions in the al-Makasib area of the city, destroying the
truck and killing the American soldier who was driving it.
Afternoon bomb attack in ad-Duwaylibah leaves one US soldier dead.
In ad-Duwaylibah west of Baghdad, an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded
at 4pm Wednesday, disabling a US Bradley armored vehicle, and
killing one US soldier.
Deadly battles rage Wednesday in ad-Durah.
At 8am Wednesday clashes broke out on 60 Street in the southern
Baghdad suburb of ad-Durah. Iraqi Resistance fighters fired
RPG7 rockets, destroying two Humvees and killing three US troops.
US forces accompanied by puppet "national guard" troops attempted
to break into the Hur Rajab area of ad-Durah on Wednesday, but
were met by Resistance fighters firing RPG7 and SPG9 rockets and
BKC automatic weapons. Seven US troops and four puppet "national
guardsmen" were killed in the battle that also left three Resistance
fighters and six Iraqi civilians dead. Iraqi Resistance forces
destroyed a US Bradley armored vehicle and a Nissan pickup truck,
while American troops destroyed five Iraqi civilian cars in the
course of the fighting.
At about 11am Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces firing RPG7 and
C5K rockets attacked a US patrol near the government school in
Hur Rajab in ad-Durah, destroying a Humvee and a Bradley armored
vehicle and killing seven US troops.
At 2:15pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US patrol
on 60 Street in ad-Durah with RPG7 rockets, destroying a Humvee
and killing four US troops.
Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US patrol on 60 Street in ad-
Durah at 3:30pm Wendesday, killing 10 US troops and wounding six
more.
At 5pm Wednesday afternoon, Iraqi Resistance forces destroyed
a US Humvee in Hur Rajab when they opened fire on it with RPG7
rockets, killing two US troops and wouding four other American
soldiers.
At 9:30pm Wednesday night, Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded under
a US patrol in `Arab Jabbur in ad-Durah, destroying two Humvees
and a small armored vehicle and killing 10 US troops.
Two US troops killed, three injured in Salman Bak.
Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded under a US patrol in the Salman
Bak area southeast of Baghadad at 11am Wednesday, destroying a
Humvee and killing two US troops and wounding three others, two
of them seriously.
Ten US troops killed in attack in as-Suwayrah south of Baghdad.
At 10:30am Iraqi Resistance forces detonated bombs and then
American troops with RPG7 rockets, destroying three Humvees
and killing 10 American soldiers in as-Suwayrah, south of
Baghdad. Four Iraqi Resistance fighters died as martyrs in
the battle and two others were wounded.
Four US troops killed in morning ambush in al-Mushahadah.
Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US military patrol in the al-
Mushahadah area of Baghadad at 7am Wednesday, firing RPG7 rockets
and destroying a civilian truck loaded with provisions for the
US troops. A Humvee was also destroyed in the attack and four US
troops were killed.
Nine US troops killed on Airport Road Wednesday morning.
Iraqi Resistance forces fired RPG7 rockets at a US column on Airport
Road in Baghdad, opposite the al-Jihad neighborhood, destroying
a small troop transport vehicle and a Humvee and killing nine US
troops at about 8:30am Wednesday morning.
Resistance attacks in Abu Ghurayb area Wednesday morning kill 15
American troops.
At 9am Wednesday morning, Iraqi Resistance forces destroyed a US
military fuel tank truck as it drove along the highway through
Abu Ghurayb.
Resistance fighters then attacked a US military Humvee, killing four
American troops.
Three US troops were killed and four others wounded when the Iraqi
Resistance attacked a Bradley armored vehicle with RPG7 rockets.
US troops came under Resistance fire in the village of az-Zaydan in
the Abu Ghurayb area, killing four of them and destroying a Humvee.
Iraqi Resistance forces attacked a US Bradley armored vehicle with
C5K rockets, killing four Americans at about 9am Wednesday morning.
Five American soldiers killed in bombing in al-Ishaqi.
Five US troops were killed when Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded
under American supply trucks in the al-Ishaqi area, 20km south
of Samarra` at about 10am Wednesday. Two trucks were destroyed
in the explosions.
Two US troops killed, two wounded in at-Taji bombing.
Two US troops were killed and two others wounded when an Iraqi
Resistance bomb exploded, destroying a Humvee on which they were
riding in the Hur al-Basha area of at-Taji, north of Baghdad at
about 9am Wednesday.
Four American troops killed in al-Mushahadah.
Four US troops were killed when Iraqi Resistance forces attacked
their supply truck in al-Mushahadah in at-Taji, north of Baghdad
with RPG7 rockets, destroying the vehicle at about 7am Wednesday
morning. The Resistance rockets also destroyed an American Humvee
Relatives of Iyyad `Allawi captured by Iraqi Resistance.
Iraqi Resistance fighters raided the home of the cousin of Iyyad
`Allawi the US-installed puppet "prime minister" of the
American-run
regime in occupied Iraq. The fighters captured the cousin, his
wife and another member of the `Allawi family. The correspondent of
Mafkarat al-Islam in Baghdad reports that the Resistance fighters
attacked the house at 4:30pm Tuesday afternoon, after killing nine
guards who had been posted around the building.
A spokesman for the puppet regime installed by the Americans in
Baghdad announced on Wednesday that Resistance fighters had taken
three members of the family of US puppet "prime minister" Iyyad
`Allawi prisoner. The spokesman told Reuters that one of `Allawi`s
relatives, that man`s wife and another member of their family had
been captured from their home Wednesday morning.
The puppet regime spokesman said that the Resistance had threatened
to kill the relatives of `Allawi if the offensive on al-Fallujah
were not stopped within 48 hours.
Al-Latifiyah - al-Yusufiyah.
Five American soldiers killed in al-Latifiyah attack.
At 1pm Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded under a US GMC car and
Resistance fighters then attacked the vehicle with RPG7 rockets,
killing five US troops in an attack that took place in al-Latifiyah
south of Baghdad.
Four US troops killed in attack in al-Yusufiyah.
Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded under a US patrol in al-Yusufiyah,
southwest of Baghdad, and then Iraqi Resistance forces attacked the
Americans with RPG7 rockets, killing four of them and destroying
their Bradley armored vehicle Wednesday.
Four American soldiers killed in al-Latifiyah Wednesday morning.
Iraqi Resistance forces clashed with US troops and puppet so called
"Iraqi national guards" in al-Latifiyah south of Baghdad Wednesday
morning. Resistance fighters fired RPG7 rockets, destroying a
Bradley armored vehicle and a Humvee and killing four US troops.
Twenty-four British troops reported killed in 7 November attack.
The Islamic Army Iraqi Resistance organization announced that
it had killed 24 British troops in the city of al-Yusufiyah in a
car bombing on 7 November. The statement said that three British
vehicles were destroyed in the attack.
Al-Basrah.
Resistance hits British, puppet targets in southern Iraq.
Iraqi Resistance forces shelled the headquarters of British
forces in al-Mahawil with nine 82mm mortar rounds and then
took up bombarding British headquarters in al-Basrah.
Resistance forces also planted several bombs on the al-Qurnah
Road in the al-Basrah area. The bombs exploded in a series
as two Nissan pickup trucks belonging to the puppet so-called
"Iraqi national guard" was passing along the road, destroying
both vehicles and killing six and wounding three of the puppet
troops.
At 7pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces fired Katusha rockets
at the puppet "national guard" headquarters in az-Zubayr in al-
Basrah.
Bombardments around Iraq.
At 6:30am Wednesday morning, Iraqi Resistance forces fired six
82mm mortar rounds into the joint US-Iraqi puppet "national
guard" base in at-Taji north of Baghdad.
At 6:30am Iraqi Resistance forces fired three Katyusha rockets
into the US as-Suqur base south of Baghdad.
At 7:15am Wednesday morning Iraqi Resistance forces fired two Grad
rockets into the headquarters of the American Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) inside the headquarters of the US occupation in the
Republican Palace area, known to the invaders as "the green zone."
At 8:30am Iraqi Resistance forces fired five 82mm mortar rounds
into the US airbase in al-Muthanna in Baghdad.
At 11:45am Iraqi Resistance forces fired four 82mm mortar rounds
into the US as-Suqur base south of Baghdad.
Iraqi Resistance forces also struck a US base in Tikrit with three
Katyusha rockets on Wednesday.
At 3pm Iraqi Resistance forces fired eight 82mm mortar rounds into
the US as-Suqur base south of Baghdad.
At 3:45pm Iraqi Resistance forces fired ten 120mm mortar rounds into
the as-Suqur base.
At 5:30pm Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces bombarded the US base
in the south of Tikrit with three Katyusha rockets.
At 6:30pm Iraqi Resistance forces bombarded the so-called "green
zone" headquarters of the US occupation in Baghdad with two Grad
rockets.
Sources:
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI415
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI414
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI413
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI412
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI411
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI410
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI409
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI408
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI407
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI402
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI400
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI399
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI396
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=
rednews/2004/11/10/build/world/34-fallujah-hostages.inc
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI395
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI394
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI392
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI391
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI390
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI388
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI386
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI383
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI379
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI376
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI375
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI367
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI364
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI361
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one news.asp?IDnewsI347
* * *
Falluja`s defiance of a new empire
It is Bush and Blair, not the Iraqi resistance,
who fear free elections
Sami Ramadani
11/10/04 "The Guardian" -- George Bush and Tony Blair have
apparently
concluded that they can crush the Iraqi people`s will to resist
occupation and legitimise a puppet regime next January by occupying
Falluja. Maybe they imagine they can emulate the British forces that
terrorised Iraqi Kurdistan in the 1920s by obliterating recalcitrant
villages.
The US generals will no doubt deliver Falluja to Bush and Blair
after bombarding its neighbourhoods with artillery and rockets.
But they are doomed to deliver neither the Fallujans nor the people
of Iraq. Perhaps they are unaware that Fallujans defied Saddam`s
rule during his last years in power. Falluja - known as the city
of a thousand mosques - attracted Saddam`s wrath in 1998 when its
imams refused to hail the tyrant in their Friday sermons. Many were
imprisoned, and the city punished as a result.
But the generals certainly do know how resistance began in Falluja.
On April 28 2003 US soldiers opened fire on parents and children
demonstrating against the continued military occupation of their
primary school - killing 18 of them in cold blood and injuring about
60 others. Until the killing of those demonstrators, not a single
bullet had been fired at US soldiers in Falluja or any of the cities
north of Baghdad. But, remorselessly, little-known Falluja became
a world-renowned centre of defiance, where a poor and poorly armed
people has courageously faced the military wing of the new empire.
The way Falluja`s 300,000 people reacted to the April 28 massacre
has made them a prime target for savage bombardment and conquest.
Najaf was bombed into a ceasefire in August. Samarra was conquered
in September. Sadr City in Baghdad was bombarded and negotiated
into temporary silence in October. Now they want to crush the
symbol of Falluja, to teach the rest of Iraq a bloody lesson.
Another pyrrhic victory is likely to be added to an already long
list.
Blair once again misled parliament this week by branding the
resistance in Falluja as Zarqawi-style terrorists out to destroy
the prospects for democracy. It was he and Bush who last year
rejected the calls for early free and fair elections from those
who rejected the occupation, including Ayatollah Sistani, Moqtada
al-Sadr, the resistance and the widely supported Iraqi National
Foundation Congress. Bush and Blair are terrified of the Iraqi
people voting for anti-occupation leaders. They will accept nothing
short of the legitimisation, through sham elections supervised by
the occupation authorities, of an Allawi-style puppet regime.
More than 100,000 Iraqis are estimated to have been been killed
since the US-led invasion; the country`s infrastructure has all
but been destroyed; people are exposed to the danger of US and
British depleted-uranium shells; hospitals have been reduced to
impotence in the face of mounting injuries and disease; the centre
of Najaf and entire neighbourhoods of several cities have been
razed. How much more should the Iraqi people be subjected to
for Bush and Blair to have their "democratically" chosen puppets
installed in Baghdad?
These are war crimes of Saddamist proportions, and there is
evidently more to come. Bush`s latest pronouncements and Blair`s
declaration of a "second war" have made clear that the occupation
governments are ready to kill (as "collateral damage", no doubt)
even more Iraqis to enforce a pro-US order. Without a shred of
evidence, Bush, Blair and Ayad Allawi`s quisling regime shamelessly
declare that they are only pursuing the Jordanian kidnapper Zarqawi
and other "foreign terrorists". The people of Falluja, their
leaders, negotiators and resistance fighters have always denounced
Zarqawi and argued that such gangs have been encouraged to undermine
the resistance.
The occupation forces have now reverted to their initial ploy of
attacking cities north of Baghdad, while reaching ceasefires with
some Baghdad districts and southern cities. Presumably, they see
this as an effective divide-and-rule tactic, but it is likely to
prove as futile as the rest of their plans for post-invasion Iraq.
It is, in reality, merely a battle postponed. Iraq`s history,
reaffirmed by events since the US-led occupation, shows that its
people`s unity is stronger than differences based on religion,
sect, ethnicity or national identity. That was demonstrated on
Sunday when a senior Kurdish officer with the token US-commanded
Iraqi force besieging Falluja deserted within half an hour of
being shown the plans to occupy the city.
The US and British governments could do worse than digest the old
Chinese proverb: "They lift a stone to drop it on their own feet."
For they might have occupied Iraq and succeeded in lifting some of
its heavy stones, but the stones will inevitably come crashing down
on their feet.
Sami Ramadani was a political refugee from Saddam Hussein`s regime
and is a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University
sami.ramadani@londonmet.ac.uk
Copyright: The Guardian.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7269.htm
* * *
»Wir sind allesamt moralische Feiglinge«
Mehr als 100.000 Iraker sind bisher aufgrund der
US-Invasion gestorben - wo ist die Scham, wo die Wut?
Scott Ritter
Das volle Ausmaß der menschlichen Verluste im Krieg gegen den Irak
ist jetzt bekannt. Jüngste Schätzungen seriöser
Forschungsinstitute
zeigen, daß mehr als 100.000 irakische Zivilisten infolge der US-
geführten Invasion gestorben sind, die meisten von ihnen Frauen
und Kinder. Das ist ein vernichtendes moralisches Urteil für unsere
Länder. Zivile Opfer sind immer eine tragische Realität moderner
Kriege gewesen. Aber der Konflikt im Irak hätte anders laufen
sollen - die amerikanischen und britischen Truppen waren losge-
schickt worden, um die Menschen im Irak zu befreien, nicht um ihre
eigene Gewalttyrannei dort auszuüben.
Es stimmt mit wenigen Ausnahmen, daß die Zivilisten, die bei Boden-
kämpfen starben, keine absichtlichen Ziele, sondern zufällige Opfer
moderner Kriegsführung waren. Aber eine kürzlich in der britischen
Medizinfachzeitschrift Lancet veröffentlichte Studie schätzt,
daß
die allermeisten Zivilisten bei Luftangriffen getötet wurden, und
für diese Opfer gilt das nicht (siehe jW vom 30./31.10. und 3.11.).
Die Tatsache, daß die meisten Bombenmissionen im Irak heute genau
vorausgeplant sind und angeblich sorgfältig geplante Ziele treffen,
klagt alle an, die diesen Krieg im Namen der Freiheit führen. Wenn
diese Ziele so präzise sind, dann kommen diejenigen, die sie aus-
suchen, nicht um die Tatsache herum, daß sie beim Versuch, den
Feind zu zerstören, mit Vorbedacht unschuldige Zivilisten zur Ziel-
scheibe machen. Einige wollen diese Zivilisten als »Kollateral-
schäden« abtun, aber wir dürfen nicht vergessen, daß
die Regierungen
Großbritanniens und der USA eine wohlüberlegte Entscheidung
getroffen haben, in einen Konflikt ihrer Wahl einzutreten und nicht
in einen, der ihnen aufgezwungen wurde. Wir haben den Irak über-
fallen, um die Iraker von einem Diktator zu befreien, der nach
einigen Schätzungen für die Ermordung von 300.000 seiner Untertanen
verantwortlich ist - wenn auch nie jemand in der Lage gewesen ist,
mehr als einen kleinen Teil dieser Zahl nachzuweisen. Wenn sie
stimmt, hat Saddam Jahrzehnte gebraucht, um diese Horrorstatistik
zu erreichen. Die USA und Großbritannien, so scheint es, sind im
Irak in nur 18 Monaten auf ein Drittel dieser Opferzahl gekommen.
Wenn es um den Irak geht, sind wir alle moralische Feiglinge. Unsere
kollektive Unfähigkeit zu Scham und Zorn angesichts einer Schätzung
von 100.000 toten irakischen Zivilisten als Ergebnis eines illegalen
und ungerechten Kriegs verurteilt uns nicht nur, sondern verleiht
denen, die uns bekämpfen, neue Glaubwürdigkeit. Die Tatsache,
daß
ein Krimineller wie Osama bin Laden am Vorabend der Präsidentschafts-
wahlen ein Video verbreiten kann, dessen Botschaft von vielen rund
um den Globus als nüchterne Argumentation begriffen wird, ist der
brutalste Beweis dafür, daß die Politik der USA und
Großbritanniens
nach dem 11. September völlig versagt hat. Der Tod von 3.000
Zivilisten an jenem grauenhaften Tag ist eine Tragödie. Unsere
fortgesetzte Gleichgültigkeit gegenüber einem Krieg, der so viele
Unschuldige abgeschlachtet hat und weitere töten wird, ist in vieler
Hinsicht eine noch viel größere Tragödie. Nicht nur wegen der
Zahl
der Toten, sondern weil diese Toten durch unsere Hand gestorben
sind - im Verlauf einer Aktion, die mit nichts zu rechtfertigen ist.
* Der Autor war als US-Marine am Golfkrieg 1991 beteiligt
und danach bis 1998 als UN-Waffeninspekteur im Irak tätig.
Übersetzung aus dem Englischen: Annette Schiffmann
junge Welt, vom 11.11.2004
http://www.jungewelt.de/2004/11-11/005.php
* * *
Die neue korporative Befreiungstheologie
Ansprache (I) von Arundhati Roy. Die indische Schriftstellerin bei
der Entgegennahme des Sydney Friedenspreises über den Irak-Krieg
und die Hymne der Neoliberalismus: Befreie die Märkte. Knebele das
Volk
* Wie bereits berichtet, wurde Arundhati Roy am 4. November in
Australien mit dem »Sydney Peace Prize« ausgezeichnet. Die
australische Regierung unterstützt bekanntlich die USA im Irak-
Krieg. jW veröffentlicht die Rede der indischen Schriftstellerin
und Friedensaktivistin, in der sie erneut in scharfen Worten den
Irak-Krieg verurteilt und die Verantwortlichen benennt, ungekürzt
in zwei Teilen. (Übersetzung: Hilmar König)
Als der Sydney Friedenspreis dieses Jahres verkündet wurde, stellten
jene, die mich gut kennen, einige hinterlistige Fragen: Warum geben
sie den Preis der größten Unruhestifterin, die wir kennen? Hat
ihnen
denn niemand gesagt, daß sie keinen friedlichen Knochen im Leibe
hat? Und, denkwürdig, Arundhati Didi (in Hindi die Bezeichnung für
ältere Schwester - H.K.), was ist der Sydney Friedenspreis? Gab es
einen Krieg in Sydney, den du beenden halfst?
Aus meiner Sicht muß ich sagen, daß ich höchst erfreut bin,
den
Sydney Friedenspreis zu erhalten. Aber ich muß ihn akzeptieren
als einen Literaturpreis, der eine Schriftstellerin für ihr Werk
ehrt, weil im Gegensatz zu vielen Tugenden, die mir fälschlich
zugeschrieben werden, ich keine Aktivistin bin, nicht die Führerin
einer Bewegung und gewiß nicht die »Stimme der Stimmlosen«.
(Wir
wissen natürlich, daß es so etwas wie »Stimmlose«
nicht gibt. Es
gibt nur die absichtlich zum Schweigen Gebrachten oder die vor-
zugsweise Ungehörten.) Ich bin eine Schriftstellerin, die nicht
beanspruchen kann, jemanden zu repräsentieren, außer mich selber.
Selbst wenn ich es also gern tun würde, wäre es vermessen zu sagen,
daß ich diesen Preis im Namen jener annehme, die in den Kampf der
Machtlosen und der Rechtlosen gegen die Mächtigen involviert sind.
Dennoch könnte ich sagen, ich akzeptiere ihn als Ausdruck der
Sydney Friedensstiftung von Solidarität mit einer Art von Politik
und Weltbetrachtung, die Millionen von uns rund um den Globus
teilen.
-------------------------------
Alarmierender Paradigmenwechsel
-------------------------------
Es mag ironisch scheinen, daß einer Person, die die meiste Zeit
damit verbringt, über Strategien des Widerstands nachzudenken,
und Pläne schmiedet, den vermeintlichen Frieden zu stören, ein
Friedenspreis verliehen wird. Sie müssen sich erinnern, ich komme
aus einem im wesentlichen feudalen Land - und es gibt nur wenig
beunruhigendere Dinge als einen feudalen Frieden. Manchmal liegt
Wahrheit in alten Klischees. Es kann keinen wirklichen Frieden
ohne Gerechtigkeit geben. Und ohne Widerstand wird es keine
Gerechtigkeit geben.
Heute wird nicht allein die Gerechtigkeit, sondern die Idee von
Gerechtigkeit attackiert. Der Angriff auf verletzliche, fragile
Sektionen der Gesellschaft ist plötzlich so komplett, so grausam
und so clever - alle erfassend und doch spezifisch gezielt,
dreist brutal und doch unglaublich heimtückisch -, daß seine
reine Unverschämtheit unsere Definition von Gerechtigkeit zer-
fressen hat. Er hat uns gezwungen, unser Augenmaß zu reduzieren
und unsere Erwartungen zu beschneiden. Selbst unter den Gut-
willigen wird das expansive, großartige Konzept von Gerechtigkeit
allmählich ersetzt durch das reduzierte, bei weitem zerbrech-
lichere Predigen von »Menschenrechten«.
-------------------------------
»Gerechtigkeit für die Reichen«
-------------------------------
Denkt man darüber nach, entdeckt man einen alarmierenden Paradigmen-
wechsel. Der Unterschied ist, daß Begriffe von Gleichheit, von
Parität verwässert und abgeschwächt werden. Es ist ein
Prozeß von
Abnutzung und Zermürbung. Fast unbewußt beginnen wir an Gerechtig-
keit für die Reichen und an Menschenrechte für die Armen zu
glauben.
Gerechtigkeit für die Corporate World (Welt der Großunternehmen),
Menschenrechte für ihre Opfer. Gerechtigkeit für Amerikaner,
Menschenrechte für Afghanen und Iraker. Gerechtigkeit für Indiens
obere Kasten, Menschenrechte (wenn überhaupt) für Dalits und
Adivasi (Kastenlose und Ureinwohner - H.K.). Gerechtigkeit für
weiße Australier und Menschenrechte für Aborigines und Immigranten
(meistens nicht einmal das).
Es wird mehr als deutlich, daß das Verletzen von Menschenrechten ein
fester und notwendiger Teil des Prozesses der Verwirklichung einer
Zwangs- und ungerechten politischen und wirtschaftlichen Struktur
in der Welt ist. Ohne die Verletzung von Menschenrechten in einem
enormen Ausmaß würde das neoliberale Projekt im Traumreich von
Politik verbleiben. Aber zunehmende Menschenrechtsverletzungen werden
dargestellt als unglückliche, fast zufällige Nebenerscheinungen
eines
ansonsten politisch und ökonomisch akzeptablen Systems. Als wären
sie
ein kleines Problem, das mit Hilfe einiger Extraaufmerksamkeit von
Nichtregierungsorganisationen bereinigt werden kann. Deshalb werden
in Konfliktgebieten - in Kaschmir oder in Irak beispielsweise -
Menschenrechtsaktivisten mit einem Maß von Verdächtigung
betrachtet.
Viele Widerstandsbewegungen in armen Ländern, die gegen gewaltiges
Unrecht ankämpfen und die Prinzipien von »Befreiung« und
»Entwicklung« hinterfragen, sehen Menschenrechtsorganisationen
als
moderne Missionare an, die gekommen sind, um dem Imperialismus seine
schmutzigen Ränder zu nehmen, politische Wut zu kanalisieren und den
Status quo zu erhalten.
--------------------
Die Invasion im Irak
--------------------
Es ist erst ein paar Wochen her, da hat die Mehrheit der Australier
Premier John Howard wiedergewählt, unter dessen Führung Australien
an der illegalen Invasion und Okkupation Iraks teilgenommen hat. Die
Invasion Iraks wird mit Gewißheit in die Geschichte als einer der
feigsten Kriege eingehen. Es war ein Krieg, in dem eine Bande von
reichen Nationen, ausgerüstet mit genügend Kernwaffen, um die Welt
mehrfach zu zerstören, ein armes Land einkesselte, es fälschlich
des
Besitzes von Kernwaffen bezichtigte, die Vereinten Nationen zwang,
es zu entwaffnen, es dann überfiel, beset