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11 January 2004 Iraqis staged demonstrations against widespread unemployment in the southern city of Amarah, in the British zone of control. Iraqi police fired on demonstrators, killing at least 4. The UK government confirmed that at least one more demonstrator was shot and killed by a British soldier, in defense against an apparent grenade attack. Demonstrators, who had gathered to protest the new regional governor, reportedly began throwing stones and explosives at Iraqi police, though witnesses were unclear as to who provoked whom. Demonstrations continue today. [For more: BBC] TRIAL FORUM FOR HUSSEIN AT ISSUE Even after granting Saddam Hussein POW status, the Occupying authorities say Iraqis will try their ousted dictator. The Geneva Conventions, however, specifically indicate that in the interests of justice, POW's can only be tried by an international tribunal or by occupying forces responsible for overseeing a transition to legitimate government. [For more: Salon] 400 WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO QUIT IRAQ Some 400 weapons experts and search specialists are to be leaving Iraq, though an inspection force does remain, including specialists in the disposal of chemical and biological agents. A Washington Post report noted that there was intelligence to indicate that Iraq may have destroyed its stockpiles as early as 1991. [Full Story] HELICOPTER CRASH KILLS 9, AMID A NUMBER OF ENEMY ATTACKS A helicopter crash near Fallujah killed 9, all onboard. The helicopter was on a routine medical evacuation call to ferry soldiers to checkups. There is suspicion about a missile attack as the cause. The Pentagon says a C-5 cargo plane with engine trouble may have been hit by a guerrilla missile. The plane returned to its point of departure and landed safely. Last night, a mortar attack hit US troops' sleeping quarters, killing 1, injuring 30. The BBC reports insurgent attacks currently average 22 per day. MASS PRISONER RELEASE PENDING 500 prisoners are due to be released from Occupation prison camps, under the 4th Geneva Convention, which covers the rights of civilians who take no active part in hostilities. Today's first planned mass release of 100 has been delayed for difficulty in locating and vetting good-behavior "guarantors". Relatives gathered en masse, insisting that most prisoners were innocent civilians mistaken for militants, that their relatives had been rounded up at random and that the raids had been unforgiveably violent. [Full Story] CIVILIAN CONTRACTORS AMBUSHED Civilian contractors were hit by an apparent guerrilla ambush in Fallujah, marking what some perceive as an elevated level of peril in the danger zone near central Iraq. The Pentagon has also imposed a "stop-loss order", denying soldiers due for discharge the option not to re-enlist. Observers cite the order as a sign that there will not be a reduction in force during the coming year. [Full Story] UN URGES FAIRNESS, OPENNESS, INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS FOR HUSSEIN WAR CRIMES TRIAL Kofi Annan said in his report to the Security Council today that Iraqis must be assured that current Coalition participants, allies of those forces and the UN itself, will continue to provide support both financial and military for the stabilization and democratization of Iraq. He also specified that any trial of Saddam Hussein for war crimes must withstand international human rights scrutiny, abide by the Geneva conventions and be transparent. [Full Story] POST-CAPTURE BUSH PRESS CONFERENCE President Bush today told the press that "there needs to be a public trial" of Saddam Hussein, with "Iraqi citizens" participating. On France and Germany, he said "We're constantly reaching out" and he "can understand" differences of opinion. To recenter discussion on cooperative ties, he cited agreement on Iran's alleged nuclear aspirations. [Full Story] SADDAM HUSSEIN CAPTURED IN TIKRIT US occupation authorities have confirmed that Saddam Hussein was captured in a raid near his ancestral home of Tikrit. The New York Times reports he was captured without a shot fired, while "hiding in a hole below the farm house, located in the town of Adwar". Images of the beleagured, bearded fugitive dictator have been widely broadcast across network television and cable news networks. Le Monde reports that DNA test were positive. War opponents Chirac and Schroeder have said the capture of Hussein is a vital step toward stabilization of the region, citing the dictator's past crimes. Sen. Hagel hold ABC News that "this is far from over", warning that it is now crucial to ensure that the situation is handled properly. The Assocated Press has said there is still no decision on how or where to try Saddam Hussein for war crimes. [Full Story] CORPORATE OVERBILLING OF PENTAGON MSNBC reports Halliburton accused of overbilling American taxpayers by at least $61M, and that KBR mess-halls have been dispensing contaminated food. These allegations raise questions about political or personal motives for lucrative no-bid contract awards, and have spurred an investigation.
SUNDAY MORNING GUIDANCE Senator Clinton spoke on ABC's This Week of her visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, saying too many resources have been drawn away from the latter, with insufficient benefit to the project in the former. On NBC's Meet the Press, the Senator from New York suggested creating a special international authority to oversee the stabilization, reconstruction and democratization of Iraq. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told NBC that the administration's Iraq policy is confused and misguided, that Iraqis should be leading Iraq toward democracy, with the US "reinforcing" Iraqi aspirations. Gingrich said "the structure of the CPA... has been inconsistent" with the challenge it faces. He went on to criticize the administration for not understanding that Iraqis should be permitted to argue their own interests. John McLaughlin says it is shameful that there is what he called "a virtual news blackout" surrounding the return of soldiers killed in Iraq. He went on to call the assumption that Americans have no tolerance for grief "spurious". SAMARRA STRUGGLE SOWS CONFUSION Vast inconsistencies between Occupation and Iraqi accounts of the gunfight at Samarra show widening gap between official project of liberation and feeling of being beset by Occupation. OCCUPATION: THE DIRTY WORD New reports say that members of the US military are concerned that political fencing over terminology has prevented the Occupation from establishing peace and security in a cooperative manner with Iraqis. International law provides for special privileges for occupying forces, aimed at the problem of restoring order to a country without a functioning government. There are humanitarian responsibitilities associated with the role of occupying forces, and some say the name is misleading, that the CPA should be more interested in providing for a stable environment conducive to the birth of democracy than in meeting the political posture most desirable to elected officials. The problem may be growing, as perception outpaces posturing, and more Iraqis have come to see the CPA as the head of an occupying force. In the chaos that followed the fall of Saddam's regime, force protection became a key objective of the coalition forces, and remains a necessary focus. But some military critics are arguing that force protection has nearly eclipsed all other manner of interacting with the Iraqi public, and that it has allowed rampant crime and a rash of violence to overtake the lives of average Iraqis. [For more: AT] HEARTS & MINDS TESTED Discontent appears to be spreading, and some disillusioned Iraqis who were relieved to see Saddam's regime ousted now believe he is still there, that he is gaining support, and that the Americans need to put a new government in place quickly. Fear that the Americans will leave too soon is also on the rise among Iraqis who warn that chaos would ensue. [For more: NYT] COALITION TROOPS KILL 46 IN FIREFIGHT AT SAMARRA Coalition forces engaged Saddam loyalists in two separate attacks yesterday, thwarting ambushes and killing 46. The firefight occurred in the ancient city of Samarra, in the region around Baghdad known as the Sunni Triangle, where insurgency has been concentrated. A number of the attackers were said to be wearing Fedayeen uniforms. Officials said the coordinated attacks signaled an escalation in the intensity of loyalist resistance. In all, 104 coalition troops (79 Americans) were killed in the month of November. In ongoing debate about the cause of the single US officials have said they now believe that one of the two Black Hawk helicopters which collided on 15 November may have been struck by an enemy RPG, causing it to collide with the other, killing 17. [For more: Scotsman] SEVEN SPANISH AGENTS KILLED IN MAHMUDIYAH The attack came after a much-publicized surprise visit by President Bush on Thursday, and while Italy is still mourning its loss of 19 compatriots earlier this month. According to Salon.com:
Two Japanese diplomats also died in an attack in Tikrit. The Spanish Prime Minister assured the deaths would not sway his devotion to military support in Iraq. The Japanese Prime Minister said his nation has a "responsibility to provide humanitarian and reconstruction aid in Iraq". November has been the worst month so far in terms of casualties for the US-led occupation. The BBC reports that "Before the attack, 98 coalition troops were said to have died in Iraq during November." [For more: BBC] SENATORS CLINTON AND REED IN KIRKUK Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) met with Abdel-Rahman Mustafa, Governor of Kirkuk, to learn more about the situation in the North of Iraq and to develop strategies for easing tensions. Mustafa reportedly told the senators that the most important thing was "making our voice reach the concerned sides" in the US. Salon.com reports: the two senators also "spent Friday with military brass and troops, occupation officials and aid workers". The northern city faces catastrophic unemployment and economic disorder. Among the issues facing the Occupation Authority, the Bush administration, and the visiting senators, is the pace at which power will be handed back to Iraqis. Under increasing political pressure, the Bush administration has been accelerating the pace of transition. Sen. Clinton warned against the dangers of a premature departure of American forces. Instead, she suggested the reconstruction should be internationalized in order to dilute the cost and the risk to Americans. DHL CARGO PLAN STRUCK BY HOSTILE FIRE In the first such attack, Iraqi insurgents struck a DHL cargo jet in a rocket attack. DHL is the first commercial shipping service to open operations in postwar Baghdad, and the incident marks a dangerous escalation in the conflict between Occupation forces and opponents to the Occupation. [For more: DW] ITALIANS STRUCK IN NASIRIYAH, POLICY SHIFT 19 Italians (17 Carabinieri) killed in suicide bombing in Nasiriyah, along with 14 others. Ambassador Bremer visits White House: speculation suggests visit was impromptu and intended to address escalating security crisis in Iraq. The Bush administration has announced it now plans to accelerate the schedule for handing power back to Iraqis. The policy shift comes amid increasing hostility and reports that Iraqi civilians disillusioned with occupation are now joining insurgents. QUAGMIRE NOW The Iraq security situation appears to have deteriorated to "low-intensity" guerrilla warfare. Troops are reported to be under daily attack. White House strategy for handover of power is changing as the conflict intensifies. GROUND FORCES IN IRAQ FACE DAILY AMBUSHES For the first time, the US has admitted that the daily attacks against its troops in Iraq fit the profile of a traditional, ongoing guerrilla war. The admission came yesterday, as the new head of Central Command chose to recharacterize the ongoing conflict. The admission comes in conjunction with reports about sinking morale, even anger among many troops, and in the wake of official announcements about indefinite extensions of tours of duty. Many, both in and around the political arena, are now questioning whether the war was adequately planned for. RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS -- IN BAGHDAD? The occupying coalition in Iraq has determined that no assault weapons will be permitted on the streets of Iraqi cities. Weapons will be confiscated from all Iraqis except those authorized to execute official duties under the interim regime. Concerns are diverse: including controversy in the US regarding a proposed repeal of the assault weapons ban (for which conservatives have expressed ambivalence) and the reigning chaos in Iraq against which many Iraqis feel firearms are the only viable defense. Further concerns regard the power of an interim authority, not democratically elected, sanctioned or organized, to institute spontaneous bans, as well as the degree to which such a ban might actually impair the ability of the occupying forces, in conjunction with the Iraqi population, to maintain order and prevent atrocities. CHAOS THREATENS UNIVERSAL HISTORY The Iraqi National Museum has been the permanent home for many of the world's oldest and most precious artifacts. Some early stone tools dating back as long as 500,000 years are reportedly lost or destroyed. Sculptures, texts, and precious artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, the "Cradle of Civilization" which sprung up in the famed Fertile Crescent, were vandalized or stolen by looters. There is suspicion that professional art-theft rings may have been involved in looting of artifacts throughout Iraq's major cities, especially in the shocking ransacking of the National Museum in Baghdad. The US military, especially its political leadership, is now coming under severe criticism for not having planned for such eventualities. Assertions that such behavior should not have been shocking have only fueled the fire, as they imply for many observers an opportunity to have prevented the looting. Elsewhere in the city, the Oil Ministry was successfully seized and protected, whereas it was claimed that the museum was the site of ferocious attacks against coalition forces. Many suspect there was simply a lack of respect for the inherent value of objects which trace the beginnings of all human civilization. This places new diplomatic obstacles in front of the current administration, just when they were hoping to have won important leverage. ... REGIME IN IRAQ HAS FALLEN Reports have been circulating, in conjunction with images of Iraqis and Americans tearing down monuments to Saddam Hussein, that the dictator's regime has fallen. Iraq, as such, is now without any clear civil government. The regime's ambassador to the UN has said "the game is over", referring to the war, and the diplomatic debates. [Full Story] WORLD BRACES FOR WAR Last night, US president George W. Bush declared that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would have 48 hours to quit his post and leave the country, if he wishes to prevent a devastating military campaign. Dissident European allies of the US insist that diplomatic options have not been exhausted, and they will persist, even in the face of impending war, in their efforts to achieve a "miracle" truce. [Full Story] NEW OBSTACLES The Turkish parliament, under severe public pressure, has voted to refuse to allow US troops to launch a northern campaign against Iraq from Turkish soil. The US administration is reportedly cautious and awaits "clarification" of the vote, presumably clarification of whether or not this is the final word. [Full Story] CONFLICT OVER PARTNERSHIPS The deployment of 1700 Special Forces troops to the Philippines southern region has sparked controversy over the legality of such action under Philippine law. The Philippine Constitution prohibits foreign military invervention not sanctioned by treaty, and the nation's Supreme Court has previously ruled that visiting American forces may only fire in self defense. [Full Story] |
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