- George W. Bush said that he prays every day for the American
casualties in Iraq to be reduced. Perhaps, if he altered his vengeful policies
and began treating the lives of Iraqis on a par with Americans, his prayers
would be answered sooner. Since "mission accomplished" last May,
the United States occupiers haven't even bothered tallying up how many
Iraqi civilians have been killed in the conflict.
-
- After four American security guards were killed in Fallujah,
and Bush demanded heads should roll, more than 600 heads have done just
that in this Iraqi town alone. That works out at 1,200 Iraqi eyes dimmed
forever, some belonging to women and children. A similar number have been
injured, including 243 women and 200 children.
-
- To most reasonable people these numbers sound totally
disproportionate. One such person is former British Foreign Secretary Douglas
Hurd, who said: "You don't win hearts and minds by filling hospitals
and mortuaries."
-
- In fact, many weren't "lucky" enough to reach
hospitals and mortuaries. Five international non-governmental organisations,
NGOs, have reported ambulances being prevented from reaching the injured
and decomposing bodies strewn all over the streets. Some victims had to
be buried where they fell, or in a garden.
-
- When asked whether there was an end in sight to the conflict,
Bush replied: "It's hard to tell." He added,"I just know
thisóthat we're plenty tough." I guess in this New World Order,
men who kill women and children from the safety of Apache helicopters,
F-16s and tanks, and using state-of-the-art weapons, are considered "plenty
tough." Call me old-fashioned, but I call them cowardly.
-
- America's harsh tactics are already being compared to
those used by the Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza, which isn't surprising,
since US special forces are being trained in counter-insurgency techniques
by members of the Israel Defence Force.
-
- An article in The Guardian, dated December 9, 2003, reads:
"Israeli military 'consultants' have visited Iraq." One of the
strategists behind the Pentagon's new counter-insurgency unit called Task
Force 121 is Lieutenant General William "Jerry" Boykin. He became
a controversial figure last October when he told a church congregation
that the US was battling Satan, who "wants to destroy us as a Christian
army."
-
- Britain's formerly pro-war newspaper, The Telegraph,
quotes senior British commanders having condemned US military tactics in
Iraq as "heavy-handed and disproportionate," with one senior
army officer alleging America's aggressive methods were causing friction
among allied commanders.
-
- US troops viewed Iraqis as sub-humans, he said, complaining
of America's "shoot first, ask questions later" policy. The Pentagon's
revengeful tactics have resulted in newly recruited Iraqi soldiers refusing
orders to fight in Fallujah, and growing support for the insurgents throughout
the country.
-
- There have been several resignations from the Iraq Interim
Governing Council as well as condemnation of the US. Adnan Pachachi, a
former foreign minister of Iraq and a respected member of the council,
called the US operations in Fallujah "unacceptable and illegal."
-
- He said it wasn't right to punish all the people of Fallujah
likening this kind of collective punishment to that regularly carried out
by the Israelis. Sunnis and Shiites are displaying a united front by praying
together in the same mosques, and, according to some reports, joining forces
to fight the coalition.
-
- The rise in anti-coalition feelings has led to a spate
of kidnappings about which an Iraqi blogger comments: "The hostage
situations are a mess. I watch television and its feels like I'm watching
another country. All I can think is, 'We've become one of those countries'
. . . you know, the ones where hostages are taken on a daily basis and
governments warn their civilians from visiting or entering the country.
-
- "It is especially sad because even during those
long years during the blockade and in between wars and bombings, there
were never any attacks on foreigners. Iraqis are [a] hospitable, friendly
people who always used to treat foreigners with care . . . now, everyone
is treated like a potential enemy."
-
- Yet both Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are
in denial. As far as they are concerned, the insurgency is made up of Baathist
remnants, foreign extremists and militant followers of the young firebrand
Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr. Both insist that Iraqis are better off than
they were a year ago under Saddam and that they will stick to the end of
June deadline for the hand-over of sovereignty.
-
- The problem is ordinary, moderate Iraqis now have serious
doubts about the hand-over. There have been complaints that the interim
council is not representative and many of its members are in the pockets
of the Bush administration. Hurd said power should be given to Iraqis who
have real influence in the country and not just those who have "curried
favour" with the Pentagon.
-
- To make a bad situation worse, US Secretary of State
Colin Powell admitted last Friday that Iraqi forces would remain under
US command even after June 30. America will also continue directing the
economy. It looks as though June 30 will be a day for pomp and fanfare
but as far as substance goes, little will have altered.
-
- In other words, Iraq will get the name without the game.
While Iraqis call for the coalition to quit, Blair says if that happened
"dictators would rejoice, fanatics and terrorists would be triumphant."
-
- That's one interpretation. As long as innocents are being
slaughtered, there are no winners and definitely no celebrants.
-
- - Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East
affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevine@yahoo.co.uk
-
- Copyright © 1998-2004 Online Journalô. All
rights reserved. http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/041404Heard/041404heard.html
|
