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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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December 12th,
2006 - Iraq: Cornered Military Takes to Desperate Tactics |
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Iraq: Cornered Military Takes
to Desperate Tactics By Dahr Jamail and Ali Al-Fadhily Inter Press Service December 12, 2006 Fallujah - People living in
areas where resistance to U.S.-led occupation is mounting are facing
increased levels of collective punishment from the occupation forces,
residents say. Siniyah town 200 km north of
Baghdad with a population of 25,000 has been under siege by the U.S. military
for two weeks. IPS had earlier reported
unrest in Siniyah Jan. 20 when the U.S. military constructed a six-mile sand
wall in a failed attempt to check resistance attacks. Located near Beji in the
volatile but oil-rich Salahedin province, Siniyah has become a vivid example
of harsh tactics used by occupation forces, who have lost control over most
of the country. "Thirteen children died
during the two-week siege due to U.S. troops' disallowance for doctors to
open their private clinics as well as closure of the general medical centre
there," a doctor from the city reported to IPS via satellite phone. The doctor spoke on
condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the U.S. military. IPS had to
reach him by phone since the military blockade has cut the city off from the
outside world. "This is not the first
time U.S. troops have conducted such a siege here, but this time it
represents murder," the doctor said. A U.S. military public
relations officer in Baghdad told IPS on phone that the military was doing
"what it had to do to fight the terrorists in and around Siniyah"
and that "no medical aid is being interfered with." When IPS told him it had received
contradictory information from a doctor in that city, he replied, "that
is just not true." The siege has generated
resentment against the Shia-dominated Iraqi government led by Prime Minister
Noori al-Maliki, who has failed to comment on the deaths. Sunnis have not
missed the sharp contrast to his order to U.S. troops to lift their
checkpoints around the Shia area of Sadr City in Baghdad. Sectarian conflict has been
rising between Shias and Sunnis, two differing followings within Islam. Sunnis
are the majority worldwide, but Shias are said to be the majority within
Iraq. Abdul Kareem al-Samarrai'i,
a leading member of the Islamic Party that participates in the Maliki
government, stated on Baghdad Space Channel that the 13 children died in
Siniyah "because of the siege and the U.S. army orders to deprive the
town of any medical care." Duluiyah, another small town
roughly 60 km north of Baghdad has been under siege by the U.S. military for
the last three weeks. "They (U.S. military)
applied the siege upon Duluiyah (close to Samarra) many times, the last of
which partially ended last week," Samir Muhammad of the Samarra
municipality council told IPS. The Geneva Conventions
forbid use of collective punishment. International law says the occupying
power in a country is responsible for safeguarding the civilian population. Fallujah in al-Anbar
province to the west of Baghdad continues to face attacks and harassment by
the U.S. military, according to local residents. "Why don't those people
admit their failure and leave," 55-year-old Khalaf Dawood from Fallujah
told IPS. "They are being hit and their soldiers are getting killed all
over the city. All they are doing is killing civilians and suffocating the
city economically as revenge." Electricity supply in
Fallujah was recently cut off for three days after resistance snipers
launched attacks on U.S. soldiers. U.S. military vehicles are attacked
regularly around the city. Several local people told
IPS that on average one civilian a day is killed by U.S. gunfire in Fallujah,
while raids on houses have been stepped up heavily. The U.S. military commander
in Fallujah admitted to local media last month that at least five attacks on
average were being conducted everyday against his troops and Iraqi army
units. The vast majority of the population of Fallujah continues to demand
unconditional withdrawal of U.S. troops from their city. Meanwhile, the situation in
Ramadi, the capital city of al-Anbar province where Fallujah is also located,
has deteriorated further. Residents told IPS that bombardment from U.S.
warplanes and helicopters has killed many civilians. IPS reported Nov. 17 that
U.S. military had shelled several houses in Ramadi, killing 35 civilians. A partial siege of the city
continues, and residents are complaining that a new militia formed by
Maliki's government in the name of "fighting terror" has been
rounding up young men from the city. The militia recently took
control of the University of Anbar in Ramadi and started harassing students.
U.S. soldiers blocked the main road to the university before the militia
entered the campus. "They even harassed the
president (principal) of the university and accused him of being an al-Qaeda
leader," a university professor speaking on condition of anonymity told
IPS. "The principal is a professor in chemistry and a very peaceful man
who has dedicated his life to science and supervising PHD and MSC graduates." External link: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=11606 |