An interesting story from The Times:
Iraqis spent $80m on ADE651 bomb detectors described as useless
The Times reports (November 28th): The Iraqi parliament is looking into the sale by a British company of “bomb detectors” costing millions of pounds amid claims that they do not work.
In the past two years Iraq’s security forces have spent more than $80 million (£47 million) on the detectors made by ATSC Ltd, based in Yeovil, Somerset.
The devices, which consist of little more than a telescopic radio aerial on a black plastic handle, were each sold for the price of a new car and are in use at army and police checkpoints across the bomb-ravaged country.
The Iraqi parliament is scrutinising the purchase after an article appeared in The New York Times in which the American Major-General Richard J. Rowe Jr, who oversees Iraqi police training for the US, said: “I have no confidence that these work.”
Read more at:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6935574.ece
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
5th from bottom
Outo of 180 countries surveyed by Transparency International, Iraq comes 176th, one of the most corrupt states on the planet, just ahead of Afghanistan. Any connection?
Something to take action over
Iraq planning to hang up to 126 women by year's end
Seattle Post Globe reports (November 19th): Iraq is planning to execute up to 126 women by the end of this year. At least 9 may be hanged within the next two weeks. Human rights groups say the only crime committed by many of these women was to serve in the government of Saddam Hussein. Others, according to human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, were convicted of common crimes based on confessions that were the result of torture.
Amnesty reports that at least 1,000 men and women are now on death row in Iraq, a country that has one of the highest rates of execution in the world.
Read more at:
http://seattlepostglobe.org/2009/11/18/iraq-planning-to-hang-up-to-126-women-by-years-end
Seattle Post Globe reports (November 19th): Iraq is planning to execute up to 126 women by the end of this year. At least 9 may be hanged within the next two weeks. Human rights groups say the only crime committed by many of these women was to serve in the government of Saddam Hussein. Others, according to human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, were convicted of common crimes based on confessions that were the result of torture.
Amnesty reports that at least 1,000 men and women are now on death row in Iraq, a country that has one of the highest rates of execution in the world.
Read more at:
http://seattlepostglobe.org/2009/11/18/iraq-planning-to-hang-up-to-126-women-by-years-end
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Iraq back in the news
Iraq is back in the news this week - for all the wrong reasons. Firstly, Brirish troops are again under investigation for the abuse of detainees - including allegations of the horrific rape of a sixteen year old boy. The Independent reports:
): Disturbing graphic allegations of sexual and physical abuse of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers are among 33 new torture cases being investigated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The fresh claims include allegations that female and male soldiers sexually abused and humiliated detainees in camps in southern Iraq, prompting comparisons with the torture practices employed by US soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
In one case, British soldiers are accused of piling Iraqi prisoners on top of each other and subjecting them to electric shocks, an echo of the abuse at the notorious US detention centre that came to light in 2004.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-soldiers-sexually-abused-us-claim-iraqis-1820973.html
Secondly, The Guardian has a story about a fifteenfold rise in birth defects in Fallujah, which saw some of the worst aerial bombardment of the conflict:
Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.
Dr Bassam Allah, the head of the hospital's children's ward, this week urged international experts to take soil samples across Falluja and for scientists to mount an investigation into the causes of so many ailments, most of which he said had been "acquired" by mothers before or during pregnancy.
Other health officials are also starting to focus on possible reasons, chief among them potential chemical or radiation poisonings. Abnormal clusters of infant tumours have also been repeatedly cited in Basra and Najaf – areas that have in the past also been intense battle zones where modern munitions have been heavily used.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/13/falluja-cancer-children-birth-defects
And thirdly, there are real fears of a slide towards dictatorship, as these two stories indicate:
Reporters face violence as Iraq cracks down on media dissent
The Guardian reports (November 5th): Iraqis are fearing a renewed crackdown on dissent as a crucial national poll draws near, with several journalists claiming to have been beaten by security forces and ministers issuing warnings about media coverage.
Iraq's communications minister, Faruq Abd Al-Qadir, has introduced a $5,000 (£3,000) licence fee for all broadcast media outlets and ordered the staff of the 58 media and television stations operating in the country to apply for work permits.
The new rules come after a summer crackdown on internet access in which communications authorities warned service providers and internet cafes they would to block access to websites deemed to be offensive.
The tighter controls have also been interpreted as evidence of a creeping police state, in which some hard-won freedoms of the last six years are being rolled back.
Three journalists this week reported having been beaten by soldiers while covering routine security stories.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/05/iraq-government-warn-media
Iraqi Armed Troops Fire at Peaceful Demonstration in Baghdad
ICEM reports (November 2nd):ICEM received a report from the Federation of Workers’ Councils and Unions (FWCUI) that a workers’ demonstration in Baghdad was fired upon by armed forces. The demonstration and use of armed force occurred on 6 October near the Green Zone in central Baghdad. The report the ICEM received from the FWCUI said many of the 2,000 protestors were hit with rubber bullets. The march on started at Al Tahreer Square, and crossed Al Jumhoria Bridge towards the Green Zone, where armed forces indiscriminately fired upon and beat demonstrators. Four workers were severely beaten and arrested.
http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3469-
): Disturbing graphic allegations of sexual and physical abuse of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers are among 33 new torture cases being investigated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The fresh claims include allegations that female and male soldiers sexually abused and humiliated detainees in camps in southern Iraq, prompting comparisons with the torture practices employed by US soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
In one case, British soldiers are accused of piling Iraqi prisoners on top of each other and subjecting them to electric shocks, an echo of the abuse at the notorious US detention centre that came to light in 2004.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-soldiers-sexually-abused-us-claim-iraqis-1820973.html
Secondly, The Guardian has a story about a fifteenfold rise in birth defects in Fallujah, which saw some of the worst aerial bombardment of the conflict:
Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.
Dr Bassam Allah, the head of the hospital's children's ward, this week urged international experts to take soil samples across Falluja and for scientists to mount an investigation into the causes of so many ailments, most of which he said had been "acquired" by mothers before or during pregnancy.
Other health officials are also starting to focus on possible reasons, chief among them potential chemical or radiation poisonings. Abnormal clusters of infant tumours have also been repeatedly cited in Basra and Najaf – areas that have in the past also been intense battle zones where modern munitions have been heavily used.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/13/falluja-cancer-children-birth-defects
And thirdly, there are real fears of a slide towards dictatorship, as these two stories indicate:
Reporters face violence as Iraq cracks down on media dissent
The Guardian reports (November 5th): Iraqis are fearing a renewed crackdown on dissent as a crucial national poll draws near, with several journalists claiming to have been beaten by security forces and ministers issuing warnings about media coverage.
Iraq's communications minister, Faruq Abd Al-Qadir, has introduced a $5,000 (£3,000) licence fee for all broadcast media outlets and ordered the staff of the 58 media and television stations operating in the country to apply for work permits.
The new rules come after a summer crackdown on internet access in which communications authorities warned service providers and internet cafes they would to block access to websites deemed to be offensive.
The tighter controls have also been interpreted as evidence of a creeping police state, in which some hard-won freedoms of the last six years are being rolled back.
Three journalists this week reported having been beaten by soldiers while covering routine security stories.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/05/iraq-government-warn-media
Iraqi Armed Troops Fire at Peaceful Demonstration in Baghdad
ICEM reports (November 2nd):ICEM received a report from the Federation of Workers’ Councils and Unions (FWCUI) that a workers’ demonstration in Baghdad was fired upon by armed forces. The demonstration and use of armed force occurred on 6 October near the Green Zone in central Baghdad. The report the ICEM received from the FWCUI said many of the 2,000 protestors were hit with rubber bullets. The march on started at Al Tahreer Square, and crossed Al Jumhoria Bridge towards the Green Zone, where armed forces indiscriminately fired upon and beat demonstrators. Four workers were severely beaten and arrested.
http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3469-
Monday, 12 October 2009
The thieves of Baghdad
very interesting piecein The Guardian about the legacy of the Occupation:
In the past month several high-profile incidents have highlighted what Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, the chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, described as the outbreak of "a frenzy of violent crime" in Iraq. Writing in the Times, Richard Kerbaj explained how "everyone is looking for a way to make a quick buck in Iraq, but none more so than the insurgents and gangsters". Indeed, present-day levels of crime in Iraq reflect the institutionalisation of criminality that may undermine the country's long-term development.
The disbanding of Iraqi security forces by the Coalition Provisional Authority included thousands of border guards, turning the country into a house without doors or windows. Smuggling – which had blossomed under sanctions – became rampant.
Iraq became a transit point in the flow of hashish and heroin from Iran and Afghanistan – the world's largest producer of opium poppies – to Gulf countries and Europe.
Corrupt security forces provide little break on crime, and children are being ransomed off for as much as £63,000. Children also find themselves the victims in prostitution syndicates. Time magazine reported earlier in the year that 11- to 12-year-olds were being sold into prostitution for up to $30,000.
More at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/09/iraq-crime
In the past month several high-profile incidents have highlighted what Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, the chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, described as the outbreak of "a frenzy of violent crime" in Iraq. Writing in the Times, Richard Kerbaj explained how "everyone is looking for a way to make a quick buck in Iraq, but none more so than the insurgents and gangsters". Indeed, present-day levels of crime in Iraq reflect the institutionalisation of criminality that may undermine the country's long-term development.
The disbanding of Iraqi security forces by the Coalition Provisional Authority included thousands of border guards, turning the country into a house without doors or windows. Smuggling – which had blossomed under sanctions – became rampant.
Iraq became a transit point in the flow of hashish and heroin from Iran and Afghanistan – the world's largest producer of opium poppies – to Gulf countries and Europe.
Corrupt security forces provide little break on crime, and children are being ransomed off for as much as £63,000. Children also find themselves the victims in prostitution syndicates. Time magazine reported earlier in the year that 11- to 12-year-olds were being sold into prostitution for up to $30,000.
More at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/09/iraq-crime
Sunday, 20 September 2009
US Sending 1,000 More Troops to Iraq
If you thought US troops were withdrawing from Iraq, the following amy be of interest:
Though the Iraq War has long since become an after-thought amid Obama Administration claims that the “drawdown” in on track, the Pentagon is reporting today that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has approved a request to send about 1,000 additional troops to Iraq. The latest report comes less than a week after it was revealed that the Pentagon has added thousands of additional contractors to Iraq, ostensibly to replace US troops during the drawdown.
More at: http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/15/us-sending-1000-more-troops-to-iraq/
Though the Iraq War has long since become an after-thought amid Obama Administration claims that the “drawdown” in on track, the Pentagon is reporting today that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has approved a request to send about 1,000 additional troops to Iraq. The latest report comes less than a week after it was revealed that the Pentagon has added thousands of additional contractors to Iraq, ostensibly to replace US troops during the drawdown.
More at: http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/15/us-sending-1000-more-troops-to-iraq/
Sunday, 13 September 2009
More news than ever
As media organisations scale down their operations in Iraq, there is no shortage of news about the ongoing effects of the six and a half year occupation of this country. Real concerns about the brutality of US-trained security forces continue to be voiced:
2 Iraqis slain in Baghdad raid by U.S.-backed security forces
LA Times reports (September 10th): Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. soldiers, entered a residential street in southeast Baghdad's Zafaraniya district early Wednesday during a security sweep. When the mission was over, two men were dead and their relatives and neighbours were accusing the Iraqi forces of murder.
Relatives and neighbours said troops set off explosives that knocked down the gates and doors to a home, where they detained an Iraqi military intelligence officer and killed two civilians. Their bodies were discovered with dog bites and gunshot wounds on a kitchen floor, which was streaked with blood, the witnesses said.
More at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-raid10-2009sep10,0,5056741.story
In Iraq's prisons, a culture of abuse
Christian Science Monitor reports (September 13th): In a room thick with heat and sweat, light from a small window falls on rows of squatting prisoners and plastic bags of belongings hung from nails on every inch of the wall. The guard explains that 74 men live in this room, which is roughly 10 by 20 feet. A further 85 are usually in the corridor, he adds, while 12 are kept next to the toilet.
This is Hibhib prison on the outskirts of Baquba, the dusty, volatile capital of Diyala Province roughly 40 miles from Baghdad.
It is just one of the prisons in the province where detainees and US forces allege overcrowding, lengthy pretrial detention, and torture used to extract confessions. While the conditions here may be more severe than elsewhere in the country, Iraq's national detention system as a whole has been harshly criticized by Western human rights organizations.
An Interior Ministry official who was inspecting Diyala prisons told the Monitor that the ministry "sent a committee to visit Rusafa, and it is not good. It is the same as the jails in Diyala Province, the same breaches of human rights."
"Yes, there is violence" in Diyala jails, the official confirmed, on condition of anonymity. "There are violent punishments, they hang them from their arms, beat them with sticks and [punch them], kicking, [using] electricity, stubbing out cigarettes on the skin." He described a practice, also detailed by former prisoners, in which prisoners are forced to drink water and then prevented from urinating by a method too unpleasant to be described here.
More at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0912/p08s01-wome.html
To regularly access these and other stories, sign up to the Iraq Occupation Focus Newsletter, produced as a free service for all those opposed to the occupation. In order to strengthen our campaign, please make sure you sign up to receive the free newsletter automatically – go to: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/iraqfocus.
2 Iraqis slain in Baghdad raid by U.S.-backed security forces
LA Times reports (September 10th): Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. soldiers, entered a residential street in southeast Baghdad's Zafaraniya district early Wednesday during a security sweep. When the mission was over, two men were dead and their relatives and neighbours were accusing the Iraqi forces of murder.
Relatives and neighbours said troops set off explosives that knocked down the gates and doors to a home, where they detained an Iraqi military intelligence officer and killed two civilians. Their bodies were discovered with dog bites and gunshot wounds on a kitchen floor, which was streaked with blood, the witnesses said.
More at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-raid10-2009sep10,0,5056741.story
In Iraq's prisons, a culture of abuse
Christian Science Monitor reports (September 13th): In a room thick with heat and sweat, light from a small window falls on rows of squatting prisoners and plastic bags of belongings hung from nails on every inch of the wall. The guard explains that 74 men live in this room, which is roughly 10 by 20 feet. A further 85 are usually in the corridor, he adds, while 12 are kept next to the toilet.
This is Hibhib prison on the outskirts of Baquba, the dusty, volatile capital of Diyala Province roughly 40 miles from Baghdad.
It is just one of the prisons in the province where detainees and US forces allege overcrowding, lengthy pretrial detention, and torture used to extract confessions. While the conditions here may be more severe than elsewhere in the country, Iraq's national detention system as a whole has been harshly criticized by Western human rights organizations.
An Interior Ministry official who was inspecting Diyala prisons told the Monitor that the ministry "sent a committee to visit Rusafa, and it is not good. It is the same as the jails in Diyala Province, the same breaches of human rights."
"Yes, there is violence" in Diyala jails, the official confirmed, on condition of anonymity. "There are violent punishments, they hang them from their arms, beat them with sticks and [punch them], kicking, [using] electricity, stubbing out cigarettes on the skin." He described a practice, also detailed by former prisoners, in which prisoners are forced to drink water and then prevented from urinating by a method too unpleasant to be described here.
More at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0912/p08s01-wome.html
To regularly access these and other stories, sign up to the Iraq Occupation Focus Newsletter, produced as a free service for all those opposed to the occupation. In order to strengthen our campaign, please make sure you sign up to receive the free newsletter automatically – go to: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/iraqfocus.
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