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Iraqi voices are drowned out in a blizzard of occupiers' spin
Sami Ramadani
Wednesday February 8, 2006 The Guardian The deception that launched the invasion of Iraq now increasingly shapes media coverage of the occupation Three years after invading Iraq, George Bush and Tony Blair are still dipping into the trough of deception and disinformation that launched the war: hailing non-existent progress, declaring sanctimonious satisfaction with sectarian elections and holding out the mirage of early withdrawal. |
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In reality, the occupation and divide-and-rule tactics have spawned death squads, torture, kidnappings, chemical attacks, polluted water, depleted uranium, bombardment of civilians, probably more than 100,000 people dead and a relentless deterioration in Iraqis' daily lives.
Much of this goes unreported in the British and American media, stripped of context or consigned to the small print.
The headlines are reserved for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorism, Saddam Hussein's farcical trial and the perennial "exit strategy".
We are fed the occupiers' spin, while words of scepticism are deemed jarring.
Invited to join a popular BBC radio programme for Iraq's recent elections, I quoted George Bush's accidental brush with reality when he declared: "You can't have free and fair elections in Lebanon under Syrian occupation."
An editor politely said: "Sorry Sami, but we are sticking to a positive spin on this one.
I am sure we will invite you on other occasions."
A few days ago, a large-scale opinion poll conducted by Maryland University showed that 87% of Iraqis (including 64% of Kurds) endorsed a demand for a timetabled withdrawal of the occupiers.
The findings were mostly ignored by the British media.
Admittedly, reports on the ground are difficult and dangerous.
But while western media are not averse to revealing deceptions around the WMD scare and pre-war lies, occupier-generated news still takes pride of place, and anti-occupation Iraqi voices of all sects - particularly Shia clergy such as Ayatollahs Hassani, Baghdadi and Khalisi - are ignored.
A few months before US soldiers boasted of using white phosphorus, the BBC's Paul Wood defended his reporting from Falluja in the November 2004 siege, telling Medialens: "I repeat the point made by my editors, over weeks of total access to the military operation, at all levels: we did not see banned weapons being used ... or even discussed.
We cannot therefore report their use."
Doctors and refugees fleeing US bombardment talked of "chemical attacks" and people "melting to death".
But for the BBC, eyewitness testimony from Iraqis is way down the pecking order of objectivity.
It would clearly be wrong to portray victims' claims as uncontested facts, but there is a duty to publish and investigate them.
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Had, for example, Iraqi families' claims been highlighted shortly after the occupation began, the world would not have waited over a year to learn of torture at US-run jails.
It was not until US soldiers gleefully circulated sickening pictures of tortured Iraqis that the media paid attention.
Many Iraqis have persistently accused US-led forces of "controlling" an assortment of death squads or private militias and "turning a blind eye" to many terrorist attacks.
Almost every week, handcuffed and blindfolded men are found lying next to one another, each killed by a single bullet to the head.
Who is methodically torturing and killing these people? Who has so far assassinated more than 200 academics and scientists? Iraqis not linked to the Green Zone regime are convinced that US forces and US-backed mercenaries are involved.
Support for some Iraqi claims, however, comes from unexpected sources: two US generals have admitted the presence of targeted killing squads, and last February the Wall Street Journal let slip the presence of six US-trained secret militias.
In the same month, Lt General William Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defence for intelligence, told the New York Times: "I think we're doing what the Phoenix programme was designed to do, without all the secrecy."
US death squads assassinated about 40,000 people in Vietnam before Congress halted "Operation Phoenix".
A retired general, Wayne Downing, the former head of special operations forces, affirmed that US-led killing squads started operating immediately after the March 2003 invasion.
He told a bemused NBC interviewer: "Katie, it's a nasty situation in Iraq right now, and this may help it get better."
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But the occupiers' "Sunni v Shia" mantra dictates the agenda and clouds the issues.
The daily news intake is moulded by senior occupation forces' PR officers and embassy officials camped in the Green Zone — once Saddam's fortress, now a vast monstrosity housing the occupation authorities and their competing and corrupt Iraqi proteges of all sects.
The lie of WMD embroiled Britain in an immoral, illegal war.
Disinformation about the war is the pretext for keeping troops and bases in Iraq.
Cosmetic sovereignty and partial withdrawal will not convince Iraqis witnessing the completion of permanent US bases, and US advisers controlling "sovereign" ministries and planning back-door oil privatisation.
Only complete withdrawal will satisfy most Iraqis.
And if genuine liberty and independence are not forthcoming, the spiral of violence will intensify from Afghanistan to Palestine.
· Sami Ramadani was a political exile from Saddam's regime and is a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan Universit
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006 |
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Tuesday, 2 March, 2004
Scores killed in Iraq Shia blasts |
More than 140 people have been killed in blasts targeting Iraqi Shias as they celebrated one of their holiest days in the cities of Karbala and Baghdad.
The US military said 85 people are known to have been killed and two hundred and thirty wounded in Karbala, and as many as 58 died in Baghdad and two hundred wounded in attacks that appeared to be coordinated.
Hospital sources in Karbala put the numbers higher, with as many as 100 dead there.
Correspondents said the atmosphere in Karbala turned from shock to anger.
Hospitals were overwhelmed and mosques have appealed for blood donations.
There has been confusion over what caused the blasts, but mortars may have been used in what correspondents say is an alarming new method for insurgents.
Security had been tight as more than a million Shia Muslims flocked to the holy city of Karbala — 80km (50 miles) south of Baghdad — to mark the Ashura festival.
It was the first time in decades that Iraq's majority Shia community had been able to freely observe Ashura, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein in 680.
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Many pilgrims also gathered at the main Shia Kadhimiya shrine in Baghdad to mark the climax of the event.
Panic
Crowds of people fled through the streets of Karbala in panic after the first of six blasts were heard at around 1000 local time (0700 GMT).
People — bloodied, possibly with limbs lost — were carried through the streets on makeshift stretchers such as blankets or wooden carts to waiting ambulances.
"We were standing (next to the mosques) when we heard an explosion," said 18-year-old Tarar. "We saw flesh, arms, legs and more flesh. Then the ambulance came."
Mosques began appealing for blood over loudspeakers about an hour after the attacks.
The BBC's Paul Wood in Karbala said rumours abounded about how the explosions happened, from suicide and mortar attacks to bombs placed in bins.
He added that the atmosphere in the city became extremely tense as shock turned to anger, particularly against anyone regarded as outsiders. He said an Italian photographer and an Iranian had been attacked.
"The death toll is at least 30, with more than 100 injured," Hussein Mahdi, a senior official with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri) told Reuters news agency.
Death toll rising
Baghdad's Shia district Kadhimiya, in the north-west of the city, was rocked by at least four explosions at the same time as the Karbala blasts.
Reporters described seeing thousands of shoes and sandals belonging to worshippers who had been praying inside the mosque strewn across the street outside.
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The Associated Press said that American forces were pelted with stones as they arrived at the scene, and had to fire into the air to disperse the angry crowd.
According to Iraq's Health Minister Khdeir Abbas, at least 58 people had been killed and 128 wounded in Baghdad.
But Reuters news agency quoted a hospital official as saying the morgue had received 75 corpses.
It had long been feared that somebody would try to target the Ashura festival — perhaps to try and provoke Sunni-Shia tensions across the country.
The festival was banned under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime for fear it would foment rebellion by Shias.
Correspondents say this year's event coincides with the growing dominance of Shia in post-Saddam Iraq — which has prompted fears that disgruntled Sunni militants might target the celebrations.
As a result, Karbala was ringed by security forces — with Polish soldiers policing the town's entry points and Shia militia guarding its streets and shrines.
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HAVE YOUR SAY  Many of those who protested against the war saw this coming  Christian, Liverpool |
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Tuesday, 2 March, 2004
 Reporters' log — Iraq explosions Barbara Plett :: Karbala :: 1025GMT
The Shia have resumed their festival, they are now carrying out one of the rituals in which they run from one of the shrines to the other.
It is supposed to symbolise the people of Karbala coming to the aid of the Imam Hussein, who was killed some 1,300 years ago, that is why the festival is happening, which I think is actually an incredible act of defiance, that they want to continue to go on with their festival after these deadly bombings.
People are angry, first of all because this is a violation of a very special day for them. Already they have been whipping themselves up into quite a high state of emotion through some of the rituals; they were on the edge already.
They turned on one Iranian pilgrim who was apparently a suspect. He was arrested after a while, although first of all I thought he would be lynched.
And they did also turn on some of the foreigners in the city, again the feeling that this must be coming from outside, this must be a threat from outside.
Roger Hardy :: London :: 1005GMT
Those who've been been behind the violence in Iraq since the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein government must have seen this year's Ashura ceremonies as a golden opportunity.
Attacking Iraqi Shi'ites seems designed to spark sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia — and destabilise the country at a sensitive moment, when Iraqis are only four months away from self-government.
Many Iraqis, unwilling to believe their fellow-countrymen are capable of carrying out such attacks, will blame foreign extremists — the Sunni Islamists who see the country as the site of a new jihad, or Muslim holy war, against the Americans.
Certainly groups of the al-Qaeda type are fiercely hostile to the Shia.
But it's also possible the attacks were the work of Iraqi Sunnis angry that the Shia are gaining power and influence at their expense.
Once again, the violence has highlighted the dilemma facing US and other foreign forces.
If they enter the centre of a holy city like Karbala, their presence is criticised as intrusive. If they keep to the fringes, they're blamed for not preventing attacks.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 1002GMT
Over the past few minutes people have tried to re-start the normal schedule for this festival, but very few people were joining in. The crowds have pretty much dispersed as most have decided it's not safe enough to stay.
We're hearing various casualty figures — at least 30 killed 100 wounded, according to the clerics, but one mortuary says it has 50 bodies, though there's no confirmation of that.
The clerics have been a moderate and restraining force. They have used the loudspeakers to urge people to behave moderately towards Iranian pilgrims who are here, and to give blood.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 0930GMT
The city's pretty dazed now. Huge crowds are praying at the main mosque. There are many many rumours now on the streets about how the attacks were carried out. Some believe they were mortars, some believe they were hidden in rubbish containers.
The crowd is turning on anybody who is not a Shi'ite or Iraqi. I just spoke to a badly beaten Italian photographer. It's very tense here.
Jo Floto :: Baghdad :: 0912GMT
In the mosque in a big Shia district we are hearing of more casualties but it's a very confused picture.
There is a history of attacks using rockets and mortars in this city. Two major hotels in Baghdad were attacked like that and the arsenal is available to anyone who cares to look for it.
What we're seeing here for the first time is politicians sat round a table and compromising — something wholly new for Iraq and that could be a factor, but this is such a key day in the Shia calendar. You couldn't pick a worse day to attack the Shia community or a better one to provoke discord among the muslims of Iraq.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 0900GMT
A few minutes ago they began to appeal for blood over the loudspeaker.
A human hand was just flung some thirty feet into the air onto the roof of the building where we are standing. There is a rumour mill beginning now. Local sources are saying one car has just been recovered with a bomb still intact.
We're seeing tremendous scenes of anger here now. It's very difficult to film — we were told to put our cameras away by the religious police. People are looking for someone to blame now.
There's a sense of shock and anger as you would expect. This is the first time the festival has been held on this day in a free Iraq and everything has been transformed by this attack.
Caroline Hawley :: Baghdad :: 0850GMT
We've heard a series of explosions. One was apparently at the main shrine in Baghdad.
There are casualties but we're not exactly sure what caused it.
There are ambulances at the scene. A strike at almost the same time as the explosions in Karbala.
This is no coincidence — militants are trying to target this religious festival. Militants have often struck on very important and sacred days.
When you speak to Iraqis they want to keep things together and they blame outsiders, saying these kind of things could not be the work of Iraqis.
The mood will be one of shock at what's happened, despite the fears this festival could be targeted. The clerics will urge their followers to stay calm. After so many years of conflict the people want to stay safe and have an ordinary normal life here, so I think the aim will be to keep things together.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 0825GMT
We counted about six explosions around 45 minutes ago preceded by automatic fire, which took place at the same time as the ones in Baghdad.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 0820GMT
We have no firm idea of casualties, not even the authorities do.
There's a theory these explosives were placed in piles of rubbish around here and there was a frantic search for more devices after the blasts.
We saw a number of injured on wooden carts, among them many women and children, as this was a family occasion. Many had feared that this religious festival would be targeted.
The Coalition believe al-Qaeda are trying to foment a civil war here and the co-ordinated nature of this attack lends credibility to the theory.
This is the apparition haunting Iraq since the coalition came here. The fear was the deep ethnic and religious divisions would be opened by somebody like al-Qaeda and there would be a civil war here.
Barbara Plett :: Karbala :: 0724GMT
People have stopped running now.
Some of them are hiding, others are standing in the street. Men, possibly plain-clothes security forces, are trying to establish order.
They're going through boxes by the pavement. It seems the bomb was in a rubbish bin.
Six explosions were heard as well as some gunfire, and I saw a flash as one of the bombs went off.
Casualties are being removed from the scene of the blast in wooden carts normally used for transporting luggage.
They're bloodied, possibly limbs have been lost. The security presence has been tight for the festival of Ashura but tens of thousands of people are milling around and it's almost impossible to check them all.
Paul Wood :: Karbala :: 0710GMT
A few minutes ago, a series of explosions hit the centre of Karbala, which is packed with pilgrims for the festival. We counted six separate explosions.
The last explosion was just a few seconds ago. It began with some automatic fire about 200 metres from the position where we were standing.
That presumably was the guards, the security guards for this religious festival trying to stop the bombers from getting near to the pilgrims. People are fleeing through the streets in panic.
I saw a couple of people who appeared to be injured, whether that was from bomb debris. In fact I can see somebody now being carried in a makeshift stretcher made out of a blanket rushed through the streets to one of the ambulances here.
Another man is semi-conscious being dragged by two people through the road. One or two people were also crushed in the stampede. I can see women trying to get children away.
The centre of Karbala was absolutely packed. This is apparently what everybody feared, that somebody would try to target this religious festival.
The coalition has long feared that al-Qaeda or the foreign fighters, whichever groups have been carrying out what are described as terrorist attacks, would try to bring about a sectarian conflict and use the festival at Karbala to try to achieve that end.
There's another wave of panic just hit the crowd, maybe something else has gone off.
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Tuesday, 2 March, 2004
Analysis: Iraq's religious targets
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Sunday, 26 October, 2003
Baghdad's simmering religious tensions
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Unspeakable grief and horror
...and the circus of deception killing continues... |
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