The Common Ills: April violence claimed 561 lives

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

April violence claimed 561 lives

Iraq Body Count announces April violence claimed 561 lives. Not since August 2009 has a monthly death toll been higher in Iraq (614). And the violence continues today. National Iraqi News Agency reports a Baquba roadside bombing left two people injured, a Falluja bombing has claimed 5 lives and left twelve injured, a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left two more injured, three people were injured by a Falluja sniper, a Husayniaya ("northeast of Baghdad") car bombing injured five people, 1 person was shot dead in Baquba, and a police officer's home was blown up in Hilla.

The ICRC's Pierre Reichel notes, "Today, the situation remains very volatile and we are worried that tensions could escalate further and lead to more casualties." Arwa Damon (CNN) offers an analysis which includes:

For those closely following what has been happening in Iraq, this is not a surprise. To a certain degree the Iraqi government and other parties have been trying to dial back these tensions, but some steps taken by the Iraqi government serve only to aggravate them. Tensions are higher now than they have been for years.

Iraq's underlying problems have never been adequately addressed. There is a growing discontent within the Sunni minority and a growing number demonstrations against the predominantly Shia government.

It was 10 years ago today that Bully Boy Bush strutted on the USS Abraham Lincoln in front of a banner which proclaimed "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED." Jessica Elgot (Huffington Post UK) surveys the chaos:

In a report published by War Child, called "Mission Unaccomplished", Iraq has gone from being among the most ‘hospitable places’ for children in the Middle East and North Africa, to being one of the most hostile: with 100 infants dying every day, equivalent to 35,000 infants dying before they reach their 5th birthday.

RT also notes the anniversary of the speech and examines the chaos the illegal war unleashed:

Many Iraqis believe daily deadly bombings - the country’s present-day routine - are too high a price for toppling of tyranny by foreign military forces. It’s typified by the torment of Samir Ismail, a shop owner from Kirkuk: "How long will Iraq remain like this? Every day there are explosions, every day there is killing, every day there is terrorism."

Following the latest developments in Iraq from US, veterans of that war keep questioning what they really fought for. Among those unsatisfied with Washington’s official line is Iraq war veteran Emily Yates, who was public affairs specialist in the military.

“And I knew it was not, you know, really about liberation, as soon as I saw the huge mess that we made of the infrastructure in Iraq and the fact that still to this day corporations that received these ginormous, multibillion-dollar contracts to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure still haven’t done that, and they don’t even know where the money has gone,” Yates said to RT.

Today is the public opening of the Bully Boy Bush Library and Museum on the Dallas campus of SMU. They're hoping to maximize a profit before interest dries up completely by adding an extra fifty an hour to the early morning hours (only the early morning hours showed any ticket interest in online sales). They won't allow you to bring outside drink or food and even a laptop might be suspect. One wonders if SMU will regret the decision to house the library considering the security costs?

Today is also May Day, as Al Mada notes. The Industrial Workers of the World's Facebook page notes events (and will continue to add them throughout the day). Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative shines a light on the attack on labor in Iraq:

Latest video about Hassan Juma’a from USLAW

More and more people are signing the letter and writing about workers rights violations in Iraq.