The Common Ills: Nouri's Iraq: Flooding and killing

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Nouri's Iraq: Flooding and killing

The UNHCR issued the following today:

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) calls for renewed efforts from states to relocate former Camp Ashraf residents, also known as Camp New Iraq.
Since the 1 September 2013 attack on Camp New Iraq where 52 residents died, there has been limited progress in moving the remaining residents to a third country. UNHCR encourages all Member States to share in the international efforts, admit residents and offer them a long-term solution.
UNHCR and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) also call upon the Government of Iraq to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of the residents. UNHCR and UNAMI remain gravely concerned about the fate of seven missing individuals formerly residing in Camp New Iraq who disappeared on 1 September and call on the authorities to locate them, ensure their wellbeing and safeguard them against any forcible return.
Since 2011, UNHCR, together with UNAMI, has been engaged in an effort to find relocation opportunities outside Iraq for some 3,200 former residents of Camp New Iraq. In total, UNHCR has so far been able to secure the relocation to third countries of 300 residents.

We'll cover Ashraf in the snapshot later today. For now, an e-mail to the public account asks if the Ashraf community is named after "the Egyptian princess"? I believe the e-mailer means Iranian Princess Ashraf -- Ashraf Pahlavi, twin sister of the deposed (and now deceased) Shah of Iran. The Ashraf community named their space in Iraq "Camp Ashraf" after Ashraf Rajavi.

Iraq Body Count notes that, through yesterday, there have been 412 violent deaths in Iraq. National Iraqi News Agency reports an armed attack in Mosul left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead, a Mosul bombing claimed the life of 1 young girl and left eight other members of her family injured, 1 military officer was killed in a Mosul clash, "two members of Facilities Protection" were shot dead in Mosul, a Mosul roadside bombing left four people injured (three were police), a Balad Ruz sticky bombing claimed the life of Muhammad Al-Khalidi's secretary, an Aanah roadside bombing left one person injured, and, as they conducted terrorizing raids in Tarmiya, a bomb claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left three more injured.

Raining
Raining for days on end
Staying inside again
Making up lists of things to do
When the rain ends
The children are restless
They played all their games
Again and again and again
If we knew anyone we could call up a friend
-- "Raining," written by Carly Simon, first appears on her boxed set Clouds In My Coffee

The rains continue in Iraq. A child died today as a result of them -- a four-year-old boy in Hilla.

Top photo on this Al Mada page of photos is of the flooding in Baghdad.

Wael Grace (Al Mada) reports there is a current rush to restore the damns in southern Iraq to prevent a repeat of last year's massive flooding. If Iraq had a real leader -- and not Nouri al-Maliki -- these dams would have been restored in the dry season and there'd be no mad dash, a year later, to fix what should have already been addressed.

The following community sites -- plus Jody Watley, Ms. magazine's blog, Janis Ian, Antiwar.com, Cindy Sheehan, the ACLU, and Black Agenda Report -- updated last night and today: