The Common Ills: Nouri's 'successes' in his Anbar attack

Friday, January 31, 2014

Nouri's 'successes' in his Anbar attack

Iraqi Spring MC notes protests took place today in Samarra, Tikrit, Rawa, Anbar and, below, in Baiji.

الجمعة الموحدة في قضاء بيجي بمحافظة صلاح الدين 
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Since December 21, 2012, protests have been ongoing in Iraq. Nouri's earlier efforts to stop the protests haven't stopped them. His threats, his attacks, none of it has worked. Now if he'd actually listened to the grievances and addressed those? Things might be a lot different right now. The issues are numerous. Layla Anwar (An Arab Woman Blues) has summed up the primary issues motivating the protesters as follows:

- End of Sectarian Shia rule
- the re-writing of the Iraqi constitution (drafted by the Americans and Iranians)
- the end to arbitrary killings and detention, rape and torture of all detainees on basis of sect alone and their release
- the end of discriminatory policies in employment, education, etc based on sect
- the provision of government services to all
- the end of corruption
- no division between Shias and Sunnis, a one Islam for all Iraqi Muslims and a one Iraq for all Iraqis.

Iraqi prime minister and chief thug Nouri al-Maliki's assault on Anbar Province continues and is, in part, his effort to stop the ongoing protests -- the Constitutionally protected ongoing protests.

His assault has been a 'success' -- he's lost parts of Baghdad, he's lost Falluja and Ramadi, he's seen two government ministries attacked in Baghdad, over 1062 people killed this month, and now an attack on Baghdad International.

National Iraqi News Agency reports three rockets attacked the airport today. Arab News points out, "Air traffic was not disrupted, but the ability of militants to strike such a site is likely to heighten concerns about the vulnerability of Iraq’s vital infrastructure as security deteriorates across the country."

Nouri's assault on Anbar has only demonstrated (a) how weak security actually is and (b) how inept Nour is.

Al Arabiya News reports the Iraqi military announced they'd killed 40 suspects in Falluja this week. In some of the other violence, National Iraqi News Agency reports 3 corpses were discovered "dumped in a river near Alsabtiya bridge northeast of Baquba today," a Mosul armed attack left 1 Iraqi soldier dead, and a home invasion in Badush left 1 woman dead.

Nouri's assault is a long string of War Crimes. From Geneva International Centre for Justice's "Stop al-Maliki brutality against civilians" (BRussells Tribunal):

On behalf of a coalition of NGOs Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) has sent an urgent appeal to the International community and UN bodies following its appeal from 13 January 2014 in view of the horribly deteriorating human rights situation and the continuous brutal attacks against civilians in the province of al-Anbar/ Iraq.
Since 22 December 2013, an operation led by Iraqi government forces is under way in the al-Anbar province, which, although initially under the pretext to combat terrorists hiding in the desert, quickly turned into a full scale military attack against residential areas with heavy artillery, tanks and air force. Residential neighbourhoods came under shelling; hospitals and schools were damaged, over hundred civilians killed so far and even injured fired upon.

Symbolic for the atrocities committed by the army was a video published on several Iraqi satellite TVs on 22 January 2014, showing how al-Maliki forces drag the dead body of a young Tribesman by tying his leg to a military vehicle.
Until this day government forces are surrounding the cities in the province of al-Anbar, the biggest of them Ramadi, Fallujah, Karma and Khalidiya, cutting of all vital supplies. This happens under the pretext that these cities have been infiltrated by Al-Qaeda, although the citizens themselves have repeatedly and clearly refuted such claims. Countless people have already fled in fear of the government forces, who are known for their indiscriminate brutality against civilians. The international community must immediately call for a halt of this highly disproportionate use of force.

The following community sites -- plus Susan's On the Edge, Antiwar.com, Jody Watley and Chocolate City -- updated last night and today: