Thursday, November 26, 2020

Violence never takes a holiday



CBS NEWS reports:

For many U.S. service members deployed in the Middle East, there'll be no festive Thanksgiving lunch on Thursday. Instead, they're practicing strict social distancing, and stuck with take-out meals.

More than 100 American service members have been infected with COVID-19 at one base in northern Iraq alone, but U.S. Army Specialist Sheriff Tijaniabimbola told CBS News foreign correspondent Holly Williams that there's still plenty to feel thankful for.

"I love the uniform. I love the respect. I love when they call you 'yes sir, yes sir, yes sir.' I love when people just respect you," said Tijaniabimbola, a mechanic who services Apache attack helicopters.

TJ, as he's known, came to the U.S. from Nigeria four years ago and then enlisted. He told CBS News he plans to become a U.S. citizen when this tour of duty is over.

"I'm feeling grateful that I'm on a path to make a better life for my family, to make a better future for my child," he said. 

The base's chief medical officer is Commander Chris Call, an anesthesiologist from Walter Reed Medical Center. He came to Iraq expecting to treat combat injuries, but instead he's been setting up quarantine wards.  

"COVID has really united us as a humanity on this base, as opposed to all of our individual units. It's really, in a lot of ways, brought us together in a way that I never could have imagined," Call said.


It's Thanksgiving.  But violence doesn't take a holiday.  Dilan S. Hussein (RUDAW) reports: 

An Iraqi activist was wounded after being shot by masked men in Baghdad on Wednesday, a day after criticising a militia group on social media.

Akram Adhab was wounded after being attacked by masked men on Wednesday night in the al-Talbiya neighbourhood in east Baghdad.

A friend present with Adhab at the time of the attack has told Rudaw he has “strong opinions” against political parties published to his social media accounts.

“A masked man in a white Sorento car shot at Adhab with a silenced gun,” said activist Omar Faruq. “Another car was parked nearby, and another masked man came out and also shot at Adhab.”


Here's video:

هجوم غادر على النشطاء عمر فاروق وأكرم عذاب ومنع نقلهم إلى المستشفيات.
11:50 AM · Nov 25, 2020


There is no peace in Iraq.  There is no justice.  This violence goes on and on -- just like the war that, in the US, we're encouraged by the media to pretend has ended.  It didn't end.  It never ended.  And the US government keeps installing one prime minister after another who refuses to address the needs of the Iraqi people.  Doubt it?  Mustafa al-Kahdimi is no longer just looking the other way, he's now rewarding these thugs who kill civilians.  Doubt it?

John Davison and Ahmed Rasheed (REUTERS) report:

The Iraqi military is training a former member of an Iran-backed militia, who is under U.S. sanctions for killing protesters, to become a high-ranking officer in the army, according to six government, security and militia officials.

They said that Hussein Falih Aziz, known as Abu Zainab al-Lami, had been sent to Egypt with Iraqi officers for a year-long training normally reserved for the country’s military personnel.

A defence ministry document seen by Reuters showed his name, with the rank Major General, on a list of officers attending the training until next summer.

 







The following sites updated;








The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Posted by at