The Common Ills: Iraq: government continues to target civilians, violence and corruption thrive and the president becomes a joke

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Iraq: government continues to target civilians, violence and corruption thrive and the president becomes a joke

National Iraqi News Agency reports 4 people were shot dead "southwest of Baghdad" by assailants "riding in a taxi," the Islamic State executed 1 police officer in Mosul, south of Tirkit an attack on a car left 4 people shot dead and a fifth injured, 6 militia members were killed in a Baiji battle with the Islamic State, 3 musicians were executed in Mosul, a Miqdadiya battled left 5 militants dead, the "international coalition" dropped bombs on western Anbar resulting in an alleged 23 deaths -- all of whom, of course, must have been 'terrorists' because the US government does not acknowledge killing civilians in Iraq, and 1 corpse was discovered dumped in the streets of eastern Baghdad. Iraqi Spring MC notes that a bombing near the entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone has resulted in the closure of bridges.

They also note that the military has bombed Falluja General Hospital and that the bombing of Falluja's residential neighborhoods -- by the Iraqi military -- and, yes, this remains a War Crime -- resulted in the deaths of 15 civilians with eleven more left injured.

It was September 13th that the new prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced these bombings were over, finished. But the reality is they never stopped.

So either al-Abadi didn't really give the order to stop these ongoing bombings (which started in January of this year) or the Iraqi military in Anbar is refusing to take orders from him.

Like the violence, corruption continues to thrive in Iraq. NINA reports that MP Majda al-Tamimi, who serves on Parliament's Finance Committee, has declared that they are reviewing 9,000 governemtn projects from 2004 to the present for any corruption and that any people found guilty of "the theft of public money" should be prosecuted and held accountable.

NINA also reports, "Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi issued on Tuesday an order includes speeding up the release of detainees to whom court orders were issued for their release "

That might mean something if anyone could believe it.

But when you announce that you're going to do the right thing and stop the ongoing bombings of civilians in Falluja -- punishing for where they live -- and you don't?

It's hard for anyone to get excited over your announcements.

People need more than words.

This is evident on Arabic social media today where the biggest joke appears to be Iraqi President Fuad Masum who has announced that his salarie and the salary of the vice presidents will be cut by 50%.

It's noted that the announcement fails to note what the salaries were or what they will be cut to.

He's mocked for his lack of transparency and some are noting that it took Jalal Talabani years to make an idiot of himself in public but that Masum's done the job in a matter of a few months.

Ann's "Black Agenda Report is going all niche programming" isn't showing up but she updated and so did the following community sites: