Clipmarks | arifsali's 'iraq war' clips

A Call to Action for Iraqi Civilians Lost in the misplaced War on Terror

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:22:06 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

US military forces are engaged in two major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and participate in several more around the world in the Global War on Terror. All too often, no matter how careful the planning, civilians are hurt by bullets and bombs. What happens to them when the battle is over?

More often than not, they are left to try and pick up the pieces of their lives alone. Some have lost loved ones. Some no longer have a home. Others have been injured and can no longer provide for their families. They all deserve recognition and help.

Join us in asking our next president to support three important policies that will make a major difference in the lives of civilians living in war zones, current and future: [click here to read our three action points]

Sign this petition now and we’ll hand deliver it to the new Administration as they shape their policies in the first 100 days!

Tags: war, united states, iraq

Democrats Win 18 More House Seats

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:07:22 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

House Democrats promised an agenda of improving the economy, ending the war in Iraq and expanding access to health care after gaining at least 18 additional seats in Tuesday's elections, ballooning the size of the party's congressional majority to its largest since 1994.

"Our increased numbers in the House will better enable us to work closely with our new president for a vision for America and for a plan to succeed," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference on Capitol Hill. "With our added numbers, more numbers in the House, more in the Senate and a Democrat in the White House, we have an opportunity, we have a responsibility, and the American people should and will hold us accountable."

Tags: politics, united states, democrats

Journalist released after being held arbitrarily and mistreated by US military for 11 months

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:07:23 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.newswire.ca

Reporters Without Borders welcomes the US military's release of Afghan journalist Jawed Ahmad, who worked as a fixer and interpreter for Canadian broadcaster CTV. After being held for 11 months for having Taliban contacts, he was freed on 22 September as a result of lawsuit brought by US and Afghan human rights groups in the United States. "The US military must yet again recognise that it abused its authority by detaining an innocent journalist," Reporters Without Borders said. "Despite having no evidence, the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq arrests and mistreats locals employed by the international media whose only crime is to work in war zones.

The press freedom organisation added: "The US government should investigate this case and at the very least compensate Ahmad. We hail the US organisations that took the decisive step of bringing a lawsuit before the US courts."

Tags: journalists, united states, afghanistan

'Coalition of the willing' shrinks as Japan calls off air mission in Iraq

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:55:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.dailystar.com.lb

Washington paints Tokyo's pullout as sign of 'progress'

TOKYO: Japan said Thursday it was ending an air mission in Iraq, wrapping up a military deployment which was historic for the pacifist nation but deeply unpopular among the public.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Tokyo planned by the end of the year to bring back planes that flew goods and personnel into Iraq in support of the United Nations and US-led coalition.

The mission is Japan's last remaining military operation in Iraq after the country, which has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II, ended a landmark ground deployment in 2006.

Tags: iraq, united states, japan, war

Jolie-Pitt Foundation donates $1M to Iraqi kids

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:41:07 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's love for children is by no means limited to their own: The couple has donated $1 million to help kids affected by the war in Iraq, the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict announced Wednesday.

The organization will distribute the donation, made through the couple's Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to four organizations working on behalf of children who have lost parents, homes and schools in Iraq. Children in the U.S. who have lost parents in the conflict will also benefit.

"These educational support programs for children of conflict are the best way to help them heal," said Jolie in a written statement from Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which she co-chairs.

"We hope to encourage others to give to these great organizations," Pitt added in the statement.

Tags: iraq, children

Where Are Those Iranian Weapons in Iraq?

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:39:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.ipsnews.net

The U.S. military command in Iraq continues to talk about an alleged pipeline of Iranian weapons to Iraqi Shiites opposing the U.S. occupation, implying that they have become dependent on Iran for indirect-fire weapons and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

But U.S. officials have failed thus far to provide evidence that would support that claim, and a long-delayed U.S. military report on Iranian arms is unlikely to offer any data on what proportion of the weapons in the hands of Shiite fighters are from Iran and what proportion comes from purchases on the open market.

When Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner was asked that question at a briefing May 8, he did not answer it directly. Instead Bergner reverted to a standard U.S. military line that these groups "could not do what they're doing without the support of foreign support [sic]." Then he defined "foreign support" to include training and funding as well as weapons, implicitly conceding that he did not have much of a case based on weapons alone.

Tags: iraq, iran, united states, politics, weapons, war

Names of the Dead

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:40:52 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Small news piece but significant.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The Department of Defense has identified 3,968 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the death of the following American on Thursday:

PANIAGUA-MORALES, Jose A., 22, Cpl., Army; Bell Gardens, Calif.; Second Infantry Divi- sion.

Tags: war, dead, united states

Bush invokes faith to defend war policy

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:16:36 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Here you go.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

President George W. Bush delivered a rousing defense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday, mixing faith and foreign policy as he told a group of Christian broadcasters that his policies in the region were predicated on the beliefs that freedom is a God-given right and "every human being bears the image of their master."

With the fifth anniversary of his invasion of Iraq coming next week, and a decision on troop cuts in Iraq on his plate, Bush used a 30-minute speech before an enthusiastic audience - the National Religious Broadcasters association - to make the case that liberty is on the march, so long as the United States does not lose its nerve.

"The decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision early in my presidency," he said, to rousing applause and a standing ovation. "It is the right decision at this point in my presidency, and it will forever be the right decision."

Tags: religion, politics, bush

Young Iraqis are losing their faith in religion

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:54:29 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.iht.com

After almost five years of war, many young Iraqis, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach.

In two months of interviews with 40 young people in five Iraqi cities, a pattern of disenchantment emerged, in which young Iraqis, both poor and middle class, blamed clerics for the violence and the restrictions that have narrowed their lives.

"I hate Islam and all the clerics because they limit our freedom every day and their instruction became heavy over us," said Sara Sami, a high school student in Basra. "Most of the girls in my high school hate that Islamic people control the authority because they don't deserve to be rulers."

Atheer, a 19-year-old from a poor, heavily Shiite neighborhood in southern Baghdad, said: "The religion men are liars.

Young people don't believe them. Guys my age are not interested in religion anymore."

Tags: iraq, religion

Our crimes in Iraq must not be forgotten

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:18:19 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Don't bring up the catastrophe in Iraq, not in polite circles or at dinner parties, or anywhere in public really. Better to burp or fart loudly. That is the message for 2008. What war? We have moved on, you bore, say the frightfully busy great and good, their eyes glazing over.

The people responsible for the war have, of course, moved on

The Catholic Church blesses and receives the deceiver (Mr Blair)

In the US with the primaries going full blast, John McCain is anointed as the noble saviour

Bill and Hillary both actively and tacitly supported the invasion of Iraq and never once defended the UN route. These candidates are "liberals", we are told. Only in America. None of the above are exactly in the habit of mentioning the caged of Guantanamo or the anguish of Iraqis. Obama did fleetingly touch on these ugly American transgressions, but not for long, and not with intense moral purpose. At least the guy tried, and had the guts to vote against the invasion.

Tags: opinion, iraq, politics

Memory and Machiavelli

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:39:43 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: blog.beliefnet.com

Ms. Jacoby has taken up the virtuous but frustrating cause of improving public education and striving for an informed electorate. Let's hope that Barack Obama represents a trend in that direction. The right wing, as represented by Karl Rove, stands for the opposite trend. In their playbook, manipulating the public through fear and capitalizing on ignorance not only works, but is justified because it works. That is, any question of morality and ethics is beside the point, as Machiavelli long ago informed his prince. Ms. Jacoby asserts that lack of historical memory is one of the most serious symptoms of what she calls American unreason. Instead of remembering that Iraq had no suicide bombers until the U.S. invaded, or that the war was entirely unjustified in the first place, the public can be fed a slogan '-- "the surge is working" -- and the past evaporates.

Tags: iraq

Over one million Iraqis killed by war

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:21:15 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.opinion.co.uk

Further survey work undertaken by ORB, in association with its research partner IIACSS, confirms our earlier estimate that over 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have died as a result of the conflict which started in 2003.

Following responses to ORB’s earlier work, which was based on survey work undertaken in primarily urban locations, we have conducted almost 600 additional interviews in rural communities. By and large the results are in line with the ‘urban results’ and we now estimate that the death toll between March 2003 and August 2007 is likely to have been of the order of 1,033,000. If one takes into account the margin of error associated with survey data of this nature then the estimated range is between 946,000 and 1,120,000.

Further information about the research, our calculations, questionnaire wording and data tables is available by clicking on the links below. Also available is an article providing background on IIACSS and its founding director Dr. Munqith Dagher.

Tags: iraq, death, war, united states

I raped Iraqi girl, then helped kill her....soldier pleads guilty

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:04:47 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: BTW, the headline isn't mine, this is how it showed up in RSS feed.
Unless he was a criminal before he was a soldier, I do not understand how a human being commits such crimes out of nowhere.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Soldier pleads guilty in Iraq killings

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping an Iraqi girl last spring and killing her and her family pleaded guilty Wednesday and will testify against the others.

Spc. James P. Barker agreed to the plea deal to avoid the death penalty, said his civilian attorney, David Sheldon.

The killings in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad, were among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq.

Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, both members of the 101st Airborne Division with Barker, could face the death penalty if convicted in the case in courts-martial at Fort Campbell.

Former Army private Steve Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to charges including murder and sexual assault.

Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say if they will pursue the death penalty against him.

The indictment accuses Green and others of raping the 14-year-old girl and burning her body to conceal their crimes. It also alleges that Green and four others stationed at a nearby checkpoint killed the girl's father, mother and 6-year-old sister.

Barker has given investigators vivid accounts of the assault. An investigator testified during a hearing in August that Barker had said the soldiers drank whiskey and played cards while plotting the assault, that Barker, Cortez and Green took turns raping the girl, and that Green shot her and her family.

Tags: iraq war, soldiers, crime, politics, war

Knight Ridder Reporters

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:39:45 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.pbs.org

Tonight's broadcast, "Buying the War" introduced you to intrepid Knight Ridder (now McClatchy) reporters Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel, who between them have over 40 years experience reporting on foreign affairs and national security.

They are answering your viewer questions live now. To submit a question, simply post it as a comment on this blog entry.

Tags: bill moyers, knight ridder, reporters, journalists, united states, iraq war

Polar Bears arrested for blocking the entrances to the Capitol

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:23:10 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I know, they must have done something wrong.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 60 peaceful demonstrators, including several dressed as polar bears, were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday protesting the Iraq war and global warming, authorities said.

"People are being arrested out here because you (Congress) are not doing your job," antiwar activist Ann Wright shouted into a bullhorn.

Demonstrators were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and blocking entrances to the Capitol, which was ringed by members of the U.S. Capitol Police.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a police spokeswoman, said, "We've had about 60 arrests." She said she had received no reports of violence.

About half a dozen demonstrators dressed in fluffy white outfits held a banner reading, "Polar bears for solutions to war and global warming."

Tags: united states, politics, war