BAGHDAD — Women face increased risk of abduction by militias and criminal gangs as lawlessness takes over the country. Nobody is safe. Taysseer Al-Mashadani, the Sunni woman minister from the al-Tawafuq political party was abducted by members of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi army militia July 1 this year. After being held for nearly
“Today Is Better than Tomorrow”
Tomgram: Jamail, Emails from the Front Lines of Iraqi Daily Life Right now, we have on the table a “possible exit strategy” from Iraq — James A. Baker’s Iraq Study Group report — that, once you do the figures, doesn’t get the U.S. even close to halfway out the door by sometime in 2008; and
Cornered Military Takes to Desperate Tactics
FALLUJAH — People living in areas where resistance to U.S.-led occupation is mounting are facing increased levels of collective punishment from the occupation forces, residents say. Siniyah town 200 km north of Baghdad with a population of 25,000 has been under siege by the U.S. military for two weeks. IPS had earlier reported unrest in
Dori Smith interviews Dahr Jamail
In this half hour interview, journalist Dahr Jamail speaks about the reality of the Iraq Study Group Report and what is going on in Iraq today: US support for death squad militias, US air attacks, and the steady intensification of the violence. If US forces withdrew there may be a potential for the Iraqis to
Widows Become the Silent Tragedy
BAGHDAD — Hundreds of thousands of widows are becoming the silent tragedy of a country sliding deeper into chaos by the day. Widows are the flip side of violence that has meant more than a million men dead, detained or disabled, Iraqi NGOs estimate. These men’s wives or mothers now carry the burden of running
It’s Hard Being a Woman
BAGHDAD — Once one of the best countries for women’s rights in the Middle East, Iraq has now become a place where women fear for their lives in an increasingly fundamentalist environment. Prior to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, Iraqi women enjoyed rights under the Personal Status Law since Jul. 14, 1958, the
Shias Too Lose Faith in Iraqi Govt
BAGHDAD — The noisy demonstration that greeted Iraqi Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki on his visit to Sadr City last week was more than just a protest. It meant that the leader of a Shia-dominated government was being rejected by an angry and influential group of Shias. Maliki’s heavily guarded convoy was pelted with stones and