BAGHDAD — The separation of religious groups in the face of sectarian violence has brought some semblance of relative calm to Baghdad. But many Iraqis see this as the uncertain consequence of a divide and rule policy. Claims are going the rounds that sectarian violence in Iraq has fallen, and that the U.S. military “surge”
Fewer Deaths Bring No Reassurance
BAGHDAD — Despite claims by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Bush administration officials that violence in Iraq is decreasing, residents in the capital tell a different story. Attacks by Iraqi resistance groups against the U.S. military continue in Baghdad and Iraq’s al-Anbar province, despite U.S. military support for certain Sunni militias in the areas.
What I saw in Fallujah
The New Statesman Dahr Jamail set out to report the truth about the US invasion of Iraq and its terrible impact on daily life. Determined to remain independent of the army, he embedded himself instead with the Iraqi people On the day martial law was declared, US tanks began rolling into the outskirts of Fallujah,
The Iraq war has become a disaster that we have chosen to forget
With the media subdued, governments have not been held to account for the biggest political calamity of our time Madeleine Bunting Monday November 5, 2007 The Guardian Excerpt: “What is chilling about Jamail’s accounts is the routine destructiveness of the US forces; how they demolish nearby homes after a roadside bomb, leave unexploded munitions in
Millions Trapped in Their Own Country
BAQUBA — At least five million Iraqis have fled their homes due to the violence under the U.S.-led occupation, but half of them are unable to leave the country, according to well-informed estimates. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more than 4.4 million displaced Iraqis, an estimate that many
Where Better Security Brings No Reassurance
BAQUBA — The much touted “surge” of U.S. troops in Baquba has caused more problems that it has solved, residents say. Baquba, capital city of Iraq’s Diyala province located 65 km northeast of Baghdad, has long been a volatile city plagued by rampant violence and administrative chaos.
More BTGZ Reviews/Interviews
The Catastrophic Military Occupation of Iraq is Rarely Described Accurately in the U.S. Media Written by Kevin Zeese, for Democracy Rising Monday, 29 October 2007 An Interview with independent journalist Dahr Jamail “The bogus idea that if the U.S. leaves things will worsen is both inherently racist and ignorant.” Read full interview here Time Out
When Blackwater Kills, No Questions Asked
BAGHDAD — The recent attacks by Blackwater USA mercenaries in Baghdad are far from the first — and many believe they will not be the last. Seventeen Iraqis were killed Sep. 16, and another 27 wounded at Nisoor square in western Baghdad when mercenaries from the company opened fire on them. Dozens of witnesses said
Beyond the Green Zone Reviews and Interviews
Democracy Now Powells Original author essay Yahoo Picks
The Mouth of a Graveyard: A Review of Dahr Jamail’s Beyond the Green Zone
ZNET by Ron Jacobs; October 02, 2007 Original Posting of Review Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq by Dahr Jamail (Haymarket, 2007) As the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the accompanying war on its people heads into a fifth year, the New York Times and Washington Post continue to