Juancole.com: Thousands Stream into Shrine of Ali Muqtada orders Followers to Disarm
CNN's Kianne Sadeq continues her excellent reportage from Najaf. She and her team report that supporters of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani streamed into the shrine of Ali in Najaf. After reaching an agreement with Sistani, Muqtada pledge to ask his men to leave the shrine. Sistani wants Najaf and Kufa to be demilitarized. Muqtada al-Sadr's men used the microphones ordinarily employed for the call to prayer to relay his message that the Mahdi Army should lay down its arms. Wire reports suggest that some were obeying the order. With all those pilgrims now in the shrine, it will be easy for the Mahdi Army fighters to slip away if they so choose.
I think the big losers from the Najaf episode (part deux) are the Americans. They have become, if it is possible, even more unpopular in Iraq than they were last spring after Abu Ghuraib, Fallujah and Najaf Part 1. The US is perceived as culturally insensitive for its actions in the holy city of Najaf.
The Allawi government is also a big loser. Instead of looking decisive, as they had hoped, they ended up looking like the lackeys of neo-imperialists.
The big winner is Sistani, whose religious charisma has now been enhanced by solid nationalist credentials. He is a national hero for saving Najaf.
For Muqtada, it is a wash. He did not have Najaf until April, anyway, and cn easily survive not having it. His movement in the slums of the southern cities is intact, even if its paramilitary has been weakened
Friday, August 27, 2004
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
Truthout: Iraq Oil Exports Cut in Half After Attack
Basra, Iraq - A sabotage attack on a cluster of about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq has cut exports from the key oil producing region by half, a top oil official said Thursday.
Iraqi workers stand near a burning pipeline south of Basra in southern Iraq. Photo: Atef Hassan/Reuters
It was the latest insurgent attack to set back Iraq's oil sector, a key source of funding for reconstruction.
The pipelines were attacked late Wednesday in Berjasiya, 20 miles southwest of the southern city of Basra, an official with the state-run South Oil Co. said on condition of anonymity.
Oil exports out of southern Iraq average about 1.85 million barrels a day. The oil official said Wednesday's sabotage cut exports to 900,000 barrels. The country's southern pipelines export 90 percent of Iraq's oil.
Basra, Iraq - A sabotage attack on a cluster of about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq has cut exports from the key oil producing region by half, a top oil official said Thursday.
Iraqi workers stand near a burning pipeline south of Basra in southern Iraq. Photo: Atef Hassan/Reuters
It was the latest insurgent attack to set back Iraq's oil sector, a key source of funding for reconstruction.
The pipelines were attacked late Wednesday in Berjasiya, 20 miles southwest of the southern city of Basra, an official with the state-run South Oil Co. said on condition of anonymity.
Oil exports out of southern Iraq average about 1.85 million barrels a day. The oil official said Wednesday's sabotage cut exports to 900,000 barrels. The country's southern pipelines export 90 percent of Iraq's oil.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
GEORGIA
AFP: Georgian President warns of war with Russia
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has reportedly said war with Russia is close and it is necessary to prepare the people of Georgia for such an eventuality.
"We are very close to a war (with Russia), the population must be prepared," he told the Liberation newspaper.
Denouncing military aid from Russia to rebels in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, Mr Saakashvili stressed that he had "no intention of provoking [a war]".
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has reportedly said war with Russia is close and it is necessary to prepare the people of Georgia for such an eventuality.
"We are very close to a war (with Russia), the population must be prepared," he told the Liberation newspaper.
Denouncing military aid from Russia to rebels in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, Mr Saakashvili stressed that he had "no intention of provoking [a war]".
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: Top Shi'ite cleric calls for march on Najaf
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric has returned to the country and urged Iraqis to march on the "burning city" of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer its sacred shrine.
Aides said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani arrived in Iraq from Kuwait on Wednesday and was heading to Najaf, his adopted home, after getting heart treatment in London for three weeks.
The news of Sistani's return came as U.S. and Iraqi forces tightened their grip around Mehdi Army militants loyal to a radical cleric who have holed up in Najaf's Imam Ali mosque, advancing to within 300 metres (yards) of the rebel-held shrine.
The call to march on Najaf by the Shi'ite moderate, who has said little about a crisis that has killed hundreds and undermined the authority of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, could escalate passions among the majority Shi'ite community.
Haarez: Iraq's top Shiite cleric returns as fighting rages in Najaf
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric arrived home from Britain on Wednesday and his aides called for a nationwide march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in this holy city.
The announcement came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City, the center of much of the past three weeks of fighting. U.S. warplanes fired on the neighborhood, helicopters flew overhead and heavy gunfire was heard in the streets, witnesses said.
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric has returned to the country and urged Iraqis to march on the "burning city" of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer its sacred shrine.
Aides said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani arrived in Iraq from Kuwait on Wednesday and was heading to Najaf, his adopted home, after getting heart treatment in London for three weeks.
The news of Sistani's return came as U.S. and Iraqi forces tightened their grip around Mehdi Army militants loyal to a radical cleric who have holed up in Najaf's Imam Ali mosque, advancing to within 300 metres (yards) of the rebel-held shrine.
The call to march on Najaf by the Shi'ite moderate, who has said little about a crisis that has killed hundreds and undermined the authority of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, could escalate passions among the majority Shi'ite community.
Haarez: Iraq's top Shiite cleric returns as fighting rages in Najaf
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric arrived home from Britain on Wednesday and his aides called for a nationwide march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fierce fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in this holy city.
The announcement came as heavy fighting persisted in Najaf's Old City, the center of much of the past three weeks of fighting. U.S. warplanes fired on the neighborhood, helicopters flew overhead and heavy gunfire was heard in the streets, witnesses said.
SITE OF THE DAY
CHECK: AbusedbytheNews.com
brought to you by Daniel Price, a writer and media critic living in Los Angeles.
His debut novel, Slick, a comedic tale of PR and media manipulation, was just released in hardcover by Random House/Villard. In November, he'll begin teaching a crash course in disinformation at the Los Angeles Center for Inquiry.
Why does the news on TV make me want to gouge my eyes out and then set my head on fire?
Although they won't admit it, it's pretty obvious that the news networks have abandoned their mission to inform us. Now all they're trying to do is get our attention and hold it there long enough to show us the advertisements.
How did it get this way?These outlets are all run by megamedia überconglomerates who require greater and greater earnings in order to keep their shareholders happy. And since there's more competition than ever for our limited attention spans, they believe that the only way to get us to notice them is to make their newscasts louder, dumber, sexier and scarier. Same goes for their news anchors.
Yes, but it seems like they're giving us bad information more and more. What's the deal?
In order to reduce operating expenses, the media giants are subjecting their news divisions to repeated rounds of layoffs and spending cuts, while simultaneously increasing their news output. So what you have are fewer people gathering more news and given less time to do it.
Not only does that lead to more mistakes and omissions, it also creates an increased reliance on unverified information from dubious sources, such as publicists and spin doctors.
That's also why we're seeing a sharp rise in the number of pundits, analysts and other nattering nabobs in our news. Because real journalism is expensive. Talk is cheap.
And what about the bias? You gotta talk about the bias.
Partisan bias is one of the few things I won't complain about, because the problem is ridiculously overblown. Anyone who currently works in a news studio can tell you that their top two priorites are making deadline and not getting fired. Even if they do give a crap about subverting your political ideology, most news professionals don't have the time, the skill or the incentive to insert subliminal skews into their broadcasts.
That's not to say bias doesn't exist in our news. But instead of searching left and right, take a good hard look at the bottom line. The real slant in our news is a slant towards profit. And that means a slant towards shock, shlock, scandal, drama, fluffy little kittens, and whatever else the focus groups respond to.
But in a free market system where TV is measured by ratings, aren't the networks just giving the people what they want?
Yes, but the system is hardly democratic. For starters, there are only 5,000 Nielsen boxes gauging the viewing habits of the entire United States. Secondly, advertisers pay the networks more to attract certain segments of the population (such as affluent women aged 18-49), so most newscasts are tailored to appeal to key demographics. Unfortunately, the networks have chosen to fight over the same few eyeballs, which is why we're consistently hit with the same crap from every channel.
And finally, the vast majority of news programs are losing viewers by the truckful, so obviously we're not getting what we want.
Isn't it our own responsibility to stay informed on the things that matter?
Absolutely. And there are still plenty of good places for us to go for news. The problem is that we can't walk two feet in this country without stepping in some bad journalism. We're continually bombarded with misinformation, disinformation, and non-information from every side. And it's making us all a little nutty.
"Funny" nutty or "scary" nutty?A little of both. We're living in a culture that's becoming increasingly jaded, apathetic, fearful and polarized. And I think our current news climate has a lot to do with that.
Do you think the mainstream news will get better or worse over the next few years?
As the networks get increasingly desperate and cynical about the viewing public, I think their news coverage is going to keep sliding down toward 'worse.'
But then everything comes in cycles. Just as CNN filled a much-needed void in 1981, someone else may eventually come along with a brand new network that relies on actual investigative journalism, one that doesn't treat its audience like congential idiots with the attention span of mosquitos. And if it does well in the ratings, then expect the other networks to follow suit. They're very good at following.
Where can one such as I learn more about the inner workings of the mainstream news media?
I've prepared a big fat list of books that do a wonderful job shedding light on the business of news, plus the study of disinformation. And of course you're free to keep checking back here at Abused by the News. Needless to say, this is a subject that interests me.
brought to you by Daniel Price, a writer and media critic living in Los Angeles.
His debut novel, Slick, a comedic tale of PR and media manipulation, was just released in hardcover by Random House/Villard. In November, he'll begin teaching a crash course in disinformation at the Los Angeles Center for Inquiry.
Why does the news on TV make me want to gouge my eyes out and then set my head on fire?
Although they won't admit it, it's pretty obvious that the news networks have abandoned their mission to inform us. Now all they're trying to do is get our attention and hold it there long enough to show us the advertisements.
How did it get this way?These outlets are all run by megamedia überconglomerates who require greater and greater earnings in order to keep their shareholders happy. And since there's more competition than ever for our limited attention spans, they believe that the only way to get us to notice them is to make their newscasts louder, dumber, sexier and scarier. Same goes for their news anchors.
Yes, but it seems like they're giving us bad information more and more. What's the deal?
In order to reduce operating expenses, the media giants are subjecting their news divisions to repeated rounds of layoffs and spending cuts, while simultaneously increasing their news output. So what you have are fewer people gathering more news and given less time to do it.
Not only does that lead to more mistakes and omissions, it also creates an increased reliance on unverified information from dubious sources, such as publicists and spin doctors.
That's also why we're seeing a sharp rise in the number of pundits, analysts and other nattering nabobs in our news. Because real journalism is expensive. Talk is cheap.
And what about the bias? You gotta talk about the bias.
Partisan bias is one of the few things I won't complain about, because the problem is ridiculously overblown. Anyone who currently works in a news studio can tell you that their top two priorites are making deadline and not getting fired. Even if they do give a crap about subverting your political ideology, most news professionals don't have the time, the skill or the incentive to insert subliminal skews into their broadcasts.
That's not to say bias doesn't exist in our news. But instead of searching left and right, take a good hard look at the bottom line. The real slant in our news is a slant towards profit. And that means a slant towards shock, shlock, scandal, drama, fluffy little kittens, and whatever else the focus groups respond to.
But in a free market system where TV is measured by ratings, aren't the networks just giving the people what they want?
Yes, but the system is hardly democratic. For starters, there are only 5,000 Nielsen boxes gauging the viewing habits of the entire United States. Secondly, advertisers pay the networks more to attract certain segments of the population (such as affluent women aged 18-49), so most newscasts are tailored to appeal to key demographics. Unfortunately, the networks have chosen to fight over the same few eyeballs, which is why we're consistently hit with the same crap from every channel.
And finally, the vast majority of news programs are losing viewers by the truckful, so obviously we're not getting what we want.
Isn't it our own responsibility to stay informed on the things that matter?
Absolutely. And there are still plenty of good places for us to go for news. The problem is that we can't walk two feet in this country without stepping in some bad journalism. We're continually bombarded with misinformation, disinformation, and non-information from every side. And it's making us all a little nutty.
"Funny" nutty or "scary" nutty?A little of both. We're living in a culture that's becoming increasingly jaded, apathetic, fearful and polarized. And I think our current news climate has a lot to do with that.
Do you think the mainstream news will get better or worse over the next few years?
As the networks get increasingly desperate and cynical about the viewing public, I think their news coverage is going to keep sliding down toward 'worse.'
But then everything comes in cycles. Just as CNN filled a much-needed void in 1981, someone else may eventually come along with a brand new network that relies on actual investigative journalism, one that doesn't treat its audience like congential idiots with the attention span of mosquitos. And if it does well in the ratings, then expect the other networks to follow suit. They're very good at following.
Where can one such as I learn more about the inner workings of the mainstream news media?
I've prepared a big fat list of books that do a wonderful job shedding light on the business of news, plus the study of disinformation. And of course you're free to keep checking back here at Abused by the News. Needless to say, this is a subject that interests me.
IRAQ: TORTURE
Independent: Rumsfeld implicated in Abu Ghraib abuse by damning report
high-level report has placed indirect blame for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on the Pentagon's top civilian and military officials, saying their neglect allowed a culture and environment to develop in which such abuse could take place.
The report, released yesterday one of 11 separate inquiries into abuses at the jail near Baghdad is the first to criticise Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, and his closest advisers over the debacle.
high-level report has placed indirect blame for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on the Pentagon's top civilian and military officials, saying their neglect allowed a culture and environment to develop in which such abuse could take place.
The report, released yesterday one of 11 separate inquiries into abuses at the jail near Baghdad is the first to criticise Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, and his closest advisers over the debacle.
AFRICA: COUP
Independent: Mark Thatcher arrested over 'coup plot'
Sir Mark Thatcher was arrested today over claims that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.
South African police said Sir Mark, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested at his home in Cape Town.
It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader of the alleged coup attempt.
He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.
The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country's massive oil reserves after overthrowing President Teodoro Obiang and installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.
Equatorial Guinea, pumping 350,000 barrels of oil a day, has become Africa's third-largest oil producer since offshore development began in the mid-1990s.
The country has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt.
Sir Mark Thatcher was arrested today over claims that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.
South African police said Sir Mark, the son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested at his home in Cape Town.
It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader of the alleged coup attempt.
He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.
The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country's massive oil reserves after overthrowing President Teodoro Obiang and installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.
Equatorial Guinea, pumping 350,000 barrels of oil a day, has become Africa's third-largest oil producer since offshore development began in the mid-1990s.
The country has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Islamonline: Journalist Paints Human Experience In Najaf
Robertson and Anderson were the only journalists inside the US-besieged Imam Ali shrine for three days, August 17-19.
‘Heartbroken’
Robertson feels "heartbroken" at the destruction done to the time-honored city by the three-week US raids.
"I think taking the war to the old city, to the Shrine was a terrible mistake, and a travesty. Most Americans, if they could see the mosque, and experience how beautiful it is, would agree. It is a sacred place," he said.
The awarded journalist said the conditions of civilians in An-Najaf are deplorable.
"No electricity, no good sources of food and warfare raging outside in the streets. Snipers are a great danger, and they are invisible. Most people are hiding, trapped in their houses.
"These battles have caused a great number of casualties as well as widespread destruction to the edge of the old city of Najaf, he went on.
"I believe that some men have remained behind to protect their houses from looters. This happened in [nearby] Karbala as well."
Robertson and Anderson were the only journalists inside the US-besieged Imam Ali shrine for three days, August 17-19.
‘Heartbroken’
Robertson feels "heartbroken" at the destruction done to the time-honored city by the three-week US raids.
"I think taking the war to the old city, to the Shrine was a terrible mistake, and a travesty. Most Americans, if they could see the mosque, and experience how beautiful it is, would agree. It is a sacred place," he said.
The awarded journalist said the conditions of civilians in An-Najaf are deplorable.
"No electricity, no good sources of food and warfare raging outside in the streets. Snipers are a great danger, and they are invisible. Most people are hiding, trapped in their houses.
"These battles have caused a great number of casualties as well as widespread destruction to the edge of the old city of Najaf, he went on.
"I believe that some men have remained behind to protect their houses from looters. This happened in [nearby] Karbala as well."
Monday, August 23, 2004
JOHN PILGER
ICH: The warlords of America
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing. Wading through the blood, a new breed of popular historian, the journalist in the pay of rich newspaper owners, spun the heroic myths of a supersect called Americanism, which advertising and public relations in the 20th century formalised as an ideology, embracing both conservatism and liberalism.
"CHECK IT"
Most of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil.
On 6 May last, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution which, in effect, authorised a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran. The vote was 376-3. Undeterred by the accelerating disaster in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats, wrote one commentator, "once again joined hands to assert the responsibilities of American power".
The joining of hands across America's illusory political divide has a long history. The native Americans were slaughtered, the Philippines laid to waste and Cuba and much of Latin America brought to heel with "bipartisan" backing. Wading through the blood, a new breed of popular historian, the journalist in the pay of rich newspaper owners, spun the heroic myths of a supersect called Americanism, which advertising and public relations in the 20th century formalised as an ideology, embracing both conservatism and liberalism.
"CHECK IT"
ISRAEL VS. IRAN
International Herald Tribune: Is Israel planning to attack Iran?
Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem have said that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Iran's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, warned that should Israel do so, his country would wipe out Israel.
Now Israel, claiming to prepare against a possible "hit on its nuclear reactor," has started distributing antiradiation pills to civilians in townships surrounding it. In a country that has always sought to keep its nuclear activities out of the spotlight, that is a highly unusual step.
How serious is the Iranian threat? Iran has tested a Shihab surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching Israel and possesses a limited number of such missiles. At present, though, it is not known to possess nuclear weapons. As long as they carry conventional warheads, the Shihabs present minimal danger to Israel and other countries in the region. Should they be equipped with chemical warheads, the result may be greater casualties; still, even in that case Israel's existence would not be threatened.
The Shihabs apart, the only other way Tehran can fight Israel is to activate the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Hezbollah is said to have several thousand rockets, most of which were supplied by Iran, capable of reaching targets over much of northern Israel.
Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem have said that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Iran's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, warned that should Israel do so, his country would wipe out Israel.
Now Israel, claiming to prepare against a possible "hit on its nuclear reactor," has started distributing antiradiation pills to civilians in townships surrounding it. In a country that has always sought to keep its nuclear activities out of the spotlight, that is a highly unusual step.
How serious is the Iranian threat? Iran has tested a Shihab surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching Israel and possesses a limited number of such missiles. At present, though, it is not known to possess nuclear weapons. As long as they carry conventional warheads, the Shihabs present minimal danger to Israel and other countries in the region. Should they be equipped with chemical warheads, the result may be greater casualties; still, even in that case Israel's existence would not be threatened.
The Shihabs apart, the only other way Tehran can fight Israel is to activate the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Hezbollah is said to have several thousand rockets, most of which were supplied by Iran, capable of reaching targets over much of northern Israel.
911: Cellphone Calls
Global Research: More Holes In The Official Story - The 911 Cell Phone Calls
In the absence of surviving passengers, this "corroborating evidence", was based on passengers' cell and air phone conversations with their loved ones. According to the Report, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was only recovered in the case of one of the flights (UAL 93
The Report conveys the impression that cell phone ground-to-air communication from high altitude was of reasonably good quality, and that there was no major impediment or obstruction in wireless transmission
Expert opinion within the wireless telecom industry casts serious doubt on "the findings" of the 9/11 Commission. According to Alexa Graf, a spokesman of AT&T, commenting in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks:
"it was almost a fluke that the [9/11] calls reached their destinations... From high altitudes, the call quality is not very good, and most callers will experience drops. Although calls are not reliable, callers can pick up and hold calls for a little while below a certain altitude"
In the absence of surviving passengers, this "corroborating evidence", was based on passengers' cell and air phone conversations with their loved ones. According to the Report, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was only recovered in the case of one of the flights (UAL 93
The Report conveys the impression that cell phone ground-to-air communication from high altitude was of reasonably good quality, and that there was no major impediment or obstruction in wireless transmission
Expert opinion within the wireless telecom industry casts serious doubt on "the findings" of the 9/11 Commission. According to Alexa Graf, a spokesman of AT&T, commenting in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks:
"it was almost a fluke that the [9/11] calls reached their destinations... From high altitudes, the call quality is not very good, and most callers will experience drops. Although calls are not reliable, callers can pick up and hold calls for a little while below a certain altitude"
MEDIA WATCH
Arabnews: Sadr: “Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
“Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
Why not, indeed?
Killing Sadr? Easy enough for the greatest military power on earth, even with the slight hindrance of having to use the interim Iraqi government as a human shield if forces must enter the sacred shrine in Najaf.
US forces in Najaf possess total air control, powerful armed tanks, night vision goggles and laser sights, and scores of skilled snipers armed with piercingly accurate rifles. What does the Mahdi Army have? AK-47s, a few mortars, homemade bombs, prayer beads...political and religious opinions...and, most recently, 2,000 unarmed Sadr supporters. Killing them would inspire condemnation throughout the Muslim world. But according to Fox logic, they might just have to go if they are in the way.
“Why not just kill him?” Fox News asks.
Why not, indeed?
Killing Sadr? Easy enough for the greatest military power on earth, even with the slight hindrance of having to use the interim Iraqi government as a human shield if forces must enter the sacred shrine in Najaf.
US forces in Najaf possess total air control, powerful armed tanks, night vision goggles and laser sights, and scores of skilled snipers armed with piercingly accurate rifles. What does the Mahdi Army have? AK-47s, a few mortars, homemade bombs, prayer beads...political and religious opinions...and, most recently, 2,000 unarmed Sadr supporters. Killing them would inspire condemnation throughout the Muslim world. But according to Fox logic, they might just have to go if they are in the way.
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Christian Science Monitor: Inside The Iman Ali
Mosque In Najaf
A Journey To The Epicenter Of The Sadr Standoff
NAJAF, IRAQ - Technically speaking, what we were about to do was more than risky. It was foolish. But we told ourselves that it was a risk for a cause.
Thursday, several journalists and I began organizing a delegation to enter the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf.
We had two goals: First, to seek what may be the final comments of the top leadership of Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army, who were taking shelter in the holy site. Second, we wanted to help two colleagues, freelance photographer Thorne Anserson and freelance reporter Philip Robertson, get out of the shrine after they had spent a harrowing three days at the epicenter of this armed showdown.
Mosque In Najaf
A Journey To The Epicenter Of The Sadr Standoff
NAJAF, IRAQ - Technically speaking, what we were about to do was more than risky. It was foolish. But we told ourselves that it was a risk for a cause.
Thursday, several journalists and I began organizing a delegation to enter the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf.
We had two goals: First, to seek what may be the final comments of the top leadership of Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army, who were taking shelter in the holy site. Second, we wanted to help two colleagues, freelance photographer Thorne Anserson and freelance reporter Philip Robertson, get out of the shrine after they had spent a harrowing three days at the epicenter of this armed showdown.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Independent: City of defiance
They came from across Iraq, marching in solidarity with Shia brothers. Civilians they bear no arms, for the moment anyway who are willing die on the steps of the Imam Ali shrine. Thehuman shields have arrived in Najaf.
Hundreds have come to what is one of the most holy Shia sites on solidarity marches in recent days. Many more have made their way in smaller groups from nearby towns and neighbourhoods. More than 2,000 have now pledged their allegiance to the Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr and are based in the compound at the shrine.
Sheikh Ahmed Shaibani, a Sadr spokesman, said the presence of the civilians was intended to deter American forces. By simply turning up, they have maximised the loss of human life that could result from any attempt to storm the holy sites, a course already fraught with danger because of the outrage that serious physical damage to the shrine would provoke across Iraq and well beyond. The human shield supporters also appear ready to take up arms left by insurgents killed or wounded in the fighting.
police lieutenant arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm in a convoy of two Toyota Land Cruisers from the local police station. He demanded to know the whereabouts of correspondents from al-Arabiya and the Reuters and AP news agencies.
As journalists protested, the lieutenant said above the hubbub: "We are going to open fire on this hotel. We are going to smash it up. I will kill you all. You did this all to yourselves." In a threat that did not immediately appear to have been carried out, he said four snipers would be positioned on the roof of the police station to fire at any journalists who left the hotel.
They came from across Iraq, marching in solidarity with Shia brothers. Civilians they bear no arms, for the moment anyway who are willing die on the steps of the Imam Ali shrine. Thehuman shields have arrived in Najaf.
Hundreds have come to what is one of the most holy Shia sites on solidarity marches in recent days. Many more have made their way in smaller groups from nearby towns and neighbourhoods. More than 2,000 have now pledged their allegiance to the Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr and are based in the compound at the shrine.
Sheikh Ahmed Shaibani, a Sadr spokesman, said the presence of the civilians was intended to deter American forces. By simply turning up, they have maximised the loss of human life that could result from any attempt to storm the holy sites, a course already fraught with danger because of the outrage that serious physical damage to the shrine would provoke across Iraq and well beyond. The human shield supporters also appear ready to take up arms left by insurgents killed or wounded in the fighting.
police lieutenant arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm in a convoy of two Toyota Land Cruisers from the local police station. He demanded to know the whereabouts of correspondents from al-Arabiya and the Reuters and AP news agencies.
As journalists protested, the lieutenant said above the hubbub: "We are going to open fire on this hotel. We are going to smash it up. I will kill you all. You did this all to yourselves." In a threat that did not immediately appear to have been carried out, he said four snipers would be positioned on the roof of the police station to fire at any journalists who left the hotel.
SITE OF THE DAY
CHECK: JUANCOLE.com
Weblog from Juan Cole. Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
Weblog from Juan Cole. Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion
Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan
IRAQ: NAJAF RESISTANCE
Reuters: Shi'ite militia destroy U.S. tank in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) Fierce clashes raged in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite suburb today with militiamen destroying a U.S. tank, witnesses said.
U.S. forces had sealed Sadr City, a slum of two million people on the edge of the capital, earlier today after days of skirmishes that coincided with a radical Shi'ite uprising in at least eight cities in central and southern Iraq.
The witnesses said Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hit a tank with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and set it ablaze.
Reuters Television footage showed the tank on fire. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) Fierce clashes raged in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite suburb today with militiamen destroying a U.S. tank, witnesses said.
U.S. forces had sealed Sadr City, a slum of two million people on the edge of the capital, earlier today after days of skirmishes that coincided with a radical Shi'ite uprising in at least eight cities in central and southern Iraq.
The witnesses said Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hit a tank with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and set it ablaze.
Reuters Television footage showed the tank on fire. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
IRAQ: NAJAF
Counterpunch: The Ultimate Stupidity The Attack on Najaf By GARY LEUPP
Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.
Imam Ali, Last Will and Testament (39 AH; 661 CE)
I have been thinking for months that if those commanding U.S. forces in Iraq really wanted to perform the ultimate stupidity, and ratchet up exponentially the degree of hatred they face in Iraq and throughout the Muslim world---then they'd surely attack the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, or be drawn into a situation where they'd damage it. This is the most important Shiite site in the world, and is holy not only to Shiites (about 120 million people) but also to all the billion-plus Muslims on the planet. It sits atop the tomb of Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, fourth caliph ("successor" of Muhammed and political and religious leader of the expanding Muslim world), assassinated by opponents in 661. Ali's partisans supported his son Hussein as next caliph, but Umayyad foes defeated Hussein and 72 followers in battle at Karbala in 680, their martyrdoms producing the enduring division between Sunni and Shia Islam.
"CHECK IT"
Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.
Imam Ali, Last Will and Testament (39 AH; 661 CE)
I have been thinking for months that if those commanding U.S. forces in Iraq really wanted to perform the ultimate stupidity, and ratchet up exponentially the degree of hatred they face in Iraq and throughout the Muslim world---then they'd surely attack the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, or be drawn into a situation where they'd damage it. This is the most important Shiite site in the world, and is holy not only to Shiites (about 120 million people) but also to all the billion-plus Muslims on the planet. It sits atop the tomb of Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, fourth caliph ("successor" of Muhammed and political and religious leader of the expanding Muslim world), assassinated by opponents in 661. Ali's partisans supported his son Hussein as next caliph, but Umayyad foes defeated Hussein and 72 followers in battle at Karbala in 680, their martyrdoms producing the enduring division between Sunni and Shia Islam.
"CHECK IT"
VENEZUELA
IPS: International Observers Ratify Chávez's Triumph in Referendum
CARACAS - Although the opposition complained of fraud, the international election observer missions monitoring the recall referendum in Venezuela agreed Monday that President Hugo Chávez had won, and said they found no signs of fraud.
Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum.
"Our information coincides with the partial results presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," said Carter.
"The results are compatible with our figures, and we have not found any elements of fraud," said Gaviria.
CARACAS - Although the opposition complained of fraud, the international election observer missions monitoring the recall referendum in Venezuela agreed Monday that President Hugo Chávez had won, and said they found no signs of fraud.
Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum.
"Our information coincides with the partial results presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE)," said Carter.
"The results are compatible with our figures, and we have not found any elements of fraud," said Gaviria.
Monday, August 16, 2004
IRAQ: DEMOCRACY
Reuters: Iraqi police threaten to arrest reporters in Najaf
NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Iraqi police brandishing rifles threatened to arrest journalists unless they left Najaf on Sunday, raising fears among local reporters they were attempting to impose a news blackout on the holy city.
At least 20 reporters had travelled to the southern Iraqi town, where Shi'ite militiamen fought fierce battles with U.S. and Iraqi forces, after the collapse of peace talks aimed at ending fighting that has killed hundreds.
Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jazaeri told a news conference all media should leave by noon (0800 GMT), saying he would not be able to guarantee their safety after the deadline passed.
KCTV5: Iraqi government evicts reporters from Najaf as fighting continues
Iraq As fighting resumes between U-S forces and Shiite militants, Iraqi police have ordered all journalists to leave the holy city of Najaf.
The order doesn't specify consequences of violating the request. But journalists say the police told them any reporters remaining would be arrested.
Police also told them cameras and cell phones would be confiscated -- and that all cars coming into the city will be searched.
The ban would mean the only news coverage of the ongoing fighting in Najaf would come from reporters embedded with the U-S military.
NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Iraqi police brandishing rifles threatened to arrest journalists unless they left Najaf on Sunday, raising fears among local reporters they were attempting to impose a news blackout on the holy city.
At least 20 reporters had travelled to the southern Iraqi town, where Shi'ite militiamen fought fierce battles with U.S. and Iraqi forces, after the collapse of peace talks aimed at ending fighting that has killed hundreds.
Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jazaeri told a news conference all media should leave by noon (0800 GMT), saying he would not be able to guarantee their safety after the deadline passed.
KCTV5: Iraqi government evicts reporters from Najaf as fighting continues
Iraq As fighting resumes between U-S forces and Shiite militants, Iraqi police have ordered all journalists to leave the holy city of Najaf.
The order doesn't specify consequences of violating the request. But journalists say the police told them any reporters remaining would be arrested.
Police also told them cameras and cell phones would be confiscated -- and that all cars coming into the city will be searched.
The ban would mean the only news coverage of the ongoing fighting in Najaf would come from reporters embedded with the U-S military.
IRAQ: RESISTANCE
KR: Offensive resumes in Najaf, prompting desertions of Iraqi troops
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a renewed assault Sunday on Shiite Muslim militiamen in the southern holy city of Najaf in a risky campaign that was marred from the onset by an outcry from Iraqi politicians and the desertion of dozens of Iraqi troops who refused to fight their countrymen.
The latest siege began Sunday afternoon, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's administration announced that fighting would resume after negotiations between government officials and aides to Muqtada al-Sadr failed to end the militant cleric's 10-day rebellion. The failed cease-fire talks, desertions and renewed fighting further undermined Allawi's leadership just as Iraq was poised to take its first step toward free elections by picking a national assembly.
Independent: Battle for Iraq's future
Democracy was a long way from Najaf yesterday. As fighting resumed in the Shia holy city, Iyad Allawi's government moved to impose an authoritarian media clampdown before any full-scale assault on the holy sites which insurgents have made their base.
Despite indications that any full-scale assault in the city might await completion of the conference in Baghdad, most Arab television crews and other reporters left the city last night after armed police came to the Bar Najaf hotel, where nearly all foreign and Arab journalists are staying, to order them to leave for Baghdad. Journalists who protested were told: "You have been warned. You have two hours. If you don't leave you will be shot." "Rember Jenin?"
During the day two bullets were fired at the gate to the hotel entrance and through the open doorway of the hotel. The second bullet hit a glass panel inside the hotel, which slightly injured an Arab journalist when it fractured. Although there was no confirmation that the bullets had been fired by police, the hotel is only a few hundred metres from the local police station and much farther from the main positions of Sadr's insurgents.
The attempted media ban reminiscent in its own way of the Saddam Hussein regime toppled 15 months ago is in contrast to the media savvy of Sadr spokesmen who have welcomed reporters to the Imam Ali shrine and made visits to the Bar Najaf hotel to give press conferences.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a renewed assault Sunday on Shiite Muslim militiamen in the southern holy city of Najaf in a risky campaign that was marred from the onset by an outcry from Iraqi politicians and the desertion of dozens of Iraqi troops who refused to fight their countrymen.
The latest siege began Sunday afternoon, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's administration announced that fighting would resume after negotiations between government officials and aides to Muqtada al-Sadr failed to end the militant cleric's 10-day rebellion. The failed cease-fire talks, desertions and renewed fighting further undermined Allawi's leadership just as Iraq was poised to take its first step toward free elections by picking a national assembly.
Independent: Battle for Iraq's future
Democracy was a long way from Najaf yesterday. As fighting resumed in the Shia holy city, Iyad Allawi's government moved to impose an authoritarian media clampdown before any full-scale assault on the holy sites which insurgents have made their base.
Despite indications that any full-scale assault in the city might await completion of the conference in Baghdad, most Arab television crews and other reporters left the city last night after armed police came to the Bar Najaf hotel, where nearly all foreign and Arab journalists are staying, to order them to leave for Baghdad. Journalists who protested were told: "You have been warned. You have two hours. If you don't leave you will be shot." "Rember Jenin?"
During the day two bullets were fired at the gate to the hotel entrance and through the open doorway of the hotel. The second bullet hit a glass panel inside the hotel, which slightly injured an Arab journalist when it fractured. Although there was no confirmation that the bullets had been fired by police, the hotel is only a few hundred metres from the local police station and much farther from the main positions of Sadr's insurgents.
The attempted media ban reminiscent in its own way of the Saddam Hussein regime toppled 15 months ago is in contrast to the media savvy of Sadr spokesmen who have welcomed reporters to the Imam Ali shrine and made visits to the Bar Najaf hotel to give press conferences.
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