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First of all I'd like to say that I don't live in Adhamyia , I live at the borders of it , that means I can hear almost every loud explosion or clashes that happens there , in addition to that , many of my relatives and friends lives there and I used to hang out there (till last year) so I'm emotionally attached to Adhamyia for those reasons , anyway I'd like to tell something that I think few had heard about from the media.
Yesterday was a disastrous day not only for the people who lives in Adhamyia but for any real Iraqi , and when I say real Iraqi I mean the people who loves their country and all the people who lives in it , wishing for the situations to settle down . Anyway yesterday was Thursday and I used to visit my parents in-law who lives in Adhamyia every Thursday and stay there to have a nice lunch with the family gathered together , that became a tradition since I got married . we used to have a lot of fun , so yesterday when I was at work there was a patient waiting and he asked me to treat him as fast as I can because he is in a hurry as he said , "I live in Adhamyia the situation is really messed up there" , so I asked my senior (also lives in Adhamyia) to check about that , and he said: yes , almost every street in Adhamyia is blocked today it seems that something big will happen today , I was a bit worried . After I finished my work I came back home to change and go to my parents in-law house with my wife , and before we reach Antar square (It's the beginning of Adhamyia , you can see it at the beginning of the video of Neighborhood of sorrow) I saw a huge number of national guards and US forces there , I noticed there are no cars in the street , and as we reached near the square they fired at us hysterically , What the F**k!!!!?? , I screamed , so we immediately stopped and turned back , what a frightening moment it was , although I'm sure they didn't want to kill us because they would if they want , we were a clear target , but they wanted to send a message ; if you go any further you'd be dead , and that what happened to many people yesterday in Adhamyia , there was a great number of casualties .
Yesterday Adhamyia wall has been completed and with this completion I can assure the whole world that the massacres will never end there , as it starts from the first moment this damn wall construction has finished . This wall will be a lot worst that the Berlin wall , people there will starve to death if not killed by the National Guards or the militias , they built this wall to prevent the odour of death and fermentation of corps from spreading out , they built it to hide the crimes inside , it was built to mask the failure of a government , this wall is a statue for the suffering of Iraqis , the intentions are clear from the first moment this cursed wall had been completed , the aim of this wall is to prevent the truth from reaching the media , to kill and torture every citizen there , but I take the burden for publishing what really happens behind this wall which will soon be covered by blood of Innocent Iraqis .
So we turned back home , as soon as I reached I opened a local radio station using my mobile because there is no electricity at that time , and I heard the news that the wall has been finished today , I knew the disasters will start from this moment , I made a few calls to the friends and family to check on them , and I knew what happened back there. As soon as the wall had been finished they(national guards) prevented any one from entering the neighborhood , and I mean literally NO ONE because a car for the Red Crescent was carrying food supplies and medications to the hospitals and the wounded there , they didn't let it in!! Why this hatred ?? aren't they humans or what??anyway after they completed the wall , patrols of the national guard were all over Adhamyia Breaking and destroying the shops and markets , killing civilians in the streets and firing at the mosques there (Sunni) . The national guard them selves attacked the tomb and mosque of Abo-Hanifa which is very respected and important Imam for the Sunni , they attacked the mosque with gun-fire and grenades they walked in the streets screaming (literally):"Come out....(bullets).....You Sunni Bastards.....come out.....(bullets).....we will kill you all today.....F**k all the Sunii.....(bullets).....Cock sucking Sunni.....You sons of bitches...(bullets)" , and all the types of swearing there is , they fired at homes randomly , they destroyed any car in the streets , I think it's called terrorism !!!!! isn't it!!! , they continued doing that , until two of their hummers was destroyed and burned . One of them made a hole in the street which caused the fracture of a main underground water pipe and that added another disaster to the list , the street was drowned in water and left the houses and people there without a drop of water to drink , to cook or even to wash their hands , so now there is no electricity , no water , no land-phones and no single soul in the streets of Adhamiya . After these hummers being destroyed the national guards (who's loyalty is a question) became even more offensive they started breaking into houses taking any men they find to unknown destination , two of the young men they have taken is students in the dental college . They blocked all the streets about and I mean all the streets , some of my relatives were at work and couldn't get back home , it was impossible for any one to walk a single yard in the street , my wife's uncle was trapped two blocks from his home and couldn't reach it!!!this terrible situation continued till 6 p.m when my relatives reached their homes , and I don't think they will be able to leave there homes any time soon to go to work or college , what a situation , no water , no shops , no food supplies , no medications , it's obvious they want NO LIFE in Adhamyia . Why didn't the media cover these acts? why did they build the Adhamyia wall? the simple short answer is to mask the crimes they do , it's a big new Abu-Gharib where a new torture and killing methods will be used......
83 comments:
I am surprised to read all of this. I was expecting that when the crackdown came to Adhamiya there would be Americans involved in the first incursions into the district. Perhaps I'm being naïvé, but I tend to believe the tales about the Iraqi National Guard behaving better when there are Americans leading the actions and watching them for abuses.
I hope this lightens up for the residents. Certainly there are problems in there, but there are innocent people in there too.
May God look out for your people in this dangerous time Mohammed.
It's like what happened in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. This must be what they meant by "the surge." It's one thing to say they are going after AQ. This sounds like ethnic cleansing like what happened in Bosnia. Thanks for letting us know. To be sure, it's not in our media.
LJM
Mohammed, I've been very frightened for your family, especially Nabil, for several weeks now. I pray that he was outside of Adhamiya when this happened, and that he does not try to go home. He should stay out of there. Please, tell him to stay out.
Bridget
Lee c.;
yes they do behave better in most districts but not in the Hot neighborhoods as they say , and Adhamyia is consedered one of the hot zones.
LJM;
that's true and obvious .... it's ethnic cleansing.
Bridget;
thank you , I told them but where could they go?? it's their home .
I'm praying for them Mohammed.
Bridget
Mohammed,
I'm going to disagree with you. I think the wall as a general idea is a good one. It seems as if cleaning out Adhamiya of insurgents and Al Qaeda is connected to cleaning out Diyala and at the same time taking out rogue Mahdi militia in the south. All of these operations are tied together in what has been touted as the most coordinated effort since the fall of Baghdad. They're keeping you and everyone else out of Adhamiya to make sure that no insurgents escape and that they are not re-suppplied.
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Mohammed,
Yesterday Adhamyia wall has been completed and with this completion I can assure the whole world that the massacres will never end there , as it starts from the first moment this damn wall construction has finished . This wall will be a lot worst that the Berlin wall , people there will starve to death if not killed by the National Guards or the militias , they built this wall to prevent the odour of death and fermentation of corps from spreading out , they built it to hide the crimes inside , it was built to mask the failure of a government , this wall is a statue for the suffering of Iraqis , the intentions are clear from the first moment this cursed wall had been completed , the aim of this wall is to prevent the truth from reaching the media , to kill and torture every citizen there , but I take the burden for publishing what really happens behind this wall which will soon be covered by blood of Innocent Iraqis.
All of this is emotional speculation. Nothing like this has happened (and I sure hope it doesn't), but you're already screaming and making judgments on events that haven't taken place. Listen, calm down. You're letting your sectarian hatred show (and I know you say you aren't really Sunni, but it's pretty obvious that you distrust the Shia -- or am I wrong?) Isn't the fact that the Sunni-backed Al Qaeda in Iraq have EXPLICITY said that their goal is to kill as many Shia as possible a argument that "sectarian-cleansing."
Ethnic cleasnsig, by the way, is what Saddam was doing to the Kurds. In Baghdad, the majority of the Sunna and Shia belong to the same ethnic group, Arabs.
Remember, Mohammed, feel free to challenge me on any of the points above. Ultimately, we're on the same side. A secure and prosperous Iraq is good for both of us and very bad news for Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Sunni ex-Baathists who would like to either return to power or reduce Iraq to ashes (if they can't have it no one will).
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Salam Mohammed,
Thank you for putting out all these details about Adhamiya.When I wrote about the wall and the decomposing corpses littered behind it no one believed me. the Same goes for Almeryia...
I urge you to keep yourself very anonymous. As much as you can and avoid giving personal details of any form to anyone. Please. Heed this advice from me.
Best to you.
Mohammed,
As soon as the wall had been finished they(national guards) prevented any one from entering the neighborhood , and I mean literally NO ONE because a car for the Red Crescent was carrying food supplies and medications to the hospitals and the wounded there , they didn't let it in!!
That's the way it SHOULD work. Why? Because in the past the insurgents and Al Qaeda in Iraq have used Red Crescent vehicles to transport supplies and their wounded. This is MILITARY OPERATION, Mohammed. If you really want the best for the future of Iraq and if you can't remove the insurgents from Adhamiya yourself, then you're going to have to let the National Guard do its work. Adhamiya cleared of insurgents and Al Qaeda in Iraq is a better place for everyone, Sunna included.
You have also slandered every National Guard soldier in this blog entry. Do you think that is fair? You have relayed hearsay evidence against them that comes from Sunna who hate the Natioanl Guard because they many Shia members. Hey, the majority of Iraqis are Shia, what do you expect?
Listen, I'm assuming your venting here.
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Mohammed,
I understand that it may look scary right now. Especially when you are looking at it from the outside. But I hope that things will calm down and we will see a decline in al-Qaida/insurgent activity in Adhamiya.
Please keep us updated on events.
P.S. Would there be enough room for your in-laws and Nabil to stay with you for awhile?
I am a major fan of 80% solution. Support an independent Kurdish nation and the Shiites. Most troubles come from the Sunnis, but they are only a small minority. It is naïve to think that Iraq could become a normal country. The current war costs hundreds of billion of dollars. Let free market capitalism do the work. I would put a $100 000 bounty on any head of a Sunni insurgent killed. For 80 000 insurgents killed the costs would be only 8 billion. In addition this 8 billion would boost the Iraqi economy.
^Saudi Arabia has threatened to intervene if Iraq gets divided up. I can imagine Iran trying to get a piece of the cake too, as well as Syria, although that's up to al-Assad.
Either way, that solution doesn't look so good to me.
Jeffrey, haven't you seen the videos of national guards operating with Mahdi Army and calling Sunnis Wahhabis and sons of bitches as they shoot on a mosque? They're all on youtube. Anyone who thinks the national guard is "national" is an idiot.
^True. While it is unfair to judge a military based on the actions of individuals in youtube videos, the Iraqi national guard is corrupt and divided.
I think the intent is to kill them (insurgents/Al Qaeda) to the last man. I hope they succeed in that, and in Baquba too. Too many times in this sort of operation, the majority of the terrorists have gotten away. That has to stop happening, if Iraq is to have any chance of peace, any time soon. I hope it doesn't get too messy, though. And that it doesn't take too long. It does worry me that it seems in a lot of these recent operations the ING is operating independently. I guess that has to happen though, since US troops won't be there forever.
Iraqi Dude,
Jeffrey, haven't you seen the videos of national guards operating with Mahdi Army and calling Sunnis Wahhabis and sons of bitches as they shoot on a mosque? They're all on youtube. Anyone who thinks the national guard is "national" is an idiot.
I can't believe that the entire National Guard is like that. Are there some rogue elements within the National Guard? Yeah, there probably are. At the same time, over the last four years, I know that many ING soldiers have been killed trying to protect Iraqi citizens. Why do you want to slander ALL of them because of the actions of a few? Don't do it. Those ING soldiers are putting their lives on the line for the future of your country. Have some respect.
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Jeffrey;
I must agree with you that the cleaning of Adhamyia from AQ is a very good idea but when it's done by an honest army and army loyal to IRAQ and only Iraq.
You said nothing like this has happened. Well HAVE YOU BEEN THERE to say so!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not lying over here , I don't think you have been there , this is what I saw by my eyes and in a local TV channel , and what my relatives and friends say …. Do you want to say that all of this is a lie, it happened, believe it or not.
You said my sectarian hatred, well; give me one "Shiite" word in the whole post or any accusation to them!!!!! Why do you say I hate them???haven't the earliest two posts been about them (the Askari Shrine and AlKhilani Mosque) didn't I took there side and defended them , speak the truth , I'm not sectarian I'm secular and this is the last time I'm telling you this . And by the way the only Shiites I hate is Muqtada and his army, and the only Sunnis I hate are AQ and its members.
And about preventing the red crescent from entering just imagine an old man who have no where to go had angina and needs to go to hospital first of all he can't go out and even if he could make it to the hospital there are no medications!!! Is he an animal??? Would you accept this for your DOG!!!! An innocent man we leave him to die in order to finish AQ , that's non sense , and don't you dare to say collateral damage , no my friend , those are people we are talking about , they have souls and people who loves them , we are not talking about buildings , let the buildings be collateral damage but not humans (innocent humans).
A large number of ING are loyal to Muqtada and I'm sure you have read the post about him. Anyway you are saying the Sunni and you mean AQ the Sunni and AQ are not synonyms they are different, it's like you say Shiite and you mean Muqtada there is a difference and by the way if the Mahdi army have done this I wouldn't be surprised (they have done it before) because they are terrorists but who does it are the ING who supposed to protect all the innocents. I agree that there are some good and honest INGs but not those who did what they did back in Adhamyia. Even if ING is Shiite does that give them the excuse to be sectarian and do what they did???
Layla Anwar ;
Thank you very much , I'm trying to do this , I appreciate your advice , thank you very much , be safe.
Lynnette;
I wish that too so we can live a normal life without those savages.
Yes there is enough room for them but they refuse , they say we will never leave our home , unless we want to travel outside Iraq , they said we will never be comfortable in any other house.
Hakbar;
I will not respond because it seems that you are thirsty for blood , why don't you put bounties on any militant ? Sunni or Shiite !!! what's the difference ??? they are militants?? I can't understand you people??? You are sectarian violent and hate a certain sect without being in Iraq or even being Arabic?? What the hell is wrong with you people??? I'd Say KILL OR ARREST ANY MAN CARRYING A WEAPON WHETHER HE IS SUNNI OR SHIITE.
Anonymous;
Iran will be the first one to take a piece of the cake then Syria And KSA if that happened , then we should forget something called middle-east.
Iraqi Dude;
Welcome and thank you for the response , I wanted to say that but you were faster than me…thank you dude.
Programmer Craig;
That might be the American Intent not the ING intent , I wish the AQ will Vanish and be destroyed but I don't think the ING will be able to do so….
Dear Mohammed,
The problem with punting bounties on any head of a militant is that I doubt whether ordinary Iraqi people (who will then form militias) will be able to defeat them. In the long run some bad guys are likely to take over power. We better make sure that they are a lesser evil than Al Qeada and the likes. I don’t see any good guys who we could support.
By the way, I don’t have any resentment against a certain sect. I try to find a pragmatic solution to the problem and reject (although I am “pro-American”) Washington’s idealism.
As for carrying guns, I don’t see what’s wrong with that. Any person should have to right to defend themselves against other aggressors. In the 20th century almost 200 million people have been killed by governmental agencies. Hence, it is my considerate opinion that a monopoly of violence can be dangerous.
Of course, you have to be careful with imposing this system. However for $100 000 per head of an insurgent people can buy video cameras which makes it much easier to collect evidence. The collateral damage would probably be lesser because it takes to not large scale military operations to the defeat the insurgents. By using militias against militias you can fight them on equal terms. Meaning hit and run tactics, using snipers and ambushes. Think about the psychological effect that this system has on Al Qeada, Islamists and Baathists. Anyone who likes a nice amount of pocket money can now be their enemy.
Perhaps you have a good point. Maybe we could defeat the insurgents by using the Al Anbar salvations council, peshmergas, moderate elements of the Mahdi army and the Badr organisation. It is important to think it through before choosing any option. One important question is: Is a balance of power possible? Are these militias willing to share power? If they are willing this solutions could lead to stability. Otherwise choosing the 80% solution might be the best solution.
Take care
Mohammed,
First of all, our only choice is to trust you and your first-hand reporting. But you weren't inside Adhamiya, right? And while I believe you when you say you're a secularist and don't get caught up in the sectarian divide, I wonder whether the people inside Adhamiya whom you're talking to feel the same way.
A large number of ING are loyal to Muqtada and I'm sure you have read the post about him. Anyway you are saying the Sunni and you mean AQ the Sunni and AQ are not synonyms they are different, it's like you say Shiite and you mean Muqtada there is a difference and by the way if the Mahdi army have done this I wouldn't be surprised (they have done it before) because they are terrorists but who does it are the ING who supposed to protect all the innocents.
We agree here. The National Guard should answer only to the elected officials and no one else -- especially not someone like Muqtada Al-Sadr. How many Sunna support the actions of the insurgents, the so-called "resistance"? I don't know. They are no doubt a minority of the Sunni population and mostly ex-regime elements. And it was this "resistance," with the backing from some very prominent Sunni Iraqi politcians, who orginally helped Al Qaeda in Iraq set up their suicide-bombing facilities. Today, because AQ has killed far too many Sunna also, the "resistance" has started to fight against AQ.
I agree that there are some good and honest INGs but not those who did what they did back in Adhamyia.
Thanks. That is my understanding too. Yesterday you seemed to be blaming the entire National Guard and I thought that was too extreme -- and that feeds too easily into the cycle of violence that is currently ripping Iraq apart.
Even if ING is Shiite does that give them the excuse to be sectarian and do what they did???
Agreed.
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hakbar;
Now I understood that you have good intentions , but if you please i want to tell you something you might not know , take this equation the arrow means (it kill):-
Qaeda---->Shiite , some Sunni.
Mahdi army--->Sunni , Some Shiite
Badr---->Sunni & Shiite
those are the famous ones so you can see , you can't put someone to a superior position if you want a settled down Iraq , but if you want a massacre let any one take control and believe me they are not ready to share power.
I believe that each citizen should have the right to posses weapon but only to defend him self not to carry it in the streets and killing other people , believe me if the US wants to win and get back home , and if Iraq will have peace in one method or goal that is to destroy all the militias no mater what sect they represent and by the way violence creats violence if you want to end AQ buy giving money another militia will arise to finish AQ after that after there is no money left what will they do????you answear me !!! i think they will do just like what AQ does...
Jeffrey;
those people are my relatives and family and i trust them they just told me what happended i didn't post their opinion , and in adition i saw it on Local TV channel by my own eyes.
most open minded Sunni don't support the "resistance" but they feel unsafe without it , because they will be slayed by Muqtada you can read the article (Abo-Diri` and Adhamyia) in the Muqtada post , this called resistance is killing them destroying thier neighborhood but also prevent Muqtada's Gang from destroying every thing , and that means one thing.....All militias activities should be stopped if we want a peaceful Iraq.....that's my answear to any problem in Iraq..
Mohammed,
I don't know if you read Zeyad's comment's section, but Bridget left a link there that might better explain the extent of the operations taking place now. It is not just in Adhamiya or Baqouba.
Since you haven't said anything, I will assume that all is well with your family in Adhamiya. It's a pity they're so stubborn, btw. I suppose they don't want to leave the house empty while this is going on.
I agree with mohammed. As demonstrated by Lebanon, killing militias is a tough job, but someone needs to do it.
But the main idea of debate is how to do this, and which militias come first. Should one ally with militias friendly to your cause? Should one use torture to scare the hell out of militiamen (similar to South Korean troops throwing NLF members out of helicopters during the Vietnam war if they didn't talk)? Or does that just make things worse?
lynnette;
thank you very much , it's the same as yesterday , nothing new , every one there is fine thank god , i'll see the link right now.
Anonymous;
every militant from every sect should be behind bars or in a grave , that's my opinion . but as you said who will do this and by what mean???plz Anonymouses put your names even if fake names...
Mohammed,
those people are my relatives and family and i trust them they just told me what happended i didn't post their opinion , and in adition i saw it on Local TV channel by my own eyes.
Okay, I understand that you trust your relatives (who are "secular" like you, right?) Could you tell me exactly what you saw on TV and on which station? Oh yeah, has anything happened today?
most open minded Sunni don't support the "resistance" but they feel unsafe without it , because they will be slayed by Muqtada you can read the article (Abo-Diri` and Adhamyia) in the Muqtada post , this called resistance is killing them destroying thier neighborhood but also prevent Muqtada's Gang from destroying every thing , and that means one thing.....All militias activities should be stopped if we want a peaceful Iraq.....that's my answear to any problem in Iraq..
That's a tough one, right? If one depends on thugs and murderers for one's protection, then sooner or later they're going to turn on you.
Like you, I think all militia should be disbanded and outlawed, all those attacking the state arrested or killed, and support given to both the Iraqi Police, Iraqi National Guard, and Iraqi Army.
plz Anonymouses put your names even if fake names...
Mohammed, you're probably wasting your breath with the Anonymouses. I've tried for four years to get them to use a name, any name, but they rarely do. I don't understand it either. Maybe this Anony-mouse would like to explain why he prefers not to use a name to which we can refer.
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Mohammed,
I also think you ought to consider the "big picture" going on in Iraq right now. Bill Roggio is reporting on a number of the military operations that are currently in progress. The future of Iraq may depend on the success or failure of some of these opertions.
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every militant from every sect should be behind bars or in a grave , that's my opinion . but as you said who will do this and by what mean???plz Anonymouses put your names even if fake names...
Agreed. Historically, this works; applying numerical size, the South Korean Army took half of our casualties.
But the sad thing is, America has become politically correct. The idea of 'Blood and Iron', which has historically worked, has fallen out of context. The Geneva Convention, in reality next to worthless, is the new king of the west. Nowadays, any western soldier who would simply execute insurgents would be slapped with war crime charges. Very different compared to what Ethiopia did to al-Qaeda members when they found them in Somalia (executed them).
--hyperion
Shako Mako Mohammed,
Some of my Sunni friends have left Baghdad. They were living in
Adhamiya and I urged them to leave some months ago. I had a bad feeling then, as I do now, that a holocaust is happening in Iraq.
Iraqi towns like Al Falloojah have been destroyed, so many towns and villages. It was inevitable that the suburbs of Baghdad would also be destroyed, their people killed.
I fear worse is yet to come.
Dear Mohammed,
At the outset I would like to mention that foreign Affairs, which is a well respected journal, pointed out that these kind of conflicts last 11 years on average. They tend not to end by a defeat of one of the parties, but by the realisation that the war can’t be won. Iraq’s natural resources, foreign involvement and the fact that Iraq is to a large extend a closed access society makes it likely that the conflict can continue for a long time.
If the militias that you mentioned are not suitable to fight the insurgency, the Al Anbar salvation council and Kurdish peshmergas be effective. In addition it could be helpful to use the militias against each other. The Mahdi army against Al Qaeda and the Badr organisation against the Mahdi army. Fewer parties and fewer insurgents makes is easier to bring stability. It is essentially to realize that Al Qaeda started the sectarian killings and that their defeat can calm things down. Rogue elements of the Mahdi army are involved in revenge killings, they don’t have an ideology that permits to kill all the Sunnis. Moreover, when militias are busy killing each other they have fewer resources to abduct civilians for ransoms or for revenge.
After there is no money left militias could be integrated into the regular armed forces. This is when happened with some of the Al Anbar tribes.
After Al Qaeda being defeated a partition of Iraq could also be helpful the bring stability. This means Shiites and Sunnis exchanging houses and refugee protection missions. It is much harder to kill the other sect when they have they live on their own soil.
As for defeating the militias, I doubt whether this is possible. Their tactics are based upon avoiding large scale confrontations with the American forces. Therefore, it is hard to arrest or kill many of them with a single operation or firelight. This war is a war of arresting people, rather than to kill them. For 1 insurgent killed over 10 are arrested. All the security forces make about the same number of arrests than the 22000 police officers in New York. The judicial system fails often to get somebody convicted even if the evidence is clear. Massive prison breaks are not uncommon. Even when, for example, a Mahdi army member is killed his brother or son might join the militia out of resentment. In the end the militia is just a strong. There will always be unemployed people who will be willing to lay an IED. Their employers are harder to arrest or kill. In the long run the US is likely to defeat the insurgents, but Washington’s time and tax payers money is limited. The current Iraqi government is not effective in dealing with the insurgency. On the political level they have problems with making progress. Some of the militias are even in the security forces. Only the Iraqi army in the north of Iraq and some special forces units are very professional. The US has little power to alter things. In fact, Iraq is a sovereign nation now.
(statistics are in the New York Times of June 16th)
I did like to conclude by saying that the costs of my plan are low, it can be done in 2-3 years and it seems to be viable compared to the other plans.
Kind regards,
Hakbar
Jeffery;
the channel's name is Alsharqia and the conditions are still the same till this moment , no car is allowed to go out or into Adhamyia.
about the thugs, that's right they did turn on people just like what happened to the wealthy and good Shiite families when Al-Mahdi army turned on them , that's obvious , but what can both sides do ??they need to feel protected , while in my opinion they endanger their selves more , when will both sects understand that this fighting is going no where!!!
hepyrion;
thank's for the valuable informations.
anonymous;
shako mako my friend?please put a name so i can recognize you.I'm sure the worst is yet to come.
hakbar;
your plan is to divide Iraq and use militias to kill each other , that might work but i think it will cause more chaos than already is
Mohammed,
no car is allowed to go out or into Adhamyia.
I think this is a good thing. You do NOT want AQ and insurgents who escape from Diyala to take up residencce in Adhamiya again, do you? Adhamiya was locked down precisely because of the ongoing operations in Diyala.
Did you look at Roggio's reporting? He's embedded with the military -- he's an eyewitness just like your relatives in Adhamiya -- and I hope he offers you a wider sense of the current operations.
*
Jeffrey, you total ignoramus. Hey, the US government is starting to call up reservists - I hope that you will be in Iraq very soon.
Indigo
Jeffrey;
I know it's a good idea to prevent the insurgents , but i think after all these operations and tachtiques and all the suffering of the civilans and the military as well , nothing will be accomplished as always!!! don't you think.....what's the link for Roggio?? I haven't heard of him.but that seems interesting although I think the truth will be disfigured by him since he works with the army!!! I don't know??may be I'm wrong!!!
Indigo;
Why is that???Is the army service obligatory in the US????I thought that it was voluntary.anyway , that would be nice to meet Jeffrey face to face , we might talk for two days or more , looooool.
Indigo,
Hey, the US government is starting to call up reservists - I hope that you will be in Iraq very soon.
Over half of the troops in Iraq have been reservists for the last 3 years. Did you just fall off the turnip truck?
Mohammed, US military is still 100% volunteer. It has been since about 1974. Some want to institute a draft, but I think it's a foolish idea.
The war being waged in Iraq must end not only to allow you to live your lives in relative peace, but to unite as humanity and stand up against those who use war and politics for financial gain and power.
We need to SHOW the strength of opposition to the war, to show that regardless of race, religion, politics or location – that we want this war to be brought to an end now. In the media, Iraqis are shown divided and violent – but we know that media is not accurate and that it is often used by those in power to manipulate public sentiment.
If you as an individual, as an Iraqi, as a member of any race, want an end to this war, please join visibly with others from all religions, politics, races and places, by wearing a home-made, white fabric armband to show your agreement with just one statement “I want an end to the war in Iraq”.
I realise that in this harsh and complex world, that simple symbolisms of unity seem small – but with this easily available and free symbol, we can show our numbers, our opposition to the situation and our desire to stand against the violence and abuse.
After I started the ARMS AGAINST WAR campaign (www.armsagainstwar.info), I came across a quote that perfectly reflects it:
[Two thousand years ago, a Roman Senator suggested that all slaves
wear white armbands to better identify them.
"No," said a wiser Senator.
"If they see how many of them there are, they may revolt."]
Please give this campaign your consideration, no money, no other agenda, just an easily agreed single statement that unites a divided world in one act of unity, one step to choosing our more peaceful future and one step to self empowerment.
Thanks for reading and I sincerely wish you well.
Namaste,
Tina Louise
www.armsagainstwar.info
Programmer Craig;
Thanks for the information , I knew that it's voluntary , but i wanted to be sure.
Tina;
Thank you that's just what I think , there are not only people but nations who gets the benifits of a war like this .... no need for names , it's obvious.
That's a great idea you have , I wish all the success to your organization....and all the world to have peace...if there is anything I can do just tell me.
Mohammed,
what's the link for Roggio?? I haven't heard of him.but that seems interesting although I think the truth will be disfigured by him since he works with the army!!! I don't know??may be I'm wrong!!!
Roggio, like Michael Yon, is an independent reporter who is embedded with the American military. They have no relationship with the military and they are not censored in any way in what they write. They are very good journalists and you could learn a lot from them.
Here's is Michael Yon's latest dispatch:
Arrowhead Ripper: Surrender of Die.
I believe killing those who want to kill me is a GOOD THING, A VERY GOOD THING.
*
Thank you so much for your lovely words...you have already helped just by positively responding :)
I hope this idea can take hold in Iraq, that Iraqis of all faiths can demonstrate their shared desire for an end to the war in Iraq - rather than divisions that the media highlight. I would love to see the Iraqis taking Iraq back by sheer volume of numbers, by all showing their solidarity with the other against those that would suppress their right to live peaceful lives.
If you can wear the white armband, carry spares, share the idea amongst others, it would be a joy to see.
My deepest wish is that our governments realise how united 'We the People' are, how unanimous in our statement "I want an end to the war in Iraq" and how powerful we are when we agree as one race - the human race.
I wish you a life that is a joy to live.
Namaste,
Tina Louise
www.armsagainstwar.info
Tina Louise,
Wow! Now you have internet access on Gilligan's Island? The Professor really is smart, isn't he?
*
Jeffrey,
My given name is Tina Louise and your humour seems strangely misplaced considering the subject matter we are discussing.
Namaste,
Tina Louise
www.armsagainstwar.info
Jeffrey, I was referring to the 5,000 of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) which may come to be called the Last To Die For A Mistake Battalion. They must report this summer for medical screening and other administrative tasks.
Incidentally, for any US military lurking here: your Kevlar vest protects your torso but not your groin, limbs or genitals. Currently, amputations of genitals by US surgeons (to save the life of the soldier) are being done at a greater rate than was necessary in previous conflicts. To make Dick Cheney richer still.
Indigo
Tina Darling,
My given name is Tina Louise
Someone gave you the wrong name.
*
Rachel, a Twit in London,
Why did you change your name to Indigo?
*
Mohammad:
You have a great insight that I hope you never abandon. I agree with you peace is a state of mind, you can't solve it with guns and violence. It must come from everyone acknowledging that Al Qaeda, the USA and Iraqi power mongers are what needs to be dealt with. The Sunni, Shia, Kurds, and all the other peaceful people that make up 95% of Iraq are all victims of a power struggle that by now the US should know they can't win. The US and Al Qaeda have made this the battleground for terrorism around the world, the *US must broker a settlement of sorts and pull out, leave the rest of the Iraqis to expel Al Qaeda and work toward the peaceful sectarian existance they had before the war..
There is no simple solution, but Adhamiya is just a blip on whats coming..The US has good intentions but are about 3 years to late to save Iraq from being torn to shreds.
I love the candidness of your Blog and will continue to read your insightful commentary..Keep looking thru the haze and keep us informed on what you see.
JOD
^I disagree that the war in Iraq can't be won, but I will agree with the fact that if we leave, chaos unimaginable will be unleashed. Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia will likely get involved in a mini-proxy war within this civil war against each other (while it is unlikely that Syria would fight against Iran)
"Peaceful sectarian existance?" Mohammed is the real authority here, but things the the Mahdi Army does today were also done by Saddam.
--hyperion
programmer craig said:
"US military is still 100% volunteer"
So how come that most of them are the poor guys out of the land of milk and honey??
[Why do they always send the poor?! - sings 'System of a Down']
Nabil tells a completely different story. Not even close to what you describe.
Perry1961;
I have just read the post of Nabil and I have seen no difference just more deatails because he is an insider man!!!! he lives there , anyway , the only difference is that I heared that the hummer is for INGs and appeared that it was American hummer , that's the difference and by the way he is talking about another area in Adhamyia , I talked about the area near Abo-Hanifa mosque when i talked about the INGs being sectarian violent......and all the other is the same . in this post I have just talked about the first day.i think they are the same but with more details in Nabil's blog...
Mohammed,
In your version,ING were on a rampage,killing civilians,blowing up mosques with grenades and burning any cars they saw. They continued until two of their hummers couldn't take it any more and went up in flames,causing all kinds of damage.
In Nabils version,a roadside bomb blows up an American tank,killing 9 soldiers. ING and U.S. soldiers then fire indiscriminately at houses,power lines,and the water main,all of which were supposedly left in pristine condition by the massive bomb which destroyed a tank.
Both versions portray security forces as wanton destroyers,hell bent on killing innocents. But,at least Nabil mentioned Al Qaida. Neither of you were on the scene,so you can't possibly know whether these patrols were targeted by snipers.
Perry1961,
This is EXACTLY what I was warning Mohammed against. The two versions have far more differences than similarities. The fog of war has just gotten foggier.
*
cile,
So how come that most of them are the poor guys out of the land of milk and honey??
[Why do they always send the poor?! - sings 'System of a Down']
Why do people like you always tell this lie? Do you enjoy lying? It's not hard to find out the composition of the US military.
It's getting tiresome.
Mohammed,
Here's is Michael Yon's latest dispatch from Iraq.
As I said before, you should try to understand that Adhamiya is simply one piece of a very large operation going on in Iraq. One of those pieces is to make sure none of those Al Qaeda members that Nabil sees everyday in Adhamiya get out to join the fight and that no fleeing Al Qaeda from Baquba take refuge inside Adhamiya with their friends there.
that would be nice to meet Jeffrey face to face , we might talk for two days or more, looooool.
Absolutely. When I met Iraqi Mojo here in New York City a month or so ago we talked non-stop for the whole afternoon as we ate at a restaurant and then walked around lower Manhattan. We had WAY too much to talk about and too little time.
*
Craig,
Why do people like you always tell this lie? Do you enjoy lying? It's not hard to find out the composition of the US military.
It's getting tiresome.
You know I feel the same way. These are the same people who would have spit on the returning troops from Vietnam, I imagine. As you know, one of my brothers was a Marine and he's not poor and he's smart as hell.
*
Craig,
By the way, Cile is living in the Netherlands.
*
Michael Yon on Al Qaeda in Baqubah:
Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) had tarnished its name here by publicly attacking and murdering children, videotaping beheadings, all while imposing harsh punishments on Iraqi civilians found guilty of violating morality laws prohibiting activities like smoking. The AQI installed Sharia court had sanctioned the amputation of the two “smoking fingers” for those who violated anti-smoking laws. In part because local sentiment was shifting against it, AQI synthesized with other groups and undertook an image makeover, christening itself “The Islamic State of Iraq.” But the new name was just lipstick on a pig here.
On the evening of the 24th I spoke with a local Iraqi official, Colonel Faik, who said the Muftis would order the severance of the two fingers used to hold a cigarette for any Iraqis caught smoking. Other reports, from here in Diyala and also in Anbar, allege that smokers are murdered by AQI. Most Iraqis smoke and this particular prohibition appeared to have earned the ire of many locals. After an American unit cleared an apartment complex on the 23rd, LTC Smiley, the battalion commander, reported that residents didn’t ask for food and water, but cigarettes. In other parts of Baqubah, people have been celebrating the routing of AQI by lighting up and smoking cigarettes.
I guess if you wore a nicotine-patch, they'd cut your arm off.
*
Mohammed,
Read the entire article by Michael Yon. One thing that stands out is how the local residents of Baqubah are pointing out who the Al Qaeda members or supporters are and they are are being promptly seized.
The people in Adhamiya could be doing the same thing, don't you think?
*
Jaffrey, Locals have taken up arms against Al Qaida. If they succeed,they'll join security forces and help protect their neighborhood,much like locals have done in Anbar. I'm surprised neither Nabil or Mohammed is covering that aspect.
I believe killing those who want to kill me is a GOOD THING, A VERY GOOD THING.
Exactly. That is also why we support attacks against American soldiers.
Locals are pointing out Al-Qaeda or taking arms against them for an entirely different reason. They are still against the occupation and the puppet Iraqi government. Did you know the Baath party in Syria and Jordan issued regulations to its former members and ex army officers to go to Iraq and make use of the opportunity that Americans are now arming Sunnis? Just wait and see what your actions will bring.
Iraq4ever,
We are currently in Baqubah fighting alongside the Iraqi Army killing and capturing Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Of course, if your "we" means Baathist scum and the Al Qaeda in Iraq that they support, then you have a point.
*
Hi Jeffery and Perry ;
I need to clarify to both of you that Adhamyia is a big neighborhood and what I'm talking about is called Abo-Hanifa Moaque and the area around it....while Nabil is talking about Althobat street they are different and far from each other (not too Far but Far) anyway, I was wrong about the INGs hummer I heared it that way .... but later on and to be specific today I knew that it was a US tank .... you know rumors . anyway it caused the same damage...that is the only difference ....remember we are talking about different areas in the same neighborhood , and of course AQ blowed the tank who else would!!!!
I would be careful about lumping up every insurgent group as Al-Qaeda. They don't really have Bin Laden's telephone number. But Americans are damn sensitive when it comes to the Q word, which is why Iraqis of all groups (government, SCIRI, Mahdi, Anbar Salvation Council) have made use of this fact to let Americans eliminate their opponents for them.
Anonymous 11:23,
Locals are pointing out Al-Qaeda or taking arms against them for an entirely different reason. They are still against the occupation and the puppet Iraqi government.
They are trying to eliminate Al Qaeda so that they get to stay alive, and get to stay in Iraq. Because Al Qaeda is has dragged them into a civil war they can't win. And if they can't find a way to undo the damage that Al Qaeda and Baathists have done to their relationship with the Shia majority, there won't be any living Sunni Arabs in Iraq in a few years.
Would you rather that the US decided the Sunni Arabs in Iraq didn't deserve a chance to take control of their own neighborhoods back? That the US just stepped aside and waited for the death squads to clear all the Sunni areas?
I wouldn't be so quick to call the US a sucker for supporting Sunni groups who don't like their current situation, if I was you. The Shia don't have to work with Iraq's < 15% Sunni Arab population. Millions of Sunnis Arabs have already fled Iraq and it wouldn't take much longer for the rest to follow them if the situation doesn't improve. And the Shia will never allow them to return. Is that want you want? Because if the current operations fail, that is what will happen. And even if the current operations succeed, but Sunnis keep engaging in terrorism against Shia anyway, that will happen. There is a VERY BRIEF window of opportunity here for the Sunni Arabs of Iraq to show that they aren't completely unwilling to be part of the new Iraq.
You underestimate what the Sunnis can do. You forget that Sunnis have the support of the Sunni Arab hinterland, which constitutes 90% of the Islamic world, with all the funds and the manpower. The Shia are able to blow up a few Sunni mosques in Baghdad and Basra, and to drive out the soft underbelly of Sunnis in Iraq, the intelligentsia and the professionals, but they won't be able to overrun Anbar, Salahaddin, Diyala and Mosul. best they can do is hold on to their own territory.
The Sunnis who are making use of the window of opportunity now are not doing it because they want to coexist with the Shia. They are doing it to get rid of one enemy at a time: Al-Qaeda, U.S., and then the Shia. Just wait when those arms turn against the Shia in an attempt to reassert Sunni rule. Again I have mentioned that the Baath party is ordering its followers to flock back to Iraq and make use of this opportunity. Do you think the Baath party is doing that because it wants to support the 'new Iraq'.
we are not covering the aspect of citizens carrying arms because this hasn't happened in Adhamyia.in addition to that people will point where AQ is when they feel safe if they do so....I mean when the US forces provide protection for them....
Sometimes it is the US military who kill the National Guard and then say that these were Al-Qaeda.
villagers in largely-Shia al-Khalis say that those who died had nothing to do with al-Qaeda. They say they were local village guards trying to protect the township from exactly the kind of attack by insurgents the US military says it foiled.
They say that of 16 guards, 11 were killed and five others injured - two of them seriously - when US helicopters fired rockets at them and then strafed them with heavy machinegun fire.
Minutes before the attack, they had been co-operating with an Iraqi police unit raiding a suspected insurgent hideout, the villagers said.
They added that the guards, lightly armed with the AK47 assault rifles that are a feature of practically every home in Iraq, were essentially a local neighbourhood watch paid by the village to monitor the dangerous insurgent-ridden area to the immediate south-west at Arab Shawkeh and Hibhib, where the al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed a year ago.
Criminal, incompetent, arrogant, unaccountable, cretinous Americans.
Indigo
Indigo, you post a comment about an attack on "guards" in a Shia neighborhood, who were co-operating with "police" - and then claim the US mis-took them for Al Qaida?
You do know that the US has been attacking the Mahdi Army, don't you?
How many times have you seen Zeyad and others complain that the police are in bed with the Mahdi Army? And now you have an example of the US killing Mahdi Army, and you call it "Criminal, incompetent, arrogant, unaccountable, cretinous Americans."
It's too fucking bad that the US military didn't exercise such incompetence 2 years ago, before Steven Vincent was murdered by Iraqi "police".
@'programmer craig'
you wrote this, half a mile of comments ago:
=/=
cile,
[me]- So how come that most of them are the poor guys out of the land of milk and honey??
[Why do they always send the poor?! - sings 'System of a Down']
[pc] - Why do people like you always tell this lie? Do you enjoy lying? It's not hard to find out the composition of the US military.
It's getting tiresome.
=/=
My answer to pc:
may i remind you of a person by the name Lyndie England, interviewed by a Dutch journalist, she commented that all had happened on command.
Lyndie England however has been called 'white trash' many, many times, as well by US media.
Now try to convince me that 'white trash' is not about poorest sectors inna USofA.
-sigh-
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