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Al Jazeera (English)
    Baghdad Burning Blog (by Riverbend, an Iraqi civilian girl)
            Dahr Jamail's Blog from Baghdad
                Imad Khadduri's blog "Free Iraq" (scroll down for English version)

Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

[blogger opinion] Worrying about Iraq, rather than al-Qaida is about the same as if the Allies in 1938 had declared war on Mussolini's Italy, but ignored Hitler's Germany. We are turning our backs on the greater danger, and pretending not to recognize that an attack on Baghdad could spark the wake-up call to the terrorists sleeping in our midst. Mubarak: Iraq War Will Produce 100 Bin Ladens. This week, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak warned that the war against Iraq would create "a hundred bin Ladens"; so bitter are Arabs and Muslims about the US and UK over Iraq.

On the other hand. Hussein is no choir boy, and is a possible threat to many. And recent reports claim that troops have rooted out a terrorist training camp for Ansar Al Islam in northern Iraq with the possibly of chemical or biological weapons evidence. Also, Iraqi plots, including a plan to contaminate water supplies to Jordanian and U.S. troops on the border with Iraq.

Saddam Hussein is known for gouging out the eyes and cutting out the tongues of resisters -- and their children, as well as drilling holes in people's hands and pouring acid into the holes. Not to mention the rapes and tortures. The Iraqi regime is executing people, shooting people crossing bridges, and they use human shields because they know their opponents won't deliberately harm the innocent shields. The Iraqi regime is killing more innocent men, women, and children in Iraq now that the country has been attacked by US and UK forces. Many Iraqi people are angry at the invading force, but most are not as angry as they are with the dictator. A few are even brave enough to welcome the troops, in defiance of the Iraqi regime.

There are no good guys here. Foreign invaders are attempting to "liberate" folks that may or may not want to be liberated. Despite the questions, there are possible noble intentions to "help" Iraqis by removing their brutal dictator. But, with the odds against democratic success in Iraq and with the death and destruction of innocent life in Iraq, it's a long shot that much good can come of this war for the citizens of Iraq. But, we can hope. Hope for the best for the future of Iraq. And hope for the best for reducing (not increasing) terrorism.

As someone totally opposed to this war, I can only hope that I was wrong. And, as hard as it is to even think -- to hope that Bush is right. I sure hope I'm wrong about the war on Iraq. I want to be very, very, very wrong. I hope the Pentagon's Defense Science Board is wrong. I hope General Wesley Clark is wrong. I hope CIA Director, George Tenet is wrong. I hope Retired Marine General Anthony Zinni is wrong. I hope former national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft is wrong.

Some Iraqis see the possibility of hope in their future with the removal of the dictator. According to a 21-year-old unemployed man in Nassiriya, "most residents of Nassiriya want to get rid of Saddam's government. They only want to get rid of the regime, no matter who gets rid of it -- whether America, Britain, anybody." Nassiriya Citizens Afraid to Rise Against Saddam.
Iraqis from the southern city of Nassiriya say most of the town's citizens oppose President Saddam Hussein, but bad memories of a suppressed 1991 revolt keeps them from rising up against Saddam this time.

posted by Hal 8:12 PM