Blood-shed In Iraq Professor Sattar Kassem Aug/17/2004 Although a long period has elapsed since the Americans jubilantly announced the emergence of new democratic Iraq, the situation there is still far from stable or heading toward stability. The new posted Iraqi government is isolated to a great extent from its environment, and its members are taking heavy precautions not to be seen in public due to threats to their lives imposed by the Iraqi resistance. The Iraqi resistance is growing stronger and improving its maneuvers and military tactics. It is unsafe to roam around in the Iraqi population centers particularly in the cities inhabited by Sunni Moslems. Democracy hasn’t been fulfilled, and the Americans still impose their will on the Iraqi government. Public elections haven’t been conducted and the Iraq government lacks legitimacy. The Americans still make haphazard arrests and detain people without any legal justification. So many decrees are issued undemocratically, and official decisions need to be judged by an efficient legal system. The unhealthy situation expands also to security and economic matters. Rape, burglary, fraud and theft are widespread. It is unsafe even if one is locked into his/her house. The Americans made a clever move so as to save the lives of their soldiers. Their life losses became unbearable and, consequently, decided to pull out of the cities and lodge themselves inside their military camps. They thought that they better let the Iraqis face each other and watch from a distance. If the Iraqi national-guard or the police fail to face the resistance, the Americans will move their tanks and air force. That is why the American losses have diminished lately. They still suffer losses, but at a lower rate than before. It is the Iraqi police, national-guard and civilians who are paying a high price. The resistance labels those who are recruited in the official security service as traitors who should be killed. That is why military attacks against police stations and military posts have been increasing. Almost there are daily explosions targeting military installation or patrols. So many Iraqis including governmental employees have been killed so far. Fear has spread to the extent that every governmental employee or security member questions him/herself each morning if he/she will return home alive. Each thinks that he/she is a target. The internationals have increasingly become targets. So many of them have been held hostages and used as tools to exert pressure on governments and companies that are cooperating with the US. So many of them have been released either because of responsiveness from the side of their governments or because they proved to be helping the Iraqi people. However, the phenomenon is still there and proved to be partially effective in achieving certain goals desirable for the resistance. The Iraqi civilians are paying the highest price. The Americans shoot indiscriminately and kill innocent people, and the Iraqi resistance carries out explosions in crowded places. Most of those who are killed are civilians who happen to be there. The Americans don’t care, and they just open fire in all directions without making any sensible evaluation for the situation. The Iraqi resistance just makes the bombing with a sense that revolutionary measures don’t have the means to save the civilians the horror of war. A hit and run warfare is different from the war conducted by a regular army, describing those killed or wounded civilians as martyrs. The Iraqi resistance is still concentrated in the Sunni triangle which is almost in the middle of Iraq. The Kurds are not expected to join the resistance except for those who identify themselves as Moslems rather than Kurds. There are some who are extending a hand to the Sunni Arabs but there number is small. In as far as the Shiites, most of them think that they don’t need to resist and prefer to go to the ballot box. Their religious leadership thinks that the elections will establish a Shiite majority that will decide, according to their estimation, what is best for Iraq. These people are happy for the absence of Saddam, but aren’t welcoming the Americans. However, the Shiite camp isn’t firmly united. As-Sadr who is a young and enthusiastic religious cleric is leading an army of volunteers who express their animosity to the Americans and describe the Iraqi prime minister as a traitor. He has followers every where in the Shiite sector which is the southern of Iraq. Although his resistance isn’t as effective and efficient as that of the Sunni, he has been able to put the Americans and their Iraqi allies under heavy pressure. With some training assistance from the Sunnis, this Shiite leader will improve his military attacking capabilities. Iraqi officials who are cooperating with the Americans have called for a national conference so as to choose a temporary national council that will have legislative tasks. The ongoing conference is about to announce the names of the members of this council regardless of those who have before-hand rejected the conference as an American rubber stamp. The active forces in Iraq are diverse and conflicting. The future doesn’t seem very promising, but it might look better without the Americans. America will do Iraq a favor if she decides to pull out and leave the Iraqis on their own.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 07:08:15 +0000