Behind the Steel Curtain: The Real Face of the Occupation

Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches



White flags on top of houses and cars, plenty of American and Iraqi military vehicles, too many check points and blocks on the road, many frightening walking patrols, curfew after sunset, heaps and heaps of destroyed houses, shops, offices, the only bridge, hospitals and medical care centers, walls covered with bullets shots, and election posters…empty faces with bleak looks wandering in the streets. This is the picture of Al-Qa’im after the “Steel Curtain” military operation which began on November 5, 2005 with 3,000 American and Iraqi troops participating in it.

Electricity is cut for more than a month now, after the main station was bombed, and the converters were bombed and the wires were cut. In the morning Al-Qa’im looked horrible. The General Hospital was 90% destroyed, the medical care centers, the schools, shops, houses… Al-Qa’im general hospital is one of the most important hospitals in the far western area of Iraq. It covers the whole area from Haditha to the borders, where there are hundreds small towns and villages. There are several medical care units connected to it. In Haditha there is a similar general hospital that covers the area from Haditha city beyond till Ramadi. Both hospitals are now severely damaged and burnt.

Modhhir Najim Abdulla, a security officer in the hospital took us to his uncle’s bombed house where 17 women, children, and civilians were killed. The house of Arkan was just heaps of concrete blocks; the roof was flattened to the ground. There were 5 families living there. Not one of them was a stranger or a fighter.

“I just want to know why, I want a justification” Modhhir began, “the bombing began on Nov 5, loud speakers were saying stay at home, do not move out, and we did. 15 minutes later the bombing began. They did not announce evacuation. We had no chance to leave.” On Nov 7, we heard that our uncle’s house was bombed. We could not go to check; we went to the nearest American troops and told them. They accompanied us, and this is what we found.”

The American troops played a classical, colonial, very dirty trick of divide and conquer in Al-Qa’im. They allied with one big tribe, Al bu Mahal, against another very big one, Al-Salman. They used one as informants against the other. These people may make mistakes, or they may give wrong information for different reasons, but innocents get killed in the process. In the last “Steal Curtain” operation, thousands were arrested, and informants from the other tribe were used to pick those who were thought to be insurgents. This story was repeated in many places: Rumanna, Karabla, and Al-Ebeidy. Of course anyone who is branded as a collaborator (traitor) is killed. Qa’im is one example of what is happening in different parts of Iraq.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

"Forces at these outposts will prevent the al Qaeda in Iraq-led terrorists from regaining a presence in these cities and threatening local residents with their murder and intimidation campaign," a coalition spokesman said.

"Their familiarity with the area and its people was crucial in identifying friend from foe and enabled their Iraqi and coalition partners to better understand the geographical complexities of the region," the spokesman said.

Officials reported that 10 Marines were killed in fighting during Steel Curtain. A total of 139 terrorists were killed and 256 were processed for detention during the operation.

AM, another employee from Rummana said, “We saw 14 airplanes bombing, we heard that there is a major attack on Huseiba. 5 days later we heard that the attack was on Karabla and Ebeidy which was hit by 50 missiles from dawn to sunrise at 6 am. A man said that they used white phosphorus.

“He said that when the dead were buried, their clothes were intact, but the bodies were like ashes when they were held. In Rummana they collected all the men, and the Iraqis who accompanied them would point to some who are then taken away. The troops are still occupying the schools and the medical center. They tell the families to leave then they blast the house. They did that with 15 houses in Rummana. In one month, at least 150 were killed in Rummana. On Nov 15, they forced the families to spend the night outside in Ebeidy. Two newly born babies died in the cold.”


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Originally posted by Expositor
There are 10 Million armed Shia militia in Iraq, if they wanted to they could take the country back from Western Forces within a few days.

These people may make mistakes, or they may give wrong information for different reasons

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Souljah did you care to find out how many of those destroyed houses and hospitals were caused by insurgents?

Do you want me to give you links detailing the use of car bombs and IED’s placed in and around civilian houses in Fallujah?

They blow up the civilians houses themselves, then take some pictures and rely on people like you to post them on here and start your usual USA is Evil march.

Originally posted by ultra_phoenix
Souljah main job : Spitting on the USA.

Originally posted by Souljah
But ofcourse they were - the moment that US kills an Iraqi civilan - he/she becomes a Terrorist/Insurgent.

Maybe that's why the USA do not do Bodycounts on Iraqi's.

Do you want me to give you links, detailing the use of Guided Ammunitions upon Civilans Population in Fallujah?

Yeah - sure.

Those EVIL Terrorists - they always find new ways to Harm the Shiny Reputation of the Perfect United States of America.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Souljah did you care to find out how many of those destroyed houses and hospitals were caused by insurgents?

Originally posted by CIA
If you are competing with insurgent for destroying more houses, US win for sure

If you are competing with insurgent for destroying more houses, US win for sure

Originally posted by CIA

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Souljah did you care to find out how many of those destroyed houses and hospitals were caused by insurgents?

If you are competing with insurgent for destroying more houses, US win for sure

Originally posted by Agent47

Originally posted by CIA

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Souljah did you care to find out how many of those destroyed houses and hospitals were caused by insurgents?

If you are competing with insurgent for destroying more houses, US win for sure

He's not trying to do that at all. He's asking an honest question about how many innocent lives the insurgents have affected with carbombs outside police recruiting stations, bombs they handed to little kids that ran up to a stray humvee on patrol, or the countless attacks against shiite religous meetings. And I don't agree the "US win for sure". If anything we are making up for the homes we destroy by trying to build a infastructure for the future Iraq to grow from.

Originally posted by CIA


You can rebuild the houses, paid by their oil, of course, but can you relive all those dead? you have your body count, but do you ever care how many Iraq people died?

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on." - George W Bush.

Originally posted by ImJaded
The intention of souljah's post is obvious, and all ya'll ever do when he does post some news (because it doesn't praise the USA, yes yes, how dare they ???), that we indeed will not see on the TV or in the papers, is try flip it into what the US forces are doing that is so good.

U can't turn all negatives into a positive though folks.

This post is not about the Insurgents or who they have killed or what they are doing, it's about US attacks on Iraqi civilians, pay attention

This is not a game to see who wins.

If U want to point out all the good works they are doing there then start another thread and U can all slap each other on the backside, or whatever is ya'll do, for a job well done there.


sheeesh

U gotta take the good with the bad and if U think the way the US does it's business is as angelic as I have seen some try to always prove on these threads, U have a serious problem, should log off and go seek professional help. Or join the US Military.

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on." - George W Bush.

No prizes for guessing who he is referring to

Souljah this was very informative, thank U for posting.

CIA - you're SO on point

[edit on 20-12-2005 by ImJaded]