The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.

Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.

[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [casi] Yeah, Yippee - Kill that Looter Ratpack ...




Dear List,

Mohammed Ali seems to be very selective as to what
posts merit his informed comments. It is certainly his
privilege, as it is his right to deceive himself as he
wishes.

To start with, there is no such thing as "the
Coalition Forces", a term not even the US uses
anymore. The US/UK forces in Iraq are "Occupation
forces", even in the mind of the UN SC. The only
people who insist on calling the occupiers "Coalition
Forces" are their stooges who mistakenly think this
will gain them recognition from the US.. How much they
misunderstand history and its lessons...

Mohammed says the looters are called "Ali Babas", but
he fails to tell us that the Iraqis now call US
soldiers "Ali Babas". That is because on numerous
cases, some taking place in front of TV cameras, those
soldiers stole money from Iraqis and were forced to
return them amid shouts of "Ali Babas" from Iraqis
present... Property has been confiscated, especially
satellite phones, which those soldiers have used to
call their families. We have heard reports of those
caught in Jordan and the US with things stolen from
Iraq.. Should those soldiers too be shot?

What should be done to those "parties" that dismantled
installations of Iraq's major dams in the North in
1991 and sold generators, masts and equipment to the
Iranians? Are those "Ali Babas" who should also be
shot?
Then there were those who stole cars from the centre
of Iraq and smuggled them to Iran too. What should be
done to them?

The world has criticized the US/UK forces of
occupation for letting the looting take place while
they were watching.. There are numerous reports that
tell us how those soldiers not only allowed the
looting, but in fact encouraged it.. It is not honest
to now come and accuse us of not letting the soldiers
do their job. They didn't do it when they should have,
and now it is too late to try to correct the mistake
(if it were indeed a mistake and not intentional) or
cover up the bigger crime by shooting some petty
thieves...

When I spoke of selective replies from Mohammed, I
meant his abstention from referring to the news
reported by TIME magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030714-463062,00.html,
that "in the case of the international airport outside
Baghdad, however, the theft and vandalism were
conducted largely by victorious American troops,
according to U.S. officials, Iraqi Airways staff
members and other airport workers. The troops, they
say, stole duty-free items, needlessly shot up the
airport and trashed five serviceable Boeing
airplanes."  The cost of the damage and theft go as
high as $100 million. Does Mohammed want those
responsible for these thefts to be shot in the same
way as those who looted Iraq's archeological
treasures??

We have also read reports of Al-Chalabi's men accused
by the Americans of stealing hundreds of millions of
dollars from Iraqi banks during the chaos. Should they
too be shot?? Or should the former governor of Najaf,
appointed by the Americans against the will of the
people and later imprisoned by the US for theft, also
be shot??

Mohammed asks: "what would they like these forces to
do to please them and what is their alternative for
the Iraqi people??"

The issue is not pleasing us or themsleves. The issue
is doing what is right and legal.. This war was
illegal, and the occupation remains illegal regardless
of what resolutions the SC adopts.
As an Iraqi myself, I want the Americans to leave Iraq
and let Iraqis decide for themselves what to do. For
13 years we wanted the US to lift sanctions and let
Iraqis decide their lives alone, but the US, supported
by people who call themselves Iraqis, refused that
insisting that lifting sanctions was bad.. The US
reverted to lies and fabrications about Iraq's weapons
to justify an illegal war, all the time supported by
the same "Iraqis".

The alternative has been there for 13 years, but
people like Mohammed insisted that the only way was
that Iraq be attacked again, destroyed again, and
thousands more killed. We were told repeatedly that
that was a price worth paying to get rid of the
regime. This is easy to say when those people sit in
the US or UK; they are not the ones paying the price..

The alternative is for an Iraq free from intervention;
an Iraq worthy of its heritage and its culture; an
Iraq that does not need the world's worst terrorist
state to teach it right from wrong..

HZ


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com

_______________________________________________
Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss
To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk
All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk


[Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]