 |
|
"The
most honest, most comprehensive, and most mobilizing news
and
analysis on the Middle East always comes from
MER.
It
is
indispensable!" - Robert
Silverman - Salamanca,
Spain
|
www.MiddleEast.Org
(202) 362-5266
MER@MiddleEast.Org
UPCOMING soon from MER
'Washington Scene':
More on the 9/11 Commission Cover-Up
NEWSFLASH - Bremer Monday Declares Muqtada Sadr "An Outlaw" as
U.S. troops continuing clashing with and killing Iraqis and prepare to
take Fallujah with "overwhelming force".
BLOODY SUNDAY IN IRAQ
"20 or 30 year war" says former
Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives
MER - Mid-East Realities - www.MiddleEast.Org
- Washington - 4/05/2004:
Last week Iraqi ruler Paul Bremer
ordered the U.S. military storming of a newspaper office and shut it
down with a lock marked "USA Made " in the name of "freedom and
democracy". For many it was a metaphor for the whole country, in
some ways much of the whole region. A few days later he
ordered the storming of a home at 3am arresting the top aide to Islamic
cleric Muqtada Sadr who could have easily been picked up any
time. This weekend major demonstrations broke out in
many Iraqi cities and before the weekend ended 24 Iraqis were shot
dead, many hundreds injured, and at least eight U.S. troops
killed. And this was just in the Shiite
areas. With the Sunnis in Fallujah Bremer has order that
city surrounding and blockaded; some 5000 troops preparing for a kind
of city-invasion with 'overwhelming force' in the days now
ahead. Images of the Israeli military occupation of
the Palestinians continue multiplying.
Meanwhile back in Washington all one had to do
was listen to the Sunday talk shows to see how confused and how
belligerent everyone allowed to speak has become. Top Republican
leaders talked on-air not only of a "20 or 30 year war", they talked of
further increasing the troops in Iraq -- even as 30 June approaches! -
and even of delaying the long-scheduled 'turn-over of sovereignty'
(whatever that really means) beyond the 30 June.
|
Day of clashes
between Shiites and occupation forces:
At least 52 Iraqis, eight US troops killed
|
|
(Albawaba - Jordan -
4-04-2004): Supporters
of an anti-American cleric rioted in four Iraqi cities Sunday, killing
at least eight U.S. troops. At least 52 Iraqis were also killed. (corrected
from earlier report of 24)
In the biggest demonstration, eyewitnesses said bullets were shot
during a protest in Najaf by thousands of Muqtada Sadr supporters, who
had gathered outside the headquarters of Spanish troops in this city.
At least 52 Iraqis were killed, witnesses said. More than200 people
were injured, some seriously. An American soldier and at least
one Salvadoran soldier were also killed.
It was unclear who opened fire during the demonstration.
The crowd was protesting the reported detention of an aide to Sadr.
An estimated 5,000 people marched to the garrison of the Spanish
military contingent in Najaf after hearing that Mustafa al-Yacoubi, a
top al-Sadr aide, had been detained.
For their part, Spanish troops in the area have said they have no
information on al-Yacoubi's reported detention and did not participate
in any such operation.
In Baghdad, fighting in the neighborhood of Sadr City killed seven
U.S. troops and injured at least 24 , the U.S. military said in a
written statement, cited by The AP.
The American Shiite confrontation came after a night of protests
that saw Sadr's supporters throw themselves at US tanks blocking their
way toward the occupation headquarters as they headed to protest.
According to AFP, a police officer said two demonstrators were
crushed by the tanks.
Baghdad has been rocked by demonstrations since last Sunday when
occupation authorities closed al-Hawza newspaper, a pro-Sadr
publication, for 60 days on charges of inciting violence and hostility
against the occupation.
Al-Sadr's office in Baghdad issued a statement later Sunday,
calling off street protests and saying the cleric would stage a sit-in
at a mosque in the city of Kufa, which is near Najaf.
In the southern city of Nasiriyah, Italian soldiers traded fire
with Shiites demonstrating against al-Yacoubi's detention, said Lt.
Col. Pierluigi Monteduro, chief of staff of Italian troops in the
region. One Italian officer was injured in the leg.
Also in the south, British troops clashed with protesters in Amarah,
according to the Ministry of Defense in London.
Elsewhere, two U.S. Marines were killed in separate attacks west of
Baghdad, the American Army stated on Sunday.
It added one Marine was killed in action on Saturday and the other
died on Sunday from injuries sustained in a separate incident on
Saturday.
|
|
|
|
