World-News

Britain was "dragged into a war in Iraq which was always against out better judgment" the former deputy head of MI6 has claimed, in a remark that will reignite the debate over political interference in the war.

http://snipurl.com/hcbfe



Iraq: 'Basra is now worse than when the British troops arrived'

Basra was once known as the Venice of the East as it has dozens of canals. But there is no romance in them now. They are clogged with sewage and rubbish - household waste, abandoned cars, broken bikes and plastic bottles and bags.

http://snipurl.com/hcbgb


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=MI6
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Basra

By Robert Fisk

The sentence 'millions of Iraqis now live free of oppression' is pure public relations.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22543.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Robert+Fisk

Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "Indicative of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Iraq, on May 1 the US military reported the death of a Naval petty officer who was killed 'on April 30 while conducting combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq.' The Department of Defense report went on to explain that the sailor 'was deployed with an East Coast based Navy SEAL team.' That same day, the military announced the deaths of two marines 'killed while conducting combat operations against enemy forces here April 30.' The dateline for the latter press release is 'AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq.' Apparently, all is not well in Fallujah and al-Anbar province. The US military, having met the fiercest resistance throughout their occupation of Iraq in these areas, is once again conducting combat operations there."

http://www.truthout.org/050409J?n



Iraq Rules Out Extension of US Withdrawal Dates

Reuters: "Iraq will not extend withdrawal deadlines for US troops set out in a bilateral accord, ending months of speculation about whether US combat troops would stay beyond June in bases in the restive northern city of Mosul. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq was committed to adhering to the withdrawal schedule in the pact, which took effect on Jan. 1, including the requirement to withdraw US combat troops from towns and cities by the end of June and a full withdrawal by the end of 2011."

http://www.truthout.org/050409K?n



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Fallujah
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=al-Anbar
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=combat+troops
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Iraq+withdraw
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dahr+Jamail

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/01-12

A 6th Anniversary Look Back at Media Coverage of 'Mission Accomplished'
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/01-13



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=torture
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=impunity
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=mission+accomplished
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Jeremy+Scahill
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Greg+Mitchell

U.S. soldiers will not appear in Iraqi courts to answer any charges relating to a raid this week that killed two people in Iraq and triggered condemnation from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the U.S. military has said.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE53P18C20090501



The Iraq war has been a monstrous crime

Politicians crave a whitewash - but Britain must hold a fully open public inquiry into the bloodbath it helped to create.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/01/iraq-britain-inquiry


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Iraq+raid
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=al-Maliki
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Seumas+Milne

By Robert Fisk

One hundred and seventy-nine dead soldiers. For what? 179,000 dead Iraqis? Or is the real figure closer to a million? We don't know. And we don't care. We never cared about the Iraqis. That's why we don't know the figure. That's why we left Basra yesterday.

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22525.htm



Female British soldier sexually humiliated Iraqi prisoners

A female British soldier has been accused of sexually humiliating and abusing prisoners in Iraq in a series of claims about British troops in Basra, The Times has learnt.

http://snipurl.com/tyi2l


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Basra
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=abuse
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Robert+Fisk

CounterPunch
by Jeremy Scahill

04/28/09

Remember when Barack Obama made that big announcement at Camp Lejeune about how all US combat troops were going to be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by June 30? Liberals jumped around with joy, praising Obama for ending the war so that they could focus on their ‘good war’ in Afghanistan. Of course, the celebrations were and remain unwarranted. Obama’s Iraq plan is virtually identical to the one on Bush’s table on January 19, 2009. Obama has just rebranded the occupation, sold it to liberals and dropped the term ‘Global War on Terror’ while, for all practical purposes, continuing the Bush era policy (that’s why leading Republicans praised Obama’s plan)...

http://counterpunch.org/scahill04282009.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=combat+troops
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=withdraw+Iraq
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Global+War+on+Terror
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Jeremy+Scahill

And So It Goes ...

Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "Last week found Iraq swimming in blood once again. Attacks last Thursday brought the worst violence Iraq has seen in over a year, with at least 96 Iraqis killed and 157 wounded in two massive suicide bombings. Over 35 bombings have rocked Baghdad this month alone. There appears to be no end in sight for the escalating violence."

http://www.truthout.org/042709R



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dahr+Jamail

Denver Post

04/26/09

Iraq’s prime minister denounced a deadly U.S. raid on Sunday as a ‘crime’ that violated the security pact with Washington and demanded American commanders hand over those responsible to face possible trial in Iraqi courts. The U.S. military, however, strongly denied that it overstepped its bounds and said it notified Iraqi authorities in advance—in accordance with the rules that took effect this year governing U.S. battlefield conduct...

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12232025


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

--------

Iraq threatens to prosecute US soldiers

IRAQI Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has denounced a pre-dawn American raid in which two Iraqis were killed, saying his Government will prosecute US soldiers who carried out the operation.

http://snipurl.com/guzru



Cabinet considers Kut attack violation of security agreement

The Council of Ministers considered the attack waged by the U.S. forces in Kut as an unacceptable violation of the forces withdrawal agreement, the official spokesman for the Iraqi government said in a statement on Tuesday.

http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=112293


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=security+pact
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Iraq+withdraw
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=US+raid
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=al-Maliki

Marjorie Cohn, Truthout: "It turns out that high Bush officials put heavy pressure on Pentagon interrogators to get Mohammed and Zubaydah to reveal a link between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 hijackers, in order to justify Bush's illegal and unnecessary invasion of Iraq in 2003. That link was never established."

http://www.truthout.org/042609A



General Who Probed Abu Ghraib Says Bush Officials Committed War Crimes

Warren Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers: "The Army general who led the investigation into prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison accused the Bush administration Wednesday of committing 'war crimes' and called for those responsible to be held to account. The remarks by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who's now retired, came in a new report that found that US personnel tortured and abused detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using beatings, electrical shocks, sexual humiliation and other cruel practices."

http://www.truthout.org/042609C



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bush+legacy
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=war+crimes
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Zubayda
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=interrogat
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=torture
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=detainee
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Abu+Ghraib
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guantanamo
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Taguba
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=9/11
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Marjorie+Cohn
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Warren+Strobel