scheiß amis...
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• January elections
Shortly before the parliamentary elections last January, the number of U.S. occupation forces in IRAQ was dramatically increased by more than 25,000 troops. The increase in troop strength was immediately followed by a series of military operations against the Iraqi people. In places like Tal Afar and Samarra, more than 500 people were massacred. Perhaps the most infamous attack that preceded the election was the assault on Fallujah.
Tens of thousands of U.S. marines stormed Fallujah, killing thousands of Iraqis, destroying the city’s famous mosques and wiping out the entire infrastructure of the city.
Incendiary chemicals like white phosphorous were used. Ironically, the parliamentary elections were held in the wake of Fallujah atrocity, and the election aftermath ushered in an era of heightened sectarianism and societal disintegration in IRAQ. Groups with strong ties to the United Statesa and to Iran, such as SCIRI and the KDP-PUK coalition, were brought to power.
The establishment of an interim government led by groups such as SCIRI, the KDP and PUK heralded the beginning of death squads and paramilitary militia forces in U.S.-occupied IRAQ. Sectarian militias working alongside U.S. occupation forces have been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Iraqis in Tal Afar during an assault that occurred last September. Death squads believed to be operated by the SCIRI-dominated Interior Ministry have murdered more than 700 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad and throughout Iraq since last spring. The corpses of the victims have all borne signs of extreme brutality and torture.
• October elections
The United States claimed that the process of drafting a constituton would build the foundation for a stable and cohesive Iraq. Instead, the highly divisive document negated the notion of an Iraqi national identity and undermined the spirit of unity on which a nation is built. It also appeared to ensure America’s future domination of Iraq and the region by offering guarantees of investment control to U.S. oil companies.
During the constitution drafting process, voices from Iraq’s mainstream communities, including indigenous representatives from all of Iraq’s ethnic and religious communities, women’s and liberal groups, secular groups and various pro-Iraqi nationalists were completely shunned. People like Saleh Mutlak, Adnan Dulaimi and the Iraqi Islamic Party were completely flushed out of the process. Instead of representing a national agreement that embraced the interests of all Iraqis while preserving the unity, integrity and complete sovereignty of IRAQ, the draft document amounted to a pact between the United States, Massoud Barzani and the pro-Iranian group SCIRI.
Shortly before the referendum vote, occupation forces stormed again into western IRAQ. Tens of thousands of Iraqis in towns like Karabilah and Qaim were killed or forced to abandon their homes when invading U.S. occupiers arrived. Despite the havoc and the massive depopulation that resulted from these campaigns, Iraqis were told to go out and vote on the draft charter. In the days immediately following the October election, widespread evidence of fraud was revealed, but the draft charter was declared approved anyway.
• December elections
Along with the the KDP, PUK, SCIRI and others, the Iraqi Islamic Party decided to actively participate in the December elections. Like SCIRI and others, the Iraqi Islamic Party is a former exile group that people in Iraq have condemned for entering Iraq “on American tanks” during the 2003 invasion. The Iraqi Islamic Party, which has claimed to represent anti-occupation Iraqi communities, had the opportunity in July 2005 to halt the divisive draft charter process and delay the October referendum. Instead, the party forfeited this option and cleared the way for the United States, Barzani and SCIRI to forge ahead with the divisive draft charter process without the input of the Islamic Party and others. Even after the Iraqi parliament tried to adopt measures that would have made rejection of the constitution impossible, the Iraqi Islamic Party decided it would “accept” the draft charter anyway with the hope of “changing” it later. And when evidence of widepsread fraud was revealed following the October 15 referendum, the Iraqi Islamic Party shrugged its shoulders and decided it would 'concentrate' on the December 15th election instead.
The United States urged people in central Iraq to vote for the discredited Iraqi Islamic Party on December 15, even though the party's credibility plummeted even further following the October referendum. The Iraqi people were told that voting for the Iraqi Islamic Party would help “save them” from the brutal death squads and ongoing murders that have been blamed on SCIRI and its affiliated Badr militia. Like all election candidates, the Iraqi Islamic Party was hand-picked and/or approved by the United States, which has tried to portray the group as acceptable alternative for Iraqis who rejected the KDP, PUK, SCIRI and death squads operating during the term of the provisional government.
The December elections were preceded by more U.S.-led destructive operations throughout western, central and northern Iraq. In towns like Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaidi, more than 1,000 Iraqis were massacred and tens of thousands more were expelled from their homes. In addition, widespread air attacks against Ramadi, Hadithah and other places have left hundreds dozens of Iraqis dead and thousands more uprooted from their homes and communities.
Immediately after these massacres and depopulation campaigns, people were again told to go out and “vote.” After the voting ended on December 15, the U.S. media proclaimed the elections a “huge success” and even implied that the results somehow constituted a census of the Iraqi population. A reporter for the LA Times recently said that one Iraqi community in particular refused to ‘accept’ its ‘minority’ status based on the results of the December election. In addition, the KDP, PUK and SCIRI were again declared grand winners who would soon be joined by another discredited and unpopular ally of the United States, the Iraqi Islamic Party.
• The elections and the U.S. occupation
With the December 15 election behind us, the aftermath and consequences are becoming clear. Death squads continue to unleash their terror and brutality on the Iraqi people. In southeast Baghdad today, 6 male IRAQI CIVILIANS were brutally murdered by death squad militias, their bodies dumped at a local disposal site and their corpses bearing the usual hallmarks of severe torture and brutality. The U.S. occupier and Iraqi surrogate militias also recently launched more destructive, depopulating operations in northern Iraq. In the latest example, raids and attacks were launched against Tal Afar and Mosul.
Each election in Iraq held under U.S. occupation has brought a wave a new massacres, indiscriminate raids, campaigns of depopulation and expulsion, demolition of mosques, destruction of homes and vital infrastructure, and systematic murders carried out by death squads. In every case, the U.S. military and the U.S. media have attempted to steer Iraqis’ attention away from the occupation and onto Iraqis themselves. A perpetual game of Iraqi self-blame is encouraged, while the U.S. occupation is somehow made to seem distant and existing only amorphously in the background.
However, the sham elections, the death squads, paramilitary militias and hand-picked U.S.-supported surrograte groups are merely a symptom - a byproduct - of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The root cause of Iraq’s ongoing problems is the U.S. occupation itself.
Iraq’s ongoing suffering and slide toward disintegration are unlikely to end as long as the U.S. occupation continues.
The time has come for Iraqis to focus on the foreigners with guns, aircraft and tanks who roam their countryside and declare their unwelcomed presence by kicking down doors in the middle of the night.
It’s time to demand an immediate and complete end to the U.S. INVASION.
Was ich aber auch gesehen habe, ist folgendes:
Nur mit Amis gibts Antiamerkinismus.
So wie es mit Fleisch Vegetarierer gibt und mit Gemüsesuppe Fleischfresser. Mit der Todesstrafe gibt es Menschrechtsbewegungen und nach zuvile Menschenrechten gibts wieder die Todesstrafe. Das Leben ist ein Scheißspiel, weil der Mensch an sich von vorneherein total bescheuert, verblödet, dumm, arrogant, frech und überhaupt zu nichts nutze ist, außer als täglich ein kilo Schweinebraten wegzumampfen und dasselbst sofort in 800g Scheiße umzuwandeln, das man entsorgen muß und wofür man 1.500 Mitarbeiter in einer Kleinstadt braucht, die das regeln. Das nennt man RWE oder AVA oder DEUTSCHE BANK ... egal ... Arschgesichter, die ffür Scheiße zuständig sind, werden immer mehr ((wie vermehren die sich überhaupt? Pollenbestäubung mittels Genußscheinen ...?)
Das ist wie ein wohligss warmes Gefühl, wenn man sich in einem schwarzen Anzug in die Hose pißt: keiner sieht es und man fühlt sich warm und geborgen.
Aber dieses Gefühl ist ein pißverdammter Irrtum, weil wir zu selbstgefällig geworden sind.
Leute: die Amis haben uns den Arsch gerettet, und das dürfen wir NIE, NIE, NIE vergessen.
Oder wollt Ihr wieder einen Österreicher?
Optionen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top White House and Justice Department officials should be called to testify before a U.S. Senate committee investigating a secret domestic eavesdropping program, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer said on Sunday.
Schumer's comments followed a report in Sunday's New York Times that James Comey, a deputy to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, was concerned about the legality of the National Security Agency's surveillance program and refused to extend it in 2004. White House aides then turned to Ashcroft while he was hospitalized for gallbladder surgery, the Times said.
Schumer, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday" he would ask committee Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, to seek testimony from Comey, Ashcroft, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
"Today's revelations really heighten concerns about this. When (James) Comey, who was one of the premier terrorism prosecutors in this country, said that he thought this program violated the law ... it calls into question to way the president and the vice president went about changing it," said Schumer, of New York.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy, saying he was not directly commenting on the Times story, said: "The NSA program was reviewed regularly and approved by top officials including those at the Justice Department."
The New York Times reported two weeks ago that President George W. Bush authorized the NSA to monitor, without court approval, the international telephone calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens suspected of links to foreign terrorists.
A 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, makes it illegal to spy on U.S. citizens in the United States without the approval of a special court.
Schumer said if the president thought the law hampered the war on terrorism he should have asked Congress to consider making changes.
"Unilaterally changing the law because the vice president or the president thinks it's wrong, without discussion, that's not the American way," Schumer said.
LEAK PROBE
The Bush administration has argued the eavesdropping is legal and said congressional leaders were told of the program.
Gruß BarCode
Was ich eigentlich immer und immer wieder sagen will: ich glaube nicht mehr an die Selbstheilungskräfte dieser Welt und dieser Menschheit. Ich warte auf den Tag, an dem das Licht ausgeht.
Bis dahin machen wir noch Party ... mit Blondinen ... ich nehme Heidi, von Tool-Time, die ist zwar schwarzhaarig, aber im Angesicht der Endzeit geht auch mal die Heidi als Blonine durch (mit etwas gutem Willen, Phantasie und drittem Gebiß) ... in diesem Sinne an Alle
GUTES NEUES JAHR
Optionen
US-Präsident George W. Bush hat seine von Richtern nicht genehmigten Lauschangriffe im Inland erneut verteidigt. Die Aktion sei ein Schutz vor Terrorangriffen.
Washington - Das Programm des Geheimdienstes NSA befasse sich nur mit einer kleinen Zahl von Gesprächen, die aus dem Ausland eingingen, sagte Bush während eines Besuchs in einem Militärkrankenhaus in Texas. "Wenn Sie jemand von der al-Qaida anruft, wollen wir wissen, warum", sagte er. Die USA befänden sich im Krieg. Ein Sprecher des Präsidenten stellte später klar, auch Anrufe aus den USA ins Ausland würden abgehört.
Zuvor hatte die "New York Times" berichtet, 2004 seien im Büro des damaligen Justizministers John Ashcroft Bedenken über die Rechtmäßigkeit des Programms aufgekommen. Die Regierung habe deswegen Ashcroft um seine Zustimmung gebeten, obwohl dieser wegen einer Gallenblasenoperation im Krankenhaus lag. Wie sich Ashcroft äußerte, sei nicht bekannt. In den USA erfüllt der Justizminister auch Aufgaben eines Generalbundesanwalts und berät die Regierung in juristischen Fragen.
Die Demokraten fordern eine Untersuchung des Falls. Charles Schumer vom Justizkomitee des Senats sagte im Fernsehen, er werde den republikanischen Vorsitzenden Arlen Specter um eine Anhörung bitten. Unter anderem sollten Ashcroft und der heutige Justizminister Alberto Gonzales Stellungnahmen abgeben. Auch andere Senatoren aus beiden Parteien haben formelle Untersuchungen gefordert.
Bush hatte kürzlich zugegeben, der NSA ohne vorherige richterliche Erlaubnis das Abhören von Auslandsgesprächen und das Lesen von E-Mails von US-Bürgern mit mutmaßlichen Verbindungen zu Extremisten gestattet zu haben. Er bezeichnete das heftig kritisierte Vorgehen als wesentliches Mittel zur Vorbeugung weiterer Anschläge
Bushs Gegner erwägen Amtsenthebungsverfahren
Sein Techtelmechtel mit Praktikantin Monika Lewinsky hätte Präsident Clinton fast das Amt gekostet. Das Wort "Impeachment" machte die Runde. Jetzt kursiert es wieder in Washington - wegen der Lauschangriffe der NSA prüfen Demokraten ein Amtsenthebungsverfahren gegen Bush.
Washington - Die Chancen sind minimal, aber die Gegner des US-Präsidenten greifen nach dem Strohhalm. Die kalifornische Senatorin Barbara Boxer hat bereits vier Staatsrechtler um eine Einschätzung gebeten, ob Bush ein Vergehen zur Last gelegt werden könnte, das ein Impeachment rechtfertigen würde. Und der Abgeordnete John Conyers aus Michigan möchte aus dem Kongress eine Antwort auf die Frage, ob es eine Grundlage für ein Amtsenthebungsverfahren gibt. Auch eine Reihe amerikanischer Bürger haben in Leserbriefen an ihre Zeitungen ein Impeachment gegen Bush gefordert.
REUTERS
George W. Bush: "Der Feind ruft jemanden an, und wir wollen wissen, wen"
Um den Präsidenten des Amtes zu entheben, müsste ihm Verrat, Bestechung oder anderes gravierendes Fehlverhalten nachgewiesen werden. Davon kann in diesem Fall nach Überzeugung des Weißen Hauses überhaupt nicht die Rede sein. Bush habe alle rechtlichen Befugnisse gehabt, zur Abwehr von Terrorgefahr den Geheimdienst auch ohne Gerichtserlaubnis zum Abhören von Telefonaten zu ermächtigen.
Viele Demokraten und auch einige von Bushs Republikanern sehen das anders. Aber selbst wenn Bush nicht die Ermächtigung zu dem Schritt gehabt hätte, glauben sie nicht an einen Rechtsbruch, der ein Impeachment zur Folge haben könnte. "Es handelte sich um eine politische Fehleinschätzung", schreibt der konservative Kommentator Charles Krauthammer. "Nur der dreisteste und waghalsigste Parteistratege könnte so tun, als ob es um etwas gehe, das auch nur am Rande mit einem kapitalen Verbrechen und Vergehen zu tun hat."
Bush betont, dass die Entscheidung für die Abhör-Aktionen zum Zwecke der Terrorbekämpfung rechtmäßig gewesen sei. "Der Feind ruft jemanden an, und wir wollen wissen, wen er anruft und warum", erklärt er. "Ich denke, dass die meisten Amerikaner die Notwendigkeit verstehen herauszufinden, was der Feind denkt." Mit dieser Begründung Bushs hätten die Demokraten es schwer, die Öffentlichkeit von einer Anklage zu überzeugen.
Riskantes Spiel für die Demokraten
Die amerikanische Bürgerrechtsunion, eine regierungskritische Organisation mit Sitz in New York, fordert eine Untersuchung seitens eines unabhängigen Sonderermittlers. In ganzseitigen Zeitungsanzeigen verglich sie Bush mit dem ehemaligen Präsidenten Richard Nixon, der 1974 mit seinem Rücktritt einem Impeachment im Watergate-Skandal zuvor kam.
Nixon wurde Vertuschung von Verbrechen vorgeworfen. Der Demokrat Clinton wurde 1998 in ein Impeachment-Verfahren gezwungen, nachdem ihm im Sexskandal mit seiner Praktikantin Falschaussage unter Eid zu Last gelegt wurde. Im Senat fand sich aber nicht die nötige Mehrheit für eine Amtsenthebung.
Mehr Chancen können sich nun die Gegner des Präsidenten auch nicht ausrechnen. In beiden Kammern des Kongresses verfügen Bushs Republikaner über die Mehrheit - sowohl im Repräsentantenhaus, das über die Einleitung des Prozederes entscheiden müsste, als auch im Senat, wo das Verfahren schließlich stattfinden würde.
Die Mehrheitsverhältnisse wären für die Demokraten aber nicht das einzige strategische Hindernis. Ein Amtsenthebungsverfahren gegen Bush anzustrengen, wäre für die Opposition ein großes politisches Risiko. Viele Wähler könnten diesen Schritt als Racheakt für die verlorene Wahl von 2004 auslegen - und das den Demokraten übel nehmen und sie dafür beim nächsten Urnengang abstrafen. Das schwache Abschneiden der Republikaner bei der Kongresswahl 1998 wurde als Denkzettel für ihr Impeachment gegen Clinton gewertet.
Noch eine weitere Überlegung lässt die meisten Demokraten innehalten. Zwänge man Bush aus dem Amt, wäre sein Nachfolger Vizepräsident Dick Cheney, der Mann, den einige Kritiker als den finsteren Kopf hinter Bush sehen. Und den wollen sie dann wohl doch nicht im Weißen Haus.
The Times said that in early 2005, the U.S. military told Lincoln Group, a Washington-based public relations company, to identify Sunni clerics who could persuade Sunnis in the Anbar province to take part in the parliamentary elections, a former employee from the company said.
Since then, the company has retained three or four Sunni clerics to offer advice and write reports for military commanders regarding the propaganda campaign, the employee added.
Moreover, the company’s documents show that the firm’s links with religious leaders and influential officials were also aimed at allowing it to influence the Iraqis on behalf of the Pentagon.
"We do reach out to clerics. We meet with local government officials and with local businessmen," said a Lincoln executive, who demanded anonymity. "We need to have relationships that are broad enough and deep enough that we can touch all the various aspects of society."
The company’s internal financial records show that it spent around $144,000 on "Muslim scholars" from May to September. Although this sum is too small compared to the tens of millions in contracts the company received from the U.S. army for the so-called "information operations," the project is particularly sensitive because of the influential role that religious leaders play in the Iraqi society.
"Divide and Prosper"
According to The Times, Lincoln has recently asked the Pentagon to make Sunni clerics one of several "target audiences" of the propaganda campaign in Iraq. In October, it presented a plan, entitled "Divide and Prosper," to the Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, which monitors information operations, suggesting that reaching Muslim leaders was vital for reducing Sunni support for the resistance.
Clerics "are a vital audience that will be very difficult to influence but if successful is likely to have a considerable impact on the wider community" the company said in its proposal.
When Lincoln Group was incorporated in 2005, its main objective was to provide support services for business development, trade and investment in Iraq. But the firm shifted to information warfare and psychological operations, two former officials said, adding that it was awarded three new Pentagon contracts.
Paying the clerics was originally part of Lincoln’s contract to help the army with information warfare in Anbar Province. Known as the "Western Missions" contract, it also called for producing radio and television advertisements, Web sites and posters, and for placing advertisements and opinion articles in Iraqi newspapers.
The U.S. army in Baghdad declined to comment on the report.
In November, the Pentagon launched a probe after it was revealed that the army used Lincoln to plant positive stories about the U.S. army in Iraqi publications.
One correspondent in Baghdad says the revelation is an embarrassment to the U.S. army, especially because it claims that it is promoting transparency in Iraq.
Der Schweizer Zeitung "Sonntagsblick" liegt ein Fax vor, das die Existenz von US-Geheimgefängnissen in Osteuropa beweisen soll. Das ägyptische Schreiben, das der Schweizer Geheimdienst VBS abfing, nennt konkrete Orte und Anzahl von Inhaftierten.
Hamburg - Das Fax wurde nach Informationen des Blattes im am 15. November 2005 durch einen Schweizer Geheimdienst-Horchposten abgefangen. Adressat sei der ägyptische Botschafter in London gewesen, Absender Ägyptens Außenminister Ahmed Abul Ghaith. Schweizer Geheimdienstmitarbeiter versahen das Schreiben laut "Sonntagsblick" mit dem Vermerk: "Die Ägypter verfügen über Quellen, welche die Existenz amerikanischer Geheimgefängnisse bestätigen".
AFP
CIA-Gefängnis "Salt Pit" in Kabul: Abtransport nach Polen und Rumänien?
Das Blatt zitiert aus dem Schreiben folgende Passagen: "Die Botschaft hat aus eigenen Quellen erfahren, dass tatsächlich 23 irakische und afghanische Bürger auf dem Stützpunkt Mihail Kogalniceanu in der Nähe der Stadt Constanza am Schwarzen Meer verhört wurden. Ähnliche Verhörzentren gibt es in der Ukraine, im Kosovo, in Mazedonien und Bulgarien." Constanza liegt in Rumänien.
Außerdem sei von dem Bericht der Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch die Rede, demzufolge "am 21. und 22. September 2005 Gefangene mit amerikanischen Militärflugzeugen von der Basis Salt Pit in Kabul zum polnischen Stützpunkt Szymany und dem oben genannten rumänischen Stützpunkt transportiert worden sind".
Die Informationen der Ägypter stammten nicht nur aus öffentlichen Quellen wie Zeitungsartikeln, sondern auch aus "eigenen Quellen", betont der "Sonntagsblick" und zitiert einen ungenannten Schweizer Geheimdienstmitarbeiter, der die Arbeit des ägyptischen Geheimdienstes als "hochprofessionell" einstufe.
Wie ernst die Schweizer Behörden den Bericht nehmen, zeigt, dass die Zeitung sich wegen Geheimnisverrats verantworten muss. Laut "Neuer Zürcher Zeitung" wird der zuständige Bundesrat Samuel Schmid eine sogenannte Administrativuntersuchung einleiten.
Mit der Administrativuntersuchung soll geklärt werden, wie das als geheim klassifizierte Dokument an die Öffentlichkeit geraten konnte, sagte ein VBS-Sprecher auf Anfrage. Die Zeitung müsse zudem wegen der Publikation des Dokumentes mit rechtlichen Schritten rechnen. Der VBS-Chef behalte sich weitere rechtliche Schritte vor.
CIA-Affäre sorgt in Europa für erhebliche Unruhe
Die "Washington Post" berichtete bereits am 2. November ausführlich über ein angebliches Netzwerk von Geheimgefängnissen der CIA. Der Dienst "versteckt und verhört einige seiner wichtigsten al-Qaida-Gefangenen in einer Einrichtung aus der Sowjet-Ära in Osteuropa", berichtete das Blatt damals. Behördenvertreter aus den USA und anderen Ländern hätten diese Information bestätigt.
Im Dezember sagte der Schweizer Dick Marty, der für den Europarat in dieser Frage ermittelt, er sehe in der Affäre um mutmaßliche Geheimgefängnisse und Gefangenenflüge in Europa die Verdachtsmomente erhärtet. Vorliegende Informationen stärkten "die Glaubwürdigkeit der Anschuldigungen über den Transport und die vorübergehende Festnahme von Personen außerhalb jedes juristischen Verfahrens in europäischen Ländern".
Merkel will Schließung von Guantanamo
Nach dem Bericht der "Washington Post" fürchtet die CIA, dass diese Einrichtungen öffentlich gemacht werden, weil die dort praktizierten Methoden auch in den jeweiligen Ländern als Rechtsverstöße gelten würden. Während die Hafteinrichtungen des US-Militärs nach dem Folterskandal von Abu Ghureib nun genau kontrolliert würden, unterlägen die CIA-Gefängnisse bislang keinerlei Kontrolle. Ein Geheimdienstmitarbeiter sagte der Washington Post damals, das Programm sei "eine entsetzliche Last".
Der angebliche Beweis für US-Geheimgefängnisse kommt zu einem Zeitpunkt, in dem auch in Deutschland der Unmut über die Inhaftierungspraxis der USA erneut aufflammt. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) hat in einem Gespräch mit dem SPIEGEL das US-Gefangenenlager Guantanamo scharf kritisiert. "Eine Institution wie Guantanamo kann und darf auf Dauer so nicht existieren", sagte Merkel. Es müssten Mittel und Wege für einen anderen Umgang mit den Gefangenen gefunden werden. Die Äußerung wurde von den im Bundestag vertretenen Parteien nahezu einhellig gelobt. Merkel kündigte an, dieses Thema auch bei ihrem Treffen mit US-Präsident George W. Bush anzusprechen. Die Kanzlerin trifft am kommenden Freitag mit Bush zusammen
Fax aus Ägypten bringt CIA in Bedrängnis
Das Schweizer Verteidigungsministerium will klären, wie ein Fax des ägyptischen Außenministers an die Öffentlichkeit kommen konnte, das die Existenz von CIA-Geheimgefängnissen in Europa beweisen soll. Eine Schweizer Zeitung hatte das Schreiben veröffentlicht, in dem Orte und Anzahl der Inhaftierten genannt werden.
Genf - Die Wochenzeitung "Sonntagsblick" veröffentlichte das Fax des ägyptischen Außenministers Ahmed Abu Gheit, in dem von Gefangenen-Verhören der USA in mehreren osteuropäischen Ländern die Rede ist.
Das an die ägyptische Botschaft in London gesendete Dokument soll demnach von Spezialisten des Schweizer Geheimdienstes abgefangen worden sein. In dem Schreiben heißt es dem Bericht zufolge unter anderem, 23 irakische und afghanische Gefangene seien auf dem rumänischen Militärstützpunkt Mihail Kogalniceanu am Schwarzen Meer verhört worden.
Ähnliche Verhöre hätten auch in der Ukraine, im Kosovo, in Mazedonien und in Bulgarien stattgefunden. Der ägyptische Geheimdienst habe dabei nicht öffentlich zugängliche Quellen wie Zeitungen, sondern eigene Quellen ausgewertet. Erkenntnisse ägyptischer Geheimdienste würden generell als "hochprofessionell" eingestuft, berichtete das Blatt unter Berufung auf nicht namentlich genannte Experten weiter.
Der Kommandeur eines rumänischen Militärstützpunktes, auf dem sich angeblich ein Gefängnis des US-Geheimdienstes CIA befinden soll, wies den Bericht vehement zurück. Er arbeite seit 1995 dort und habe nie etwas Derartiges bemerkt, sagte Dan Buciuman der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Der Stützpunkt stehe jedem offen, der dort ermitteln wolle, betonte Buciuman. Die Militärbasis wird bereits seit dem Irak-Krieg von den USA genutzt.
Das Schweizer Verteidigungsministerium kündigte Ermittlungen zu der Frage an, wie die Informationen an die Öffentlichkeit gelangen konnten. Es wollte sich zum Inhalt des Berichts nicht äußern. Das Papier sei als geheim eingestuft worden, hieß es auf der Internetseite des Ministeriums zur Begründung. Bisher hatten nur Menschenrechtsorganisationen und Medien über die Existenz von geheimen Gefängnissen der CIA in Osteuropa berichtet. Laut dem US-Nachrichtensender ABC hat der US-Geheimdienst Ende vergangenen Jahres kurz vor dem Europa-Besuch von US-Außenministerin Condoleezza Rice die Häftlinge von Osteuropa nach Nordafrika verlegt. Staatliche Stellen hatten die Existenz von Geheimgefängnissen bisher stets abgestritten. EU-Innen- und Justizkommissar Franco Frattini hat den Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union mit scharfen Sanktionen bis hin zum Entzug der Stimmrechte im Europäischen Rat gedroht, sollten sich die Berichte über Geheimgefängnisse bewahrheiten.
Merkel will Schließung von Guantanamo
Nach dem Bericht der "Washington Post" fürchtet die CIA, dass diese Einrichtungen öffentlich gemacht werden, weil die dort praktizierten Methoden auch in den jeweiligen Ländern als Rechtsverstöße gelten würden. Während die Hafteinrichtungen des US-Militärs nach dem Folterskandal von Abu Ghureib nun genau kontrolliert würden, unterlägen die CIA-Gefängnisse bislang keinerlei Kontrolle. Ein Geheimdienstmitarbeiter sagte der "Washington Post" damals, das Programm sei "eine entsetzliche Last".
Der angebliche Beweis für US-Geheimgefängnisse kommt zu einem Zeitpunkt, in dem auch in Deutschland der Unmut über die Inhaftierungspraxis der USA erneut aufflammt. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) hat in einem Gespräch mit dem SPIEGEL das US-Gefangenenlager Guantanamo scharf kritisiert. "Eine Institution wie Guantanamo kann und darf auf Dauer so nicht existieren", sagte Merkel. Es müssten Mittel und Wege für einen anderen Umgang mit den Gefangenen gefunden werden. Die Äußerung wurde von den im Bundestag vertretenen Parteien nahezu einhellig gelobt. Merkel kündigte an, dieses Thema auch bei ihrem Treffen mit US-Präsident George W. Bush anzusprechen. Die Kanzlerin trifft am kommenden Freitag mit Bush zusammen
CIA-Chef Porter Goss will verstärkt dafür sorgen, dass Agenten seiner Behörde keine brisanten Informationen mehr an die Medien lancieren, wie das Magazin „Time“ am Sonntag (Ortszeit) in seiner Online-Ausgabe berichtete. Die CIA-Leitung habe vor ihren Mitarbeitern vergangene Woche zahlreiche „undichte Stellen“ innerhalb der Behörde beklagt und angekündigt, dem ein Ende zu setzen.
Oldies sollen Leck aufstöbern
Um die Informanten aus dem eigenen Hause zu enttarnen, habe die CIA ein Team aus Agenten im Ruhestand zusammengestellt, die Presseberichte studieren und die Quellen für Geheiminformationen herausfinden sollen, hieß es. Goss wolle auch gegen Ex-Agenten vorgehen, die Bücher über ihre Karriere im Geheimdienst schreiben.
In der letzten Zeit hatten eine Reihe von Enthüllungen die Runde gemacht, die auf Informationen aus geheimen Quellen beruhten – unter anderem die Berichte über angebliche Geheimgefängnisse der CIA in Europa und die Abhöraffäre, in der US-Präsident George W. Bush nach dem 11. September zahlreiche Lauschangriffe durch die National Security Agency genehmigt hatte.
Anti-War group has documents proving NSA Spied on them
Interview with Maria Allwine of Baltimore's Iraq Pledge of Resistance
By: Kevin Zeese
The Baltimore-based chapter of the national Iraq Pledge of Resistance is an anti-war organization working for peace by challenging people in power, educating the public and getting citizens to take action. In the interview below, Maria Allwine of the Pledge, describes how the National Security Agency (NSA) is spying on them. These allegations, which have not been reported in the media despite attempts to get coverage, are based on documents received by the pledge in litigation with the government.
Kevin Zeese: Describe your background, history and current work.
Maria Allwine: I've engaged in nonviolent civil resistance since 2002, grew up in Baltimore City, have been a city resident since 1985, have lived in many places in the U.S. as well as in Japan. I am 52, a wife, mother and legal secretary.
KZ:What is the "Pledge of Resistance?"
MA: The Pledge is a national group committed to nonviolent civil resistance to stop the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. We are often arrested in the exercise of our First Amendment rights. We are dedicated to educating the American public about what our government is doing to Iraq and to petitioning our government and Congresspersons to take action to stop the occupation. The Pledge lobbies Maryland Congresspersons and Senators via letters, phone calls, faxes, emails, and face-to-face meetings.
KZ: What type of activities has the Pledge organized and participated in?
The Pledge has sponsored and participated in many demonstrations and actions since 2002, including the January 19, 2003 action at Lafayette Park in DC, the March 1, 2003 mall leafleting event in Baltimore County (which resulted in arrests), the marches prior to the invasion, the actions, resulting in arrests, the day prior to and of the invasion, the Dover to DC Memorial March in March 2004, several other memorial marches, including attempts to deliver the names of U.S. and Iraqi dead to the White House, the October 2, 2004 attempt to deliver names again to the White House, also resulting in arrests, and too many other actions to describe here. The latest was the September 26 action at the White House - where names of the dead were hung on the White House fence and which resulted in 374 arrests, including Cindy Sheehan. The Pledge also demonstrates every July at the NSA, which usually result in arrests as well.
As mentioned above, the Pledge is heavily involved in ongoing lobbying, including meetings with Sens. Mikulski and Sarbanes, including a sit-in in Sen. Mikulski's office in November 2003 resulting in arrests, meetings with Rep. Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Ruppersberger (R-MD). The Pledge is currently involved in the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR) - a national campaign from January 16, 2006 through March 20, 2006 - focusing on lobbying Congress to stop war funding and occupation as well as many other actions and events. If any readers would like information on this campaign, go to www.iraqpledge.org.
KZ: Do you have any indications that the federal government has been monitoring the meetings and other activities of the Pledge?
MA: During a trial for arrests at NSA on October 4, 2003, an internal NSA email was given to the defendants from the Pledge by an NSA witness. The email showed that the NSA had been physically spying on the Pledge as it prepared to depart on July 3, 2004 (the trial for the 10/04/03 arrest was in 8/04) from the American Friends Service Committee on York Rd. in Baltimore to the NSA. The email is time chronological and details the Pledge's activities as it assembled in the parking lot of the AFSC, number of people, who is going in which vehicles, what vehicles were being used, their make and license plate numbers, what signs we were carrying, the helium tanks (for balloons) we were bringing and also recognizes and names Max Obuszewski as one of the protesters. The email then details, with specific times, our progress on the road from Baltimore to the NSA. It goes on to describe our demonstration and subsequent arrests. The email begins at 9:40am, prior to our arrival at the NSA at around 12 noon, and proceeds through the day.
We were also given during the same trial, an "NSA Police Action Plan" to "effectively respond to the threat of a demonstration hosted by a group known as Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore on October 4, 2003. It goes on in GREAT detail to outline the NSA response to the protest. It mentions counter-surveillance by the NSA during the demo, obviously different from being spying upon at the AFSC in Baltimore.
The Pledge believes the NSA must be spying on us from the federal post office right across a small street from the AFSC. It's the only place that gives them enough of a view to see our cars/license plate numbers. They are, no doubt, using sophisticated equipment to do so. It's entirely possible this spying occurs via satellite or some other such instrument. But spying on us they are.
Also - during the March 20, 2003 demonstration in downtown Baltimore, a provocateur (whom we had identified at our planning meeting the previous night) joined us. We'd never seen him before. He was obviously talking, meeting really, with the police across the street and then later during the die-in at the federal courthouse, taunting the police in a violent manner. We had to quiet him down, he then disappeared and we never saw him again - and, of course, he wasn't arrested with the other 49 of us.
KZ: Have you told the media about this? Has it been reported anywhere? If not, have you been told why not?
I have twice called the Marc Steiner Show on WYPR to discuss – Mr. Steiner indicated some interest in this as a news story so I promptly hand-delivered the email and plan to one of the producers at WYPR, but have had no response. I wrote a letter to the Sun. The letters editor called me and said he couldn’t just publish my “allegations” without proof. I hand-delivered the items to him as well but have had no response. I have followed up with both with no success. The New York Times called Max Obuszewski of the Pledge, after hearing what I said on my call to the Steiner show - but indicated it was not interested because it's not wiretapping. I called in to Steiner again on 1/5/06 to discuss this during his show on the NSA spying and FISA. One of his guests, a government apologist, told me that if I had proof of this spying, I should contact the media as she was sure they would be interested! I was unable to reply as the producer had already disconnected me.
Fehlschlag verärgert wichtigen Partner
Angriff auf Al-Kaidas Nummer zwei verfehlt offenbar Ziel.
Der gegen El-Kaida-Vize Eiman el-Sawahiri gerichtete US-Luftangriff am Freitag hat offenbar sein Ziel verfehlt und die pakistanische Regierung verärgert.
Doch die Aktion könnte auch innerhalb der US-Regierung für einige Unruhe sorgen, handelt es sich doch offenbar um einen Alleingang des Geheimdienstes CIA - das Pentagon will von dem Luftschlag nichts wissen.
Pentagon distanziert sich
Das amerikanischen Verteidigungsministerium hat sich von dem Luftangriff in pakistanisch-afghanischen Grenzgebiet distanziert. "Uns liegen keine Berichte über den Einsatz von Koalitions-Flugzeugen in der Gegend vor, aus der über Explosionen berichtet wurde", sagte eine Pentagon-Sprecherin am Samstag in Washington.
Pentagon übergangen?
Damit blieb offen, ob möglicherweise der US-Geheimdienst CIA allein für den Angriff verantwortlich ist, bei dem am Freitag 18 Menschen ums Leben gekommen waren.
Dies wäre ungewöhnlich, da die US-Armee weiterhin im benachbarten Afghanistan stationiert ist und von dort aus die Jagd auf die El-Kaida-Terroristen leitet.
Angriff mit Drohnen
Der Angriff dürfte mit raketenbestückten, unbemannten Drohnen der CIA ausgeführt worden sein, erfuhr Reuters aus Kreisen in Washington. Ein Sprecher der für Pakistan zuständigen US-Militärzentrale in Florida sagte, es gebe keinen offiziellen Bericht über einen Angriff in Pakistan.
Wiederholt im Gebiet gesichtet
Nach Angaben aus pakistanischen Geheimdienstkreisen soll sich Sawahiri wiederholt in dem Gebiet aufgehalten haben.
Am Freitag sei er aber nicht in dem Dorf gewesen. Bewohner sagten, zum Zeitpunkt des Angriffs hätten sich keine Fremden in Damadola aufgehalten.
Leichen von Ausländern weggeschafft?
Auch in pakistanischen Geheimdienstkreisen hieß es, es lägen keine Informationen über Opfer vor, die nicht aus dem Dorf stammten. Es habe jedoch Gerüchte gegeben, denen zufolge ein Extremisten nahe stehender Prediger vielleicht die Leichen einiger Ausländer fortgeschafft habe.
Islamabad reagiert harsch
Die Regierung in Islamabad verurteilte am Samstag den Angriff auf das Dorf Damadola nahe der Grenze zu Afghanistan, bei dem 18 Menschen ums Leben kamen. Sie bedaure den Tod von Zivilisten, sagte Informationsminister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Die Regierung zeigte sich verärgert: "Wir wollen den Menschen versichern, dass wir es nicht erlauben, dass es wieder zu einem solchen Vorfall kommt", sagte Ahmed. In der von ihm verlesenen Stellungnahme war von einem "höchst verurteilungswürdigen" Angriff die Rede.
Diplomatisches Signal
"Der US-Botschafter wird in das Außenministerium einberufen", erklärte er vor Journalisten.
Der pakistanische Präsident Pervez Musharraf vermied unterdessen direkte Kritik an den USA. Er sprach lediglich von einem Vorfall, in den "Leute von außerhalb" verwickelt gewesen seien.
Der blutige Angriff auf pakistanischem Staatsgebiet belastet die bilateralen Beziehungen und bringt den Partner der USA im Anti-Terror-Kampf, Präsident Pervez Musharraf, im eigenen Land noch stärker als bereits bisher unter Druck.
Sawahiri am Leben?
Der arabische Fernsehsender Al-Arabija berichtete, Sawahiri sei am Leben. In Washington hieß es, eine Untersuchung der Leichen solle Klarheit bringen, ob Sawahiri unter den Toten sei.
Nach Angaben von Stammesangehörigen kamen 18 Bewohner des Dorfes bei dem Angriff ums Leben, darunter Frauen und Kinder. Drei Gebäude seien zerstört worden.
"Ich kannte alle der 18 Getöteten. Weder Sawahiri noch ein anderer Araber waren darunter. Es waren alles arme Menschen aus der Region", zitierte eine Nachrichtenagentur einen Abgeordneten aus der Region.
Spontane Proteste
In einem nahegelegenen Dorf protestierten rund 3.000 Menschen gegen den Angriff und skandierten gegen die USA gerichtete Slogans.
Links:
Gatherings were taking place in cities including Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi and were set to continue all day.
Pakistan's foreign ministry has protested to the United States over an airstrike on a remote village near the Afghan border that killed 18 people but apparently missed its target, Osama bin Laden's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Hundreds of residents chanted anti-American slogans Saturday near the targeted village of Damadola.
In Bajour agency, the district including Damadola, tribal leaders said their protest will continue for three days and that shops in the district will be closed.
Pakistan's religious party alliance, MMA, called for protests. They were joined by MQM (Mutihada Qaumi Movement), a key alliance party in Musharraf's government which has several federal ministers in the Cabinet.
Many of the protesters are angry at Musharraf because they believe he is not doing enough to prevent U.S. actions such as the airstrike.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said Saturday it lodged a protest with the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan Crocker, and the issue is being "thoroughly investigated."
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan's information minister, called the attack "highly condemnable."
According to a Pakistani intelligence official, al-Zawahiri -- bin Laden's right-hand man in the al Qaeda terrorist network -- was not killed in the CIA-ordered airstrike on Damadola.
U.S. sources said al-Zawahiri was the target of the strike and initially reported that he may have been among those killed.
The Pakistani intelligence official said it was not known whether al-Zawahiri was in the area.
The attack killed eight men, five women and five children, Pakistani intelligence sources told CNN. Three homes were targeted.
The Pentagon and the White House declined to comment on initial reports of the airstrike.
A statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office on Saturday said a preliminary investigation shows "there was foreign presence in the area and that in all probability was targeted from across the border in Afghanistan."
"As a result of this act there has been loss of innocent civilian lives which we condemn. The investigations are still continuing."
Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest the attack.(Watch Pakistan take a stand against what it says is improper CIA conduct -- 3:21)
"Pakistan will also take up this matter in the next meeting of the Tripartite Commission," the statement read. The commission is made up of senior military and diplomatic representatives from coalition forces, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Associated Press quoted a senior Pakistani intelligence official as saying "our investigations conclude that (the CIA) acted on false information."
Reuters also quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying: "Al-Zawahiri was not there at the time of the attack."
Al Arabiya satellite television said Saturday al-Zawahiri was alive, quoting an unidentified source it said had contact with al Qaeda, Reuters reported.
But U.S. sources familiar with the operation said it was too early to determine al-Zawahiri's fate, according to Reuters.
"We are conducting tests to identify the bodies," one intelligence official said.
The FBI is offering to help examine DNA samples from the bodies, but the agency has yet to receive a formal request.
"If we receive a request we will assist," spokesman Richard Kolko said.
Some people from Damadola said no foreigners were present or killed in the attack, Reuters reported.
"I know all the 18 people killed. There was neither Zawahiri nor any other Arab among them. Rather they were all poor people of the area," Haroon Rashid, the area's National Assembly representative, was quoted by the Afghan Islamic Press news agency as saying.
Festival celebration
But other residents of Damadola said some visitors had come from Afghanistan to celebrate the Eid al-Adha festival, and one said he saw two bodies he believed were outsiders, Reuters reported.
Sheikh Ahmed said: "While this act is highly condemnable, we have for a long time been striving to rid all our tribal areas of foreign intruders who have been responsible for all the violence and misery in the region. This situation has to be brought to an end."
He added that it "is also the responsibility of the people in the areas to fully cooperate.'"
U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have long been concerned about foreign fighters taking refuge in neighboring Pakistan.
The Foreign Office statement said Pakistan's armed forces "have undertaken a large-scale operation against the foreign militants and it remains our responsibility to protect our people and territory from outside intrusion."
The strike came a week after the Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera aired a new videotape with a message from al-Zawahiri, in which he called on U.S. President George W. Bush to admit defeat in Iraq.
U.S. authorities believe al-Zawahiri, 54, a doctor from a prominent Egyptian family, helped mastermind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He has also been indicted in the United States for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The U.S. government has put up a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture.
While bin Laden himself hasn't been heard from since October 2004, last week's videotape was the fifth message from al-Zawahiri released over the past year, including several claiming responsibility for the July attacks on London's transit system.
Driving force
Considered the intellectual and ideological driving force behind al Qaeda, al-Zawahiri has been associated with bin Laden since at least 1987, when they first met in Pakistan. He is also believed to act as bin Laden's personal physician.
In 1998, al-Zawahiri merged his own Islamic militant group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, into bin Laden's organization.
Three months after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. forces attacked al-Zawahiri's residence in Afghanistan, killing his wife and children.
In March 2004, Pakistani troops launched an assault on an area in Waziristan province where intelligence indicated al-Zawahiri was hiding, but he was not captured.
Last month, Pakistani officials confirmed the death of a top al Qaeda official, Abu Hamza Rabia, who was killed in an explosion December 1 north of the border town of Miram Shah (Full story).
But witnesses gave conflicting accounts of how he died. Villagers said he was killed in a missile strike, while Pakistan officials said he died while working with explosives.
Egyptian-born Rabia was described as al Qaeda's operations chief and No. 3 man.
Pakistan condemned Friday's strike, which killed at least 18 people, including women and children, and summoned U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker to protest. Thousands of local tribesmen also rallied near the scene, chanting anti-American slogans.
The Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that foreigners had been near the village of Damadola in the Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan and were the probable target.
Pakistani intelligence officials said they were checking reports up to seven foreign militants had been killed and their bodies removed by local supporters. But they said there were no indications Osama bin Laden's deputy, Zawahri, was there.
"He was invited for the dinner, but we have no evidence he was present," a senior intelligence official told Reuters.
Al Arabiya television quoted a source it said had contact with al Qaeda saying Zawahri was alive.
The U.S. government has not commented, but U.S. sources familiar with the operation said it was too early to determine his fate and the remains of the dead would have to be examined to determine whether Zawahri was among them.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitive nature, said the airstrike was carried out on the basis of "very good" intelligence indicating Zawahri was at the targeted location.
Another Pakistani intelligence official said two local Islamist clerics, known for harbouring al Qaeda militants, had attended the dinner but left hours before the airstrike at 3.00 a.m. (2200 GMT).
ANTI-AMERICAN ANGER
The U.S. sources said CIA-operated unmanned drones were believed to have been used in the attack. A Pakistani intelligence official said four missiles had been fired
Nach Angaben von Stammesangehörigen kamen 18 Bewohner des Dorfes bei dem Angriff ums Leben, darunter Frauen und Kinder. Drei Gebäude seien zerstört worden. Einem hochrangigen Regierungsvertreter zufolge hielt sich Sauahri nicht in dem Dorf auf. "Wir wollen den Menschen versichern, dass wir es nicht erlauben, dass es wieder zu einem solchen Vorfall kommt", sagte Minister Ahmed. In der von ihm verlesenen Stellungnahme war von einem "höchst verurteilungswürdigen" Angriff die Rede. Der pakistanische Präsident Pervez Musharraf vermied unterdessen direkte Kritik an den USA. Er sprach lediglich von einem Vorfall, in den "Leute von außerhalb" verwickelt gewesen seien.
Der Angriff dürfte mit raketenbestückten, unbemannten Drohnen der CIA ausgeführt worden sein, erfuhr Reuters aus Kreisen in Washington. Ein Sprecher der für Pakistan zuständigen US-Militärzentrale in Florida sagte, es gebe keinen offiziellen Bericht über einen Angriff in Pakistan.
Nach Angaben aus pakistanischen Geheimdienstkreisen soll sich Sauahri wiederholt in dem Gebiet aufgehalten haben. Am Freitag sei er aber nicht in dem Dorf gewesen. Bewohner sagten, zum Zeitpunkt des Angriffs hätten sich keine Fremden in Damadola aufgehalten. Der gebürtige Ägypter Sauahri und Al-Kaida-Chef Osama bin Laden sind seit dem Sturz der Taliban-Regierung in Afghanistan 2001 durch US-geführte Truppen auf der Flucht. Die USA haben auf beide ein Kopfgeld von 25 Millionen Dollar ausgesetzt.
Sahibzada Haroon ur Rashid, a local lawmaker from a hard-line Islamic party, claimed it was a U.S. airstrike _ opposite a region of Afghanistan where Islamic militants are active. But the U.S. military denied knowledge of the incident.
Residents of Damadola, a hillside hamlet about four miles inside northwestern Pakistan, said children and women were among the dead.
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Pakistan's army said only that it had received reports about "explosions" in the region and that an unknown number of people had died.
An Associated Press reporter who traveled to Damadola, about 125 miles southeast of Islamabad, counted at least 15 fresh graves of victims, buried quickly according to Islamic custom. Villagers said more than 30 people had died and others were wounded.
Mohammed Karim, a doctor from a hospital in the main town of Bajur _ the tribal region where Damadola is located _ said 17 or 18 people were killed and two others were treated for their wounds.
Three houses, hundreds of yards apart, were destroyed, with wreckage scattered in craters some 10 feet deep. Five women were weeping nearby, cursing the attackers. Dozens of others gathered to express condolences.
"My entire family was killed, and I don't know whom should I blame for it," said Sami Ullah, a 17-year old student, as he shifted debris from his ruined home with a hoe. "I only seek justice from God."
He said 24 of his family members were killed _ among them his parents, four brothers, three sisters-in-law, three sisters and five nephews. He said his father, Bakht Pur, had been a laborer.
Digging through the cement rubble of his home, Shah Zaman, who lost two sons and a daughter, recounted hearing planes at about 2:40 a.m.
"I ran out and saw planes were dropping bombs," said Zaman, 40. "I saw my home being hit."
"I don't know who carried out this attack and why. We were needlessly attacked. We are law-abiding people. I think we were targeted wrongly," he said.
Militant groups like al-Qaida, the Taliban and the militia of renegade Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar are believed to be active in the border area, but Bajur itself is rarely troubled by violence.
In Kabul, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Mike Cody said he had no reports on Friday's attack.
The spokesman for Pakistan's army _ which has tens of thousands of forces deployed along the Afghan border to hunt al-Qaida and Taliban militants _ said it had reports of casualties in explosions in Bajur but no details. "This matter is still being investigated," said spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan.
In Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar, which borders Bajur, deputy provincial governor Noor Mohammed denied that a rocket attack had been launched from inside Afghanistan.
"I have been in touch with all the security forces in Kunar and no one has heard about this," he said.
The attack was the latest in a series of apparent air or missile strikes on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan, unexplained by authorities but widely suspected to have targeted terror suspects or Islamic militants.
Last Saturday, an attack on a cleric's home in North Waziristan, 125 miles southwest of Bajur, killed eight people. Local tribesmen claimed U.S. helicopters launched the attack and took away five tribesmen. Pakistan's government protested to the U.S. military in Afghanistan. The U.S. military denied it had bombed the area.
Last month, a senior al-Qaida suspect from Egypt, Hamza Rabia, was killed in North Waziristan. Pakistan denied residents' claims that he died in a U.S. missile strike.
Pakistan maintains a sensitive alliance with the United States in its war on terror, which is opposed by many in this Islamic nation of 150 million people. Pakistan says it does not allow Afghan or the 20,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan to operate on its soil.
"Our people say Americans did it," Rashid said. "If it is true, then Pakistan should lodge a strong protest with the U.S. government for killing innocent people."
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.”
Modhhir was not crying, but his voice was full of rage. His sister (Najla’) who was the wife of his cousin too, was pregnant in her 9th month. She was supposed to have cesarean operation because she was a week late for her due time. “I can not describe her and her baby when we removed the bodies.” Another cousin’s baby was only 25 days. A third child’s body was not found until 2 days later. Modhhir brought the family’s IDs, death certificates, and photos.
They are: (name, age, relation to Arkan and cause of death)
Arkan Abdulla Family:
1-Alia Amir, 50, wife, smashed scull, broken ribs, burns and injuries in the chest and abdomen
2- Asma’a Arkan, 23, daughter, suffocation
3- In’am Arkan, 14, daughter, smashed scull
4- Lubna Arkan, 12, daughter, injury in the head and suffocation
5- Abdul Razzaq Arkan, 10, son, broken ribs and suffocation
6- Mahmood Arkan, 22, son, broken scull and suffocation
Saddam Arkan Abdulla Family
7- Khatar Dahham, 28, daughter in law, injuries and broken scull
8- Dhuha S. Arkan, 10, grand daughter, broken scull and injuries in head
9- Abdulla S. Arkan, 9, grandson, intestine tear
10-Thammir S.Arkan, 4, grandson, broken ribs, bleeding inside chest and broken legs
11- Amir S. Arkan, 7, grandson, smashed scull, suffocation and legs injury
12- Yahia S. Arkan, 3, grandson, smashed scull
13- Saja S. Arkan, 2, grand daughter, smashed scull, tissue tear and broken ribs
Fanar Arkan Abdulla Family
14- Najla’a Najim, 22, daughter in law, smashed scull, suffocation
15- Leila Fanar Arkan, fetus, given birth and death certificate at the same time
16- Ahmad Salih Amir, 25 days, nephew, injuries in head, chest and ribs.
17- Khattab Mahmood Arkan, 2, grandson, smashed scull
“Who of these do you recognize as terrorist? This one, this, or may be this?” The pictures were of women in a party, many children in different occasions…This is my sister, this is her son, this is my youngest cousin….etc. He was pointing to the faces and naming them. I felt that the list was endless. “Please stop,” I said.
“Why do you think your uncle’s house was bombed?” I asked.
“I do not know. I want them to answer this question. They bombed three houses in this street. In the other one 7 children and women were killed. It is Fuad’s house, there. The third one was empty, but it is no more than ruins. You can see it. Maybe they had wrong information about these houses, I do not know, may be they made a mistake…but these are not excuses. Even the American soldiers, the Iraqis, the CNN reporter were crying when they saw what happened to my family.” The family was buried in the garden.
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.
Faud’s house was just across a dusty yard. Again it was no more than scattered bricks and cement blocks. Nassir, a cousin was called to describe what happened.
“We did not know, only by chance. Our house was raided, I was upset and decided to visit my uncle Faud’s house. The whole area was empty, only the American troops were filling the place. When I approached the house, it was as you see it now. I heard the voice my cousin Salaam and, and his sister Anwar calling for help. They were injured. But other 7 were killed. Cousin Isam (35), his wife (25), his children Hani (7) and Reem(3), his sister (20), Salaam’s bride, Sheima’ (20), and Quteiba were all killed.
The stories of buried families under the rubbles became familiar in Qa’im. In Mohssin Mohammad’s house, near the electricity station, a family of 20 were killed, and in Mohssin Hommadi‘s house 35 were killed, we were told… “We used the food refrigerator to put the human bodies,” A., an employee in the hospital said.
A did not leave Qa’im during the last attack. He described what happened.
“On Nov 5, at 3 am the troops were dropped in the Railway and the Saray areas. At the same time, the bombing never stopped. Electricity was cut, and water too. The bombing was random. The tanks dashed in the street savagely. They bombed everything, even a small door. We were two families staying in the whole street. My gate was already broken because of the bombing. I crawled to open the inner doors. They were about 40 when they raided my house. They asked about terrorists and weapons. They searched the house, and found nothing. They were attacked while they were in my house. In 6 minutes 3 houses were destroyed in retaliation. They told us to close our ears and open our mouths when they bomb. A journalist accompanying them operated my generator and began to send his story from my house. They dug trenches in the neighboring Hadg Thammer house, opened big holes in the walls, and ruined the roof.”
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.
“How did he know that?”
“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.”
Next day we tried to go to Rummana. It was worse than AM described. The bridge, was bombed twice. First, no cars were able to cross, only on foot. Then, it was bombed again in three pieces, which raise their heads from the Euphrates as eternal witness of the American colonial barbarism.
(1) Wer in einer Weise, die geeignet ist, den öffentlichen Frieden zu stören,
1. zum Haß gegen Teile der Bevölkerung aufstachelt oder zu Gewalt- oder Willkürmaßnahmen gegen sie auffordert oder
2. die Menschenwürde anderer dadurch angreift, daß er Teile der Bevölkerung beschimpft, böswillig verächtlich macht oder verleumdet,
wird mit Freiheitsstrafe von drei Monaten bis zu fünf Jahren bestraft.
(2) Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer
1. Schriften (§ 11 Abs. 3), die zum Haß gegen Teile der Bevölkerung oder gegen eine nationale, rassische, religiöse oder durch ihr Volkstum bestimmte Gruppe aufstacheln, zu Gewalt- oder Willkürmaßnahmen gegen sie auffordern oder die Menschenwürde anderer dadurch angreifen, daß Teile der Bevölkerung oder eine vorbezeichnete Gruppe beschimpft, böswillig verächtlich gemacht oder verleumdet werden,
a) verbreitet,
b) öffentlich ausstellt, anschlägt, vorführt oder sonst zugänglich macht,
c) einer Person unter achtzehn Jahren anbietet, überläßt oder zugänglich macht oder
d) herstellt, bezieht, liefert, vorrätig hält, anbietet, ankündigt, anpreist, einzuführen oder auszuführen unternimmt, um sie oder aus ihnen gewonnene Stücke im Sinne der Buchstaben a bis c zu verwenden oder einem anderen eine solche Verwendung zu ermöglichen, oder
2. eine Darbietung des in Nummer 1 bezeichneten Inhalts durch Rundfunk verbreitet.
(3) Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu fünf Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer eine unter der Herrschaft des Nationalsozialismus begangene Handlung der in § 220a Abs. 1 bezeichneten Art in einer Weise, die geeignet ist, den öffentlichen Frieden zu stören, öffentlich oder in einer Versammlung billigt, leugnet oder verharmlost.
(4) Absatz 2 gilt auch für Schriften (§ 11 Abs. 3) des in Absatz 3 bezeichneten Inhalts.
(5) In den Fällen des Absatzes 2, auch in Verbindung mit Absatz 4, und in den Fällen des Absatzes 3 gilt § 86 Abs. 3 entsprechend.
würden obige poster nur gegen istitutionen der usa hetzen wäre es nicht kriminell, aber da sie gegen ein volk ("amis") hetzen ist es kriminell!!!
der § 130 beinhaltet hetze gegen ganze volksgruppen, oder gibt es einen reinen kommunistenstaat, oder eine rasse die sich als kommunisten bezeichnet?
naja......