02-22-2008, 03:40 PM
Nice try.
Democracy Now!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/29/bush_touts_outcome_of_iraq_troop">http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/29/b ... iraq_troop</a><!-- m -->
AMY GOODMAN Dahr Jamail, it’s pretty much is universally accepted in the corporate media, the surge has worked. We speak just after five US soldiers were killed in Mosul, but what about that?
DAHR JAMAIL Well, the surge and what is very interesting too, is not only do we have a US surge according to Mr. Bush, we have an Iraqi surge, two Iraqi surges actually. The first of which he mentioned in his talk last night, the concerned citizens or the awakening groups. It is really interesting that the same time last year as Mr. Bush was happily doing during his speech, comparing where were we last year to this year, well last year, these same people, these concerned local citizens according to the US military were called Al Qaeda or insurgents or terrorists. And now that there are 80,000 of them on US payroll, they’re concerned citizens and they’re an Iraqi surge. These same people, as we look at the situation on the ground, this is causing a deepening of the political divisions in the country. US backed President Nouri Al-Maliki has been vehemently opposed to this concerned citizens group backed by the US military in Iraq. These people, most of which are former resistance fighters, because they are now a threat to the Iraqi government forces. So that is causing huge problems on the ground in Iraq today. If we look at the situation the military recently announced within the last month that there was a sevenfold increase in the use of air power last year. So these are some of the reasons why right now there are fewer US troops dying but in reality, they’re paying off resistance fighters to stand down. And Muqtadr Al Sadr who commands the largest militia in the country, has his militia on stand down until next month, where that stand down might end and things might change.
AMY GOODMAN Wire of a standing down now?
DAHR JAMAIL He put them on standout almost six months ago to basically re-vet people coming in. His militia had been infiltrated by what he called foreign elements. They’re were people posing as militiamen going out and committing atrocities, etc. I think there are other political reasons obviously as well. Why they are on stand down, but that’s about to end.
AMY GOODMAN Raed Jarrar explain who these people are who are on the US payrolls, the citizens’ groups, militias.
RAED JARRAR The new citizens from Al-Anbar and other provinces in the west a middle of Iraq, is nothing new. The US has trained and supported private militias and governmental militias during the last few years. Mostly, from the shiites and from the kurds. So there were shiite and kurdish militias either working as a part of the governmental forces or independently from the governmental forces, who have been trained and funded and supported and protected by the US forces in Iraq during the last few years. Now, the US added a new sectarian force that is mainly sunni to its payroll. A new sectarian militia. So now we have three major sectarian militias, sunni, shiite, and the kurdish militias, that are trained and funded by the US whether they were inside or outside the government. And these three major militias are actually a part of a bigger US policy of supporting sectarian leaders in Iraq who are sectarianly and ethnically cleansing the country and cutting it and partitioning it demographically. Now, the new group of tribal leaders who align themselves with the US, their numbers may reach up to 70,000 or 80,000 mercenaries or private militias, they will not change this US foreign policy in Iraq or US policy in Iraq of supporting a minority of Iraqis whether they were sunnis or shiites or kurds, against the majority of other sunnis other shiites and other kurds who are nationalists, who are for keeping the country united, and ending any type of foreign intervention. So there is nothing new about the support other than finding new partners in Al-Anbar, who are willing to take US government money and oppress and kill their own people and support the foreign powers. So If this policy continues, we will continues seeing the number of Iraqi internally displaced people increasing and the ongoing project of splitting Iraq into three confederations, going – funded with US taxpayer money and US protection in Iraq.
Democracy Now!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/29/bush_touts_outcome_of_iraq_troop">http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/29/b ... iraq_troop</a><!-- m -->
AMY GOODMAN Dahr Jamail, it’s pretty much is universally accepted in the corporate media, the surge has worked. We speak just after five US soldiers were killed in Mosul, but what about that?
DAHR JAMAIL Well, the surge and what is very interesting too, is not only do we have a US surge according to Mr. Bush, we have an Iraqi surge, two Iraqi surges actually. The first of which he mentioned in his talk last night, the concerned citizens or the awakening groups. It is really interesting that the same time last year as Mr. Bush was happily doing during his speech, comparing where were we last year to this year, well last year, these same people, these concerned local citizens according to the US military were called Al Qaeda or insurgents or terrorists. And now that there are 80,000 of them on US payroll, they’re concerned citizens and they’re an Iraqi surge. These same people, as we look at the situation on the ground, this is causing a deepening of the political divisions in the country. US backed President Nouri Al-Maliki has been vehemently opposed to this concerned citizens group backed by the US military in Iraq. These people, most of which are former resistance fighters, because they are now a threat to the Iraqi government forces. So that is causing huge problems on the ground in Iraq today. If we look at the situation the military recently announced within the last month that there was a sevenfold increase in the use of air power last year. So these are some of the reasons why right now there are fewer US troops dying but in reality, they’re paying off resistance fighters to stand down. And Muqtadr Al Sadr who commands the largest militia in the country, has his militia on stand down until next month, where that stand down might end and things might change.
AMY GOODMAN Wire of a standing down now?
DAHR JAMAIL He put them on standout almost six months ago to basically re-vet people coming in. His militia had been infiltrated by what he called foreign elements. They’re were people posing as militiamen going out and committing atrocities, etc. I think there are other political reasons obviously as well. Why they are on stand down, but that’s about to end.
AMY GOODMAN Raed Jarrar explain who these people are who are on the US payrolls, the citizens’ groups, militias.
RAED JARRAR The new citizens from Al-Anbar and other provinces in the west a middle of Iraq, is nothing new. The US has trained and supported private militias and governmental militias during the last few years. Mostly, from the shiites and from the kurds. So there were shiite and kurdish militias either working as a part of the governmental forces or independently from the governmental forces, who have been trained and funded and supported and protected by the US forces in Iraq during the last few years. Now, the US added a new sectarian force that is mainly sunni to its payroll. A new sectarian militia. So now we have three major sectarian militias, sunni, shiite, and the kurdish militias, that are trained and funded by the US whether they were inside or outside the government. And these three major militias are actually a part of a bigger US policy of supporting sectarian leaders in Iraq who are sectarianly and ethnically cleansing the country and cutting it and partitioning it demographically. Now, the new group of tribal leaders who align themselves with the US, their numbers may reach up to 70,000 or 80,000 mercenaries or private militias, they will not change this US foreign policy in Iraq or US policy in Iraq of supporting a minority of Iraqis whether they were sunnis or shiites or kurds, against the majority of other sunnis other shiites and other kurds who are nationalists, who are for keeping the country united, and ending any type of foreign intervention. So there is nothing new about the support other than finding new partners in Al-Anbar, who are willing to take US government money and oppress and kill their own people and support the foreign powers. So If this policy continues, we will continues seeing the number of Iraqi internally displaced people increasing and the ongoing project of splitting Iraq into three confederations, going – funded with US taxpayer money and US protection in Iraq.