What you didn't know about the war, except we do know.. [Archive]

Gita

9th April 2010, 12:59

Quote

‘Iraq War Vet: 'We Were Told To Just Shoot People, And The Officers Would Take Care of Us'
'I remember one woman walking by," said Jason Washburn, a corporal in the US Marines who served three tours in Iraq. He told the audience at the Winter Soldier hearings that took place March 13-16, 2008, in Silver Spring, Maryland, "She was carrying a huge bag, and she looked like she was heading toward us, so we lit her up with the Mark 19, which is an automatic grenade launcher, and when the dust settled, we realized that the bag was full of groceries. She had been trying to bring us food and we blew her to pieces.'

Unquote

http://www.politicaltheatrics.net/2010/04/iraq-war-vet-we-were-told-to-just-shoot-people-and-the-officers-would-take-care-of-us/

Gita

21st May 2010, 09:28

Iraq: US Troops Slaughter Defiant Elderly Man

Dogs surrounded the lion

2IML02MSEH0

Etherios

21st May 2010, 10:25

After all these and the US army doesnt see what is happening... they are not worth saving...

this is how suicide bombers are made.... imagine your self being that guys son...

East Sun

21st May 2010, 12:47

That is sick. What kind of brainwashing makes guys do that sort of thing. Crimes against humanity inc. our own.

frank samuel

21st May 2010, 13:26

The US soldiers most young naive men and women who have to follow orders commit atrocities which for the majority will bring many emotional problems for the rest of their lives . The suicide rate among US soldiers is very high, is a total nightmare. What is worse is that there's more mercenaries than soldiers with a license to kill civilians recruited from all around the world to protect the interest of the investors. The US is not the only country responsible for this nightmare. As a US veteran of war those memories have brought me a lot of pain and it took a long time to even try to forgive myself. I feel sorry for these young people on both sides of this war who have been deceive into thinking they are fighting for a just cause , murder is never a just cause. Our planet's history is full of this horrid stories and this has been going on for thousand of years. I pray night and day for peace and that the nightmare can end once and for all for all the inhabitants of this planet. My intuition tells me that there's also other planets and parallel universes who are going through this type of nightmarish experience. Is heartbreaking to say the least. It has been my purpose in life to find ways to create peace and harmony. Even in our streets there's a war where people are killing each other, here in Puerto Rico everyday there's 3 to 4 passion killings of mothers and fathers killing each other and their children . I know this is not normal, the root of the problem is where I have place my focus, for each one of us is capable of committing atrocities yet we are also capable of creating such beauty.

Blessings to all...:wub:

Fredkc

21st May 2010, 15:22

Was gonna post this last week, but amidst the "Oama is a light worker" crap, I felt it would just stir a smelly pot, that few people would admit to.

Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl2/us-executing-afghan-prisoners.html

At the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Geneva, Hersh criticized President Barack Obama, and alleged that US forces are engaged in "battlefield executions."

"I'll tell you right now, one of the great tragedies of my country is that Mr. Obama is looking the other way, because equally horrible things are happening to prisoners, to those we capture in Afghanistan," Hersh said. "They're being executed on the battlefield. It's unbelievable stuff going on there that doesn't necessarily get reported." Things don't change:

"What they've done in the field now is, they tell the troops, you have to make a determination within a day or two or so whether or not the prisoners you have, the detainees, are Taliban," Hersh added. "You must extract whatever tactical intelligence you can get, as opposed to strategic, long-range intelligence, immediately. And if you cannot conclude they're Taliban, you must turn them free."

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"You must extract whatever tactical intelligence you can get, as opposed to strategic, long-range intelligence, immediately. And if you cannot conclude they're Taliban, you must turn them free."
Translation: Torture them FIRST and then, if they're innocent, set them free.

I keep trying to tell people, "Wake up! This is year 10 of the Bush/Obama administration!"

Fred

Gita

23rd May 2010, 11:04

Quote

Mental disorders climb in US Army

New figures released by the Pentagon show a significant spike in the number of US soldiers diagnosed with and treated for serious mental disorders.

For the first time, more US soldiers are hospitalized for serious mental disorders from their military service than for injuries and battlefield wounds, according to new medical data released by the Pentagon.

http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20100518/aghaie20100518052546500.jpg

In 2009, there were 17,538 US soldiers put into hospitals for mental health problems compared to 17,354 for battle wounds and injuries sustained during military service.

The revelation cast a harsh spotlight on the problems that have been simmering for years in Washington since the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan that have left numbers of soldiers frustrated. Many of them, who are now veterans of two wars, have found themselves incapable of even leading a normal life when they come home.

Numbers head back -- not only with physical injuries from Afghanistan and Iraq but also with psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, drug abuse, depression, anxiety and difficulty readjusting to civilian life, Press TV reported.

Meanwhile , both the Pentagon and the US Department of Veterans' Affairs have voiced grave concerns over the operating costs of treating those suffering from mental disabilities. The treatment appears to have busted the Pentagon budget with Pentagon chief Robert Gates saying: "it is costing way too much."

The US Secretary of Defense also admits that the healthcare costs are 'eating the Defense Department alive,' and much of it involves expensive military psychiatrists and psychologists, who have had to be hired to deal with it.

Multiple deployments of the troops and heavy pressure upon the forces in places, in which the population is not very friendly, are all contributing to the spike in mental health disorders, according to the Pentagon medical report.

"People don't want to concentrate on the stress, this shows the logical result of that years-long policy", Carl Osgood of the Executive Intelligence Review told Press TV correspondent Mike Kellerman in Washington.

Pentagon figures also indicate that one out of every 10 US Marines is hospitalized for mental disorders with similar numbers in the Navy and Air Force.

Ten percent of those returning soldiers will end up in medical treatment centers for mental problems; those are the lucky ones that don't kill themselves.

"There will be more soldiers this year to commit suicide than did last year, and last year was the worst year since the Army started tracking the statistics, so that is just the most serious marker of the overall decline of the mental health situation." Carl Osgood added.

The US Army, which has undertaken the bulk of the ground missions in Afghanistan and now has nearly 140, 000 of its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq , had 10,222 mental health hospitalizations last year, which added up to 90 percent of all army hospitalizations.

The rising number of mentally unstable former soldiers is playing havoc with their social life when they come home.

Continued here. (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=126861&sectionid=3510203)

lindabaker

23rd May 2010, 13:35

Franksamuel: You are so right about the naive men and women. Most in the US sign up when they graduate from high school. Eighteen years old, for crap's sake! It's absurd. When an economy goes sour, it's the career of last resort for the lower classes. These children ARE deceived by the ones who deliberately use patriotism as an emotional hook. Being a pioneer/patriot is a thing of the past. They are using this emotional "catch" to spin the war propaganda. I'm from a family line of those who fought to begin our Revolution in the 1700's. Nowadays, the "service" has Absolutely Nothing to do with the origins of our country. Now, it's concocted wars. Thing is, few are discerning the difference: the young ones and their parents are proud of the past of the US, but not cognizant of the present situation. Here, you are made to be embarrassed if you don't support the war. The present war has nothing to do with patriotism. There's the lie. The media is bought up and the ads are quite powerful. The poor kids don't stand a chance unless someone dares to speak about the lies. We should all make better effort to let these children know. We cannot assume anyone even opens their minds to this info. After all, they are very young. They don't even remember the time before the internet!

East Sun

23rd May 2010, 16:41

I agree with you Frank. Young people are conditioned from childhood thro. manipulation of a natural instinct for adventure especially males. Except what they get is not adventure but controlled robot-ization. We have heard, "things will get to be unbearable for us to endure, before they finally get better." Looks like it from any point of view we take. Maybe there is an effort to save the 'way it used to be' in the the western world, but the approach is not working and can't imo.

I give thanks for the good things that we have and search for answers but there are lots of 'maybe's or 'prophesies' but we'll have to wait and see.

Gita

24th May 2010, 09:56

US Soldier Speaks the Truth: War Crimes Exposed

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East Sun

24th May 2010, 13:14

I feel like that Native American (Indian) portrayed looking at all the air, water, noise and mind pollution caused by combustion engines and a spiritual undisciplind mentality. What good is all the material things if all is destroyed by pollution and death. Other forms of energy could have been used and would have cut down on masses of conditioned individuals chasing like robots with no time to think of anything but what is thrown at them.
Keep Peace in mind always. There has to be a better way.

Gita

28th May 2010, 11:28

Quote

Afghans believe US is funding Taliban

It's near-impossible to find anyone in Afghanistan who doesn't believe the US are funding the Taliban: and it's the highly educated Afghan professionals, those employed by ISAF, USAID, international media organisations – and even advising US diplomats – who seem the most convinced.

One Afghan friend, who speaks flawless English and likes to quote Charles Dickens, Bertolt Brecht and Anton Chekhov, says the reason is clear. "The US has an interest in prolonging the conflict so as to stay in Afghanistan for the long term."

The continuing violence between coalition forces and the Taliban is simple proof in itself.

"We say in this country, you need two hands to clap," he says, slapping his hands together in demonstration. "One side can't do it on its own."

His arguments are reasoned, although he slightly ruins the effect by explaining to me that no Jews died in the Twin Towers. It's not just the natural assets of Afghanistan but its strategic position, the logic goes. Commanding this country would give the US power over India, Russia, Pakistan and China, not to mention all the central Asian states.

"The US uses Israel to threaten the Arab states, and they want to make Afghanistan into the same thing," he says. "Whoever controls Asia in the future, controls the world."

"Even a child of five knows this," one Kabuli radio journalist tells me, holding his hand a couple of feet from the ground in illustration. Look at Helmand, he says; how could 15,000 international and Afghan troops fail to crush a couple of thousand of badly equipped Taliban?

And as for the British, apparently they want to stay in Afghanistan even more than the Americans. The reason they want to talk to the Taliban is to bring them into the government, thus consolidating UK influence.

This isn't just some vague prejudice or the wildly conspiratorial theories so prevalent in the Middle East. There is a highly structured if convoluted analysis behind this. If the US really wanted to defeat the Taliban, person after person asks me, why don't they tackle them in Pakistan? The reason is simple, one friend tells me. "As long as you don't get rid of the nest, the problem will continue. If they eliminate the Taliban, the US will have no reason to stay here."

The proof is manifold, they say (although it does tend to include the phrase guaranteed to dismay every journalist: "everybody knows that …").

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Continued here. (http://thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=12756)

Gita

28th May 2010, 11:35

Quote

Kagan Helped Shield Saudis From 9/11 Lawsuits

Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s latest nominee to the Supreme Court, helped protect the Saudi royal family from lawsuits that sought to hold al Qaeda financiers responsible in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The suits were filed by thousands of family members and others affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. In court papers, they provided evidence that members of the Saudi royal family had channeled millions to al Qaeda prior to the bombings, often in contravention of direct guidance from the United States.

But Kagan, acting as President Obama’s Solicitor General, argued that the case should not be heard even if evidence proved that the Saudis helped underwrite al Qaeda, because it would interfere with US foreign policy with the oil-rich nation. She posited “that the princes are immune from petitioners’ claims” because of “the potentially significant foreign relations consequences of subjecting another sovereign state to suit.”

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer published Tuesday, the mother of a man who was killed on United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania said he didn’t know why Kagan argued that the case not even be heard. By keeping the case off the dockets, the Saudis were spared scrutiny of their finances.

“We had hoped she would be with us so that we could have our day in court,” Beverly Burnett said.

“I find this reprehensible,” said Kristen Breitweiser, another family member whose husband was killed in the 9/11 attacks, said at the time. “One would have hoped that the Obama administration would have taken a different stance than the Bush administration, and you wonder what message this sends to victims of terrorism around the world.”

The Obama Administration’s decision to intervene in the Saudi-al Qaeda case so irritated two Republican senators that they introduced legislation aiming to ensure that Americans have the ability to sue foreign governments.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) offered a proposal to amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which Kagan cited as one reason the Saudi case should not be heard. Both senators said that US citizens should be able to sue foreign governments if they are found to be supporting terrorist activity.

Specter, who has since become a Democrat, was unusually blunt.
“She wants to coddle the Saudis,” he said.

Unquote

http://www.bushstole04.com/911/kagan_911.htm

Gita

28th May 2010, 11:36

Double post!!

Gita

28th May 2010, 12:03

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Britain to Change International War Criminals Arrest Rule :shout:

Britain's new Foreign Secretary William Hague promises to "act speedily" to change the way arrests are ordered under international law in Britain.

"The current situation is as unsatisfactory as it is indefensible. We cannot have a position where Israeli politicians feel they cannot visit this country... and indeed this would apply to many other nations as well," said Hague on Thursday.

Currently in Britain under the Geneva Convention Act 1957, Judges can issue arrest warrants for war crimes suspects around the world without consulting public prosecutors.

It was because of this law that Tzipi Livni, the former Israeli foreign minister, reportedly cancelled her trip to Britain in December.

Following an application by Palestinian activists, a court had issued a warrant for her arrest over her involvement in Israel's 22-day war against Gaza Strip.

"We find it completely unacceptable that someone such as Mrs. Livni feels she cannot visit the United Kingdom," Hague said, adding: "Be in no doubt that we will take action on it," AFP reported.

He stated that the new coalition government would consider different options for changing the rule including the one that Labor government had proposed while in power.

Unquote

http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=128013&sectionid=351020606

frank samuel

28th May 2010, 12:22

You know for a lot of these soldiers coming home, the harsh reality they have to face is that they have been deceived by their own government into committing horrible atrocities for which they will have a hard time ever forgiving themselves, my cousin who was war veteran from the Vietnam War fought to get treatment and benefits for agent orange, this decease finally kill him and at the end he refuse to receive any benefits.
As a lean green fighting machine war veteran your choices are limited , you can work as a civilian adviser for DOD, or mercenary for these now legitimate security companies operating in Afghanistan and Iraq, become a law enforcement officer. With most of these veteran suffering from post traumatic disorders they become walking time bombs unable to cope.Yeah is funny to think how one of most poorest country in the world Afghanistan is one of the majors drugs producing nations in the world making billions every year. Well I am sure companies like Black Water are guarding the interest of investors for all around the world who want a piece of this huge money making pie...

greybeard

28th May 2010, 12:30

Gita

28th May 2010, 12:34

I havet read much on this thread but the thought I have is.
If the west really went to war in part to stop the drug trade why dont they obliterate the heroin fields and help the farmers to grow different crops.
The whole world is crazy.
Chris

Since the soldiers went in, the production of opium rose by 90%. Not to mention that there are US soldiers actually guarding these opium fields. Now what does that tell you? It sure is crazy and so wrong!

monique

28th May 2010, 15:04

I havet read much on this thread but the thought I have is.
If the west really went to war in part to stop the drug trade why dont they obliterate the heroin fields and help the farmers to grow different crops.
The whole world is crazy.
Chris
yes greybeard, the whole world is crazy ! agree whit you.
here in south america we have problems whit cocaine plantation and years ago the governments try to combat against but whitout success.
the poor farmers have had plant other vegetables but the profit don`t is the same and they abandon all and went to the cocaine plantation.
the situation is bad and difficult,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdK8B0yvcM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVo4xLUJWqA

drugs are a money machine, it is sad.
i think the best we can make is educate the girls and boys about the matter.
best regards, monique.

Gita

31st May 2010, 12:49

Quote

Real Life Avatar

'US corporations are under fire for aiding the creation of world's second largest displaced population. Activists claim millions of Colombians have been driven from their homes.

In light of the issue, hundreds of protestors have gathered at Washington DC’s Capitol Hill. People brought pictures of those who have suffered as a result of the activities of major US companies in Colombia's indigenous territories, which are rich in natural resources. Millions have not only been displaced, but also are either missing, tortured or have been killed.'

Unquote

Source (http://www.davidicke.com/headlines)

3-4DRVTn0u4

Gita

9th June 2010, 12:18

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Soldier arrested in WikiLeaks classified Iraq video case

Army Spc. Bradley Manning has been arrested in connection with the April release of classified footage of a US helicopter mistakenly shooting Iraqi civilians to website WikiLeaks.

The US Army has arrested Specialist Bradley Manning, a soldier deployed in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division, on charges that he allegedly released classified information. The military is looking at a possible connection between Spc. Manning and WikiLeaks, an online whistleblower organization which in April published a graphic video of an Apache gunship mistakenly shooting civilians, according to Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2010/0607/Soldier-arrested-in-WikiLeaks-classified-Iraq-video-case)

Gita

10th June 2010, 09:03

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Kucinich: ‘We may be funding our own killers in Afghanistan’

On June 7, the day Afghanistan became America’s longest-ever war, the New York Times reported on an ongoing investigation poised to prove that private security companies "are using American money to bribe the Taliban" to fuel combat and thus enhance demand for their services. The news follows a "series of events last month that suggested all-out collusion with the insurgents," the Times said.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a leading opponent of the war, wondered, "Is the U.S. paying for attacks on U.S. troops?”

"Our troops are dying in Afghanistan, and now it turns out we may be funding their killers," Kucinich said in a statement e-mailed to Raw Story, renewing his longstanding call for a pullout. "Our continued presence in Afghanistan is detrimental to our security."

"The American people are paying to prop up a corrupt government that may be using our money to pay private companies to drum up business by paying the insurgents to attack our troops," he said.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0608/kucinich-war-critics-rebuke-usfunded-bribes-afghan-militants/)

Gita

10th June 2010, 09:16

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Afghan wedding carnage 'a US strike'

The deadly attack on a group of civilians at a wedding in southern Afghanistan was a US-led air strike, a Taliban spokesman claims.

The bomb explosion in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province on Wednesday left about 40 people dead and more than 80 others injured, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said on Thursday that Wednesday night's blast was not an attack by the group, but a US-led strike.

The spokesman also strongly rejected remarks by Kandahar officials that blamed the Taliban for the explosion.

NATO officials have not commented on the blast.

The tragic incident has produced one of the highest death tolls in a single incident in recent months in Afghanistan. Taliban attacks generally cause relatively few casualties, yet the number of incidents caused by US-led forces have resulted in high civilian death tolls.

In September 2009, up to 90 people were killed in a foreign troops' air strike in northern Afghanistan.

In another attack, a US air strike on a wedding in Kandahar province killed 37 civilians and 26 militants in November 2008.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in order to eradicate Taliban militants.

Unquote

Source (http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=129805&sectionid=351020403)

Gita

13th June 2010, 11:16

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'US troops kill 5 Iraqi bystanders'

Iraqis witnessing the arrival of US infantrymen on their rooftop have lost their lives after their house came under a bloody attack by the American troops.

The Friday attack took place in al-Khanafsa area, south of Baghdad and near the holy city of Karbala, witnesses said, according to Reuters.

"The US troops came from here on foot patrol…," said one witness. "When they arrived, a man went to the roof of his house to look at them, they intentionally opened fire at him as they saw him and his wife who went upstairs to check what happened."

"They walked directly to the house after this," where they killed three other family members, the witness added.

The American military is yet to comment on the assault.

http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20100612/naderian20100612131224593.jpg

Whistleblower website WikiLeaks released a video earlier in the year, showing a 2007 incident when US soldiers opened indiscriminate fire from an Apache helicopter on the people on the ground. The barrages killed dozens of Iraqi civilians, including two Reuters employees.

The same year saw former operatives with the infamous US security contractor Blackwater, currently known as the Xe Services LLC, mowing down 17 Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=130117&sectionid=351020201)

Gita

14th June 2010, 08:30

U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

The vast scale of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, American officials said.

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Continued here. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?no_interstitial)

Gita

14th June 2010, 08:41

:blink:

Quote

Love hormone Oxytocin helps soldiers like each other and hate the enemy

Soldiers form loyal "Bands of Brothers" fighting and dying for each other because they have the same instincts that cause mothers to ferociously protect their newborns, a study suggests.

Researchers have found that in the heat of battle they have the same chemicals running through their bloodstreams as protective mothers, meaning they develop incredibly strong bonds with each other but become extremely aggressive to outsiders.

The effect resolves around the hormone oxytocin which is released at times of stress and when people socialise with each other.

But the scientists have found that this chemical, often referred to as the love or bonding hormone, also makes them – like mothers – incredibly aggressive to outsiders.

Using a computer simulation game they found that volunteers given a spray of the hormone bonded more quickly and deeply with their own group but became much more hostile to outsiders.
Dr Carsten De Dreu, of the University of Amsterdam, said that the phenomenon was known as "parochial altruism" or "tend and defend".

This meant that boosted levels of oxytocin produced "in-group love" and "out-group aggression", he said.

Dr De Dreu, who published the findings in Science, said: "Oxytocin is a double edged sword. It makes you kinder to your group but more aggressive to those outside."

Unquote

Continued here. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7818276/Love-hormone-Oxytocin-helps-soldiers-like-each-other-and-hate-the-enemy.html)

Gita

14th June 2010, 08:49

Quote

Growing Protests As UN Attacks Haitian Refugee Camp
Anarkismo
June 13, 2010

Last week, the United Nations peacekeeping mission fired tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowded refugee camp, leaving at least six hospitalized and others suffering respiratory problems. Citizen organizations plan demonstrations for today, the sixth anniversary of the U.N. armed presence in Haiti. The march is part of growing protests against the military forces which have amassed in Haiti since the January 12 earthquake and the lack of attention to displaced people’s needs.

On May 23, students at the School of Ethnology of the State University of Haiti held another in a series of protests on the central Champs de Mars Boulevard. The U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH, by its French acronym) and Haitian police went into the school, firing tears gas and rubber bullets while the students threw rocks.

http://www.davidicke.com/images/stories/June20103/haiti-refugees.jpg

Then at about 3:00, MINUSTAH troops began firing in the internally displaced people’s camp in the downtown parks around Champs de Mars, where many thousands of people are crowded into tight quarters. The firing continued for hours, according to residents interviewed for this article and other reports. Camp residents reported that babies and small children choked on the gas and passed out, as did at least two women with preexisting heart conditions. Three doctors with Partners in Health at the University Hospital reported treating at least six victims of rubber bullet rounds. Two children were wounded in the face, one of them requiring about ten stitches, according to one of the doctors.[1]

When the attack began, camp residents, including many elderly and infirm people, and babies and small children fled. "I saw one woman running with her twins that are three or four months old," said Eramithe Delva. "She had one in each arm, and with every step as she ran they banged against her chest. Is this what they want for us?" Many spent the night in the streets, for fear of returning to the camp. Residents interviewed said they had no idea why MINUSTAH fired on them.

MINUSTAH has since issued an apology for entering in the School of Ethnology. The statement did not mention the attack on the camp.

Demonstrations in Port-au-Prince and other areas of the country have become a daily occurrence. Most of them protest the government’s handling of the disaster and the heavy political and military presence of foreign powers since January 12. Within days after the earthquake, 12,600 U.N. troops, 20,000 U.S. troops, 2,000 Canadians, 600 French, and more from other countries amassed there.

Rural organizer Selina Pierre-Louis said, "We don’t know what these soldiers came to do. They have batons and guns in their hands. They zoom up and down in their huge vehicles all day. We’re not at war and we’re not armed. We need technical support, we need reconstruction, we need psychological help. They’re not doing anything to help the rebuilding. They’re just adding to our trauma."

Unquote

Continued here. (http://uruknet.com/?p=m66983&hd=&size=1&l=e)

bettye198

15th June 2010, 06:22

I so agree with the premise of these posts. I did a short story on this very thing and the research I came upon was startling. Depleted Uranium kills not just the warring, but generations down the line. There are so many reasons to end war. It is the abomination of this planet.

Gita

15th June 2010, 08:15

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US Dumping Toxic Brew in Iraq

'The United States will be leaving a toxic brew of hazardous waste behind when US forces withdraw from Iraq, a new report says. On Monday, The Times of London said that companies from the United States are selling local Iraqi scrap dealers a cocktail of toxic material and ordinary waste. The waste is being disposed of locally instead of being returned for treatment or shipped to Iraq-based factories which specialize in disposal.'

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Continued here. (http://www.presstv.ir/)

Gita

19th June 2010, 20:10

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US may 'microwave' Afghan targets

The US military may be testing a controversial weapon that focuses microwave energy with a so-called "goodbye effect" on targets in Afghanistan, a report says.

The new system, called the "Active Denial System," is designed to shoot an invisible beam of high-energy waves at people, creating an intense burning sensation, AOL News initially reported on June 17.

According to some sources, the new system is still undergoing tests at military laboratories.

The focused waves quickly become intolerable and burn the skin layers, forcing the targets to disperse.

The new "nonlethal" weapon has been in Afghanistan for testing but has not been used in military operations, the report quoted an unnamed US Air Force officer as saying.

In 2008, the Pentagon considered deploying the Active Denial System in Iraq, but the effort was thwarted over policy concerns.

The US Department of Defense first admitted to the weapon's existence in 2001 without disclosing further information about the device.

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131087&sectionid=351020403)

Gita

21st June 2010, 08:46

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Scandal of vulnerable Colombian citizens killed for €1,500 bonus

Many men have been disappearing – only for families to find out the army had shot them

WHEN Luz Marina Bernal’s 26-year old son went missing in February 2008, she immediately raised the alarm. Fair Leonardo Porras Bernal had a mental age of nine, could not read or write, and never strayed too far from his home in Soacha, a gritty satellite town of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

“He would never go off on his own. He would only go out with someone from the family. We searched hospitals, refuges, jails and filed a missing person report with the police, but there was no news until that August,” remembers Ms Bernal.

The news, when it came, stunned her. Fair Leonardo was dead, and had been buried in a common grave hundreds of kilometres away in the far north of the country. The army said they had killed him during combat with a group of guerrillas just four days after he went missing.

For Ms Bernal, it made no sense. How had her mentally disabled son transformed himself into a uniformed, armed guerrilla ready to take on South America’s most battle-hardened military, just four days after suddenly disappearing from home?

She discovered her case was not an isolated one. Men, mainly poor youths, were disappearing from Soacha, only for families to later find out they had been shot dead by the army, which claimed they were narco-terrorists – the term Colombian authorities use for the country’s Marxist guerrillas.

All their families insist the dead men had no previous involvement with any of Colombia’s illegal armed groups. Their outcry at the details of their children’s deaths sparked a broader investigation into what are now referred to as “false positive” deaths, in which investigators suspect military personnel murdered civilians and claimed they were guerrillas killed in combat in order to win bonuses of up to €1,500.

The “false positive” scandal threatens to stain the legacy of Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s outgoing president and the man considered by many to have saved the country from the anarchy that threatened to turn it into a failed state at the start of the decade.

On taking power in 2002, Uribe unleashed the army against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), pushing them back into remote jungle regions. He brought about a dramatic drop in murders and kidnappings in what was one of the most violent countries on Earth.

But the “false positive” cases have called into question the methods used to win such gains, and throw up the possibility that Mr Uribe’s administration presided over one of the darkest periods regarding human rights in South America’s recent history.

“People working for paramilitaries and criminals went to the poor barrios around Bogotá and lured youths, some disabled, others with criminal pasts, others with offers of work. Then they were sold to military units, who executed them and presented them as guerrillas killed in action. It was a perverse human traffic which led many of these people to death,” says Jorge Enrique Rojas of Codhes, a human rights group in Bogotá.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0619/1224272868802.html)

Gita

21st June 2010, 08:52

Quote

Obama Administration Keeping Blackwater Armed and Dangerous in Afghanistan

http://uruknet.info/pic.php?f=19blackwater_300.jpg

Jeremy Scahill: Minerals, WikiLeaks, and Blackwater for Sale
_l1sPfVBsKs

Blackwater is up for sale and its shadowy owner, Erik Prince, is rumored to be planning to move to the United Arab Emirates as his top deputies face indictment for a range of alleged crimes, yet the company remains a central part of President Obama's Afghanistan war. Now, Blackwater's role is expanding.

On Friday, the US State Department awarded Blackwater another "diplomatic security" contract to protect US officials in Afghanistan. CBS News reports that the $120 million deal is for "protective services" at the US consulates in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. Blackwater has another security contract in Afghanistan worth $200 million and trains Afghan forces. The company also works for the CIA and the US military and provides bodyguards for US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry as well as US lawmakers and other officials who visit the country. The company has four forward operating bases in Afghanistan and Prince has boasted that Blackwater's counter-narcotics forces have called in NATO airstrikes.

The new security contract was awarded to one of Blackwater's alter egos, the United States Training Center, despite the indictments of five senior company officials on bribery, weapons and conspiracy charges. Its operatives in both Afghanistan and Iraq have been indicted for killing innocent civilians. The Senate Armed Services Committee has called on the Justice Department to investigate Blackwater's use of a shell company, Paravant, to win training contracts in Afghanistan. Despite these and numerous other scandals, the State Department once again awarded the company a lucrative contract.

"Under federal acquisition regulations, the prosecution of the specific Blackwater individuals does not preclude the company or its successive companies and subsidiaries from bidding on contracts," a State Department spokesperson told CBS. "On the basis of full and open competition, the department performed a full technical evaluation of all proposals and determined the US Training Center has the best ability and qualifications to meet the contract requirements."

Unquote

Continued here. (http://uruknet.info/?p=m67201&hd=&size=1&l=e)

Gita

22nd June 2010, 10:24

Quote

Taliban funded by US taxes

The US military has been giving tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars to warlords in Afghanistan, through logistics firms in the war-torn country.

Investigators say as much as $4 million per week end up in the hands of the Taliban via local security companies in return for not attacking convoys carrying supplies to American troops based across Afghanistan.

The money allegedly ensures a safe passage for the Pentagon transport contractors in dangerous Afghan regions.

If the mafia-style protection payments are not made, the trucks responsible for transporting food, water, fuel and ammunition will allegedly come under attack.

The report carried out by the House Subcommittee for National Security further adds that armed groups are not the only beneficiaries of the hefty sum.

Bribes and kickbacks are reportedly paid to nearly every Afghan governor, police chief and local military commander unit whose territory the convoys pass through.

These agreements, made by security companies hired under the Host Nation Trucking contract, violate laws on the use of private contractors, as well as US Department of Defense regulations, the document said.

One of these security companies in question is allegedly owned by relatives of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The Host Nation Trucking contract is an essential part of US efforts to sustain more than 200 military combat outposts throughout Afghanistan.

Pentagon's Army Criminal Investigation Command has confirmed the six-month-long inquiry and is to report its own findings on the issue to the congressional committee later on Tuesday.

The latest report comes amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

The 2001 US-led invasion was launched with the objective of brining peace and stability to Afghanistan. Nine years on, however, Taliban militancy has reached new heights and civilians continue to pay the price.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131480&sectionid=351020403)

Gita

23rd June 2010, 08:37

Quote

Top US General Flies In For Obama Showdown

President Obama will confront the top US commander in Afghanistan later over disparaging comments he made in a magazine interview.

White House sources say General Stanley McChrystal is likely to be axed by the President, who is said to be furious over the criticism of his administration.

Mr Obama has said he will talk directly to Gen McChrystal before making his final decision, following the article in Rolling Stone.

"I think it's clear the article in which he and his team appeared showed poor judgement," he said.

"I want everybody to keep in mind what our central focus is - and that is success in making sure that al-Qaida and its affiliates cannot attack the United States and its allies.

"We've got young men and women there who are making enormous sacrifices; families back home who are making enormous sacrifices."

Unquote

Continued here. (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/US-General-Stanley-McChrystal-Faces-Sack-By-President-Barack-Obama-Over-Rolling-Stone-Interview/Article/201006415653486?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15653486_US%3A_General_Stanley_McChrystal_Faces_Sack_By_President_Barack_Obama_Over_Roll ing_Stone_Interview)

Gita

23rd June 2010, 09:14

Quote

UN to take Taliban actors off blacklist

The United Nations has agreed to remove Taliban members renouncing ties to al-Qaeda from a UN blacklist, the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai declares.

"The president asked the UN delegates to remove Taliban members from their blacklist and the delegates agreed to do so gradually and provided the members had no links to al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups," Karzai's palace said in a Tuesday statement that was quoted by AFP.

The move comes in the wake of a recently concluded National Consultative Peace Jirga that sought to reach a national consensus on ways to end the violence that has plagued Afghanistan since the US-led foreign occupation of the country began nearly nine years ago.

The tribal and religious leaders attending the June 2-4 meeting released a 16-point resolution urging the Afghan government and foreign powers to "take serious action in getting the names of those in opposition removed from the consolidated blacklist."

The list has designated several Taliban leaders and operatives, including their supreme commander Mullah Mohammad Omar, as terrorists.

The Taliban, ousted by the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, have vowed to boycott any peace negotiations until the 142,000 foreign troops leave the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, a top UN official said a special committee is to visit Afghanistan later this month in order to study the list review.

"The review is due by the end of the month," said UN Secretary General's Special Representative to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura.

"Updating means taking on or taking off, based on additional new information. Some of the people in the list may not be alive any more. The list may be completely outdated ... Now it's the right time," de Mistura further explained.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131623&sectionid=351020403)

monique

23rd June 2010, 09:32

Good morning Gita ! Thank you very much for post news. Now is 6:30 here in south of south america, cold winter, and is good read what realy take place in the world. Good summer for you. :wave: Monique.

Gita

23rd June 2010, 10:34

Hi Monique and good morning to you too.:) I feel like the morning news paper 'boy'. :lol: Enjoy it hun and it's my pleasure. :becky:

Gita

23rd June 2010, 20:06

Quote

Obama fires Gen. McChrystal

US President Barack Obama has fired the country's top commander in Afghanistan following a row over his scathing criticism published in a magazine.

McChrystal drew fire from senior administration officials after he appeared to be critical of them over the war strategy in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, McChrystal described his civilian bosses as clueless and called their European allies as wimps.

In the article, Gen. McChrystal wrote that he felt betrayed by the US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry.

He said Eikenbarry undermined the Afghan war by leaking a classified cable back in January. He also indirectly criticizes the US president calling him "uncomfortable and intimidated."

Analysts maintain the row has disclosed the lack of agreement in the inner layers of the US government.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131718&sectionid=3510203)

Gita

23rd June 2010, 20:21

Quote

'US vehicle runs over Iraqi family, 3 die'

US troops have killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded three others in the northern city of Mosul after their vehicle ran over a family, a report says.

The incident occurred Tuesday evening on a highway northwest of the city. All the victims belong to a same family -- the father, mother and a daughter were killed -- Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported Wednesday.

The US military has not yet commented on the incident.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country, thousands of Iraqi civilians have lost their lives and many others have been displaced.

According to Nada Doumani of the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilians "pay the greatest price" in the ongoing occupation.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131715&sectionid=351020201)

Gita

24th June 2010, 07:57

Quote

June deadliest month in Afghanistan

Six more US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, making June the deadliest single month for foreign troops in the nearly nine-year-long conflict.

NATO said in a statement on Thursday that four of the soldiers were killed as a result of a vehicle accident in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday. The fifth soldier was reported dead in another vehicle accident in the war-torn country's west, while an improvised explosive device led to the death of the sixth troop.

The alliance, however, did not disclose the nationalities of the soldiers and the locations of the incidents.

The latest deaths bring the number of NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan during this month alone to 80.

The number of foreign fatalities in Afghanistan has soared to almost 300 this year, as the militants increased their attacks against the NATO forces.

The rising number of casualties has increased opposition to the Afghan war in the member states of the Western military alliance.

The latest developments come as General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, was forced out of office on Wednesday for his scathing criticism of US President Barack Obama's administration.

Analysts say the dismissal has finally brought long-suspected divisions between the US military and administration officials to the spotlight.

NATO currently has about 130,000 soldiers in the war-torn country. The US has plans to deploy 30,000 extra troops by August.

This is while Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says only less than three percent of Afghan towns are safe.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131781&sectionid=351020403)

Gita

24th June 2010, 15:42

Quote

McChrystal 'sacked for intelligence leak'

Kabul circles say the dismissal of US commander was over leaking information including NATO's connection with the executed leader of the Jundallah terrorist group, Abdolmalek Rigi.

Head of Press TV's office in Kabul, Mohammad Ruhi, says US commander General Stanley McChrystal was sacked for acknowledging NATO's connection with the executed leader of the Pakistan-based Jundallah terrorist group, Abdolmalek Rigi.

He dismissed the official reasons for the firing of McChrystal, saying his growing friendship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and intelligence leaks may have triggered the replacement.

The move caused a scandal, and a British minister was sacked. In retaliation, London is believed to have released confidential statements by McChrystal to White House officials, paving the way for the commander's removal from his post.

Ruhi says many insiders also link the decision to the escalating number of US casualties in the war-torn country since the beginning of 2010.

"The general opinion is that Petraeus' reputation as the 'butcher of Iraq' is meant to intimidate militants as well as Afghans," he added.

Furthermore, Karzai's increasingly vocal protests over the civilian death toll of US and NATO operations and McChrystal's acknowledgement of mistakes fueled tensions with the US Ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry.

The friendship between the two also entailed other top intelligence leaks, with McChrystal briefing Karzai on plans to mobilize Taliban militants from the volatile south to the north, Britain's arms and drug smuggling route from Afghanistan to Central Asia as well as links with the Russian mafia.

McChrystal's remarks to Rolling Stone magazine, in which he mocked a string of top Washington officials, raised speculations about the deepening rift among the echelons of the US government.

Obama picked General David Petraeus on Wednesday to replace McChrystal as the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The choice of Gen. Petraeus, the architect of the Iraq war surge strategy, to replace Gen. McChrystal, was because he was well known to the Afghans and Pakistanis, and had ties with Washington's NATO allies.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Gen. McChrystal had described his civilian bosses as "clueless" and called their European allies "wimps."

In the interview, Gen. McChrystal said he felt betrayed by the US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, and accused him of undermining the Afghan war by leaking a classified cable back in January.

The general also indirectly criticized the US president, calling him "uncomfortable and intimidated."

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131827&sectionid=3510203)

Gita

24th June 2010, 15:47

Quote

CIA hires notorious Xe in Afghanistan

A report indicates that the US has hired a notorious private security contractor to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere despite Washington's rejection of the claim.

An unnamed source told the Washington Post on Thursday the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) signed a USD 100 million contract with Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide.

"It's for protective services... guard services, in multiple regions," the source said.

According to the daily, two other security contractors, Triple Canopy and DynCorp International, put in losing bids for CIA's business.

The new contract was awarded after members of a federal commission investigating war-zone contractors blasted the US State Department for granting Xe a new USD 120 million contract to guard US consulates under construction in Afghanistan.

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said that Xe personnel would not be involved in operations. "We've also made it clear that personnel from Xe do not serve with the CIA in any operational roles," he said.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Erik Prince, chairman of the board at Xe and owner of Prince Group, said the North Carolina-based firm had no comment.

The firm was thrown into the spotlight after a September 2007 incident in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, when its guards opened fire in a city square, allegedly killing 17 unarmed civilians and wounding 24 others.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131806&sectionid=3510203)

Gita

25th June 2010, 20:08

Quote

'Obama fired McChrystal to rid 2012 rival'

The following is a rush transcript of Press TV's interview with former US Senator and presidential candidate Mike Gravel on the controversy surrounding the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanly McChrystal.

Press TV:How damaging has this whole episode been for the US-led mission in Afghanistan?

Gravel: I do not think [it has been] damaging at all. You have to keep in mind that the strategy for Afghanistan was developed by General [David] Petraeus, who was the commander of McChrystal. Now, McChrystal was merely the thug, I use the word 'thug' advisably because the reputation with McChrystal is of course the secret special ops, which were a lot of assassination teams.

So, McChrystal was merely the henchman that was bringing about the strategy. But, there is an unusual benefit that occurs politically that I don't think is appreciated by anybody on the scene. That is that Petraeus was looked upon as a possible presidential candidate on the Republican side, opposing [US President Barack] Obama when he runs for re-election.

Now, Petraeus was distanced from Afghanistan, and so, very cleverly, President Obama has demoted Petraeus and put him in charge of Afghanistan. So, if a failure takes place as I presume it will by 2012, the failure will be owned as much by Petraeus negating his ability to be a viable presidential candidate and will benefit Obama.

Press TV: The father of the counter-insurgency strategy is Petraeus himself, whoever it is, if it is coming out of the Pentagon, White house; from the public into the media, everyone is backing this counter insurgency strategy. They are saying it is going to work. But what is it saying behind the scenes?

Of course, there was that leak document from [US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl] Eikenberry, and McChrystal said that he was very upset about that, that he felt betrayed. Behind the scenes, how much unity is there on this coin strategy?

Gravel: Well there was no unity at all because McChrystal was a bowl in a china shop. This is not McChrystal's strategy; this is Petraeus' strategy that was being implemented by a lesser person -- which is McChrystal.

Now that McChrystal is out of the way, and keep in mind, McChrystal is very close to President Hamid Karzai, and so I am sure that the attitude that is put out in the media in Afghanistan is that, oh well we loved McChrystal, he was fine. But keep in mind that McChrystal's strategy was that of assassination or bribery, and you had your choice, and that strategy was developed by Petraeus in Iraq, and it carried over into Afghanistan. And so I think you are going to see no change at all from a military point of view, but you will see a much improved diplomatic strategy; because; Petraeus is a very gifted diplomat; much more than he is a soldier.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131950&sectionid=3510302)

Gita

29th June 2010, 15:36

Quote

Cop’s Lawyer Claims Hitting an Iraq Veteran 20 Times Was ‘Too Little’ Force

Surveillance video: Iraq War veteran beaten
D2IWFaI-poM

An attorney representing a police officer caught on tape almost two years ago viciously assaulting an Iraq war veteran suggested in court recently that his client had, perhaps out of "compassion," used "too little" force against the unarmed man lying on the ground before him in video released online.

The officer had alleged that Iraq veteran Walter Harvin was acting in an aggressive manner while trying to enter his mother's building on 93rd Street in Manhattan. Surveillance footage released by the district attorney's office shows Officer David London attack the man with his baton, hitting him repeatedly until he falls, then continuing to strike blows to Harvin's face, head and upper-body. By most media estimates, the unarmed war vet was struck some 20 times while on the ground.

Harvin's most aggressive action in the recording is to shove London away at one point. Officers claimed he was shouting threats and cursing at them while laying on the ground in handcuffs, which attorneys suggest justifies the continued beating Harvin received even as he lay restrained on the ground.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0626/cops-lawyer-claims-hitting-iraq-veteran-20-times-too-little-force/)

Gita

30th June 2010, 08:22

Quote

New Big Screen Documentary Exposes Pat Tillman Cover-Up

Evidence strongly indicates Tillman was murdered to prevent him from becoming an anti-war icon
A new documentary set to hit the big screen this summer lifts the lid on the cover-up behind the death of Pat Tillman, the pro-football star who gave up a lucrative career to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq before preparing to return to the U.S. as an anti-war icon, at which point he was killed in a so-called friendly fire incident that more closely resembled a deliberate assassination.

Whether or not the documentary delves into the question of whether Tillman's death was a targeted act of murder remains to be seen, but the evidence strongly indicates that Tillman was deliberately assassinated in order to prevent him from becoming an anti-war icon and derailing public support in the United States for the ongoing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tillman sacrificed the good life and a multi-million dollar football career in the belief that he was defending his country from outside enemies, and soon after 9/11 turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army.

It was during Tillman's second deployment to Afghanistan, after previously serving in Iraq, that he was killed by what the U.S. military initially claimed was a Taliban ambush. It later emerged that the ambush story had been concocted by the Pentagon in an attempt to exploit Tillman's death for pro-war propaganda. Subsequent investigations claimed that Tillman was killed as a result of a friendly fire accident.

Unquote

Continued here. (http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/june2010/062910_pat_tillman.htm)

Gita

30th June 2010, 09:21

Quote

'US gave Saddam chemical arms'

Official documents point the finger at the US and 14 other European countries for equipping former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons, says a top Iranian official.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeid Jalili said those weapons were used by the former Baghdad regime, including in the 1987 gas attack on the northwestern Iranian city of Sardasht and in another chemical strike on the northern Iraqi city of Halabcha in 1988.

He said as long as the prime suspects in those attacks as well as in the crimes committed in Vietnam are permanent members of the UN Security Council, there is a possibility that such crimes may be repeated.

http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20100629/namvar20100629170728293.jpg

"As long as permanent members of the UN Security Council see their possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) as a privilege, they cannot be expected to fight WMDs," added Jalili.

Referring to Saddam Hussein's repeated use of chemical arms against Iran during his eight-year imposed war on the Islamic Republic in the 80's, the senior official underscored the international community should call for the United States together with the 14 European governments to stand trial for supplying chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein.

Jalili was speaking at a conference in Tehran on Tuesday June 29, marking the day, 23 years ago, when the former Iraqi regime launched a deadly gas attack on the northwestern Iranian city of Sardasht.

Many of the survivors are still suffering from very serious health conditions, including severe respiratory problems and skin disorders.

The day is also observed as National Day for Fight against Chemical Weapons in Iran.

Unquote

Source (http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132644&sectionid=351020101)

Gita

1st July 2010, 11:07

Quote

US-led forces kill many Afghan civilians

US-led forces in Afghanistan have killed many civilians in the southern province of Helmand amid public outrage over rising death tolls in the war-torn county, Afghan sources say.

A statement by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Thursday that the US-led forces have killed "a large number" of Taliban militants in the region and captured a Taliban chief of Naw Zad. However, Afghan sources told Press TV that most of the victims were civilians.

Villagers in Baghran district of Helmand province reported that children and women were killed by the foreign troops.

Afghan officials have launched a probe into the deaths.

"Afghan and international security forces captured the Taliban district chief of Naw Zad and killed a large number of insurgents during an operation in remote Baghran district in northern Helmand province last night," ISAF said Thursday.

Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives either in US-led raids or in Taliban-led militancy across the violence-wracked country.

According to official figures, more than 2,500 civilians were killed in NATO operations last year, undermining support for the presence of US-led forces in the country.

Unquote

Source (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132920&sectionid=351020403)

Gita

3rd July 2010, 18:07

(From uruknet.info, 2 July)

Falluja Worse Than Hiroshima "
Layla Anwar

July 2, 2010

The information is too important not to jot down...this is a rushed post.

I just finished watching a re-run of Ahmad Mansour's Al-Jazeera Arabic - interview with Prof.Chris Busby. Prof Busby is a Scientist and Director of Green Audit, and scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks. To find out more on Prof Chris Busby and his work -- Google -- Chris Busby Uranium.

http://www.davidicke.com/images/stories/July20101/falquiet.jpg

Prof Busby has published many articles on radiation, uranium and contamination in countries such as Lebanon, Kosovo, Gaza and of course Iraq.

His latest findings - which were the subject of the program aired on Al-Jazeera are what I will focus on here.

As some of you know, Falluja is a forbidden city. It was subjected to intense bombardments in 2004, with DU bombs and White phosphorus, and since it has become a no go zone - meaning that both the Iraqi puppet authorities and the U.S invading/occupying forces do not allow anyone to conduct any real study in Falluja. Falluja is basically under siege.

Obviously both the Americans and the Iraqis know something and are hiding it from the public. And this is where Prof. C.Busby comes in the picture. He was/is adamant to get to the bottom of what took place in Falluja in 2004.

Being a top scientist in his field, he set out to conduct a survey/research in Falluja whose preliminary results will be published in 2 weeks - hopefully.

Prof Busby found many obstacles while undertaking this project. Neither he nor any member of his team were allowed access to Falluja to conduct interviews. He said when the main door closes, one has to find other doors to open. And this is what he did. He managed to gather a team of Iraqis from Falluja to conduct the surveys for him.

The research project was based on 721 families from Falluja with 4'500 participants - living in both high level and lower level radiation zones. Results were compared to a control group - a sample of the same number of families living in a non radioactive zone in another Arab country. For the purpose of the study he chose three other countries for comparison - Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan.

Continued here.
http://uruknet.com/?p=m67560&hd=&size=1&l=e

Gita

3rd July 2010, 18:22

(From Press TV, 3 July)

US-led forces kill three Afghan civilians

US-led forces in Afghanistan have killed at least three civilians as their new commander General David Petraeus makes his debut in Kabul.

The civilians, including a woman, were killed in a NATO operation in the volatile southern province of Kandahar, a Press TV correspondent reported.

NATO has confirmed the attack. However, it claims that its soldiers only killed two civilians. The Western military alliance claims that its forces also accidentally injured another person.

The foreign troops also killed eight civilians inside their houses during an operation in Kandahar Province last week. NATO claimed the raid targeted militants.

The developments come as a big blow to the new commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

General Petraeus promised that his top priority will be to minimize Afghan civilian casualties only two days before the killings.

NATO says that it will launch a probe into the deadly attacks.

Thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed in attacks carried out by foreign forces since the US-led invasion back in 2001.

According to official figures, more than 2,500 civilians were killed in NATO operations last year, undermining support for the presence of US-led forces in the country.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=133194&sectionid=351020403

Gita

3rd July 2010, 19:58

Quote

$30 Billion More For Afghanistan: War Funding Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON — Despite pessimism that the war in Afghanistan is turning out to be a quagmire, Democrats controlling the House muscled through a plan Thursday to finance President Barack Obama's troop surge, but only after sweetening the measure with last-ditch moves to salvage their faltering jobs agenda.

Long delayed, the approximately $80 billion bill was passed amid building pressure on Democrats to act before their weeklong Fourth of July break begins. But the Senate approved a significantly slimmer measure in May and it'll take additional weeks to reconcile the differences between the two battling chambers.

The crucial vote to advance the measure under unusually convoluted floor rules came on a 215-210 tally to bring up the nearly $60 billion Senate-passed measure for debate. Democrats added more than $20 billion for domestic programs late Thursday, including $10 billion in grants to school districts to avoid teacher layoffs, $5 billion for Pell Grants to low-income college students and $700 million to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Black lawmakers won add-ons of their own, including a $1 billion youth summer jobs initiative and money to pay discrimination claims by black farmers against the Agriculture Department

The White House weighed in with a veto threat over $800 million in cuts to education programs. The cuts would be used to help pay for the additional domestic spending, which was sought by top Democrats such as Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin. The move infuriated Obey, who acidly pointed out that he had drafted legislation last year that contained the money and that even with the $800 billion cut, more than $3 billion would be left over.

Unquote

Continued here.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/afghanistan-30-billion-war-funding_n_633300.html

Gita

3rd July 2010, 20:21

Quote

Cut Social Security to Fund the War?
By DEAN BAKER

In a remarkable interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, House Republican Leader John Boehner explicitly called for cutting Social Security in order to pay for the war in Afghanistan. The article reports:

"Ensuring there's enough money to pay for the war will require reforming the country's entitlement system, Boehner said. He said he'd favor increasing the Social Security retirement age to 70 for people who have at least 20 years until retirement, tying cost-of-living increases to the consumer price index rather than wage inflation and limiting payments to those who need them."

In principle Boehner gave the Democrats as much ammunition as a serious political party could want. After all raising the retirement age and cutting Social Security benefits to pay for the war in Afghanistan is an idea that consistently polls in the high single decimals. We should expect every Democratic politician in the country to be jumping up and down demanding to know whether the Republican leader speaks for all Republicans.

That would be the case, unless of course the Democrats actually hold similar views. After all, several prominent Democrats have been saying in public recently that we will have to cut Social Security benefits (benefits workers have already paid for). These prominent Democrats also support the war in Afghanistan.

So, they may not use the same words as Mr. Boehner, but it seems that many Democrats may effectively agree that we have to cut Social Security to pay for the war in Afghanistan. It would be nice if they would insist that this is not true.

Dean Baker is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). He is the author of Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy and False Profits: Recoverying From the Bubble Economy.

Unquote

http://www.counterpunch.org/baker07022010.html

Gita

11th July 2010, 10:15

:rolleyes::pound:

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Monkeys trained as battlefield killers in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are training monkeys to use weapons to attack American troops, according to a recent report by a British-based media agency.

Reporters from the media agency spotted and took photos of a few "monkey soldiers" holding AK-47 rifles and Bren light machine guns in the Waziristan tribal region near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The report and photos have been widely spread by media agencies and Web sites across the world.

According to the report, American military experts call them "monkey terrorists."

As a form of cruel political means, wars are launched to meet political goals through conquest, devastation, assaults and other means.

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