More post-Saddam mass graves discovered in Iraq

[sabra]

Source: Azzaman

The Ministry of Human Rights says its experts have uncovered 84 mass graves all holding victims of violence that engulfed the country in the aftermath of the 2003-U.S. invasion.

Ayam Sharif, head of the ministry’s department of terror victims, said the graves were all discovered last year.

She said the ministry, given its limited resources, does not have the means and expertise to deal with the stream of mass graves that are being discovered in the country.

She said the 84 graves were only those found in two Iraqi provinces: Baghdad and Diyala.

...

The ministry now has a special section called Department of Mass Graves. It was set up to deal with the mass graves of the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

It includes specialists in archaeology, forensic medicine, chemists and media.

Privately, the department’s personnel say it never occurred to them that they would spend most of their time working on mass graves holding the corpses of Iraqis killed following the overthrow of the former regime.


Read more: http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2010-03-26%5Ckurd.htm

[Turbineguy]

1. They can put George W Bush

on their Christmas card list.

[Hulk]

2. It's that "freedom" we brought them....

How sad. And to this day, reichwingers think it was justified. Such an ignorant nation we live in.

[UpInArms]

3. ahem, I guess some people haven't been paying attention to a few numbers

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,366,350"

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 4,704

Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 1,700

Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
$975,312,600,115

[ixion]

4. extremely relevant numbers

that most people seem to want to ignore while we're "liberating" countries world-wide.

[90-percent]

5. Iraq casualties

There have also been around 800 "contractors" that have lost their lives in this thing that end up on no list what so ever.

The determination of Iraqi civilian dead has a lot of variation in it. From 100,000 to the figure cited above. But, every war has collateral damage and they were all ragheads anyway.

:sarcasm:

-90% jimmy

[JonLP24]

10. Don't forget TCN's

Though I highly doubt their numbers are officially reported. The news never mentions them but TCN stands for Third-Country Nationals. Most of them are from India but many come from countries in Africa, Philippines, and other places I can't quite remember. They were responsible for construction of bases, serving food in dining facilities at bases, doing transportation missions with transportation units in the armed forces, cleaning and sucking shit out of port o' potties in bases, as well as other jobs.

I was in a transportation unit so we had 20 or so going with us on every mission with 5 Army trucks hauling supplies and 2 bobcats in-case a truck went down due to an IED or EFP so it can haul a trailer from a disabled truck. The TCN's make around $400 US while their boss who their employers usually task someone who speaks good English so he can get info from troops and relay it too others. He makes about $700 a month. The reason why they have high casualties is because they drive Mercedes semi-truck and trailers that have NO ARMOR, just fiberglass. For 4-5 years they didn't wear any armor on their body but started to on many of them but not all but their armor is not as strong as the ones troops wear.

Not ranting at you specifically but when I hear about death counts or what not TCN's are never included and most people here in the US don't even know they exist or the HUGE contribution they provided in helping US & coalition forces.

[90-percent]

12. TCN's

Your post is the first I've even heard of them. Sounds like they need a lot of recognition for their help with the war. Like the US government should officially thank them or something, because, my guess is that almost all American's don't even know they ever existed!

Thanks for your post and thanks for your service.

-90% Jimmy

[JonLP24]

13. I agree

that they should get recognition from both the government and the media and an official thank you at the very least.

I can tell you a little more but I'll start with a story. About 8 months or so in I broke my hand playing basketball at CSC Scania during down time and to make a really long story short and a lot of explaining I flew back to the home base in Kuwait on a C130 from Baghdad International Airport. While back there wasn't a lot I can do as far as details are concerned w/ a broken hand so I was tasked to be the Armor's assistant(there is a sad story I can tell here but I'll save that for another day and another time as that story isn't the point here) for a couple of weeks. A DFAC (dining facility from Zone 3(I can explain what zones mean at Camp Arif later) needed 2 soldiers from our unit to help out with another unit there because they were short on people. It was perfect for me because I couldn't go on missions with a broken hand.

Ok so what I did was head count, enforce DFAC rules, and supervise TCN's which consisted nothing more of checking food temperatures(which were always in the acceptable range) and relaying information to the head guy(as I explained in my previous post) so he can relay it to the other workers because they knew little to no English at all. This man was from Nepal a country north of India and let me tell you he was one of the nicest people I ever met. He was also a very good worker and whenever one his workers did something wrong(which was rare) he would handle it right away. Made our jobs for the most part easy. However I must say enforcing DFAC rules is the most stressful job I ever had especially when it comes to letting know high ranking officers that they broke a rule but for the most part they weren't a problem. Some US civilian contractors like KBR gave me the hardest time hands down. Anyways his dream was to come to America and he would constantly ask questions about here. For those two months I was there were only handled two meals(Midnight and Breakfast) so we had a lot of down time to talk. I even looked online for him on information on how to immigrate but I couldn't find information relevant to his case. I found info like must be highly skilled in an area for example like playing sports or highly skilled scientist. Things like that. I found information on immigration for Iraqis or Afghan people that helped US forces but that didn't apply because he is from Nepal. I felt sad but then I think of some of the people here like teabaggers then I think it might not be so bad. I think about him a lot and I do hope he's made his way to the US. He would make an excellent civilian as well as many TCN's who work their ass off for little pay.

That's my story so I'll try to give more information as possible. A thing that is a concern about the TCN's in transportation units is that they are targets. TCNs have no armor and no weapon for one and almost if not ALL attempted hijackings are that of TCN trucks and some of them are successful but not on any convoys I've been on, just seen one attempted hijacking with several individuals but that was it. There was one mission where we received small arms fire and a TCN truck was hit with bullet holes riddled through the shipping container, tires shredding, and even a couple bullet holes was found on the cab just an inch or so below the floor where you have your feet when you're braking and accelerating. He wasn't hurt though.

Also when convoys arrive on bases troops get set up with either tents, trailers, or buildings with several bunk beds that all have AC's powered by generators(though they do go out from time to time). The TCNs stay with their trucks in lane staging areas where they sleep. TCNs also bathe in bottled water because there is no showers that they can use and are also guarded by rotated shifts of Army personnel which is understandable I guess but I never had a problem trusting them. However Camp Taji (just north of Baghdad) is like a paradise compared to how they got it in other bases. They got their own base inside a base where they can shower, have things to do, and troops don't have to guard them because the base already has that set up. Whenever TCNs learn they are going to Taji they get real excited. What I'm trying to say is how TCNs live is sub-standard compared to US forces and contractors. Wikipedia has a little information on them and have a picture which is too huge to post here so I'll give a link to the main page. Scroll right before you get halfway and you'll see a very good example of how many of them live. Though I can't say what kind of conditions(from descriptions not very good and they all lived together in the same spot) TCNs we worked with that are housed together by their employers in Kuwait. (We picked them up directly at their employers place in transportation and the DFAC workers rode together on bus from their employer to Arif Jan and back and the end and beginning of shifts)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Country_National
One minor detail you may notice is the military boots. It's not uncommon for US troops to have extra equipment and often times they give things to them. I recall that's how some TCNs get their Kevlars.

There is so much more I can probably say but I think I got the gist of it. Thank you for your thank you. :)

[Botany]

6. operation iraqi freedom

[Arctic Dave]

7. Shouldn't the headline read, More Post GWB Mass Graves Found. n/t

[troubledamerican]

8. All Things Come Home To Roost

[InkAddict]

9. OMG, so much never occurred to so many or so few...

Yet another "Who could have imagined?" perspective.

Other than the couched dismay at the horror their countrymen faced AFTER the Saddam "punk" was put in his place, what is the point of this news?

Is the Department seeking to hire more specialists to ease their workload? Are they not effecting closure for their liberated countrymen as rapidly as they might like to put the whole sordid mess to bed (a sad ballad, indeed).

I'm sorry, but this article bears more than a hint of whining and/or a the very least a hint of some new, as yet unrevealed corruption hidden just out of the reach of their pathological research, there, among the dead. Just what do/did they expect to find among the leftovers of war and to what end? Culpability? HAH!

Do they seek insight?...Paging international WMD inspectors who found none...paging that insular BRAT that led the charge...paging the winking, greedy global Banksters and corporatists selling short their own countrymen, their own clients...and reaping profit from it all the misery!

I'm so glad I'm over the chronological hump of life because the Groupthink Gangs are killing you and me and our children.

[rainbow4321]

11. Now hold on..how do they distinguish between post Saddam

and post George???