How America is fighting Iraq war on two fronts

[evermind]

(note to moderators: despite the similar title, this is a different story from the AP one in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1560158 )

How America is fighting Iraq war on two fronts

BY PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY
18 June 2005

A British writer Naomi Klein wrote late last year: "In Iraq, US forces and their Iraqi surrogates are no longer bothering to conceal attacks on civilian targets and are openly eliminating anyone - doctors, clerics, journalists - who dares to count the bodies."

--snip--

[After complaints from the US embassy in London, challenging Klein to present her evidence, she now has done.]

She says that the first American attack on Fallujah last year caused uprisings across Iraq because of reports that the Americans had killed hundreds of civilians. This information was gathered from three main sources - Fallujah General Hospital, Arab TV journalists and clerics. The American forces withdrew from Fallujah and Donald Rumsfeld accused the Arab TV networks of vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable reporting. The Defence Department said Fallujah General Hospital was a centre of anti-American propaganda.

When in November last year US troops once again laid siege to Fallujah, according to Naomi Klein, they included a new tactic: "eliminating doctors, journalists and clerics who had drawn public attention to the civilian casualties the first time around. According to The New York Times the Fallujah General Hospital was selected as an early target. It was placed under American military control to prevent its staff reporting on civilian dead and wounded.

The Los Angeles Times quoted a doctor as saying that the Americans stole the medics' mobile phones to prevent them from communicating with the outside world. And when fighting moved to Mosul, US forces immediately seized control of the hospital there.

This is by Philip Knightly, a "widely published columnist based in London", writing for the Khaleej Times.

Article continues at link. I can't track down the Naomi Klein story that this is apparently based on. Anyone?

[GetTheRightVote]

1. I am not surprised after all I read but I am still angry at it all

When this country wakes up and I hope that it is soon, we really owe this country so much more then we could ever repay them the least of all an analogy for our lying *. We must never forget we are killing their women and children, torturing them, etc. How many more Vietnams must we face before it never happens again ??

:kick: