Dahr Jamail Archive
19 April, 2006
Civil War In Iraq?
By Dahr JamailThe armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Badr Organization, and Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army have been launching ongoing attacks against fighters in the neighborhood. There is a shorter version of this description. Civil war
22 March, 2006
Operation Swarm Of Lies
By Dahr JamailOperation Swarm of Lies is part of yet another Cheney administration media blitz to put a happy face on this horrendously failed misadventure in Iraq. All too aware of the plummeting US public support for the war effort, and with approval ratings for the so-called president at an all time low, Bush had been sent out on the campaign trail to apply fresh gloss to the tattered sheen of the US occupation of Iraq
14 March, 2006
Iraq: Permanent US Colony
By Dahr JamailUS policymakers have replaced the Cold War with the Long War for Global Empire and Unchallenged Military Hegemony. This is the lens through which we must view Iraq to better understand why there are permanent US bases there
17 February, 2006
Outrage Spreads over New Images
By Dahr Jamail and Arkan HamedNew footage of British soldiers beating up young Iraqi men in Amarah city in 2003, and the release of more photographs of atrocities by U.S. soldiers against Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison has spread outrage across Iraq
07 February, 2006
Al-Jazeera: Holding The Head High
By Samir Khader and Dahr JamailInterview with Samir Khader, Program Editor for Al-Jazeera
01 June, 2005
“Things Are Getting Worse By The Day”
By Dahr JamailAt least 740 Iraqis have been killed since the new “government” took power in late April, and with the ongoing operations sparking more attacks each day, it doesn’t look like there is an end in sight
17 May, 2005
A “Welcome Parade” Of Blood And Seething Anger
By Dahr JamailAs if to add insult to injury, with over 400 Iraqis killed in violence during the first two weeks of the newly sworn in Iraqi “government,” US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice made a surprise one day visit to the newest US colony
01 April, 2005
“Life In Falluja Is A Horror Story”
By Eric Ruder & Dahr JamailDaily, there are many, many air missions being flown, and huge amounts of bombs being dropped. In fact, the vast majority of Iraqi civilians killed have died as a result of U.S. warplanes dropping bombs. In Falluja, it’s pretty safe to say that a large percentage of the estimated 3,000 people killed there were killed by U.S. warplanes
24 March, 2005
A Dozen Questions For Dahr Jamail
By Dahr Jamail &Douglas HermanAn interview with Dahr Jamail
22 March, 2005
Sects And Solidarity In Iraq
By Dahr JamailDespite talk of civil war, Sunnis and Shiites seem more united than divided
02 February, 2005
What They’re Not Telling You
About The “Election”
By Dahr JamailThus, one might argue that the Bush administration has made a deal with the SCIR: Iraq's oil for guaranteed political power. The Americans are able to put forward such a bargain because Bush still holds the strings in Iraq
01 February, 2005
Some Just Voted For Food
By Dahr JamailMany Iraqis said Monday that their names were marked on a list provided by the government agency that provides monthly food rations before they were allowed to vote
31 January, 2005
Hollow Election Held On Bloody Sunday
By Dahr JamailMany Iraqis who had intended to vote stayed indoors as gunfire echoed around the downtown area of Baghdad. Mortar attacks on polling stations continued through the day
28 January, 2005
Some See Hope, Others Civil War
By Dahr JamailSome Iraqis are hoping for a new unity following elections on Jan. 30, but others seem convinced that existing divisions will increase, leading possibly to civil war
19 January, 2005
Car Bombs
By Dahr JamailIn a span of just 90 minutes five car bombs detonated in Baghdad killing at least 26 people
Odd Happenings In Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail“In the center of the Julan Quarter they are removing entire homes which have been bombed, meanwhile most of the homes that were bombed are left as they were. The military use bulldozers to push the soil into piles and load it onto trucks to carry away
18 January, 2005
Destroying Babylon
By Dahr JamailUS has failed to take into account the requirements of the Hague convention ... to protect major archaeological sites. So Babylon is being destroyed. Along with the Iraqi people
17 January, 2005
The Tsunami Of Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
Nobody knows who these dead people are. The coolers are full. Others are full too, in the other hospitals. He finishes and begins to pray as I start my shower, trying to wash the bodies away. It helps, some.But it’s the eyes that got me. And they won’t go away
Collective Punishment
By Dahr JamailI just phoned the military press office in Baghdad and asked them if they can provide me information on why they are blocking roads, firing weapons, plowing down date palm groves, and cutting electricity in the Al-Arab Jubour Village in Al-Dora, as several of the residents there claim.The spokesman, who won’t give me his name, said he knew nothing about such things, but that there were ongoing security operations in the Al-Dora area
14 January, 2005
A Restless Calm…
By Dahr JamailBaghdad feels restless during this “calm” time. There is an expectant energy in the air as the days tick off leading to January 30th. It’s as if we are all waiting for the bombs and fierce clashes to kick off at anytime
12 January, 2005
“This Is Not A Life”
By Dahr Jamail“Look at what has become of Baghdad Dahr,” he tells me as the traffic finally begins to inch forward again, “All of us are suffering now. This is not a life.”
10 December, 2004
Fallujah Pictures
By Dahr JamailTwo weeks ago someone was allowed into Fallujah by the military to help bury bodies. They were allowed to take photographs of 75 bodies, in order to show pictures to relatives so that they might be identified before they were buried. Here are the pictures
“Somebody Has To Do It"
By Dahr JamailWhile billions of US taxpayer dollars have been awarded in lucrative contracts to companies such as Bechtel and Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root, there are few signs that any reconstruction has actually taken place in war torn Iraq
07 December, 2004
Fallujah As A “Model City”
By Dahr JamailThe goal of crushing the resistance and creating stability by destroying Fallujah has gone so well that resistance fighters here roamed freely about Haifa street today hunting for Iraqis collaborating with US forces
04 December, 2004
Fallujah Refugees Tell Of Life And Death
By Dahr JamailJournalists and residents who have fled Fallujah share accounts of US troops killing unarmed and wounded people; Dahr Jamail continues interviewing survivors as images of a city under US assault further emerge
02 December, 2004
The Quiet Of Destruction And Death
By Dahr Jamail“I need another heart and eyes to bear it because my own are not enough to bear what I saw. Nothing justifies what was done to this city. I didn’t see a house or mosque that wasn’t destroyed.”
01 December, 2004
Neglect Follows Siege Of Fallujah
By Dahr JamailThe Iraqi ministry of health is failing to provide enough support to hundreds of thousands who fled Fallujah, and doctors in Baghdad are perplexed
Low Crime Rate In Fallujah
By Dahr JamailAllawi continues to insist that violence in Iraq is decreasing since the siege of Fallujah
30 November, 2004
'Unusual Weapons' Used In Fallujah
By Dahr JamailEye witnesses testify that the U.S. military has used poison gas and other non-conventional weapons against civilians in Fallujah
Living A Disaster In Iraq
By Dahr JamailThe cold winter winds sweep over Baghdad, with fuel shortages, gun battles, mortar attacks and suicide bombings, life in Baghdad is a disaster
24 November, 2004
Allawi's Dictatorship
By Dahr JamailThe rule of Ayad Allawi, the U.S. appointed interim prime minister of Iraq, is now more in the style of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein than a leader of a supposedly democratic state
23 November, 2004
Iraqi Critics Speak Out On Occupation, Elections
By Dahr JamailWhile debate continues in the United States about how best to manage the occupation and nation building of Iraq, the ideas of Iraqis on the matter of what is to happen in their country have been all but completely muted in the West
20 November, 2004
US Forces Raid A Mosque And
Murder The Worshippers
By Dahr JamailU.S. soldiers raided the Abu Hanifa mosque in Baghdad during Friday prayers, killing at least four and wounding up to 20 worshippers
19 November, 2004
The Streets Of Baghdad
By Dahr JamailWalking and driving on the streets Baghdad I find myself in a sea of chaos. Traffic is mayhem for many reasons. The current fuel crisis being the lead cause. Lines at petrol stations stretch for miles at some of the stations
Media Repression In 'Liberated' Land
By Dahr JamailJournalists are increasingly being detained and threatened by the U.S.-installed interim government in Iraq. Media have been stopped particularly from covering recent horrific events in Fallujah
18 November, 2004
Slash And Burn
By Dahr Jamail“The first thing they did is they bombed the hospitals because that is where the wounded have to go. Now we see that wounded people are in the street and the soldiers are rolling over them with tanks"
17 November, 2004
800 Civilians Feared Dead In Fallujah
By Dahr JamailAccording to estimates by a Red Cross official at least 800 civilians are believed to have been killed during the U.S. offensive in Fallujah
16 November, 2004
The Other Face Of U.S. 'Success' In Fallujah
By Dahr JamailThe real face of the 'success' of the U.S. military assault in Fallujah is now beginning to present itself. Thousands of families remain trapped inside Fallujah with no food, clean water or medical assistance
Dogs Eating Bodies In The Streets Of Fallujah
By Dahr JamailThe media repression by the military around Fallujah continues to run thick, as a journalist for the al-Arabia network who attempted to get inside Fallujah was detained by the military
15 November, 2004
Inside Fallujah: One Family’s Diary Of Terror
By Dahr Jamail“I cannot get the image out of my mind of her foetus being blown out of her body.” One family reveals the horror of being caught in the conflict in Falluja
13 November, 2004
Iraq Is Burning With Wrath , Anger And Sadness…
By Dahr Jamail“Certainly the US military can eventually suppress Fallujah, but for how long? Iraq is burning with wrath, anger and sadness…the people of Fallujah are dear to us. They are our brothers and sisters and we are so saddened by what is happening in that city.”
12 November, 2004
Prayers For Vengeance, More Death
By Dahr Jamail“When I was a child, it was common to have some family member who was killed in the war with Iran,” he says, “But now, everyone is dying everyday.”
11 November, 2004
Economy Hurting More Than Violence
By Dahr JamailViolence is taking a heavy toll in Iraq, but everyday economic difficulties could be hurting people more.Nearly 20 months into the occupation, Iraqis find themselves in a desperate situation, with countless struggling to survive
10 November, 2004
The Siege Begins, Outrage In Baghdad
By Dahr Jamail“The first priority is that who makes the law should be legally authorized. Here in Baghdad, the martial law is genocide against the resistance in Iraq who are against the invasion. The theme of the law is to kill the resistance and to stop people even from thinking. Do you think they can limit how Iraqis think?”
The Fire Is Spreading…
By Dahr JamailThe fighting in Falluja will not end when the Americans take the city. The fighting will begin in other places like Baghdad, Baquba, Latifiya, Ramadi, Samarra, Khaldiya, Kirkuk and elsewhere
08 November, 2004
Carnage And Martial Law
By Dahr Jamail“My mom tells me to save money for the future, and I keep telling her that I’m a dead man. I’m going to die here, so what’s the use? I try to get her ready for it…but she can’t get used to the thought.”
06 November, 2004
Spiraling Into Occupied Iraq
By Dahr JamailToday Iraq is yet another country. As I type this a gun battle of automatic weapons rattles down the street, Falluja has been sealed prior to imminent attack and the mood in Baghdad is tense with gloomy expectation. The feeling is that of a war zone, people are downtrodden, tense and angry, chaos reigns and nobody is safe…anywhere
07 July, 2004
U.S. Gives Iraqi Hospitals Broken Promises
In Place Of Medicine
By Dahr JamailDespite promises of over $1 billion in US funding, hospital patients in Iraq continue to suffer ongoing hardship. Problems range from ongoing medicine and equipment shortages to an overall lack of proper medical infrastructure
29 June, 2004
Leaving Iraq
By Dahr JamailHow does one reconcile being able to leave here? We all know it’s going to get so much worse, and I get to leave, while my dear friend must stay and do his best to get by day after day
28 June, 2004
Where Children Laugh At Bombs
By Dahr JamailJust before lunch, several loud bombs exploded nearby. My friend Christian Parenti and I looked at each other. “This is normal, even my children laugh at the bombs now,” said the Sheikh.In the next room the children were laughing excitedly.
25 June, 2004
Baqouba Sealed Off As U.S. Forces
Lose Control of City
By Dahr JamailInsurgents appeared to have taken control of the Al-Mufraq district in western Baqouba. Residents here said occupation forces had retreated from the area after being ambushed
24 June, 2004
Seven Questions And Answers With Dahr Jamail
By Brian DominickDahr Jamail answers readers queries
23 June, 2004
Exporting Violence
By Dahr JamailRamadi and Baqubah both remain tense with recent fighting; the potential of them turning into the next Fallujah remains quite present
Struggling To Survive
By Dahr JamailThis is a hospital that can spend only $200 per day to feed its 308 in-patients. This is a hospital that is regularly invaded by US troops who, according to several of the doctors, walk straight into wards looking for fighters without consulting the doctors first
22 June, 2004
This Is Just Like Afghanistan
By Dahr Jamail“They’ve destroyed the foundations of Iraq. What do you think we can do with no foundations. Even if the Americans stay here 15 years, there will be no security.”
18 June, 2004
Getting Used To Bombs In Baghdad
By Dahr Jamail"I used to read about how the Lebanese got used to the bombs in Beirut. I never thought that could happen to me, yet here I am.”
17 June, 2004
Good Morning Bomb
By Dahr Jamail“Morning, man,” I said. “Morning,” he replied as we both stare at the huge, brown mushroom cloud that rises above the buildings out our window. Our daily car bomb viciously welcomed another day of this wretched occupation of Iraq.
15 June, 2004
Americans, Iraqis Vie For Control Of Security Forces
By Dahr JamailEven as authorities for the US-run occupation cede a greater share of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces, spokespeople for the Iraqi police and paramilitaries in many areas of the war-torn country say they lack the legitimacy and tools necessary to carry out their duties
14 June, 2004
Violence Engulf Baghdad
By Dahr JamailSeveral of us are sitting in the hotel room having lunch, watching the news trying to keep up with the violence daily engulfing Iraq. Let me give you a quick rundown from the last 24 hours
13 June, 2004
“I Can Still Remember Their Screaming.”
By Dahr JamailOvershadowed by more dramatic stories like car bombs and heavy fighting, the silent suffering that has become the daily reality here just isn’t catching much attention
12 June, 2004
Civilian Death Toll Rises In Sadr City
By Dahr JamailAccording to Dr. Ali Jumali at Khadasiyah Hospital, the only facility in Sadr City with a morgue, 221 residents from the area who died as a result of the fighting were brought to the morgue between May 4 and May 31. Dr. Jumali said another 100 bodies were sent to Adnan Hospital in central Baghdad during the same time frame
Holiday In A War Zone
By Dahr JamailEven up in restful Kurdistan the symptoms of war and unrest remain. One must be patient at the checkpoints and be wary of where one parks the car
04 June, 2004
Violence In Baghdad,Wordplay In Falluja
By Dahr JamailCar bombs are becoming a daily occurrence in Baghdad, and there is nothing the locals can do about it
03 June, 2004
Iraq's New President Just Figurehead?
By Dahr JamailAl-Yawer has earned a reputation among Iraqis for standing up to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) when he felt it necessary. But the presidential role to be filled by Al-Yawer is ironically an all but powerless one under the mandate of the interim government
New President, New Car Bomb
By Dahr JamailRather than celebratory gunfire for the appointment of a new president, we have a car bomb, a huge mushroom cloud and whaling sirens in the center of the capital city today
02 June, 2004
Desperate For Food
By Dahr JamailThe increased number of women and children begging for dinars on the streets of Baghdad shows, more than anything else, how desperate the Iraqis are for food
31 May, 2004
Iraq Rapidly Disintegrating
By Dahr JamailIraq has been shattered. And now, today, over a year since the horrible regime of Saddam Hussein was overthrown, what is left of the country seems to be unraveling more and more with each passing day
28 May, 2004
Slaughter In The Streets
By Dahr JamailDriving anywhere in Baghdad on any given day, the black funeral announcements of untimely deaths are hanging from buildings, homes, and fences everywhere
27 May, 2004
Mehdi Army Grows
By Dahr JamailThe fighter is married and has six children, but said he will be honored to become a martyr. "God will save my children if I die because the Mehdi is the army of the people," he stated. "This is an intifada of the people"
24 May, 2004
Bringing Electricity To Their Asses
By Dahr JamailIn the dark humor that has become so popular in Baghdad these days, one recently released detainee said, “The Americans brought electricity to my ass before they brought it to my house!”
Iraq's Seething With Rage
By Dahr JamailAs if the unremitting stream of horrendous photographs documenting the widespread torturing of Iraqis within Abu Ghraib prison (among other detention facilities throughout Iraq) are not enough, the recent wedding party massacre has brought the fury to an entirely new level
19 May, 2004
Ramadi- A Delicate Lid
By Dahr JamailThe city of Ramadi, about 120km west of Baghdad, appears to be much more stable than nearby Falluja, where the U.S. military currently won’t enter the city after the failed siege of April.But one must not forget that calm is a relative term in occupied Iraq
11 May, 2004
Fallujah Celebrates As Marines Leave
By Dahr JamailAfter the Marines left, thousands upon thousands of residents of the defiant city, joined by mujahideen fighters and US-trained Iraqi police and soldiers, poured into the streets to celebrate what Fallujans saw as their "victory" over US forces in the battle for their city
11 May, 2004
Fallujah Celebrates As Marines Leave
By Dahr JamailAfter the Marines left, thousands upon thousands of residents of the defiant city, joined by mujahideen fighters and US-trained Iraqi police and soldiers, poured into the streets to celebrate what Fallujans saw as their "victory" over US forces in the battle for their city
10 May, 2004
Imposing A Flag With Tanks And Guns
By Dahr Jamail"I have yet to see the new “flag” anywhere, aside from seeing it burned in Fallujah. Anywhere it is flown, it is promptly torn down. Nobody would dare hang one in their car"
08 May, 2004
Fresh Graves Of Falluja
By Dahr JamailRows and rows of fresh graves fill the football stadium in Falluja. Many of them are smaller than others. My translator Nermim reads the gravestones to me: “This one is a little girl.” We take another step. “And this one is her sister. Next to them is their mother.”
07 May, 2004
Hellish Scenes From A Suicide Bomb Explosion
By Dahr Jamail"A leg was found 200 meters from the blast site. Broken glass covers the grass near the line of blasted cars.Ambulance sirens blared, soldiers yelled at people who got too close, and the overall feeling of doom and sadness pervaded the hellish scene."
06 May, 2004
Ali Baba's Of Iraq
By Dahr JamailDaily life is a struggle for most Iraqis, and it isn't helped by the brutal occupation or by the corrupt police department who act like Ali Babas (thieves) of the street
05 May, 2004
The Horror Story Of Sadiq Zoman
By Dahr JamailAmerican soldiers detained Zoman at his residence in Kirkuk on July 21, 2003 when they raided the Zoman family home.More than a month later, on August 23, US soldiers dropped Zoman off, already comatose, at a hospital in Tikrit where he is still lying in coma
Interview With A Mujahideen
By Dahr Jamail“This is not a rebellion, this is a resistance against the occupation.” An interview with a resistance fighter
29 April, 2004
Heavy Handed Raid Backfires
By Dahr JamailThe 26 April explosions at a chemical warehouse being raided by the U.S. military constitute yet another example of heavy-handed tactics gone awry
25 April, 2004
Report From Fallujah
By Dahr JamailEstimates of total refugees vary, but most reports suggest at least 60,000 Fallujans -- or about a quarter of the city’s population -- have fled Fallujah for Baghdad and other cities
20 April, 2004
Dahr Jamail Blog From Baghdad
By Dahr JamailFor those of us here, it has, needless to say, travel has become increasing difficult because of the deteriorating security situation
13 April, 2004
Americans Slaughtering Civilians In Falluja
By Dahr JamailThe city itself was virtually empty, aside from groups of mujahedeen standing on every other street corner. It was a city at war
06 April, 2004
Entering The Inferno
By Dahr JamailDahr Jamail returns to Iraq and what he sees is a city on fire and the flames are only growing higher as the outrage toward the occupiers has drawn the militant Al-Sadr and his huge following into the battle against the Americans
21 January, 2004
Walking The Streets Of Baghdad
By Dahr JamailIn Baghdad, a place that is the front line of a low-grade guerrilla war between insurgents and the occupation forces, daily life for 6 million Iraqis goes on as usual
04 January, 2004
Controlling What We Hear From Iraq
By Dahr JamailElectronicIraq.net, has been banned from at least one of the US military bases in Iraq. Like other repressive dictatorships and regimes, the US military has now followed suit in Iraq by attempting to select what its personnel should and should not read
01 January, 2004
Why is Al-Adamiyah Targeted
By the Americans?
By Dahr JamailAl-Adamiyah stands as the symbol of 'Kholmi', the idea and hope for one united great Arab Nation. The area has always been known as 'The Mother of the Revolution', even during the reign of Saddam Hussein
31 December, 2003
Samarra: Plenty Of Troops,still No Infrastructure
By Dahr JamailIf repairing/rebuilding something in Iraq isn't necessary to serve US and British interests, it is left as it is