Dahr
Jamail Archive
19 April, 2006
Civil War
In Iraq?
By Dahr Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Operation 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 Jamail
US 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 Hamed
New 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 Jamail
Interview with Samir Khader, Program Editor for Al-Jazeera
01 June, 2005
Things
Are Getting Worse By The Day
By Dahr Jamail
At 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 doesnt look like
there is an end in sight
17 May, 2005
A Welcome
Parade Of Blood And Seething Anger
By Dahr Jamail
As 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 Jamail
Daily, 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, its 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 Herman
An interview with Dahr Jamail
22 March, 2005
Sects And Solidarity
In Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
Despite talk of civil war, Sunnis and Shiites seem
more united than divided
02 February, 2005
What Theyre
Not Telling You
About The Election
By Dahr Jamail
Thus, 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 Jamail
Many 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 Jamail
Many 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 Jamail
Some 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 Jamail
In 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 Jamail
US 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 its the eyes that got me. And they wont
go away
Collective Punishment
By Dahr Jamail
I 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 wont 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 Jamail
Baghdad feels restless during this calm
time. There is an expectant energy in the air as the days tick off leading
to January 30th. Its 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 Jamail
Two 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 Jamail
While 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Journalists 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 didnt see a house or mosque that
wasnt destroyed.
01 December, 2004
Neglect Follows
Siege Of Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Allawi continues to insist that violence in Iraq
is decreasing since the siege of Fallujah
30 November, 2004
'Unusual Weapons'
Used In Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
Eye 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
While 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 Jamail
U.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 Jamail
Walking 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 Jamail
Journalists 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 Jamail
According 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
The 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 Familys 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 Jamail
Violence 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 Jamail
The 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 Im a dead man. Im going to die
here, so whats the use? I try to get her ready for it
but
she cant get used to the thought.
06 November, 2004
Spiraling Into
Occupied Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
Today 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 Jamail
Despite 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 Jamail
How does one reconcile being able to leave here?
We all know its 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 Jamail
Just 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 Jamail
Insurgents 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 Dominick
Dahr Jamail answers readers queries
23 June, 2004
Exporting Violence
By Dahr Jamail
Ramadi 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 Jamail
This 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
Theyve 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 Jamail
Even 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 Jamail
Several 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 Jamail
Overshadowed by more dramatic stories like car
bombs and heavy fighting, the silent suffering that has become the daily
reality here just isnt catching much attention
12 June, 2004
Civilian Death
Toll Rises In Sadr City
By Dahr Jamail
According 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 Jamail
Even 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 Jamail
Car 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 Jamail
Al-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 Jamail
Rather 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Iraq 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 Jamail
Driving 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
In 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 Jamail
As 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 Jamail
The city of Ramadi, about 120km west of Baghdad,
appears to be much more stable than nearby Falluja, where the U.S. military
currently wont 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 Jamail
After 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 Jamail
After 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 Jamail
Rows 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 Jamail
Daily 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 Jamail
American 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
30 April, 2004
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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Estimates of total refugees vary, but most reports
suggest at least 60,000 Fallujans -- or about a quarter of the citys
population -- have fled Fallujah for Baghdad and other cities
20 April, 2004
Dahr Jamail
Blog From Baghdad
By Dahr Jamail
For 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 Jamail
The 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 Jamail
Dahr 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 Jamail
In 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 Jamail
ElectronicIraq.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 Jamail
Al-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 Jamail
If repairing/rebuilding something in Iraq isn't
necessary to serve US and British interests, it is left as it is