Carnage And
Martial Law
By Dahr Jamail
08 November, 2004
Dahrjamailiraq.com
The
marines that have been killed over the last 5 months have been killed
by a faceless enemy. The enemy there has a face, and its called
Satan, and it lives in Falluja.
These are the words
of US Marine Colonel Gary Brandl, as he speaks of the imminent attack
on Falluja. Who says this isnt a holy war?
This is a longer
blog, but stay with it-I am giving quick run down of the major events
of each of the past three days here
At the closest US
base to Falluja, the combat hospital has set up a morgue and doubled
the medical staff in anticipation of large numbers of US military casualties.
This, augmenting the fact that doctors there report that casualties
have already been averaging 20 per day. Just on Friday a soldier was
killed and several wounded at a base near the city.
Also on Friday,
a gas pipeline near Kirkuk was blown up, cutting electricity to homes
and businesses. In Baquba, attacks from resistance fighters claimed
the lives of two civilians when a mortar landed on their house near
a police station.
On Saturday, four
car bombs have killed 40 people, ten of whom were Iraqi Police and wounded
at least 62 in the city of Samarra which was supposedly taken over by
US control at the beginning of October.
An Iraqi health
official said that 23 people, including nine policemen, were killed
and 40 wounded, in the first of three bomb explosions against Iraqi
Police.
The second car bomb
detonated while rescue workers were assisting victims of the first blast.
A third bomb struck a US patrol while it was attempting to reach the
scene of the first two blasts, but there has been no word yet on US
casualties.
The fourth blast
occurred at 12:30 pm local time when a suicide bomber rammed his car
into a police station in the city 60 miles north of Baghdad, which according
to Iraqi Police killed several policemen and wounded five others.
Witnesses claimed
that US troops opened fired sporadically in the city center after they
were attacked, injuring civilians and destroying cars.
Resistance fighters
in Samarra also handed out leaflets pledging solidarity with their brothers
in Falluja.
The US and British
governments, along with the US-installed Iraqi interim government have
rejected an appeal made by Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the
UN, who warned that attacking Falluja would jeopardize the elections
slated for January in Iraq.
Ignoring his warning,
US warplanes, AC-130 gunships and artillery continued to pound Falluja
Saturday.
One of the targets
that was razed to the ground was Nazzal Emergency Hospital in the city
center. Having been at a clinic in Falluja during the April siege, I
can tell you that the targeting by the US military is anything but precise
there.
Over in Ramadi,
20 US soldiers were injured in an attack on their convoy.
Also in Ramadi,
a suicide car bomb detonated outside a US military base in the al-Fujariyah
district near the entrance of the city. The lifeless bodies of Iraqis
caught in the attack were scattered about on the road outside the base.
Here in Baghdad
on the airport road, a car bomber killed an Iraqi civilian and wounded
three US soldiers while attempting to kill members of the US military.
Before I get to
the carnage of today, let me interject something
The Japanese man
who was beheaded a couple of weeks ago whose body was found wrapped
in an American flag
turns out that while he was portrayed as a
backpacker in the mainstream media, was actually a freelance
videographer. I spoke with a friend in Jordan who stayed at the same
hotel as the Japanese man did in Baghdad just before he was abducted
and killed.
Gunfire is a daily
reality here in Baghdad, as sporadic fighting simmers around the capital.
From Friday night to today, the sound of US fighter jets roaring over
the capital en route to Falluja is ever present. Last night there were
several huge explosions not far from my hotel, followed of course by
the usual sporadic gunfire.
Which brings us
to today.
50 people today
have already been killed in Iraq. My friend Salam says to me while we
are watching the news, What is keeping us from being one of them?
Our day is coming due.
Out in Haditha 200
resistance fighters, using RPGs and mortars, stormed a police
station, killing 23 IPs execution style-they took them out of
station and shot them after they tied their hands behind their backs.
There were three simultaneous attacks on police stations there and Haqlaniyah.
A suicide car bomber
has killed three Americans on the deadly airport road, which is also
referred to as RPG alley.
Folks in Baghdad
are talking of how people are still entering Falluja through various
ways
the sealing by the Americans is once again flawed.
Of course there
are the usual pounding explosions of bombs throughout the day, and loads
of Apaches flying low overhead about the city.
Keep in mind, all
of the aforementioned has occurred, and the US military hasnt
even entered Falluja yet. And there are hundreds of other smaller events
that none of us will ever here about going on here every single day.
Heres some
more news for you. Amidst all of the bloodshed, the Iraqi Government
announced martial law for all of Iraq (excluding Kurdistan) for two
months. I see that this is already being reported as a State of
Emergency. Its martial law.
Abu Talat called
because he was supposed to meet me tonight, but he cant get out
of Al-Adhamiya because it has been sealed by the military and Humvees
are in the main square and roaming the streets.
I cannot reach
you tonight Dahr, we are under martial law, he says on the phone,
Like that means anything
the invaders have always done whatever
they wish to us. But now we are all trapped. This is the justice here.
My friend Salam,
while visiting me today says of the martial law, So now any policeman
can shoot me anytime he wants. This happened before, but now it is even
more legal. But this wont give the government any power. They
were already powerless. Let them put on any law they want, it doesnt
matter.
I asked him how
he can live like this. He says, The hard part is living like this
everyday. You dont go near the windows, dont do what you
want, dont go anywhere unless you have good reason, be careful
driving, watch the roads, its very tense all the time now. And
there is no hope of it getting better. I want to get married, but I
think I better wait. But wait for what?
He continues
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.
Dahr Jamail is
one of those very few independent journalists in Iraq. His travel and
reporting expenses are covered by the donations he receives from his
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