Opinion Editorials, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people
Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
Cities, localities, and tourist attractions
Coalition forces shying away from ground realities
Nadeem Kawach
Gulf News, Abu Dhabi, 23-11-2003
There are approximately 5,000 fighters launching attacks against the coalition forces in Iraq. Most of them are infiltrating from Syria and other countries.
Al Qaida terrorists have also sneaked into Iraq to attack US troops. Former Iraqi Vice President Ezzat Ibrahim Al Douri is coordinating those operations. Saddam Hussain might be involved but he will be eventually captured anyway.
These US statements clearly reflect Washington's plight in Iraq and the growing confusion that its officials are desperately trying to conceal. While they clearly recognise the difficult military situation and the quagmire in which the US forces have been caught, the statements deliberately ignore one fact: that there is a real Iraqi resistance.
US President George Bush, his ministers and his senior and junior aides are all refusing to accept the fact that there are Iraqis who do not want them in their country. They never tried to ask why or even tried to think why the resistance is intensifying.
Bush's role
The coalition troops in Iraq, mainly the Americans, have been criticised by many that they do not know how to deal with the Iraqis. Nor did Bush who is also the supreme commander of the US army, and his aides question the actions of his troops apparently because he and his aides also have no idea how to deal with the Iraqis.
Whether or not the US is aware of the this fact, there is a real Iraqi resistance…and whether Saddam or his former deputy are coordinating this resistance is the not the issue because what matters is that such attacks only reflect growing resentment by the Iraqis.
US allegations that the attacks are launched by foreigners are superficial and could be an attempt to hide realities. Foreigners can not operate freely in a country if its citizens do not want them.
The recent spate of successful attacks prove that either those alleged foreigners are given support and refuge by the Iraqis or those strikes are simply carried out by the Iraqis themselves, who do not need help on their own land.
The US clearly knows this bitter fact but tries evade it in a bid to influence the public opinion in Iraq, and in the United States and other countries. Its latest decision to speed up moves to hand over power to the ruling Iraq council supports this view.
Frustrations
Perhaps Bush and his aides are surprised by the intensity of the resistance but they should take into consideration that the dismantled Iraqi army comprised highly trained and experience soldiers who have been let down and frustrated by the Americans.
Saddam, who had gone into hiding since the US-led forces seized Iraq in April, might be involved in the attacks. But that does not necessarily mean that he and his aides are the only fighters battling to regain power. Other Iraqis could be involved in the attacks and they should not necessarily be seen as pro-Saddam but pro-Iraq.
The recent bloody attack on the Italian forces in Nassiriya is seen as an evidence that Saddam is not the driving force behind the resistance or at least he is not the only one.
Saddam has scores to settle with the Americans and has reportedly vowed ma-ny times to hit them. His priority at this stage is the Americans not the Italians.
In its attempt to blame Syria, Iran and Al Qaida for the growing casualties among its occupation troops in Iraq, Washington is also trying to depict itself as the victim and to justify its failure in Iraq, where security and living conditions have largely deteriorated.
The occupation of Iraq and the ouster of Saddam constituted a stunning victory for the US as it was done very quickly and with the least casualties. But the taste of victory is evaporating and could soon become a defeat because of the US's ignorance in dealing with the Iraqis.
Quagmire
It is this ignorance that has dragged the Americans into a quagmire in Iraq, destroyed their arrogance and forced them to seek help from Poland, Italy, Japan and other countries.
The United States is paying heavily for such mistakes and is definitely looking for a way out of that quagmire in a manner that will save its face. It simply can not afford a second Vietnam complex at this very stage.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03). |
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