March 28, 2003

Tanks & Soldiers Suppress Iraqi Uprisings

Today people are asking why the Iraqi people haven’t yet risen up to welcome us. This LA TIMES story may explain it:

Phone Calls in Code Keeping Iraqi Americans in Touch

From Basra, the brother of San Diego resident Najem Al Ekabi, 51, described a town under siege, with water and electricity cut off, schools and shops closed and constant explosions from missiles and artillery.

[.....]

Earlier in the week, relatives told him of uprisings against Saddam Hussein’s regime in at least some parts of the city, but those now appear to have been quelled, Al Ekabi said.

The regime has stationed tanks, soldiers and their weapons throughout the city—especially in the Shiite Muslim neighborhoods that fostered the earlier uprising, Al Ekabi said.

“He has planted people everywhere, using schools, hospitals, spiritual and religious sites,” Al Ekabi said. “That’s why it’s very hard to rise up.”

It’s a War Crime for Iraqi Soldiers to Dress as Civilians. Here’s Why.

The Scrutineer makes this observation about it:

Apparently [NY TIMES editor] Cowell finds nothing illegal, let alone “dishonorable,” in faking surrender or disguising yourself as a woman so that you can more easily kill an enemy who spares your life to avoid committing a war crime. Allied commanders may “see” such tactics as dishonorable, but I guess they’re just biased.

Of course, these are pretty clear violations of the laws of war. For a quick and dirty legal analysis, check out this article at the Crimes of War Project.

Odd That Bin Laden’s So Quiet

Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit makes an excellent comment:

RANDOM OBSERVATION #1: Funny, isn’t it, that Osama bin Laden hasn’t released a statement—even a fuzzy tape recording—praising Saddam’s resistance and blasting the U.S. effort in Iraq. It’s like he’s not even alive, or something…

Stills from the New Jim Carrey Movie “Bruce Almighty”

This looks really funny.

The trailer is available here.