With US Casualties Mounting, US Press Unable to Report Accurately in Iraq

This morning on the NBC news show, "Meet the Press", two reporters who were in Iraq, NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski & New York Times’ Dexter Filkins both told moderator Tim Russert that it was difficult and dangerous for reporters to venture outside the fortified "Green Zone." Both reporters stated they they themselves rarely ventured outside the Green Zone. Naturally, they both made statements to the effect that "things are getting better" in Iraq.

Are Americans so blind and stupid that they cannot see through this flimsy ruse? If these reporters can’t even venture outside the most fotrified area of occupation in the entire country - in the middle of Baghdad - without troops guarding them, and they both agree that they haven’t been "in the field" much at all, how then can we accept their statements that the situation in Iraq is improving?

Their comments underscore the reality of Iraq. The country is far from secure, as continuing reports such as those below indicate that the insurgents or resistance is actually gaining ground and support and killing occupation forces at a far greater rate than those suggested by official US military reports.

Since the American public is being shielded from the truth by our compliant and largely negligent media, one must consider that the reports from other souces actually be providing a more accurate assessment of what’s really happening in Iraq.

If the resistance or insurgency - call it what you will - is really doing as much damage as it claims in these daily reports, the American public should be very much afraid and outraged. Instead, the US public is largely compliant and silent. Read the report below and the others I will continue to post and decide for yourself, as you sip your soft drinks and watch TV, whether we are being fed a pack of lies by the media, and if so, what we all - and that includes YOU - should be doing about it.

— medialies

ORIGINAL: http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m11158

Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Saturday, 16 April 2005
Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board, the Free Arab Voice. http://www.freearabvoice.org

Saturday, 16 March 2005.

• Sadr Movement, Sunni Board of ‘Ulama’ refute lying US propaganda hoax about “expulsion of Shi‘ah” from al-Mada’in.

• Resistance martyrdom fighter blasts truck bomb into CIA headquarters in Tikrit, killing 22 Intelligence officers, troops.

• Resistance martyrdom bomber hits Ba‘qubah restaurant, killing nine US Marines.

Al-Anbar Province.

Al-Qa’im.

Massive puppet “national guard” column heads west in direction of al-Qa’im.

A very large column of Iraqi puppet so-called “national guard” forces was seen heading towards western Iraq on Saturday sparking speculation as to its destination.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the column, which was “very large” set out at about 1pm local time Saturday and headed along the highway towards the west. It had protection from US military forces. It was said that the column was heading towards the western Iraqi towns of ‘Anah or Rawah - towns near each other and about halfway between al-Hadithah and al-Qa’im on the Syrian border.

Witnesses said that the column stretched the distance from the as-Saqlawiyah bridge to near the city of al-Fallujah, or about eight kilometers in length. In the column were troop transport vehicles full of puppet troops.

It is noteworthy that US forces failed to re-take the liberated city of al-Qa’im in heavy fighting on Wednesday. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam suggested that the ultimate destination of the Iraqi column might be the environs of the defiant city of al-Qa’im.

Al-Habbaniyah.

Resistance bombards US al-Habbaniyah base.

Iraqi Resistance forces attacked the US al-Habbaniyah base known as “as-Saqr” (“the Falcon”) with six 120mm mortar rounds at 12 noon Saturday. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported witnesses who live in al-Habbaniyah as saying that six powerful explosions shook the American-occupied base, followed by secondary blasts. Clouds of smoke rose into the sky over the facility.

Al-Baghdadi.

Resistance strikes US base in al-Baghdadi early Saturday.

Iraqi Resistance forces bombarded the US al-Baghdadi base at about 9am Saturday morning with three Grad rockets. The barrage sent dense clouds of smoke rising into the sky over the US-occupied base. Giant American Chinook helicopters were observed heading towards the area after the attack, indicating that there had been casualties.

Ar-Ramadi.

Resistance pounds US base in ar-Ramadi Saturday evening.

Iraqi Resistance forces bombarded the second-largest US base in ar-Ramadi with eleven 120mm mortar rounds at about 6:30pm Saturday evening local time. Witnesses told Mafkarat al-Islam’s correspondent in the city that the 11 rounds blasted into the US base located northeast of the city, opposite the Agricultural College of the al-Anbar University.

The facility used to serve the Army of Jerusalem Militia set up by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in support of the Palestinian struggle. Witnesses reported that the Resistance bombardment sent four plumes of smoke rising over the US-occupied facility. Four American helicopters could be seen around over the area, but precise figures on the number of casualties evacuated were not available.

Hit.

US calls on people of Hit to hand over Abu Mus‘ab az-Zarqawi.

US aircraft on Friday evening dropped leaflets over the area of Hit, west of Baghdad. The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in the area reported that the leaflets called on local people to hand over Jordanian Islamist Abu Mus‘ab az-Zarqawi, the head of the al-Qa‘idah organization in the Land of the Two Rivers. The leaflets offered a reward of 38 billion Iraqi dinars for Abu Mus‘ab’s capture.

Baghdad.

Shi‘i, Sunni religious spokesmen deny wire service story about “expulsions of Shi‘ah” from al-Mada’in, south of Baghdad.

A spokesman for the Martyr as-Sadr Office in Baghdad, ‘Abd al-Hadi ad-Darraji, denied claims carried in some news reports that there had been an expulsion of Shi‘ah from the city of al-Mada’in, south of Baghdad.

In a telephone interview with al-Jazeera satellite TV ad-Darraji said, “from conversations with our brothers there in al-Mada’in we completely deny those reports carried by the news media, in particular that carried by Reuters.”

Ad-Darraji said, “these news reports aim at sowing sectarian conflict in Iraq and threaten the unity of the ranks of the nation, which all Iraqi parties are trying to preserve.’ Ad-Darraji noted that the occupation authorities had tried but failed to spark internecine sectarian conflict in the country.

Ad-Darraji added, “I think this sort of thing is fishing in troubled waters and it aims at messing up the lives of the people in the al-Mada’in area.”

Al-Jazeera also reported that the Board of Muslim ‘Ulama’ Scholars, the highest Sunni religious authority in Iraq, had also denied those reports supposedly coming from al-Mada’in.

Agence France Presse (AFP) had reported an officer in the Iraqi puppet army and residents of the al-Mada’in area had claimed that after armed men captured 80 persons, including women and children, they threatened to kill them if the Shi‘ah living in the city did not leave. The report, denied now by both Sunni and Shi‘i sources, claimed that dozens of families had fled al-Mada’in, and arrived in al-Kut.

Resistance roadside bomb kills three US troops in Abu Ghurayb Saturday morning.

An Iraqi Resistance roadside bomb exploded on the Abu Munaysir - as-Samilat road in Abu Ghurayb, 30km west of Baghdad at 7am Saturday morning. The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported an officer in the puppet so-called “Iraqi national guard” as saying that a high-explosive bomb that was planted by the side of the road exploded as a patrol of four US armored vehicles and two Humvees was passing.

The blast disabled one Bradley armored vehicle and killed three US troops and wounded four more. Witnesses confirmed that the explosion killed more than three Americans dead.

The Resistance organization al-Qa‘idah in the Land of the Two Rivers declared its responsibility for the attack in a communiqué distributed in a number of local mosques.

Resistance attacks US patrol in ad-Durah early Saturday afternoon.

Iraqi Resistance fighters attacked a US patrol in Baghdad at about 2pm local time Saturday, setting one troop transport ablaze and killing four American soldiers and wounding two more.

The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported residents of the southern Baghdad suburb of ad-Durah as saying that Resistance fighters attacked the patrol of two troop transport vehicles and two Humvees on the main road in ad-Durah.

The Resistance fighters fired light and medium weapons including RPG7 rocket-propelled grenades and pipe rockets, setting one troop transport ablaze and killing four US troops and wounding two more. Afterwards US forces encircled the area and prevented journalists from approaching. The Americans also launched a campaign of arrests in the area, charging people with participating in the attack.

Three US troops killed by high-explosive bomb in al-‘Amiriyah.

A high-explosive Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a passing US column on the road leading east towards the residential complex in the al-‘Amiriyah area of south Baghdad at 4pm Saturday afternoon. The blast completely destroyed a US Humvee and killed three US troops.

Board of Muslim ‘Ulama’ denounces raids by aggressor forces on mosques and religious leaders’ homes in ar-Rusafah district of Baghdad.

The Board of Muslim ‘Ulama’ Scholars issued a statement denouncing a wave of US raids on mosques and homes of religious leaders in the Baghdad area of ar-Rusafah.

The statement said that at 9am Saturday, 16 April 2005, an apartment in the al-Isra’ wa-al-Mi‘raj Mosque in the Second al-Amin area of southern ar-Rusafah was raided and the imam and preacher in the mosque, Shaykh Diya’ ad-Din ‘Abdallah al-Jawari was arrested. Shaykh al-Jawari is the chairman of the Board of Muslim ‘Ulama’ branch in ar-Rusafah. The aggressor forces also ransacked his apartment, smashing furniture and arresting four other mosque officials.

The statement said that on Friday morning, 15 April 2005 the home of Shaykh Yasin Jasim Maghas, the imam and preacher of the al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali Mosque on Palestine Street and a member of the Board of Muslim ‘Ulama’ in ar-Rusafah was raided. He was attacked and beaten in front of his family, despite his advanced age and ill-health. His daughter was also attacked and beaten. Two of his sons were arrested and the house was ransacked. The door to the home of one of the worshippers at the mosque was blasted open with explosives and two mosque officials were arrested.

These raids, the statement said, were creating a tense situation in the country and do not serve the interests of Iraq. The statement, dated 7 Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1426 - 16 April 2005, said that these raids only serve the plans of those who seek to continue Iraqi bloodletting.

Later in the day on Saturday US occupation media elaborated further on their bogus story, claiming that a major operation by US and puppet forces was under way to “locate and free” the non-existent hostages.

Salah ad-Din Province.

Tikrit.

Iraqi Resistance martyrdom bomber blasts US Intelligence headquarters in Tikrit to rubble Friday, killing 22 American Intelligence officers and troops.

An Iraqi Resistance martyrdom fighter drove a large explosives-laden truck into the headquarters of US intelligence in Tikrit at 7 o’clock on Friday and blew up. The huge blast totally wrecked the building killing more than 22 Americans, including soldiers and employees of US intelligence, and wounding 30 more.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam in Tikrit reported that a member of the joint American-Iraqi coordination committee said that the attack totally demolished the building killing American intelligence officers and troops. The source added that the facility was the main center for the American Central Intelligence Agency in Iraq.

The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam met with one of the Iraqi security officers at the facility who confirmed the toll of 22 American troops and intelligence officers killed and at least 30 more wounded.

Witnesses reported that powerful secondary explosions continued to go off under the rubble for a full hour and a half after the truck bomb blasted the building. It was two hours before US forces dared even to approach the building after the attack.

American forces completely surrounded the area and spent a full nine hours extracting bodies and wounded people from the ruins, according to numerous eye-witness accounts to the Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent.

Samarra’.

Resistance attack on American convoy in Samarra’ leaves Turkish driver dead.

Iraqi Resistance fighters attacked a column of American trucks hauling supplies and equipment to US troops in Samarra’ at 8am Saturday morning. The Resistance fighters set one of the US trucks ablaze, killing its Turkish driver.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported local residents as saying that Resistance fighters attacked the American convoy on the main street in Samarra’ with medium weapons and RPG7 rocket-propelled grenades.

Diyala Province.

Ba‘qubah.

Explosion leaves three Iraqi puppet policemen dead in Ba‘qubah.

An officer in the Iraqi puppet military announced that seven persons, including three Iraqi puppet policemen were killed and five more, including one puppet policeman, wounded when a Resistance bomb exploded in a restaurant in the middle of Ba‘qubah, 60km northeast of Baghdad.

Colonel Isma‘il Ibrahim of the Iraqi puppet military told Agence France Presse (AFP) that the blast struck a restaurant near the Diyala Province Court House at 2pm local time Sturday. He said he could not be sure whether the explosion was from a bomb planted behind the restaurant or from a martyrdom attack.

A medical source in Ba‘qubah General Hospital reported that their facility had received the bodies of seven persons and five injured people, and that among them were puppet policemen.

Resistance martyrdom bomber blows up bomb in Ba‘qubah restaurant, killing nine US troops.

An Iraqi Resistance martyrdom fighter blew himself up in an upscale restaurant in Ba‘qubah frequented by US Marines, killing nine US troops and wounding another eight. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a captain in the puppet so-called “anti-terrorism” force as saying that a martyrdom fighter blew himself up in the middle of the Salsabil Restaurant, an establishment frequented by US Marines, at about 2pm Saturday afternoon local time.

US forces confirmed the report Saturday evening on their internal radio station, and the puppet “government”-run al-‘Iraqiyah television station also reported the news of the attack. Neither source provided any details, however.

A puppet official in the governorate offices in Ba‘qubah told Mafkarat al-Islam in an exclusive interview that a martyrdom attacker (or “suicide bomber” as he referred to him) carried out the operation. The attacker was wearing an explosive belt which he detonated, killing a number of US troops near by in the restaurant.

At-Ta’mim Province.

Kirkuk.

Resistance bombards US base in Kirkuk early Saturday.

Iraqi Resistance forces fired four Grad rockets into the western parts of the US base in Kirkuk Saturday morning. An official source in the local puppet police told Mafkarat al-Islam that the bombardment set fires burning throughout the western part of the base. US helicopters were called in to help put out the flames - an operation that took two hours.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the fire was ignited when a Grad rocket struck a US ammunition dump, causing it to explode. The puppet police source refused to disclose information on American losses.

Resistance bomb kills three US troops near Kirkuk Saturday morning.

Three US troops were killed and another wounded at 9am Saturday morning when an Iraqi Resistance bomb blew up under a patrol of four Humvees in al-Huwayjah, west of Kirkuk. The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported eye-witnesses in the al-‘Abbasi area south of al-Huwayjah as saying that the bomb went off at 9am by a passing US patrol, destroying one Humvee and killing three US troops and wounding another.

Ninwa Province.

Mosul.

Resistance bomb leaves two US troops dead northwest of Mosul Saturday morning.

An Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a patrol of two US armored vehicles and two Humvees in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul at 10am Saturday morning. The blast destroyed one Humvee and killed two US troops and wounded three others, the correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam reported witnesses in the al-Islah az-Zira‘i area northwest of Mosul as saying.

An-Najaf Province.

An-Najaf.

Muqtada as-Sadr movement warns that US occupation may provoke civil war.

The movement of Shi‘i religious leader Muqtada as-Sadr issued a statement on Saturday warning that civil war in Iraq could break out if the US occupation remains in the country. The statement said that it is the occupation that is sowing the civil war that the Iraqi political leaders who rode in with the occupation say they fear.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam in an-Najaf reported that Shaykh Nasir as-Sa‘idi, an aide to Muqtada as-Sadr said that “Iraqis today all have affirmed that they are against the occupation.”

As-Sa‘idi said that Iraq will know no security or rest nor will it ever attain peace if the American occupation remains.

He warned that a total civil war could break out if US forces remain on Iraqi territory. He spoke of the need to spread a “good spirit” of relations between the Sunni and Shi‘i communities, pointing out that any strife between the communities will only bring joy to the Jews and Christians under the rule of the brutal occupation.

Iran, Badr Brigades in an-Najaf distribute leaflets inciting Shi‘ah against Sunnis.

In an effort to provoke sectarian fighting in Iraq, the collaborationist Shi‘i chauvinist Badr Brigades are involved in distributing leaflets apparently printed and brought into Iraq from Iran. The leaflets are entitled “al-Fallujah wa-at-ta‘dhib” al-Fallujah and torture” and they celebrate the American occupation of the defiant city of al-Fallujah.

Using sectarian language, the leaflets say that “God has answered your prayers on ‘Ashura’ and rid you of al-Fallujah, the Mecca Wahhabi ‘terror’.” The leaflets make the absurd claim that the Resistance in al-Fallujah said it was legal to kill any Shi‘i, and in particular those descended from the Prophet Muhammad’s family.”

The leaflets call on Iraqi Shi‘ah stop the “Wahhabi Sunni march to Baghdad.” The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam in an-Najaf reported that the leaflets were brought in by Iranians posing as pilgrims to the shrines of ‘Ali and al-Husayn.

Al-Basrah Province.

Camp Bucca.

US admits 11 prisoners escaped Camp Bucca.

Eleven Iraqi prisoners escaped from the notorious American prison camp Buca in southern Iraq on Saturday but US forces and the puppet police claim to have captured 10 on them.

The American Associated Press reported one of those who escaped as saying, “we succeeded in escaping through an opening in the fence surrounding the camp.” Hasan Nima, 24 said, “we decided to escape from the prison because of the bad treatment and the delays and postponements of investigations. International human rights organizations have criticized the US occupation authorities for their arbitrary arrests without charge and without time limit.

US officer for prisoner affairs Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill confirmed that 11 prisoners escaped through a hole in the fence but as usual denied allegations of mistreatment, saying that prisoners are fed three meals a day and receive a prayer mat and copies of the Qur’an.

The latest prisoner escape comes two days after a battle between prisoners and US guards left one prisoner dead and 10 others injured. In March US personnel discovered a tunnel 600 foot long that the prisoners had excavated with homemade improvised tools. Bucca officially holds 6,000 Iraqi prisoners.

ORIGINAL: http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m11158