Dahr Jamail

With Arkan Hamed BAGHDAD – What should have been a joyous four-day Islamic holiday for Eid al-Adha, which Iraqis began to celebrate Jan. 10, has only highlighted the suffering under U.S. occupation. The feast of sacrifice, which begins on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja, is celebrated as a commemoration of … Continue reading “Fear Overshadows Eid Festival”

With Arkan Hamed BAGHDAD – Many Iraqis see dismal days ahead in the face of rising violence and the decision by the U.S. government not to seek any further funds for reconstruction. "It is obvious that the situation is much worse than it used to be," retired army general Ahmed Abdul Aziz told IPS. "Can … Continue reading “‘Democracy’ Brings Bleak Days to Iraq”

(With Arkan Hamed) BAGHDAD – Many Iraqis are demanding a new poll after more than 1,500 cases of election fraud and forgery were reported in the Dec. 15 elections, at least 30 of them "extremely serious." The results so far indicate a strong win for Shi’ite religious groups. There are widespread complaints that many of … Continue reading “Coalitions Reject Election Results”

(With Arkan Hamed) BAGHDAD – Despite the parliamentary elections last week and temporary ease in violence, Iraqis remain bitter about the outgoing year, and skeptical of 2006. “As a doctor I usually travel daily from home to college,” said Um Feras, a doctor of physics at Baghdad University who asked that her last name be … Continue reading “Iraqis Glad 2005 Over, Have Dim Hopes for 2006”

With Harb al-Mukhtar and Isam Rashid BAGHDAD – After the U.S. forces and the bombings, Iraqis are coming to fear those bands of men in masks who seem to operate with the Iraqi police. Omar Ahmed’s family learned what it can mean to run into the police, their supposed protectors. Omar was driving with two … Continue reading “Fundamentalist Death Squads Terrorize Iraqis”

With Harb al-Mukhtar RAMADI – Hospital personnel are reporting regular raids and interference by the U.S. military as fighting continues in the volatile al-Anbar province of Iraq. The U.S. raids come as the hospitals face an increasing lack of vital supplies and equipment. Two hospitals in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of the capital in … Continue reading “Iraqi Hospitals Come Under Siege”

A year after the U.S.-led "Operation Phantom Fury" damaged or destroyed 36,000 homes, 60 schools, and 65 mosques in Fallujah, Iraq, residents inside the city continue to suffer from lack of compensation, slow reconstruction, and high rates of illness. The Study Center for Human Rights and Democracy (SCHRD), based in Fallujah, estimates the number of … Continue reading “Life Goes On in Fallujah’s Rubble”

For the last several days, at least 6,000 US soldiers along with approximately 4,000 Iraqi soldiers (read: members of the Kurdish peshmerga and Shia Badr Army) were laying siege to the city of Tal Afar, near Mosul in northern Iraq. It is estimated that 90 percent of the residents have left their homes because of … Continue reading “The Bloodbath Becomes a Flood”

U.S. influence in the process of drafting a constitution for Iraq is excessive and "highly inappropriate," a United Nations official says. "It is a matter of public record that in the final weeks of the process the newly arrived U.S. ambassador [Zalmay Khalilzad] took an extremely hands-on role," Justin Alexander, legal affairs officer for the … Continue reading “UN Official Says US Interfering in Iraq Constitution Process”

As the blood of US soldiers continues to drain into the hot sands of Iraq over the last several days with at least 27 US soldiers killed and the approval rating for his handling of the debacle in Iraq dropping to an all-time low of 38%, Mr. Bush commented from the comforts of his ranch … Continue reading “‘What Have We Done?’”