Dahr Jamail

BAGHDAD – The U.S. military is resorting to collective punishment tactics in Iraq similar to those used by Israeli troops in the occupied territories of Palestine, residents say. Military bulldozers have mown down palm groves in the rural al-Dora farming area on the outskirts of Baghdad, residents say. Electricity has been cut, the local fuel … Continue reading “US Military Resorting to Collective Punishment”

"The soldiers are doing strange things in Fallujah," said one of my contacts in Fallujah who just returned. He was in his city checking on his home and just returned to Baghdad this evening. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he continued, "In the center of the Julan Quarter they are removing entire homes which have … Continue reading “What Is the US Trying to Hide in Fallujah?”

The onslaught of Mosul has begun, as occupation forces are launching attacks into Iraq’s third-largest city. While there are mass resignations of police and elections polling staff there, yet another new police chief has been awarded control of the 1,000-strong police force – which was over 5,000 men just two months ago. In Ramadi, fierce … Continue reading “Destroying Babylon”

The morgues at the hospitals of Baghdad are filling to capacity. At Yarmouk Hospital in central Baghdad, the three freezers reek of decaying bodies, despite the temperature. The smell rushes out at us as the doors are opened. I’ve smelled the burning bodies on the funeral pires in Nepal … but this is different. This … Continue reading “The Tsunami of Iraq”

It’s not a new tactic here in Iraq. The US military has been doing it for well over a year now. Last January 3rd, in the al-Dora rural region on the outskirts of Baghdad, where beautiful farms of date palms and orange trees line the banks of the Tigris, I visited a farm where occupation … Continue reading “Iraqis Suffer Under American Yoke”

I‘m typing as mortars are blasting away in the nearby "Green Zone." Mortars are easy to tell – the higher pitched thunk of their launch, then a pause, then a loud boom that echoes through the still night. Blaring sirens wail in the distance, along with the random cracking of gunfire. Nightfall always seems to … Continue reading “What Calm Looks Like in Iraq”

Already today at least 18 Iraqis have died as violence continues to escalate as the so-called elections approach. Suicide car bombers are striking Iraqi Police (IP) stations on nearly a daily basis now. Today’s target was in Tikrit, where U.S. military spokesman Major Neal O’Brien said six were killed when the police headquarters was bombed. … Continue reading “‘This Is Not a Life’”

AMMAN, Jordan – It has been nearly two years since Fernando Suarez del Solar’s son Jesus, a lance corporal in the U.S. Marines, died during the invasion of Iraq. The father’s grief is still fierce, but rather than succumbing to feelings of vengeance, he has chosen instead to bring medical aid to Iraqi children and … Continue reading “Families of the Fallen Unite in Grief and Anger”

The usual spiral descent in the airplane landed me into a gray day in Baghdad … the weather the same as when I left a few weeks ago. The usual hordes of global mercenaries crowded the airport … where a person isn’t allowed to take their carry-on into the bathroom with them for fear of … Continue reading “Iraq Disintegrating, as Usual”

Amman – Families of some U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq plan a strong protest to mark the second anniversary of the invasion. The group ‘Military Families Speak Out’ will hold a demonstration in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in the United States March 19. As of now 1,340 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. "We’ll be … Continue reading “US Military Families Bring Help”