Dahr Jamail

BAGHDAD – The recent resignations of Iraq’s Army Chief of Staff and several of his council military leaders underscore a continuing decomposition of Iraq’s US-backed government. Everybody in Iraq – politicians, political analysts, poets, scientists, porters – seems to agree that the US-backed Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a total failure. … Continue reading “A Nail in Maliki Government’s Coffin?”

BAGHDAD – Many Iraqis believe the dramatic escalation in the U.S. military’s use of air power is a sign of defeat for the occupation forces on the ground. U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft dropped five times as many bombs in Iraq during the first six months of this year as over the first half … Continue reading “Iraq a Little Easier to Occupy From the Air”

BAGHDAD – An Iraqi football victory seems to have united Iraqis across the country where politicians only divide it. The Iraqi football team defeated South Korea 4-3 in Malaysia Wednesday to gain entrance into the finals of the Asian Cup. That set off a wave of celebrations across the capital and most of the country. … Continue reading “In Iraq, Soccer Succeeds Where Politics Fails”

BAGHDAD – Many Iraqis are now beginning to see the rising sectarian violence as part of a larger plan to partition the country. “Americans want to alter the shape of our cities, dividing Iraqis into ethnic and sectarian groups living separately from each other,” Khali Sadiq, a researcher in statistics at Baghdad University, told IPS. … Continue reading “In Iraq, Partition Fears
Begin to Rise”

BAQUBA – Ongoing U.S. military operations in Diyala province have brought normal life to an end and fueled support for the national resistance. Baquba, 30 mi. northeast of Baghdad, and capital city of the volatile Diyala province, has born the brunt of violence during the U.S. military Operation Arrowhead Ripper. Conflicting reports are on offer … Continue reading “Operation Arrowhead Becomes Fountainhead of Anger”

FALLUJAH – Strict curfew and tight security measures have brought difficult living conditions and heightened tempers to residents of this besieged city. The siege in this city located 40 mi. west of Baghdad has entered its second month. There is little sign of any international attention to the plight of the city. Fallujah, which is … Continue reading “Curfew-Bound Fallujah
On the Boil Again”

BAGHDAD – The second bombing of the Shi’ite shrine of al-Askari in Samarra, Iraq, last week brought reprisal attacks, but it also brought solidarity against the occupiers. The golden shrine, located in downtown Samarra which is 125 km north of Baghdad, was first bombed on Feb. 22, 2006. The attack, which nearly totally destroyed the … Continue reading “Iraqis Skeptical After Second Shrine Attack”

BAGHDAD – Simmering in the summer heat, Iraqis now have a dream called electricity. It is a part of the bigger dream of reconstruction that collapsed. On all measurable levels, the infrastructure is worse than under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, even when it was crippled by the harshest economic sanctions in modern history. … Continue reading “Iraqis Suffer Through Summer Without Electricity”

RAMADI – US attempts to win over tribal collaborators in al-Anbar province have won it more enemies instead. The US military has launched one of its biggest operations to date to regain control of the province, to the west of Baghdad. It had lost control over the region more than a year back. The province, … Continue reading “US Losing Ground Through Tribal Allies”

A May 29 IPS report on clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga troops and militiamen of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad has been confirmed by an Iraqi member of Parliament, representing the Sunni-led Iraqi Accordance Front (Al-Tawafuq). Speaking on condition of strict anonymity inside the heavily-fortified Green Zone of central Baghdad where the Iraqi government meets, … Continue reading “Iraqi Lawmaker Confirms Kurd-Shia Clashes in Baghdad”