The Things That Iraqis 'Cannot Understand'

Iraqis 'may understand' that the Americans and the government cannot end the insurgency, but what they 'cannot understand' according to this op-ed article from Iraq's Azzaman newspaper, are the atrocities committed by and ignored by the occupation forces and Iraqi government officials.

By Jamal Mudhafar

November 20, 2005

Original Article (English)    

The U.S.-led occupation that was forecast to end dictatorship and introduce democracy, seems to have been a harbinger of more violence, more oppression and more killing.

Terrorist attacks are surging and suicide bombers mushrooming, Ýand there seems no end to the abuses and atrocities, whether by U.S. troops, government security forces or the secretive and fearful militias.

In the aftermath of the American occupation, there is not a single Iraqi family or home without a tragic story to tell or a calamity to moan.

Acts of violence and terror now taking place in Iraq are unprecedented in their horror and barbarism.

These are perhaps the ugliest crimes and most appalling human rights violations in the history of mankind.

Not everything reaches the outside world. Even international media based in Iraq are unaware of many of these things, who for security reasons, spend their time reporting from fortified hideouts in Baghdad.

In addition to the major bombings launched by the terrorists to attract international media attention, more horrendous crimes are being committed.

Mass killings and liquidations have become the norm, with kidnapping a way of life and identity card murder a daily practice.

The sight of mutilated bodies piled on roadsides and garbage dumps have become common occurrences. Amid the gloom and uncertainty for the future, reports regularly surface of prisoner abuse and the squandering of millions of dollars by government ministries.

Death counts have lost their significance, with fatal incidents, bombings and trigger-happy militia gangs killing hundreds and even thousands very week.

In the midst of the horror, assassinations of Iraqi professionals, former army officers, Baathists, clerics and Iraqis of note continue with impunity.

Some Iraqis may understand that it is beyond the power of the government or the mighty U.S. Army to put an end to the insurgency.

But they cannot understand why atrocities like those of Abu Ghraib and most recently of the secret jail run by the Interior Ministry can happen.

They cannot understand why Iraqi and U.S. forces cannot put an end to the abduction of innocent people and the assassination of university professors, medical doctors and other professionals.

Every now and then the government sets up an investigation committee to look into incidents like these, but to no avail.  

We know that these committees are formed, but we are never told about the outcome.

So the killers, the torturers, the kidnappers, the corrupt officials, the liars and the cheats are free. We, the innocent people, have become their prisoners.

This is the reality of the current situation in our country, an ominous harbinger of even worse to come.

VIDEO FROM SAUDI ARABIA: PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKE-UP OF SUICIDE BOMBERS

Iqra TV, Saudi Arabia: Head of Psychiatry at Cairo's 'Ein Shams University, on the Psychological Make-Up of a Suicide Bomber, April 25, 2002, 00:03:43, MEMRI

"The psychological make-up is that of a person who loves life."

Prof. Adel Sadeq, Head of Psychiatry at Cairo's 'Ein Shams University