Last night I sat zapping between Iraqi channels (between the half dozen or so sometimes I try to watch). For me it is a tradition to see what the Iraqi channels thrown when there is power. Generalizing still no Iraqi brand really neutral. The most popular are supported and have been founded by different political parties currently vying for power. This was especially evident during the period immediately preceding the election.
trying to decide between a report on bird flu on one channel, a montage of bits and pieces of several latmiyas in another string and an Egyptian in a third. Shargiya stood in the channel which many Iraqis see as a reasonable channel wise (and during the elections showed its support for Allawi in particular). I was reading the little headlines that scroll across the bottom of the page. Salzburg - mortar fire in an area of \u200b\u200bBaghdad, an American soldier killed here, another wounded over there ... found 12 bodies of Iraqis in a Baghdad area, etc. Suddenly one caught my attention and I stood on the couch, wondering if I had read that right.
E. I was sitting at the other end of the room, taking apart a radio later would not know how to compose. I called him with the words "Come here and read this. Surely I have misunderstood ...". He stood in front of the TV and saw how moved the words about corpses and Americans and puppets and when it appeared the matter than I expected, I jumped and I pointed out. E. and I read in silence and E. seemed as confused as I was.
The line read:
وزارة الدفاع تدعو المواطنين الى عدم الانصياع لاوامر دوريات الجيش والشرطة الليلية اذا لم تكن برفقة قوات التحالف العاملة في تلك المنطقة
Translated:
"Minister of Defense requests that civilians do not comply with the orders of the army or police patrols at night unless they are accompanied by forces coalition's work in this area. "
is so busy is the country at this time.
switched to another channel, the channel "Baghdad" (Aligned with Muhsin Abdul Hameed and his group) and had the same story, but instead of generic "coalition forces" they put "American coalition forces." We checked two other channels, Iraqiya (pro-Da'awa) did not mention it and Forat (pro SCIRI) also did not put it into your news ticker.
What we discussed today when we have repeated on another channel.
"So what does it mean?" Asked the wife of my cousin when we have come together to eat.
"It means that if they come at night and want to get home do not have to let them in." I replied.
"Do not ask permission precisely, "said E. "They take the door down and take people, or did you forget?"
"Well, according to Minister of Defense, we can shoot, right?. If you transferred your property would be considered burglars or abductors .. . 'I said.
My cousin shook his head, "if your family is inside, not going to shoot them. They come in groups, do you remember?. They come armed and in large groups, shooting or resistance would jeopardize the people inside the house. "
" Besides that, the first time they attack, how can you be sure that he had no Americans with them, "said E.
We sat drinking tea, tangling with the possibilities. Confirmed what has been obvious to Iraqis since the beginning, the Iraqi security forces are actually militias allied to religious and political parties.
But also clarifies other issues of concern. The situation is so bad on the security front the two most important ministers in charge of protecting Iraqi civilians can not trust one another. The Minister of Defense can not even trust their own staff, unless they be "accompanied by American coalition forces."
Certainly it is difficult to understand what is happening lately. Hear there are conversations between Americans and Iran over security in Iraq, and then the American ambassador in Iraq accuses Iran of paying militias in the country .. Today there are complaints that the Americans killed 20 to 30 men from Sadr's militia in an attack yesterday at a huseeiniya. The Americans claim that the responsibility for the attack should lie with the Iraqi security forces (the same security forces they constantly praise)
This contradicts claims by Bush and other politicians that American troops and Iraqi security forces control the situation. Or that control, just not a good way.
have been finding corpses throughout Baghdad for weeks - and always the same: holes drilled in the head, multiple shots or strangulation, and that the victims were hanged. Military-style execution. Many people were taken from their homes by security forces-police or special army brigades ... Some were gathered in mosques.
few days ago we went to pick up one of my cousins \u200b\u200bto school. It happens that your school is quite close to the local morgue. E, our cousin L and I sat in the car because of traffic parked a bit away from the school to wait for our other cousin. I looked carefully at the commotion near the morgue. There
dozens of people - mostly men standing around a single group. Some smoked cigarettes, others leaned on cars or trucks ... Their expressions varied - grief, horror, resignation. In some faces there was an anxious look of fear and anticipation mixed. It is a very specific look, you can find only outside the Baghdad morgue. The eyes are wide open and bloodshot, as if searching for something, the brow furrowed, his jaw tight and his mouth is a thin frown. It is a look that says they are going to enter the morgue, where corpses lay in rows, and pray for not finding what you are looking for. My cousin sighed
deeply and told us that we opened a couple of windows and doors-cerrásemos was going to check the morgue. A month before the guy had taken his wife to a mosque during prayer, had not yet found. Every other day someone in the family goes to the morgue to see if they carried his body. "Pray that you will not find it ... or vice versa ... ..- I just hate uncertainty. " My cousin sighed heavily and left the car. I said a silent prayer while crossing the street and disappeared into the crowd.
E. and I waited patiently for H, who was still in college and L. I was in the morgue. The minutes lengthened and E and I still sat in silence - talk seemed almost blasphemous under the circumstances. L came first. He looked tense and I found myself biting my lip. "Have you found? Hopefully you have not been found ... "I said to nobody in particular. As he approached the car shook her head. His face was still and grim, but behind this expression could see relief. "He is not here. Hambulilah (thank God). "
"Hamdulilah" E and I repeat in unison.
all look back at the morgue. Most cars had over simple, narrow wooden coffins for the child or daughter or brother. A hysterical woman dressed in a black abaya was struggling to get inside, while being restrained by two relatives. A third man came to untie the coffin tied to the roof of your car.
"Look at that woman. Have found their son. I saw them identifying him. A bullet in the head. " The woman continued to struggle, her legs suddenly loosened, their cries filled the afternoon, and although that day was surprisingly warm, I pulled my sleeves trying to cover my suddenly cold fingers.
continue to see the various scenes of grief, anger, frustration, and every once in a while an almost tangible relief when someone left the morgue without found what they feared most find - eyes moist by smell, a lighter step than when they entered, having been given a reprieve of the death of a loved one to claim the morgue ...
- posted by river @ 9:51 PM
trying to decide between a report on bird flu on one channel, a montage of bits and pieces of several latmiyas in another string and an Egyptian in a third. Shargiya stood in the channel which many Iraqis see as a reasonable channel wise (and during the elections showed its support for Allawi in particular). I was reading the little headlines that scroll across the bottom of the page. Salzburg - mortar fire in an area of \u200b\u200bBaghdad, an American soldier killed here, another wounded over there ... found 12 bodies of Iraqis in a Baghdad area, etc. Suddenly one caught my attention and I stood on the couch, wondering if I had read that right.
E. I was sitting at the other end of the room, taking apart a radio later would not know how to compose. I called him with the words "Come here and read this. Surely I have misunderstood ...". He stood in front of the TV and saw how moved the words about corpses and Americans and puppets and when it appeared the matter than I expected, I jumped and I pointed out. E. and I read in silence and E. seemed as confused as I was.
The line read:
وزارة الدفاع تدعو المواطنين الى عدم الانصياع لاوامر دوريات الجيش والشرطة الليلية اذا لم تكن برفقة قوات التحالف العاملة في تلك المنطقة
Translated:
"Minister of Defense requests that civilians do not comply with the orders of the army or police patrols at night unless they are accompanied by forces coalition's work in this area. "
is so busy is the country at this time.
switched to another channel, the channel "Baghdad" (Aligned with Muhsin Abdul Hameed and his group) and had the same story, but instead of generic "coalition forces" they put "American coalition forces." We checked two other channels, Iraqiya (pro-Da'awa) did not mention it and Forat (pro SCIRI) also did not put it into your news ticker.
What we discussed today when we have repeated on another channel.
"So what does it mean?" Asked the wife of my cousin when we have come together to eat.
"It means that if they come at night and want to get home do not have to let them in." I replied.
"Do not ask permission precisely, "said E. "They take the door down and take people, or did you forget?"
"Well, according to Minister of Defense, we can shoot, right?. If you transferred your property would be considered burglars or abductors .. . 'I said.
My cousin shook his head, "if your family is inside, not going to shoot them. They come in groups, do you remember?. They come armed and in large groups, shooting or resistance would jeopardize the people inside the house. "
" Besides that, the first time they attack, how can you be sure that he had no Americans with them, "said E.
We sat drinking tea, tangling with the possibilities. Confirmed what has been obvious to Iraqis since the beginning, the Iraqi security forces are actually militias allied to religious and political parties.
But also clarifies other issues of concern. The situation is so bad on the security front the two most important ministers in charge of protecting Iraqi civilians can not trust one another. The Minister of Defense can not even trust their own staff, unless they be "accompanied by American coalition forces."
Certainly it is difficult to understand what is happening lately. Hear there are conversations between Americans and Iran over security in Iraq, and then the American ambassador in Iraq accuses Iran of paying militias in the country .. Today there are complaints that the Americans killed 20 to 30 men from Sadr's militia in an attack yesterday at a huseeiniya. The Americans claim that the responsibility for the attack should lie with the Iraqi security forces (the same security forces they constantly praise)
This contradicts claims by Bush and other politicians that American troops and Iraqi security forces control the situation. Or that control, just not a good way.
have been finding corpses throughout Baghdad for weeks - and always the same: holes drilled in the head, multiple shots or strangulation, and that the victims were hanged. Military-style execution. Many people were taken from their homes by security forces-police or special army brigades ... Some were gathered in mosques.
few days ago we went to pick up one of my cousins \u200b\u200bto school. It happens that your school is quite close to the local morgue. E, our cousin L and I sat in the car because of traffic parked a bit away from the school to wait for our other cousin. I looked carefully at the commotion near the morgue. There
dozens of people - mostly men standing around a single group. Some smoked cigarettes, others leaned on cars or trucks ... Their expressions varied - grief, horror, resignation. In some faces there was an anxious look of fear and anticipation mixed. It is a very specific look, you can find only outside the Baghdad morgue. The eyes are wide open and bloodshot, as if searching for something, the brow furrowed, his jaw tight and his mouth is a thin frown. It is a look that says they are going to enter the morgue, where corpses lay in rows, and pray for not finding what you are looking for. My cousin sighed
deeply and told us that we opened a couple of windows and doors-cerrásemos was going to check the morgue. A month before the guy had taken his wife to a mosque during prayer, had not yet found. Every other day someone in the family goes to the morgue to see if they carried his body. "Pray that you will not find it ... or vice versa ... ..- I just hate uncertainty. " My cousin sighed heavily and left the car. I said a silent prayer while crossing the street and disappeared into the crowd.
E. and I waited patiently for H, who was still in college and L. I was in the morgue. The minutes lengthened and E and I still sat in silence - talk seemed almost blasphemous under the circumstances. L came first. He looked tense and I found myself biting my lip. "Have you found? Hopefully you have not been found ... "I said to nobody in particular. As he approached the car shook her head. His face was still and grim, but behind this expression could see relief. "He is not here. Hambulilah (thank God). "
"Hamdulilah" E and I repeat in unison.
all look back at the morgue. Most cars had over simple, narrow wooden coffins for the child or daughter or brother. A hysterical woman dressed in a black abaya was struggling to get inside, while being restrained by two relatives. A third man came to untie the coffin tied to the roof of your car.
"Look at that woman. Have found their son. I saw them identifying him. A bullet in the head. " The woman continued to struggle, her legs suddenly loosened, their cries filled the afternoon, and although that day was surprisingly warm, I pulled my sleeves trying to cover my suddenly cold fingers.
continue to see the various scenes of grief, anger, frustration, and every once in a while an almost tangible relief when someone left the morgue without found what they feared most find - eyes moist by smell, a lighter step than when they entered, having been given a reprieve of the death of a loved one to claim the morgue ...
- posted by river @ 9:51 PM
0 comments:
Post a Comment