These are the archives for the week ending 28th July 2006
Bombs for Israel via Scotland
American planes flew bunker-busting missiles to Israel via Scotland, it emerged yesterday. Last night, the revelation was testing Britain's relationship with the US to the limit, with Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett furiously denouncing Washington's conduct.
Two chartered Airbus A310 cargo planes, carrying 5000lb laser-guided missiles, refuelled at Prestwick airport, Ayrshire, over the weekend, on their way to Israel. The missiles are being used to pound targets in Lebanon in an assault on Hezbollah militants which has also claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and four UN peacekeepers. Britain has been the US's only backer in its refusal to demand Israel agrees to an immediate ceasefire.
Daily Record, Scotland, 27/7/06
A long, bad six weeks
Six weeks ago, President George W. Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq's prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, in Baghdad. U.S. forces had just killed the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Iraq's Parliament had just confirmed what was billed as a national unity cabinet. Maliki seized the occasion to announce a major military operation meant to bring security to the people of Baghdad.
This week, as Maliki returns the visit, things feel very different. In fact, the two men's brief encounter in Baghdad might turn out to have been the last good moment of the American experience in Iraq. Despite the elimination of Zarqawi and the new security drive, the daily carnage is increasing, especially in Baghdad and especially against civilians.
Last month, for the first time, the nationwide civilian death toll exceeded 100 people per day. Despite the increased presence of Sunni Arabs in the new cabinet, the political and physical gulf between Sunnis and Shiites is wider then ever; the flight of frightened families from religiously mixed neighborhoods is further cleaving the country in two. And despite Maliki's assurances that sectarian armies would be disarmed and their members integrated into the ranks of the national army and the police, Shiite militias continue to kill Sunnis with impunity.
New York Times, 26/7/06
More US troops for Baghdad
The security operation in Baghdad, which the Iraqi leader launched six weeks ago - and which Mr Bush had endorsed during his unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital last month - has not produced results. Or, more accurately, it has produced the wrong ones.
The upsurge in sectarian violence which has coincided with the crackdown, has seen the Iraqi civilian death toll rise to about 100 per day. The US military estimates that there have been 40% more major attacks in Baghdad in July, than in previous months.
It has all led a sombre-looking President Bush to approve what a White House official has called the "reshufflement" of American troops in Iraq; essentially, beefing up their numbers in Baghdad.
BBC News, 26/7/06
Iraqi intelligence agency reports to CIA
Iraqi leaders are not what they seem. They live in the Green Zone, the heavily fortified enclave guarded by U.S. troops, in the heart of Baghdad. Many never leave it except for extensive foreign travel. Eighteen months ago, an Iraqi magazine claimed to have discovered that at one point the entire cabinet was out of the country at the same time.
The quasi-colonial nature of the Iraqi government may not be obvious to outsiders who see that it has been democratically elected. But its independence has always been a mirage. For instance, its own intelligence organization should be essential to a government fighting for its life against a violent insurgency.
At first sight, Iraq might appear to have one under Maj.-Gen. Mohammed al-Shahwani, but it has no budget because it is funded directly by the CIA, to the tune of $110 million to $160 million a year and, not surprising, it is to the CIA that it first reports. Not surprising, Iraqis will need a lot of convincing that Al-Maliki is not one more U.S. pawn.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 26/7/06
British arms exports to Israel double in year
Britain has almost doubled the value of arms exports to Israel, according to official figures released yesterday.
Arms exports to Israel approved by the government totalled £22.5m last year, almost twice the amount in 2004, according to the latest annual report on strategic export controls published by four government departments.
Licences approved for Israel included components for combat helicopters, aircraft radars, air-to-surface missiles, and airborne electronic warfare equipment. Special licences were also approved for the sale to Israel of components for military training aircraft, naval radars, naval communications equipment and optical sensors for unmanned air vehicles.
Guardian 25/7/06
Stand up to US, voters tell Blair
Britain should take a much more robust and independent approach to the United States, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today, which finds strong public opposition to Tony Blair's close working relationship with President Bush.
A large majority of voters think Mr Blair has made the special relationship too special. Just 30% think the prime minister has got the relationship about right, against 63% saying he has tied Britain too closely to the US.
And voters are strongly critical of the scale of Israel's military operations in Lebanon, with 61% believing the country has overreacted to the growing threats it faces.
Public unease about Israel's approach is reflected in public attitudes to the Iraq war, with support for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein falling to a record low since military action began in March 2003. Although a solid core of Labour supporters - 48% - still think the war was justified, overall only 36% of voters agree - a seven point drop since October 2004.
Voters also believe that British troops are doing more harm than good in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just 19% of those questioned think British troops are making progress in Iraq, and 23% think this is the case in Afghanistan. Around a third of voters think that at best British forces are making no difference one way or the other in the two countries.
Guardian 25/7/06
Lebanon assault will further destabilise Iraq
Israel's assault on Lebanon will derail efforts to stabilise Iraq and threatens to bolster Islamist militants across the Middle East, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned in London today. At a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Maliki, speaking in Arabic through a translator, said: "What goes on in Lebanon ... will backfire the stability process in Iraq." He continued, "What is going on in Lebanon will be a great push to fundamentalism ... This will increase terrorism and extremism".
Britain and the United States have resisted joining international calls for an immediate ceasefire, leading to concern that an anti-West backlash will provide support for Islamist extremists among moderate Muslims.
Herald Sun, Australia, 25/7/06
More troops not answer in Baghdad...
Iraqis expressed doubt Saturday that a plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in the capital will reduce the violence that has warped daily life here. Americans have staked victory in Iraq on the idea that if they can make residents feel safe, people will turn their backs on insurgent groups or local militias. But so far every effort to make life more secure in Baghdad has failed. Lawlessness has expanded to once-safe neighborhoods, and nearly the entire city is immersed in sectarian conflict.
Sunni and Shiite Muslim residents voiced skepticism Saturday that U.S. troops could stop the bloodshed. U.S. forces have lost the confidence of many people here, and any extra troops face a difficult challenge in rebuilding the trust of the population.
"People don't like the Americans anymore," said Nawar Abbas, 24, a computer engineer and a Sunni. "They have a bad image of them, and I don't think it will change." In fact, far from protectors, Abbas and others see the Americans as magnets for attacks. The sentiment is shared by at least some Shiites. "More Americans in the street means more terrorist attacks, and that will lead to more civilian deaths," said Buthayna Fadhil, 50, a homemaker and a Shiite. "We don't want more soldiers."
Improving the security of Baghdad has become the top priority of the military and the new Iraqi government. A much-touted plan to beef up security, largely using Iraqi army and police forces, has failed to stop the violence. In fact, the security situation has worsened.
Los Angeles Times, 23/7/06
... and residents turn to militias
Two suicide car-bombs in Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 42 people in the teeming Sadr City neighborhood, a Mahdi Army stronghold. The attacks followed a joint US and Iraqi raid overnight on a Sadr office in the area that ended with 15 Sadr supporters dead and two hostages freed, the US said in a statement.
Some residents blamed the US raid for the market attack, charging that it forced Mahdi Army members to abandon some of their impromptu checkpoints in the area that are meant to keep out attackers.
"When the Americans come through and break up the checkpoints, that's when we get hit by suicide bombs, like today," says Ahmed Awadh, a Sadr City resident who works in the Ministry of Trade. "I support the Mahdi Army because they know us here, and we know them. Their checkpoints protect us," he says. "They know all the families, and who has business here. It's clear the Americans don't want to provide us with security. They've had three years.''
Immediately following the market blast, Mahdi Army militiamen poured out of the neighborhood's warren of alleys, shutting down dozens of streets and setting up checkpoints, trying to protect against follow-up attacks.
The district of about 2 million - 8 percent of Iraq's population - is largely policed by the militia. The group runs health clinics and religious courts, and arranges lodging for Shiite refugees from Sunni-dominated parts of the country.
Christian Science Monitor, 24/7/06
Iraq spirals out of control....
In the past two weeks, at a time when Lebanon has dominated the international news, the sectarian civil war in central Iraq has taken a decisive turn for the worse. There have been regular tit-for-tat massacres and the death toll for July is likely to far exceed the 3,149 civilians killed in June.
Mr Maliki, who is said to be increasingly isolated, has failed to prevent the violence. Other Iraqi leaders claim he lacks experience in dealing with security, is personally very isolated without a kitchen cabinet and is highly dependent on 30-40 Americans in unofficial advisory positions around him.
"The government is all in the Green Zone like the previous one and they have left the streets to the terrorists," said Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Iraqi politician. He said the situation would be made worse by the war in Lebanon because it would intensify the struggle between Iran and the US being staged in Iraq. The Iraqi crisis would now receive much reduced international attention.
The switch of American and British media attention to Lebanon and away from the rapidly deteriorating situation in Baghdad is much to the political benefit of Mr Blair and Mr Bush.
Independent, 24/7/06
....and Afghanistan 'close to anarchy'
The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan yesterday described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy" with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption.
The stark warning came from Lieutenant General David Richards, head of Nato's international security force in Afghanistan, who warned that western forces there were short of equipment and were "running out of time" if they were going to meet the expectations of the Afghan people.
The assumption within Nato countries had been that the environment in Afghanistan after the defeat of the Taliban in 2002 would be benign, Gen Richards said. "That is clearly not the case," he said yesterday.
Guardian, 22/7/06
US rushing bombs to Israel
The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.
The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran's efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.
The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel's request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike.
New York Times, 22/7/06
Death of independent British foreign policy
Britain today finds itself more isolated internationally than at any time since the invasion of Iraq.
Our official position on the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon is at odds with the European Union, the United Nations and global opinion in general.By refusing to call for a ceasefire we find ourselves with only the United States and Israel itself for company.
The truth is that Britain no longer has what can be called an independent foreign policy. Our Prime Minister long ago threw his lot in with the Bush administration. And Presidet Bush is adamant that Israel must be given a free hand in Lebanon.
It is this - and this alone - that explains our government's refusal to call for a ceasefire. Mr Blair would not dare risk a breach with the White House now, especially considering he is off to Washington next week.
Independent 22/7/06
US raid kills six civilians
US soldiers killed six civilians in an anti-insurgent raid in Iraq on Friday, local police said, while the US military said its forces killed one suspected "terrorist" and wounded several people. Police said the dead in the raid near Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, included two women and a young girl, and that 20 people were wounded.
Pictures taken by an AFP photographer in the aftermath of the raid showed six bodies of civilians, including that of a young child.
AFP, 22/7/06
Baghdad curfew extended
A daytime curfew on Baghdad has been extended in an apparent effort to cut violence after one of the bloodiest weeks this year. Iraqi state television announced that a four-hour traffic ban in force every Friday to curb bomb attacks on mosques during weekly prayers would be extended through most of the day.
The regular Friday ban on traffic in Baghdad from 11am to 3pm has been extended to 7pm for the day, state media said. An overnight curfew operates from 9pm to 6am
Aljazeera, 21/7/06
US supply lines vulnerable
American forces in Iraq are in danger of having their line of supply cut by guerrillas. American troops all over central and northern Iraq are supplied with fuel, food, and ammunition by truck convoy from a supply base hundreds of miles away in Kuwait. All but a small amount of our soldiers' supplies come into the country over roads that pass through the Shiite-dominated south of Iraq.
Until now the Shiite Arabs of Iraq have been told by their leaders to leave American forces alone. But an escalation of tensions between Iran and the US could change that overnight. Moreover, the ever-increasing violence of the civil war in Iraq can change the alignment of forces there unexpectedly. Hostilities between Iran and the United States or a change in attitude toward US forces on the part of the Baghdad government could quickly turn the supply roads into a "shooting gallery" 400 to 800 miles long.
At present, the convoys of trucks supplying our forces in Iraq are driven by civilians - either South Asians or Turks. If the route is indeed turned into a shooting gallery, these civilian truck drivers would not persist or would require a heavier escort by the US military.
Christian Science Monitor, 21/7/06
Attacks in Iraq up 40 per cent
Iraq's top Shiite cleric urged his followers Thursday to refrain from reprisal violence against Sunnis, his strongest call yet for an end to increasing sectarian bloodshed. The statement by Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani came as U.S. military officials reported a 40 percent increase in the daily average of attacks in the Baghdad area.
U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said there has been an average of 34 attacks a day against U.S. and Iraqi forces in the capital over the past five days. The daily average for the period June 14 until July 13 was 24 a day, he said.
"We have not witnessed the reduction in violence one would have hoped for in a perfect world," Maj. Gen. Caldwell said at a news briefing Thursday.
ABC News, 21/7/06
30,000 refugees in July
Tens of thousands more Iraqis have fled their homes as sectarian violence looks ever more like civil war two months after a US-backed national unity government was formed, official data showed on Thursday.
The US military admitted violence in Baghdad was little changed by a monthlong clampdown and the city morgue said it had seen 1,000 bodies so far in July, a slight increase on June. A day after the United States issued a stern warning to both Shiite and minority Sunni leaders to match talk with action on reining in and reconciling "death squads" and "terrorists" from their respective communities, the migration ministry said more than 30,000 people had registered as refugees this month alone.
Jordan Times, 21/7/06