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As Iraqi resistance
peaked in December the US announced the dramatic arrest of Saddam Hussein. For
all the US media blitz of his opulent life and numerous palaces, he was arrested
from his underground hideout, 15 kms outside his hometown of Tikrit, in a small
hut, having only the basic necessities for existence. Where were those millions
of dollars that he was supposed to have stashed away? Today it is difficult to
believe anything emanating from the US media or the US establishment. Most of it
is lies, half-truths and cover-ups. Though it is true that Saddam acted at US
dictates during his war on Iran, but the Baath party in Iraq also has a
tradition of extensive social reform, which makes it stand out, in the highly
fundamentalist Islamic Middle-East. Also, the Iranian Head-of-state rightly
stated that if Saddam is to be tried as a war criminal, so should Bush and
Rumsfeld be, as they backed him fully in the war on their country, which led to
the death of lakhs. Also it was the US that supplied the chemicals to gas the
Iranians and Kurds. Some of the US companies involved in doing business with
Saddam were AT&T, Bechtel, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical (that also gassed the
citizens of Bhopal), Dupont, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. Besides, Iran is
demanding reparations for the war; and asks that if Kuwait can get reparations
for a few-days war, why not Iran for a war that lasted eight years.
Anyhow, the arrest of
Saddam is incidental to the mighty resistance being put up by the heroic Iraqi
people. Here we recount the intensification of the attacks after the initial
burst reported in the last issue, with the beginning of Ramzan. US bravado over
Saddam’s arrest cannot hide the panic in their camp.
The resistance since
Ramzan appears as a systematic offensive targeting the US aggressors primarily,
but also the ‘allied’ forces, the ‘civilian’ and ‘aid’ workers, and particularly
the puppet Iraqi collaborators in the police and administration. So
panic-stricken are the US that even Bush was forced to make a secret 2-hour
visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day to boost the moral of the troops. This has
been followed by high-flying visits of Rumsfeld, Jack Straw and other big-wigs
to boost up the flagging moral of the new ‘rulers’ of Iraq.
The actual number of
causalities will never be disclosed. Now, in their method of reporting, though
they know the number killed, it is being continuously reported as "at least"
say 10 killed. This "at least" is of late being pre-fixed with every
report of the numbers killed. So, in the above report even if 30 were killed, to
as "at least" 10 were killed would not be an outright falsehood.
Anyhow, even
factoring this "at least" the numbers are still high in these last two
months. The resistance is spreading to all parts of occupied Iraq, including the
Shia-dominated South and Kurdish areas in the North. Now-a-days the killing of 2
to 3 US soldiers have become a routine affair. But, over-and-above these there
have been some major and bold attacks.
Capping a week of
escalating violence the Iraqi resistance touched a new high when resistance
forces shot down a transport helicopter carrying dozens of soldiers killing "at
least" 20 and injuring 21. This incident followed the appearance of a
leaflet earlier in the week calling for three days of resistance. That week in
early November, even according to the US, attacks had spiralled to an average of
33 per day.
In mid November, in
neighbouring Turkey, massive explosions rocked the capital city of Istanbul.
First Jewish Synagogues were bombed killing 25. A week later two explosions
struck the British Consulate and the multinational bank, the HSBC. In these
explosions "at least" 27 were killed including the British
Consul-General; over 400 were injured.
On Nov. 21 resistance
fighters fired rockets concealed in donkey carts at three targets — two Baghdad
hotels housing westerners and the Oil Ministry Building. All were highly guarded
and fortified. On the same day four Kurdish puppets of the PUK were killed in
Kirkuk and a car bomb exploded near the house of a Sunni leader, who is close to
the Americans.
On November 22, in
another major attack, 14 Italian armed forces personnel and 8 Iraqi
collaborators were killed in a car bomb attack in the Southern city of Nasirya.
Nine of the Italians killed belonged to the military police, while three were
from the army. This sent shock waves throughout Italy, with people demanding the
return of troops. On the same day two police stations were hit in North Baghdad
killing 18 puppet policemen and wounding many.
Just in the last
couple of weeks five US helicopters had been downed killing 39 US troops.
On Nov.26 Iraqi
resistance forces fired rockets at the compound where the visiting British
Foreign Secretary, jack Straw, was saying.
In early December
there was a mortar attack on the US headquarters in Baghdad — the seat of US
power in Iraq. Simultaneously a suicide bomber attacked a US army base in Ramadi,
west of Baghdad, killing one US soldier and injuring 14.
On Dec.9 "at least"
41US troops and 6 Iraqis were injured when a suicide bomber attacked a military
base in the northern town of Mosul. Once, being projected by the US occupation
forces as a model of post-war stability and reconstruction, Mosul has become one
of the major centres of Iraqi resistance. Earlier, in end November two US
soldiers were lynched by a civilian crowd and their bodies were dragged on the
streets. A day later, a big explosion occurred near a US military convoy. On the
same day, an oil pipeline was set on fire in the city of Kirkuk.
On dec.14 a suicide
bomber detonated a bomb outside a police station 80kms west of Baghdad, killing
"at least" 21 policemen and wounding another 20.
And as we go to the
press, on Dec.15 there was once again attacks on two police stations killing
many policemen and injuring many more.
The growing
resistance has continued to propel an exodus of diplomats, aid workers and
technicians. Within a day after the attack on the Italians, the Japanese
government announced the postponement of plans to send Japanese peacekeepers to
Iraq. There has been growing demands in Italy and Poland and other countries for
the speedy return of their troops deployed in Iraq. The attacks on the offices
of the UN and some humanitarian agencies have led to the almost total withdrawal
of foreign aid workers from Iraq. A week after the death of two South Koreans,
the remaining 60 engineers and technicians decided to leave. The Bangladesh
ambassador and staff also left the country. Turkey withdrew its earlier offer to
send troops.
And now, four days
after the arrest of Saddam, rallies and clashes rocked the country. Cities most
affected by the demonstrations were Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul, and in Baghdad angry
demonstrators over-ran three police stations. Resistance forces also assaulted
Polish and Bulgarian troops in Karbala, which has a majority Shia population. A
suicide bomber smashed his truck into a police station killing "at least"
17 policemen. As the media reported " four days after Mr. Hussein’s capture,
it was evident that the anger against the American occupation of Iraq was
fierce. In the streets, the sentiment against American occupation was widespread
and strong, even amongst Hussein’s detractors. Says Hashim, a Shia taxi driver
who claims to have been tortured by Hussein’s secret police, ‘if Sistani (top
leader of the Shias) tells me to take a belt of bombs against the Americans, I
will do that’". (Report from the Committee)
Further the Hindu of
Dec.19th reported "The seeming victory of the US demonstration over an Arab
leader, has, however hardened anti-American sentiment in the region sharply and
has been reflected in the Arab media. In Baghdad a fierce defiance of the
Americans is visible both among ordinary Sunni and Shias. In the working-class
Shia district of Sadr city, the atmosphere is politically charged and
graffattion the walls speaks the language of unity and struggle".On that day
a top Shia collaborator of teh Governing Council set up by the Americans was
assassinated. The slain Muhammad al-Hakim was the cousin of the present rotating
‘President" of the Governing Council and held the post of head of the security
at the Education Ministry.
So, with the Great
Iraqi Resistance gaining momentum it is the prime duty of all anti-imperialist
forces to ally with it, and lend it all assistance possible. In a far off
country like India, besides sending aid to the fighters, best support can be
rendered by fighting US penetration here and strongly opposing the sending of
any Indian troops or civilians to Iraq to assist the US occupation forces. We
must also vociferously oppose the taking of contracts by the servile comprador
big bourgeoisie of India, who were the first to fly to Iraq to beg the Americans
for favours. All those in India assisting in any way the US occupation of Iraq
must be socially boycotted and publicly condemned. The Iraqis have shown the way
to fight the American gangsters, let us emulate their spirit here. As a first
step, kick the FBI office out of India. Build firm solidarity between the Iraqi
and Indian people!!
December 20, 2003
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