Iraqi refugees inside Iraq, are facing terrible living situations due to the reluctance of the Iraqi government to provide them with the necessary living equipments. According to Radio Sawa, the Iraqi government allocated $125 M to displaced Iraqis inside and outside the country, yet “no one has received a [cent] yet” from the money that was supposed to be paid six months ago, according to Sallama al-Khafaji, the Prime Minister advisor. In a conference held for the displaced families, al-Khafaji told Radio Sawa that the ministry of finance justifies that by having no mechanism to distribute this money.
At the al-Manathira refugee camp, One of the refugee camps in the country, the living conditions for Iraqi refugees are harder than anyone could imagine, despite the humanitarian aid provided to them. Families are in a helpless situation because they will live the winter in the wilderness.
A reporter from the Azzaman newspaper visited the refugee camp and wrote about what these refugees go through. I have translated the article since there is no English version of it.
Al-Manathira Refugees Talk about their Sufferings
Living in tents is unbearable … Winter has no mercy
Najaf—The refugees at al-Manathira refugee camp demanded the Iraqi government to put an end to their suffering and find solutions for their problems before winter in which it would be hard for them to keep living in [tents] in the wilderness, under severe cold conditions. A number of the refugees said, “we were left in this miserable camp all summer enduring the hot days without water or electricity.” They added that it is very hard to live in tents due to the hot and cold weather. The tent is a [bedroom], kitchen, and living room. Each family lives in a tent.
The refugees demanded the government to ensure their return to their homes and all the necessary living conditions.
Al-Manathira refugee camp, located 24 KM south east of Najaf, includes 240 families (1800 people).
Living in Tents:
Hussein Ibrahim Elaiwi, an official responsible on al-Manathira refugee camp at the Ministry of Displaced and Immigrants in Najaf, says that the refugee camp was established On February 21st, 2007 by the ministry, supported by the local provincial government, Iraqi Red Crescent, the Red Cross and some humanitarian organizations.
These organizations provide the camp with humanitarian relief. It is also supported by the Sadr Office and the Sayyed Sadr al-Deen al-Qubanchi, the preacher of the Friday prayer in Najaf. Two generators were provided to the camp by the Sadr Office and the Najaf Provincial Council. Out of 120 caravans, 45 were distributed in the area. The Water Directorate in Najaf provided the camp with water.
“Take us Back Home”
“My leg was cut due to terrorist attacks in Abu Ghraib,” said Bakheet Kadhum, a disabled man from Abu Ghraib area. “We were threatened to leave our city. So we decided to immigrate to Najaf for my family’s safety. We live in this tent now with my family members.” He added that the government is not doing enough towards millions of families who are left without water and electricity. “We were left in this tent where we spent all the long hot days without water and electricity. It’s only these days that we received water from the water directorate and electricity from generators sent by the Sadr Office in Najaf. They turn on these generators after sunset only. Living in a tent is very hard. The new caravans will arrive in early next year which means we’ll endure the winter in the wilderness under these tents. We want to go back to our homes.”
Klaib Abdul Zahra, from Tramiyah, said he lived in Najaf city for several months until police came displaced us and destroyed the houses we lived in which made us live in these tents. We are going through sever conditions because it is hard for a human being to live the burning summer and the cold weather in a tent. We left our homes after we were threatened. Each family in this camp lost a relative because of the violence and the terrorism the country is going through. The government didn’t care about us. They left us without salaries or housing lands. We received 9,000 Dinars (about $4) from the provincial council and 100,000 Dinars (about $60) from the Prime Minister. Some of the refugees in this camp have not received any money yet. We hoped the government would help us but it was because of the government we were displaced. When will they care about us?”
---
Radio Sawa reported last week that Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called on the Iraqi families who were forced to leave the country to go back home. “I say it directly and out of responsibility to the people who left due to the security situation to think about coming back home in the near future.” Hashimi did not give any details of how and why he called for the Iraqi refugees outside Iraq to go back home in the near future. He only mentioned that those who were displaced inside the country could go back to the Baghdad western neighborhoods due to “notable improvement in the security situation.”
29 Comments:
Radio Sawa reported last week that Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called on the Iraqi families who were forced to leave the country to go back home. “I say it directly and out of responsibility to the people who left due to the security situation to think about coming back home in the near future.”
The remarkably popular Radio Sawa, which replaced Voice of America’s Arabic service, comes courtesy of the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau, operated and funded by the U.S. government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors. The broadcasts are the latest U.S. strategy to counter anti-American sentiment in the Arab world by communicating directly in Arabic with Arab youth—targeting listeners under 30, who comprise more than 60 percent of the region’s population. The mission took on new urgency following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as U.S. Cabinet officials, led by Secretary of State Colin Powell, spoke of the need for greater “public diplomacy.”
Thanks for translating the article BT. A lot more needs to be done to help the refugees inside and outside of Iraq! When I was a kid, I went camping every month with the boy scouts. We cooked our food over campfires and slept in sleeping bags with only leaves as padding over the hard ground. However, we were never too hot or too cold. We had plenty to eat and clean water to drink. After two days, we packed up and went home to our comfortable houses. Camping was fun, but I wouldn't want to do it every day for months on end with ho hope of anything better! I wish that security could improve so that people could go home, but I think that al-Hashimi is much too optimistic at this point.
BAGHDAD - In a dramatic turnaround, more than 3,000 Iraqi families driven out of their Baghdad neighborhoods have returned to their homes in the past three months as sectarian violence has dropped, the government said Saturday.
Saad al-Azawi, his wife and four children are among them. They fled to Syria six months ago, leaving behind what had become one of the capital's more dangerous districts — west Baghdad's largely Sunni Khadra region.
The family had been living inside a vicious and bloody turf battle between al-Qaida in Iraq and Mahdi Army militiamen. But Azawi said things began changing, becoming more peaceful, in August when radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army fighters to stand down nationwide.
About the same time, the Khadra neighborhood Awakening Council rose up against brutal al-Qaida control — the imposition of its austere interpretation of Islam, along with the murder and torture of those who would not comply.
The uprising originated in Iraq's west and flowed into the capital. Earlier this year, the Sunni tribes and clans in the vast Anbar province began their own revolt and have successfully rid the largely desert region of al-Qaida control.
At one point the terrorist group virtually controlled Anbar, often with the complicity of the vast Sunni majority who welcomed the outsiders in their fight against American forces.
But, U.S. officials say, al-Qaida overplayed its hand with Iraq's Sunnis, who practice a moderate version of Islam. American forces were quick to capitalize on the upheaval, welcoming former Sunni enemies as colleagues in securing what was once the most dangerous region of the country.
And as 30,000 additional U.S. forces arrived for the crackdown in Baghdad and central Iraq, the American commander, Gen. David Petraeus, began stationing many of them in neighborhood outposts. The mission was not only to take back control but to foster neighborhood groups like the one in Khadra to shake off al-Qaida's grip.
The 40-year-old al-Azawi, who has gone back to work managing a car service, said relatives and friends persuaded him to bring his family home.
"Six months ago, I wouldn't dare be outside, not even to stand near the garden gate by the street. Killings had become routine. I stopped going to work, I was so afraid," he said, chatting with friends on a street in the neighborhood.
When he and his family joined the flood of Iraqi refugees to Syria the streets were empty by early afternoon, when all shops were tightly shuttered. Now the stores stay open until 10 p.m. and the U.S. military working with the neighborhood council is handing out $2,000 grants to shop owners who had closed their business. The money goes to those who agree to reopen or first-time businessmen.
Al-Azawi said he's trying to get one of the grants to open a poultry and egg shop that his brother would run.
"In Khadra, about 15 families have returned from Syria. I've called friends and family still there and told them it's safe to come home," he said.
Sattar Nawrous, a spokesman for the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, said the al-Azawi family was among 3,100 that have returned to their homes in Baghdad in the past 90 days.
"In the past three months, the ministry did not register any forced displacement in the whole of Iraq," said Nawrous, who is a Kurd.
The claim could not be independently verified, but, if true, it would represent a dramatic end to the sectarian cleansing that has shredded the fabric of Baghdad's once mixed society.
The head of the ministry is Abdul-Samad Rahman, a Shiite appointed to his job by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is accused of promoting the Shiite cause to the detriment of Sunnis. Under Saddam Hussein, the Sunni minority ruled and heavily oppressed many in the Shiite majority.
Part of the inflow can be attributed to stiffening of visa and residency procedures for Iraqis by the Syrian government.
Mahmoud al-Zubaidi, who runs the Iraqi Airways office in Damascus, the Syrian capital, the flow of Iraqis has almost reversed.
What were once full flights arriving from Baghdad now touch down virtually empty, he told Al-Sabah, the government funded Iraqi daily newspaper. Now the flights are leaving Damascus with more passengers but the volume of travel is off considerably.
On average, 56 Iraqis — civilians and security forces — have died each day so far in this very bloody year. Last month, however, the toll fell to just under 30 Iraqis killed daily in sectarian violence.
More than four months after U.S. forces completed a 30,000-strong force buildup, the death toll for both Iraqis and Americans has fallen dramatically for two months running.
Across Iraq Saturday, 18 people were killed or found dead in sectarian violence, well below the year's daily average.
this is an untenable situation BT. i have struggled to find any sort of decent response.
The refugees at al-Manathira refugee camp demanded the Iraqi government to put an end to their suffering and find solutions for their problems before winter
how can one reasonably expect to make demands of this government that has repeatedly proven itself to be ineffective at best?
this is a humanitarian problem. one apparently beyond the capabilities of the current 'government'.
when you invade a country as long as it is under occupation, by international law, aren't you responsible for the well being of its citizens?
these puppets now holding office, can we all just agree they are worthless.
The refugees demanded the government to ensure their return to their homes and all the necessary living conditions.
the government can't provide this! iraq is a war zone.
why doesn't the country that invaded iraq and created this humanitarian nightmare step up to the plate and acknowledge their responsibility to do something about this.
beside telegraph the problem on thier radio.
red cross red crescent. make donations. i do.
If this is the worst of the refugee problem in Iraq, I have to say it is remarkable. I didn't read of widespread epidemics, malnutrition, and such that usually accompany refugees in war. One only has to look a few hundred miles south to find some real tragedy. there must be some level of competence among the Iraqi government on some level.
Was there no such suffering in Iraq prior to the war? From what I have read of the lives of the Kurds, they know something of life as refugees and many are living live of relative comfort today because of the war.
Were there not appalling living conditions among many many others in Iraq prior to the war? I know some who traveled the country from north to south repeatedly in the first year of the war and found long term deprivation of many Iraqis everywhere they went. It clearly wasn't a new condition for them, and those US troops and NGOs that followed often brought the first outside aid many of them had ever seen from any source.
These people will likely return to their homes soon. Many have already, and the tide is growing. Why? I can speculate. Many reasons, but mostly because the Iraqis who stayed behind decided their enemy was not the US, they are the radicals, the criminals masquerading as nationalists, and the expatriots who bravely call for 'resistance' from the safety of other nations. Good for the Iraqis who are turning it around. Good for the nations of the coalition who stuck it out and didn't abandon them. Too bad it took so much suffering for enough of them to reach that conclusion. but again, if you look at the history of such things, this was a relatively mild societal revolution. So far...
"I didn't read of widespread epidemics, malnutrition, and such that usually accompany refugees in war. One only has to look a few hundred miles south to find some real tragedy. there must be some level of competence among the Iraqi government on some level."
There you go, FRESH!
Iraq: Nearly 2.3 Million Displaced
By LAUREN FRAYER – 15 hours ago
BAGHDAD (AP) — Nearly 2.3 million Iraqis — the vast majority of them women and children — have fled their homes but remain inside the country's borders and are in urgent need of basic care, according to a report issued Monday by the Iraqi Red Crescent.
The number of internally displaced people, or IDPs, in Iraq grew by 16 percent in September — to 2,299,425, the Red Crescent said. That figure has skyrocketed since the beginning of 2007, when less than half a million people were listed as displaced.
More than 83 percent of those displaced are women and children under the age of 12, the report said.
Four and a half years after the U.S.-led invasion, the Iraqi government struggles to provide basic services — water, electricity and access to schools and medical care — to citizens across the country. Much of Iraq, especially the capital, is beset by violence, crumbling infrastructure and rampant crime, and most humanitarian groups are unable to reach victims who need help.
"In addition to their plight as being displaced, the majority suffer from disease, poverty and malnutrition," the Red Crescent reported.
"Children do not attend schools and are being sheltered in tents, abandoned government buildings with no water or electricity, mosques, churches, or with relatives," it said.
The report jibes with the Iraqi government's announcement Saturday that more than 3,000 families driven out of their Baghdad neighborhoods have returned to their homes in the past three months because of a drop in sectarian violence.
As of Sept. 30, more than 60 percent of displaced Iraqis — nearly 1.5 million people — were in Baghdad. "It has the largest number of displaced people as a result of many explosions, military operations and armed conflicts," the report said.
The Red Crescent report did not specify whether the number of displaced people in Baghdad had risen in fallen in the past three months.
The figures in Monday's report were tabulated by Red Crescent coordinators and volunteers in all 18 Iraqi provinces. The group says it has 5,000 employees and 95,000 volunteers working at 365 offices around the country.
Meanwhile, violence continued Monday, but at lower levels — in line with a trend of reduced numbers of attacks in recent months.
A roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded four others in eastern Baghdad, police said. Another such bomb exploded near Suwayrah, 25 miles south of the capital, killing another civilian, officers said.
Later Monday, gunmen assassinated a member of the neighborhood council in Khadra, an area of western Baghdad, police said. Hamad Abdul-Latif was driving his car in the adjacent al-Jamia area when he was attacked, police said.
Approaching the year's end — more than four months after the U.S. completed a 30,000-strong force buildup — the monthly death toll among Americans and Iraqis has fallen dramatically.
At least 1,023 Iraqi civilians died in September; in October, that figure was just 875. The number of U.S. troop deaths dropped from 65 to 36 in the same period, according to statistics kept by the AP. That's the lowest monthly toll of American deaths this year.
On average, 56 Iraqis — civilians and security forces — have died each day so far in 2007.
But 2007 is on course to be the deadliest year on record for American troops in Iraq, despite the recent sharp drop in U.S. deaths.
At least 847 American military personnel have died in Iraq so far this year — the second-highest annual toll since the war began in March 2003, according to Associated Press figures.
If four more U.S. troops by the year's end, this year will surpass 2004 as the bloodiest year of the war for the U.S.
Some 850 troops died in 2004, mostly in larger, more conventional battles like the campaign to cleanse Fallujah of Sunni militants in November, and U.S. clashes with Shiite militiamen in the sect's holy city of Najaf in August.
But the American military in Iraq reached its highest troop levels in Iraq this year — 165,000. Moreover, the military's decision to send soldiers out of large bases and into Iraqi communities means more troops have seen more "contact with enemy forces" than ever before, said Maj. Winfield Danielson, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.
"It's due to the troop surge, which allowed us to go into areas that were previously safe havens for insurgents," Danielson said. "Having more soldiers, and having them out in the communities, certainly contributes to our casualties."
Give it up, TB. victory is at hand, and it is good for Iraq--- and America---- even if it makes you look foolish.
There ya go---- US men and women, doing the job that way too many Iraqi men are unwilling to do------ aren't you? Fortunately, enough Iraqi men are stepping up---- how are the studies going there, TB? Ready to rescue the nation yet? Or will you breeze into town when your own success has been secured by the sacrifice of others? I already know the answer......
Not to worry. the war with Iran will give you plenty of opportunity to second guess and hide behind better men, which is probably where you feel most comfortable.
Don't we all appreciate and benefit from these "anon" comments? Like a breath of __________air from a patient with lung cancer, perhaps? The reason I say this is that I was just recently visiting someone in the cancer ward of a hospital in Tokyo.
Perhaps these anons. are American GI's and they risk some kind of repercussions if they gave their name, rank and ID..Still how ironic for the 12:50AM anon to leture Treasure on integrity when he hides behind the skirts of Treasure's generosity in allowing anons to publish in the first place.
Probably anon would outlaw anon publishing? Would he challenge the anon terrorist to "come out and fight like a man"?
Still all in all, I reluctantly agree with Treasure to let these critters post if they stay within certain limits of decorum.
Get serious, Edo---- how is ANON any less anonymous than you are? Why don't you publish your full name, address and phone number?
Why do I post as 'anon' on this blog? Speaking for myself, I do it because TB started editing posts based on content that he could not counter---- then posted an explanation that blatantly lied about the reasons for the edits.
TB isn't being generous. He is engaging in political and rhetorical discourse aimed largely at discrediting the efforts of the US and the Iraqi government in Iraq . As the news becomes more hopeful and there are no recent mass atrocities to further his cause, suddenly there are millions of refugees in need of urgent care? Is this new in Iraq? He reports 'unimaginable suffering' in these camps where they only turn on the generators at night? He doesn't mention the reversal of the refugee flow and the almost miraculous sea change among many Iraqi communities over the last few months thanks to the efforts of some really courageous and admirable people. THAT is what is new in Iraq today, not the suffering.
His blog's reason for being is stir up feelings of anger, despair and defeatism among all who visit here. His own circumstances and location are very pertinent to that discussion and provides context to those who might let the content inform their own opinions. He is almost entirely critical and negative of the efforts and sacrifices of better men and women. So have the vast majority of his regular commenters.
Lately, I have noticed a marked lack of activity here and on other sites dedicated to the denigration of the effort. It seems that there is an inverse relationship between good news in Iraq and the activity on blogs like this one. I'm certain that many of the regular commenters here would get excited if some major disaster would occur in Iraq to reaffirm their unyielding positions of an evil American Empire engaged in a conspiracy to enslave Iraqis using puppet slave masters. I unyieldingly choose to take the other side. You don't like it, you don't have to read it.
He is engaging in political and rhetorical discourse aimed largely at discrediting the efforts of the US and the Iraqi government in Iraq . As the news becomes more hopeful and there are no recent mass atrocities to further his cause, suddenly there are millions of refugees in need of urgent care?
someone is making unfounded allegations for the obvious purpose of harrassing our host. if you carefully read the post, there is no mention of the US. he also sites an american sponsored radio station, which means he is spreading news sanctioned by US interests.
the report quotes al-Hashimi saying essential what you are.."think about coming back home in the near future."
news is not becoming more 'hopeful', and there is no 'suddenly' about the refugee crisis.
I'm certain that many of the regular commenters here would get excited if some major disaster would occur in Iraq to reaffirm their unyielding positions of an evil American Empire
i thin it is clear who travels in hate thought.
as for the iraqi government, by all means, tell us all the miraculous things they are doing. point us to all the reports coming out of the mouths of the US army telling us us the iraqi government is stepping up to the plate. by all means provide us w/evidence the iraqi government is making headway by leaps and bounds, or baby steps.
better yet, try not denying these refugees exist, acknowledge their suffering, and come up w/ideas on how the international community, the US or the iraqi government could alleviate the suffering.
most of these people are women and children. winter is coming on. imagine they were you family, relatives.
they are the radicals, the criminals masquerading as nationalists, and the expatriots who bravely call for 'resistance' from the safety of other nations.
what is the purpose of speculating who these people are. people don't like leaving their homes. it is not a reflection of "decided their enemy was not the US" or not. many of these people fled their homes because they were in danger for their lives.
you are playing a stupid game of trying to silence information that doesn't appear all cheery. war is not cheery. everything is not always 'looking better', which is the message that is CONTINUALLY coming from the propaganda, even as more people die, the war drags on and our leaders (civilian and military) are telling us it will likely continue for YEARS to come.
but you, you come here and attack BT, on a post, a very reasonable post coming from an american organ of media.
why don't you condemn radio sawa for this report? tell us how they are feeding the opposition if you think this report is so horrible. condemn al-Hashimi words if it serves you.
reporters job is not to 'look on the bright side', it is to report. a report is not required to compare suffering to see it in 'balance'. after 5 years of war, comparing the suffering w/saddams time, to say it already existed.. really doesn't sound so great. really, if you told the american people, or iraqis, in 03 that in 5 years this would be the 'good news' they had to look forward to, well, they would never have called this good news back then, so why call it that now?
ideas, that is what we need. solutions, you have picked the easy cowardly thing to do. attack the messenger.
you do more to damage americas image than you know. we need to show who we really are. you are showing one aspect it alright, and it is very hurtful.
BT, i'm a bit confuse w/regard to the relationship at this juncture between the US and the iraqi government. it seems there have been numerous reports of dissatisfaction w/their abilities, w/maliki etc. i'm not clear how the US is dealing w/this but it would seem essential that monies intended to help the refugees be not funneled thru the iraqi government if it isn't ending up giving relif to these people.
the only suggestion i am hearing from the report, is for them to return home. there is always the possibilty the deaths ahve gone down, because of the amount of people who have fled, or been killed already. people are likely afraid to go home, i would be. besides, in a war zone, women and children are more vulnerable w/out the men to take care of them.
i still think supporting the red crescent may be the most effective way to help these people right now.
thank you for the report.
I unyieldingly choose to take the other side. You don't like it, you don't have to read it.
actually, he has other options. he could delete it but he doesn't.
you do serve a purpose you know. a very good one at that. you are one voice of americans who support the war. your true nature comes thru your words and how you communicate.
what you tell me (and i am not alone) is the people supporting this war are mean, slandering, cruel and a**holes. you show me you have no copassion for the victims of war, you even try to denigrate these people accusing them of supporting your enemy. again, most of these people are women and children. many likely have family members killed. they are helpless, cold and hungry.
if you want to make america look good, show empathy, not hate. you represent us, and you really don't sound nice at all.
furthermore, Omar has also called attention to this important issue. in his report he included
On a different issue, but still in the same horrific situation of Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent, or IRC, in a statement announced that the number of the displaced within Iraq reached 2.3 million Iraqis, a 16% increase from last month.
IRC statement also talked about the false promises Maliki’s government ahs given the Iraqis before when it promised to bring back the displaced to their houses when it is safe for them to do so. Although the Iraqi government’s propaganda, backed by every major American media outlet, is working very well on faking the success of the “surge” in Iraq, the displaced have not been able to return to their homes.
IRC also talked about the $25 million Maliki said that the Iraqi government was giving to help Iraqi refugees outside Iraq. the statement said although Maliki announced it months ago, nothing has been given yet. But I am sure the money left the government’s account, it just did not go where it was supposed to go!
I don't deny that the refugees exist, not do I deny that help should be provided. Do you deny that help obviously has been provided on some level since mass starvation and epidemics aren't occurring? I mean, if the 'unimaginable conditions' in a war refugee camp include electric generators that are only turned on at night, somebody must be working pretty hard somewhere to maintain survival for those in the camps. Do you deny that refugees existed before the war? Do you deny that Iraqis are returning to their homes, that conditions are improving for most Iraqis today? Do you devote any thought or time to refugees whose status can't be laid at the feet of US action?
The fact is, in many areas of Iraq, conditions and lives have never been better. Where are their stories? Thousands of Iraqis in Basra will soon be getting access to water at the turn of the tap for the first time in 25 years. Planes to Iraq are full, those leaving are rarely half full. The roads leading into Iraq are much busier that those leading out. I have eyewitness reports supporting that, as well as news reports. Those are just a couple of indicators among hundreds of stories of hope and reason for believing that the Iraqi people have turned a corner. I won't find them for you, that you don't want to find them yourself or acknowledge they even exist is proof of my claim: You and many like you have too much invested in failure. Success can only reveal you to be a fool motivated by hatred, not concern for humanity. When you have positioned yourself such that progress and hope must be denied, and with such bitterness, you prove my point very well. I find progress to be inspiring and ALL those making it happen, to be highly admirable. Admit it, anything that makes it appear that America (and Iraq) may actually 'win' is impossible for you to accept. It is called denial.
'there is always the possibilty the deaths ahve gone down, because of the amount of people who have fled, or been killed already.'----REALLY? I don't think I can make the case any better than you did with your own 'reasoning'.
just to tickle your funny bone, the wildly popular..
tom tomorrow! w/conservative jones boy detective!
while your there, don't forget to check out tom's archives!! he gives an excellent portrayal of our brave rightwing armchair warriors like we have here!!!!!
the 'unimaginable conditions'
you used quotes. sorry, i didn't hear anyone call it unimaginable. could you reference where those quotes came from. i heard you call it 'remarkable', but i didn't hear anyone claim it was unimaginable.
naturally, i could be wrong. are we hearing another strawman. i think, considering the circumstances, it is very very imaginable.
Do you devote any thought or time to refugees whose status can't be laid at the feet of US action?
is this another strawman? would you like a post about refugees from saddams time??? i'm not sure that is really OT for present day. ultimately, according to international standards, an invader is responsible for the well being of the populous, so if you have a bone to pick about responsibility being laid on the US, go pick a fight w/whomever agreed to this (including the US, i think we signed that treaty). you are getting kind of far out there aren't you?
in many areas of Iraq, conditions and lives have never been better....Where are their stories? Thousands of Iraqis in Basra will soon be getting access to water at the turn of the tap for the first time in 25 years. Planes to Iraq are full, those leaving are rarely half full. The roads leading into Iraq are much busier that those leading out. I have eyewitness reports supporting that, as well as news reports.
well by all means! publish some links armchair warrior!!
better yet, link to your own blog, so everyone excited to hear all the good news about people whose lives have never been better can hop on over there and have a love fest of joy and fullfillment.
hundreds of stories of hope and reason for believing that the Iraqi people have turned a corner.
great, show us please
I won't find them for you,
huh??
I find progress to be inspiring and ALL those making it happen, to be highly admirable.
by all means, inspire us!!!!!
what's all this about your proof we are..invested in failure??
you are making the challenge here, you won't provide info, links, and our inability is your 'proof'?
wow, you should get together w/the warrior krypto, he is all into strawman and 'proof' based on diversions too.
way to go anon fighting the good fight for the empire.
do you know what trolls do, they change the subject. what i am hearing is all these other things BT should focus on. you don't want him writng about the refugees, i get it.
could you do me a favor, i am just testing your sincerity. since you think this report is destructive, could you also condemn radio sawa for reporting it?
i think you are just picking a fight because that is your job.
your job isn't making solutions is it? your solution is only to focus on voices that don't spew propaganda, yours.
that's a tough job. there is only so much one can say to make a long bloody war sound good. most people just aren't that stupid.
Voice OF America
Iraqi Red Crescent: Nearly 2.3 Million People Displaced in Iraq
AFP
Iraqis fleeing homes in droves: Red Crescent
In September, the northern Kurdish region, long regarded as a safe haven for fleeing Iraqis because of its relative stability, was also affected by violence.
"Both the Iranians and Turkish military were bombarding the border villages with artillery shells for days and weeks," the report said, referring to barrages aimed at camps of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"Thousands of villagers left their homes and migrated inland for fear of their lives thus compounding the refugee problems in Kurdistan."
The majority of displaced in the Shiite-majority south of Iraq, as to be expected, are Shiites, while Sunni Arabs account for most of the IDPs in the predominantly Sunni north.
"Arbil and Dahuk governorates (in the Kurdish region) have witnessed more population movement among the Christians," the report said.
The exodus of Iraqis from their homes is the largest population movement in the Middle East since Palestinians left the new state of Israel in 1948.
hey armchair warriors, here are more of your enemies, go attack them, even ABC! (mouth organ for gop!)
it is funny you are here attacking a guest to our nation!
The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
go attack the red cross/red crescent for telling the truth!
OK annie, if you can't find it yourself, 'living conditions for Iraqi refugees are harder than anyone could imagine'-- from BT intro to the article that is the subject of this post.
I paraphrased and quoted 'unimaginable conditions'. Technically, the quotation marks were in error I suppose, but accurately and fairly reflected the words in the intro of the article.
You confuse my pragmatism with hatred. I don't have any problem with a story about Iraqi refugees. I have a problem with those who incessantly criticize the efforts of others and never even grudgingly recognize progress. Pointing out there are inefficiencies and corruption is fine, but what is new about that in the history of human civilization?
Why petulantly demand immediate perfection amidst a revolution in one of the most imperfectly created and governed nations in recent history? Imagine the sudden overthrow of a brutal regime which has imposed one of the strongest police states known to man in a nation with centuries old ethnic rivalries, resentments and religious tensions within its borders and surrounding it. Throw in more weapons per capita than just about anyplace in the world. What would you expect the sate of that nation would be just four years after the violent overthrow of that tyrant by an outside nation? If you know any history, you would likely expect much, much worse than what you find in Iraq today. I give the Iraqis some credit for that, along with Coalition. Can you?
C'mon, annie. You know that you will never recognize any good news without somehow spinning it as a negative. The fall in violent death rates may be due to all the people having fled or died already? Why would I bother to provide you with more evidence to spin, I can get my humor elsewhere.
Those who can never recognize progress are irrational. Unless progress can be spun as defeat or repudiation for either Bush or America, it can not exist.
Still, just for giggles I will give a partial list of good things that have been done. With your talents, I'm sure you can easily find lots more reason for hope--- don't be so lazy and irrational.
Education:
-Through September 2005, over 2,800 schools have been rehabilitated, and 45 constructed.
-Internet access and computers have been installed at the Ministry of Education and in all 21 Directorates of Education. To improve planning and resource management, official baseline data has been gathered and an Education Management Information System (EMIS) is being developed.
-Over 47,500 secondary school teachers and administrators nationwide have received training.
-More than 80 primary and secondary schools are being established to serve as model schools. At these “centers of excellence,” teachers will receive up to five weeks of training, and schools will be equipped with computer and science laboratories.
-Hundreds of thousands of desks and chalkboards have been distributed countrywide.
USAID edited, printed, and distributed 8.7 million Iraqi math and science textbooks.
-More than 550 out-of-school youths completed a pilot accelerated learning program. An expanded program, targeting more than 11,000 youths, is being implemented during the 2005–06 school year.
-School supplies have been distributed to one million primary school children and two million secondary; sports equipment has been distributed to every school.
-An early childhood learning television series is currently being developed.
-Through university partnerships, more than 1,500 Iraqi faculty and students at 10 Iraqi universities have participated in workshops, trainings, conferences, and courses in Iraq, the greater Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
-At 10 Iraqi universities, USAID has rehabilitated and equipped 23 specialist libraries, 23 computer laboratories, 20 specialist science labs, and 17 auditoriums or classrooms. These efforts have benefited approximately 50,000 university students in colleges of law, engineering, medicine, archeology, and agriculture. In addition, books and electronic resources have been provided to university libraries.
Healthcare:
Reestablishing essential primary health care services:
-2005 emergency campaigns supported the immunization of 98 percent of children 1-3 years (3.62 million children) against measles, mumps, and rubella. As a result, there has been a 90 percent reduction in laboratory confirmed cases of measles between 2004 and 2005.
-97 percent of children under five (4.56 million) immunized against polio during the 2004-05 national polio immunization campaign, enabling Iraq to maintain its polio-free status.
-Vaccinated 3.2 million children under five and 700,000 pregnant women, with UNICEF and WHO.
-Provided supplementary doses of vitamin A for more than 1.5 million nursing mothers and 600,000 children under two, and iron folate supplements for over 1.6 million women of childbearing age.
-Trained 11,400 staff at over 2,000 community child care units to screen for malnutrition and to provide monthly rations of high protein biscuits to malnourished children and pregnant mothers.
-Renovated 110 facilities and equipped 600 centers with basic clinical and lab equipment.
-Trained over 2,500 primary health care workers, improving access to essential primary health care.
Building Capacity and Strengthening Health Services:
-Provided skills training to 3,200 primary care providers and physicians, improving service delivery.
-Trained 2,000 health educators, teachers, religious leaders, and youths to assist in mobilizing communities on hygiene, diarrhea, breastfeeding, nutrition, and immunization issues.
-Established training and education centers in five governorates to support local health care training.
-Vaccines and cold chain equipment provided to selected remote health centers along with training of staff and social mobilization has increased routine immunization coverage from 60 to 74 percent.
-Minimized epidemics by re-establishing Iraq’s disease surveillance and response system. Addressed urgent water and sanitation service needs to prevent disease outbreaks: Other USAID programs, particularly in water and sanitation, have immensely contributed to improvements in Iraqi health. USAID partners have repaired 1,700 breaks in Baghdad’s water distribution network. Key supplies have been procured to service water treatment facilities in Baghdad and other cities. Water treatment facilities across four governorates have been rehabilitated. Over 100 sewage pumping stations, rainwater stations, and collapsed sewer lines have been repaired countrywide.
Water and Sanitation:
Nationwide:
-Restored or provided new water treatment to over 2.4 million Iraqis and sewage treatment to over 5.1 million.
Baghdad:
-Expanded Sharq Dijlah water plant by 50 MGD and rehabilitated three sewage plants, which serve 80 percent of Baghdad's population, thus eliminating dumping raw sewage into the Tigris.
-Kerkh wastewater treatment plant (WTP) began operating on May 19, 2004, the first major Iraqi plant to operate at full capacity in more than 12 years.
-Standby generators have been procured and installed at 27 Baghdad water facilities, ensuring continued supply of treated water in the event of power outages.
-Refurbished existing sewage lines and pump stations serving the Kadhamiya area of western Baghdad.
South:
-Rehabilitated the Sweet Water Canal system: repairing breaches, cleaning and repairing the main water storage and settling reservoir and refurbishing 14 water treatment plants around Basrah city.
-Treated water production increased by over 100 percent, serving over 1.1 million additional people.
South Central:
-Rehabilitated two water plants and four sewage plants.
-Najaf, Diwaniyah, Hillah, and Karbala sewage plants serve nearly 1 million people.
-Water treatment plants in Najaf and Karbala serve more than 375,000residents and pilgrims near one of Iraq's holiest shrines.
North:
-Provided major equipment for Mosul Water and Sewer Directorates.
-Refurbished the Kirkuk WTP.
Roads and Bridges:
-The Al Mat Bridge is a key link on the main highway between Baghdad and Jordan used by more than 3,000 trucks daily. Work was completed and the bridge was reopened to two-way traffic on March 3, 2004.
-The Khazir Bridge is critical to the flow of fuel and agricultural products in northern Iraq. The bridge’s four lanes were completed on May 1, 2004.
-The Tikrit Bridge is an important link for passengers and commerce over the Tigris River between Tikrit and Tuz Khurmatu. This two-lane bridge was reopened to traffic on September 15, 2004.
-In addition, USAID also repaired a floating bridge over the Tigris River at Al Kut, improving traffic for 50,000 travelers a day.
Railroads:
-USAID’s partner completed an assessment of over 1,100 kilometers of railroad track and rail facilities throughout the country to identify priority projects. Proper rail construction and maintenance is vital in Iraq; rails can expand significantly during the heat of the day. If not done correctly, the rails will bow in the heat and cause trains to derail.
-USAID also assisted with the construction of 72 kilometers of new track and rail facilities between the Port of Umm Qasr and Shuaiba Junction, located west of Basrah, and connecting to the Baghdad trunklines. This project was a joint US-Iraqi effort; USAID constructed the civil facilities and provided project management and materials, and the Iraqi Republic Railways contributed project designs and materials, and supervised construction. Reconstruction of the line was completed in April 2004 and will increase the reliability of grain and other cargo shipments from Umm Qasr Port to storage silos and warehouses throughout the country.
Telecommunications:
-Audited more than 1,200 km of the national fiber optic backbone network.
-Performed emergency repairs to the national fiber optic network from Mosul to Umm Qasr, connecting 20 cities to Baghdad and the 70 percent of Iraqis that have landline telephone accounts.
-tools, equipment, and parts and provided management oversight to assist ITPC in the restoration of the fiber optic network.
-Replaced obsolete transmission equipment between Baghdad and Basrah in collaboration with the ITPC.
-Reconstituted Baghdad area phone service by installing switches with 240,000 lines at 12 sites.
-In total, USAID installed 12 domestic switches and one international switch, fully integrating the new equipment with the existing switches. The switches provide connection points for ITPC to connect subscribers.
Installed a satellite gateway system and restored international calling service in December 2003.
-Trained ITPC engineers and technicians in the operation and maintenance of the satellite gateway system and the new telephone switches.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/
'living conditions for Iraqi refugees are harder than anyone could imagine'-- from BT intro to the article that is the subject of this post.
wow, we really are on muzzlewatch mode if this is considered propaganda.
Why petulantly demand immediate perfection
strawman
Those who can never recognize progress are irrational.
earth to you. if you want to talk about progress go to another post. BT has posts reflecting positive things. this isn't one of them. this is not fox news. there is no requirement to 'balance' everything w/equal weight. none at all. how on earth can one find equal balance of good and bad in a WAR ZONE?
you've done your job here tho, you have completely taken the focus off the point of the post (like a good troll), away from the suffering of innocents into the US government web sites speaking the marvels of the invasion.
thank you for toning down your rhetoric hateful rhetoric tho.
btw, until you can hold radio sawa to the same standards in this report by not posting about all the wonderful advancements, and criticize their report as not being 'balanced' i am not going to be taking you seriously. you owe BT an apology.
American Terrorists,
The Iraqis returning to their homes are those who have been kicked out of Syria, Jordan, and Erbil.
Iraqis have nowhere to go. So they are resigned to going back home and dying.
Good job, America.
One only has to look a few hundred miles south to find some real tragedy.
Darfur's displacement crisis is roughly half as big as Iraq's, how is it not "real" enough for you?
"Iraqis have nowhere to go. So they are resigned to going back home and dying."
They won't die if the terrorist animals are killed first.
OK, Syria, Jordan, and Erbil have 'kicked out' the Iraqis that fled the ethnic and sectarian cleansing of their fellow Iraqis and foreign Islamic radicals, so the US are the terrorists? And they have decided to go back to Iraq to die? First of all, if they are resigned to die, why go the trouble of returning? And if they are returning to die, why has the death toll in Iraq dropped so far so fast over the last several months? I can't find a word of logic in your post...
By REAL tragedy, I made a poor choice of words. Still, numbers notwithstanding, to make the argument that the plight of the average Iraqi refugee is comparable to that of the refugees of Darfur is ridiculous. I would certainly not choose to be either, but if one had to choose.....? Beyond that, consideration of the choices available to each and the hope for a prosperous future that can reasonably be expected by Iraqis, makes such a discussion impossibly silly. Not only do I think it very likely that most Darfur refugees would gladly change places, I am certain that would much rather have the potential for relative prosperity that most Iraqi refugees will likely experience once they tire of conflict.
why has the death toll in Iraq dropped so far so fast over the last several months? I can't find a word of logic in your post...
surge results? source
the decline in fighting comes in part in Baghdad because the city has gone from being 50/50 Sunni and Shiite to being 75% Shiite, with much of this change having come in 2007 under the nose of the surge troops from the US.
to make the argument that the plight of the average Iraqi refugee is comparable to that of the refugees of Darfur
sorry, could you refresh my memory.. who's making this argument?
The Arabs have no problem killing Iraqis in order to defeat Americans.
in order to defeat Americans.
do you think this is why they are killing eachother?
talking pt?
Annie, I'm in awe at your inexhaustible energy. The energiser bunny has nothing on you! ;)
thanks for the smile bruno. i'm on empire watch.
Yeah, Anon, I don't want to take small pot shots to dis your hard won opinions. What gets in my craw (yes I am originally from a small town in the southern US. is the tireless use of the "strawman" arguement by conservative common taters.
As Annie said, BT could simply delete anyone's opinion, including mine that he disagrees with. After all it is his blog, you know? If you think we are so twisted in our logic as your strawman seems to suggest why do you bother posting? :=) Really?
IMHO I am attracted to Treasure's blog because he comes across as an honest person for where he is now and where he came from? I think you really exaggerate his or our weak points in order for you to find them significant enough for you to spend the time correcting. Should we appreciate you for this :-) Are you giving what they call a "back handed compliment"? You know, slap me down and tell me I will one day appreciate what you are doing ;-)
Well, uhhhhhhhh, thanks I or Treasure, sure need more criticism, and the stronger probably the more it will benefit us, right? ;-)
I couldn't sleep.
Anon. Simply put, I apologize for my previous posting. Alot of thoughts have run through my head between the time I posted previously and now. Not necessary to go over old territory.
Welcome Anon.
I get the gist of what you are writing, about the same as with Annie.
I think we all have to learn to be more tollerant before overwhelming one another with more words. We agree to disagree. So what else is new.
Treasure keeps us in touch with part of ourselves. And so do you Anon. You are just as much a part of "me" as Treasure is. Annie would disagree.
Good night from Japan.
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