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Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Activist Group Launches Campaign Against Administration Mistruths:
Bush The Misleader.Com
Iraqis Ask Who Was Responsible For Assassination Of Ayatollah
Mohammed Baqir Al- Hakim
Arms Dealers Hold Annual Conference in Washington, DC
"Beyond War": Documentary Series Part IV
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U.S. troops were ambushed on the main road of Khaldiyah,
in Iraq today while coming under heavy gunfire. An Associated
Press reporter who arrived on the scene saw two U.S. tanks
surrounding a smoldering transport truck as helicopters hovered
above. Taking fire from an unknown position, U.S forces were
seen firing in an apparent effort to protect themselves until
reinforcements arrived.
Al-Arabiya television reported eight Americans were killed
and one wounded. There was no confirmation of any casualties,
and initial casualty reports have proven incorrect in the
past. The AP reporter was fired on by one of the tanks with
three rounds from its 50-caliber machine gun. Khaldiyah is
a town in the so-called "Sunni Triangle" in central
Iraq, the heartland of support for ousted Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein and the focus of an anti-American insurgency.
Yasser Arafat and leaders of his Fatah movement met today
to choose ministers in the new Palestinian government, and
the Palestinian leader reported progress in truce talks with
Islamic militant groups. Israel has rebuffed Arafat's recent
cease-fire offers, saying it will press ahead with its campaign
against terror suspects until Palestinian forces begin dismantling
the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
In the Gaza Strip, Israel staged its first major incursion
in several months, killing Jihad Abu Shwairah, 34, a leader
of the Hamas military wing, in a shootout in the Nusseirat
refugee camp early today. Hundreds of soldiers were involved,
an apparent signal to Hamas that Israel would not limit itself
to air strikes in Gaza.
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Activist Group Launches Campaign Against Administration
Mistruths: Bush The Misleader.Com
President Bush conceded for the first time yesterday that
the United States had no evidence indicating Saddam Hussein
had anything to do with the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Bush made the comment in a brief encounter with reporters
at the White House, an apparent bid to answer critics who
have accused him of linking the Iraq war and the terrorist
attacks to justify an ongoing occupation, which is responsible
for mounting American deaths and draining an economy already
mired in deficit. Bush has let the perception that Saddam
was somehow involved in the attacks fester for many months,
most recently in his televised address to the nation on Sept.
7.
The Campaign for America's Future along with activist group
Moveon.org placed
an ad in the New York Times calling Bush the misleader. Peacewatch
spoke with Robert Borosage, the co-director of the Campaign
about the full page ad, the campaign and their website.
Tape: Robert Borosage, the co-director of The Campaign for
America’s Future that launched a website showcasing
mistruths by the Bush administration at www.misleader.com.
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Iraqis Ask Who Was Responsible For Assassination
Of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir Al- Hakim
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Pentagon officials
acknowledged to the New York Times yesterday that they now
believe the biggest threat to the US occupation of Iraq doesn't
come from terrorists and gangs-as Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld has claimed-but rather from ordinary Iraqis whose
anger over the American presence has turned into sympathy
for those attacking US troops.
In one example of the festering resentment, a group of Iraqi
policemen declared themselves holy warriors earlier this week
and vowed to take revenge for the deaths of 10 of their fellow
policemen. The men were killed by US troops last Friday in
what's been called the worst "friendly fire" incident
to take place so far in the Iraq conflict.
In one of the worst demonstrations of the violence and insecurity
engulfing the country, a car bomb exploded last month outside
the Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq-- one of Shiite Islam's
holiest shrines. It killed Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed
Baqir al- Hakim and 80 of his fellow worshippers. It was widely
regarded as the bloodiest setback since the US occupation
of Iraq began. The attack came at a time when Iraqis were
trying to ease the tensions between their Islamic divisions.
Since the attack, many protests (welcomed by the majority
of Iraqis) have taken place across the country to denounce
the violence, even in mainly Sunni-populated areas. Peacewatch
correspondent Ahmed Al- Rawi has this report.
Tape:
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Arms Dealers Hold Annual Conference in Washington,
DC
The Air Force Association-- a private professional association
not officially linked to the Defense Department-- held its
annual, national convention and aerospace technology expo
at a hotel in Washington, D.C. this week. Representatives
of militaries and corporations from around the globe met to
celebrate 100 years of powered flight and honor their own
achievements while promoting the latest weapons and supporting
technologies for war. But according to several anti-war activists
holding vigil outside, it was nothing more than a high-tech,
glamorous arms bazaar. Peacewatch correspondent Matthew Bradley
attended the events and brings us this report.
Tape:
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"Beyond War": Documentary Series Part IV
A 14-year-old boy was killed and 6 people attending a wedding
were wounded in Fallujah, Iraq today. A passing US military
patrol, thinking it was under attack, opened fire after wedding
guests fired celebratory shots into the air.
Well, as such friendly fire incidents continue to raise
anger and resentment among ordinary Iraqis of life under US
occupation, we're going to spend the second half of our show
today continuing our examination of the human costs of war.
Every day this week, we've been playing excerpts of a documentary
entitled "Beyond War," which takes a look at the
real effects of war, not just on soldiers who choose to fight,
but on innocent civilians, who often find themselves caught
up in the circumstances of violence through forces beyond
their own control. In today's segment, we ask, how do we fully
exhaust peaceful options before resorting to military action?
And is war ever necessary, or do no ends justify the large-scale
killing of human beings?
Tape: Beyond War is produced by David Freudberg and distributed
by PRI, Public Radio International. If you'd like to purchase
a cassette copy of Beyond War by phone, please call toll-free
1-800-5-LISTEN. To learn more about this and other Humankind
programs, and to hear selected episodes online, or to order
tapes online, go to www.humanmedia.org.
Tune in tomorrow on Peacewatch for the final part of this
series.
Credits
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