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[A-List] Iraq Ceasefire Collapses As More Iraqis Killed, US Troops Wounded

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Subject: [A-List] Iraq Ceasefire Collapses As More Iraqis Killed, US Troops Wounded
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 20:12:48 -0700 (PDT)

1) Iraq Ceasefire Collapses As More Iraqis Killed, US
Troops Wounded
2) More Killings In Shiite City Of Kufa Threaten Truce
3) New Fighting In Southern Iraq Jeopardizes Alleged
Truce
4) Insurgents Shell US Base In Najaf
5) Najaf: Iraqi Gunmen Fire On US Troops
6) Five Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded In US Assault On
Najaf
7) Fresh Fighting In Iraqi Shiite Holy City 24 Hours
After Ceasefire Announced
8) Iraq: US Southern Strategy Tied To Plans To
Establish String Of Military Bases Near Borders Of
Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran
9) Iraqi Council Member's Convoy Ambushed; Son,
Bodyguards Killed
10) Report: Iraqi Women Prisoners Raped In Jail
11) Joint European Union, Latin America, Carribean
Summit: 'Iraqi Abuses Go Against International Law'
12) US Allies Accused Of Abusing Iraqis
13) With Third Largest NATO Nation Contingent In Iraq,
Poland Faces Iraqi Prisoner Abuse Charges
14) Poll: Russians Believe US Commanders Knew Of
Widespread Torture In Iraq, Oppose Western Policies
There
15) Russia: North Ossetian Leader Claims World Will
Learn Full Truth About US Abuses In Iraq
16) Russia Airlifts Workers From Iraq
17) Australia: Soldier Contradicts Government's Claim
Of Ignorance Of Prisoner Abuse; Almost Two-Thirds Of
Australians Say War Was Unjustified
18) Six Australian Troops Injured In Iraq Crash
19) Gunmen Slay Two Japanese Journalists In Baghdad
20) US Official Praise Japanese Government For
Violating US-Authored Constitution, Sending Troops To
Combat Zone For First Time Since World War II

1)
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,4789_W_1220457,00.html

Deutsche Welle
May 28, 2004

Iraq ceasefire collapses

A ceasefire in Kufa has collapsed as US forces and
fighters supporting rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
clashed on Friday. At least five Iraqis were killed
and two US soldiers were wounded. Near Baghdad, two
Japanese journalists and their Iraqi translator were
killed in a grenade attack on their car. Also near
Baghdad, a member of Iraq's interim administration,
Salama el Chafadsi, survived an attack on her convoy.
Her son and bodyguard did not.
------------------------------------------------------
2)
http://frontierpost.com.pk/topstories.asp#19

Frontier Post (Pakistan)
May 28, 2004

More killings as Kufa clashes threaten truce

-"We didn't fire any mortars on them and we have been
committed to the ceasefire. They are trying to arrest
or kill Sadr and to prevent people from expressing
their support for their leader," he said. Two US
soldiers were wounded and their Humvee destroyed when
a patrol came under attack from small arms near Kufa,
according to a US officer.

KUFA(Agencies): A day-old ceasefire between US forces
and the militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr was
shaken by fresh fighting in which five Iraqis were
killed. Sadr aides and US forces accused each other of
violating the truce in Kufa as thousands of militiamen
flooded the streets in a powerful show of support for
the cleric, who has waged a nearly two-month-long
insurgency against coalition forces. Thirteen Iraqis
were also hurt in the fighting, according to hospital
sources. Sadr deputy Sheikh Taher al-Asadi claimed US
forces attacked from three directions at 7:00 am (0300
GMT) and denied that the militia opened fire first.
"We didn't fire any mortars on them and we have been
committed to the ceasefire. They are trying to arrest
or kill Sadr and to prevent people from expressing
their support for their leader," he said. Two US
soldiers were wounded and their Humvee destroyed when
a patrol came under attack from small arms near Kufa,
according to a US officer. Brigadier General Mark
Kimmitt, coalition deputy operations director, said 16
mortar rounds were fired at a US base close to
neighbouring Najaf and US forces would "respond as
necessary" despite the truce. "These would appear to
be violations of the agreement that he signed his name
to," Kimmitt said in reference to Sadr. "We are
generally sanguine about what it represents. It could
take a couple of days before the true ceasefire that
he offered holds, but we will wait and see and we will
continue to respond as and when necessary." US tanks
also closed in on the Kufa Grand Mosque, where Sadr
failed to appear for his weekly sermon which was read
on his behalf by an aide. "The enemy is entering the
city (Najaf) and is shelling it and you are quiet,"
the cleric wrote in reference to moderate Shiite
leaders. "The dome of Imam Ali's mausoleum is hit and
you are quiet. Your people are under the boot of the
occupier and you are quiet. When are you going to
speak up?" Thousands of men, including heavily armed
militia, were seen in the back streets between Kufa
and neighboring Najaf as US troops blocked off the
main roads between the two cities. The men, some on
foot, others in buses, were heard chanting Sadr's name
and slogans of defiance. US troops stationed around
the governorate office in Najaf said their orders were
to observe the ceasefire. A heavy US military presence
was seen on the road to Kufa. The ceasefire deal
struck between Shiite leaders and Sadr early Thursday
was designed to end weeks of fighting around the two
cities that have left hundreds of militiamen dead. Two
Japanese journalists and their Iraqi translator were
killed when their car was hit by a rocket-propelled
grenade south of Baghdad on Thursday. "One Japanese
and his Iraqi translator are in the morgue but the
police told me they had the body of a second
Japanese," said Imad al-Malaki, a senior administrator
at Mahmudiya hospital. "According to my information,
the incident happend at 6:00 pm (1400 GMT) between
Mahmudiya and Latifiya.
-----------------------------------------------------
3)
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907864322&p=1012571727172

Financial Times
May 28, 2004

Fighting threatens US truce with Sadr
By James Drummond in Baghdad and Roula Khalaf in Amman

Fighting between US troops and militiamen loyal to
Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia cleric, threatened
an uneasy truce in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and
Kufa on Friday, barely a day after the landmark deal
ended the US siege of the two towns.

Up to four of Mr Sadr's followers were killed near
Kufa, according to news reports, after US tanks
deployed about 500m from a mosque in the town where Mr
Sadr usually gives the sermon. In the centre of Najaf
Mr Sadr's followers were accused of trying to kill a
rival cleric who has called for them to leave the town
after weeks of violence. Saddredin al-Kubbanji and his
entourage were attacked outside the town's Imam Ali
shrine after Friday prayers.

On Friday Mr Sadr did not give his usual sermon at the
Kufa mosque in person but had an aide read out a
speech in his name.

In the sermon he lambasted other Shia leaders for
quiescence in front of the US occupation and
criticised George W. Bush, US president.

Speaking in an interview with al-Jazeera, the Arab
news channel, Mr Sadr blamed the US aggression for the
fact that his fighters were still openly carrying
weapons in the centre of the town in contravention of
a truce accord.
....
------------------------------------------------------
4)
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dt/Airaq.RAmv_EyS.html

Associated Press
May 28, 2004

Attackers Shell American Base in Najaf

NAJAF, Iraq - Attackers wounded two U.S. soldiers
Friday and mortar shells rained down on the main
American base in Najaf - separate incidents that
threatened the deal aimed at ending the bloody,
seven-week standoff around this Shiite holy city.

Masked gunmen of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's
militia - some with knives and hand grenades strapped
around their waists - roamed the streets of Najaf's
twin city, Kufa, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of
failing to honor the agreement to halt the fighting.

The fighters accused the Americans of a provocation by
sending tanks and armored vehicles into Kufa from
three directions, prompting the militia to open fire
"to protect ourselves." Three Iraqis were killed and
eight injured in armed clashes, hospital workers said.

In a sign of the tension, al-Sadr failed to appear at
a Kufa mosque where he has preached every Friday - the
main Muslim day of worship - since the rebellion began
in early April. Aides said his absence was due to
security concerns.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy chief of
operations, reported five attacks against coalition
forces in Kufa and said they "would appear to be
violations" of a deal announced by Shiite leaders
Thursday to end fighting in the Najaf and Kufa areas.
....
Despite the agreement, nine mortar shells exploded
early Friday on the main U.S. camp in the Najaf area.
CNN, which is embedded at the camp, said U.S. soldiers
arrested four suspected militiamen, who claimed they
were unaware of the order to stop attacks.

In Najaf, sporadic gunfire could be heard during the
night. Al-Sadr militiamen, with bandoliers of
ammunition around their necks and extra magazines of
ammunition strapped to their belts, roamed the streets
looking for what they said were snipers.

The U.S. command in Baghdad confirmed two soldiers
were wounded when Shiite gunmen fired on their Humvee
on a Najaf street, but provided no further details.

American forces could be seen near the entrances of
the city. Gunmen from al-Sadr's militia took positions
on the streets of Kufa, squatting beside walls and
waiting.

Worshippers, meanwhile, converged on the city's
gold-domed mosque, hoping to hear al-Sadr speak.
Thousands of worshippers - many of whom had traveled
from Baghdad, 90 miles to the north - praised him
anyway, packing the mosque and its courtyard while
chanting "Muqtada is a bridge to heaven!"

Khawla Hassan, 30, sat in the courtyard, waiting in a
flowing black robe. She praised the radical cleric for
the deal, describing it as a "victory for the master."

"This was a peace agreement," she said. "We all love
peace."

The truce deal announced Thursday provides the
Americans a way out of a standoff that threatened to
alienate Iraq's Shiites - the largest religious
community. But U.S. demands for al-Sadr's arrest and
disbanding his militia were unmet - and the deal opens
the door for a political role for a figure President
Bush had branded a "thug."

The deal also allows for discussions of al-Sadr's
future, talks that will certainly stretch past the
June 30 handover. The arrest warrant for al-Sadr,
however, has not officially been suspended.

Also Friday, U.S. authorities released 617 prisoners
from the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, site of sexual
humiliation and abuse of Iraqi inmates by American
guards. It was the third and largest mass-release of
prisoners since the scandal broke in April.

Shots rang out shortly after buses carrying the free
prisoners pulled out of the prison complex on the
western edge of Baghdad. Jittery U.S. soldiers opened
fire toward apartment buildings along a freeway - but
Kimmitt said the first volleys were simply Iraqis
celebrating the release.

There were no reports of injuries.
------------------------------------------------------
5)
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/bs/Airaq-prisoners-freed.RcUI_EyS.html

Associated Press
May 28, 2004

Al-Sadr Gunmen Fire on U.S. Troops
MARIAM FAM

NAJAF - Gunmen opened fire on a U.S. patrol Friday
near the mosque stronghold of a radical cleric,
wounding two American soldiers and raising fears over
an agreement aimed at ending the bloody standoff
around this Shiite holy city.

Armed members of Muqtada al-Sadr's militia - some of
them masked and brandishing rocket-propelled grenade
launchers and Kalashnikov rifles - roamed the streets
of Kufa, the city adjacent to Najaf.

Mortar rounds fell on the main U.S. garrison in Najaf
but caused no injuries.
....
The exchange in Kufa broke out early in the morning
when U.S. armored vehicles approached the mosque where
al-Sadr usually delivers the noon prayer sermon, an
al-Sadr militiaman at the scene told The Associated
Press.

The militiamen opened fire, and in the fight that
ensued, three militiamen were killed, he said. At one
point, U.S. tanks pulled in about 500 yards from the
mosque, militiamen said, but they were no longer there
later. Al-Sadr never showed up for the noon prayers.

Hospital workers reported three people killed and
eight wounded in clashes, though it was not known if
they were the same three referred to by the
militiaman. The command confirmed two Americans were
wounded but provided no further details.
....
South of Baghdad, gunmen attacked a car carrying two
Japanese journalists, causing the vehicle to burst
into flames late Thursday. Two bodies found Friday
near the site were identified as Japanese.
....
Later Friday, explosions were heard in the Kufa area
but it was unclear what caused them. U.S. forces
blocked the highways leading to the city.
....
Gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying Salama al-Khafaji, a
member of the Iraqi Governing Council, as she was
returning Thursday to Baghdad from mediation efforts
in Najaf. She was not hurt but at least one bodyguard
and her 18-year-old son were killed. The son was first
reported as missing but his body was found Friday,
according to her aides.

The ambush occurred 10 days after the head of the
Governing Council, Izzadine Saleem, was assassinated
in a suicide car-bombing as he waited to enter the
heavily guarded Green Zone, the Baghdad headquarters
of the U.S.-run occupation authority.

A group believed led by al-Qaida-linked terrorist Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility in a message
posted on an Islamist Web site.

However, al-Khafaji told The Associated Press she
believed her attackers were Saddam Hussein loyalists
who have attacked vehicles in that area before.

Al-Khafaji is one of three women on the Governing
Council. She replaced another Shiite woman member,
Aquila al-Hashemi, who was assassinated in Baghdad in
September.

Elsewhere, U.S. troops escorting a convoy of inmates
released from the Abu Ghraib prison opened fire,
apparently thinking they had been fired upon. An AP
reporter at the scene saw no casualties.
....
Also Friday, Iraqi gunmen released three NBC News
journalists and an Iraqi freelancer, three days after
the group was captured in Fallujah, NBC said in a
statement.

NBC identified the four as correspondent Ned Colt,
cameraman Maurice Roper, sound technician Robert
Colville and freelance Iraqi journalist Ashraf Al
Taie. It said they appeared to be in good health.
------------------------------------------------------
6)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_788024,00050004.htm

Reuters
May 28, 2004

Five killed in clashes with US forces in Najaf

Najaf - Five Iraqis were killed and 14 wounded in
clashes between US troops and Shi'ite militiamen in
the holy city of Najaf and in nearby Kufa on Friday,
hospital sources said.

An official at the hospital in Kufa said three people
had died in gunfire and mortar shelling in the town,
while eight were wounded. In Najaf, five km southwest
of Kufa, two were killed and six were hurt, hospital
staff said.

There was no immediate word on casualties from the US
military.

US forces and militiamen loyal to rebel Shi'ite cleric
Moqtada al-Sadr struck a tentative truce on Thursday,
but fighting broke out again early on Friday, the
Muslim holy day.
....
------------------------------------------------------
7)
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=35152

Novinite (Bulgaria)
May 28, 2004

Fresh Clashes in Iraqi Holy City

Clashes broke out in Kufa with militiamen firing
automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades as US
tanks moved towards the city's main mosque.

The violence came 24 hours after a truce was agreed
between US forces and the militia of radical cleric
Moqtada Sadr in the nearby holy city of Najaf.

Sadr's fighters have battled US forces in three
southern cities for two months.

The ceasefire - which came into force on Thursday - is
based on an offer by Sadr's militia to withdraw from
Najaf and Kufa as long as US forces also pull back.
------------------------------------------------------
8)
http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/29/stories/2004052901561400.htm

The Hindu
May 29, 2004

Fighting in Kufa renews
By Atul Aneja

MANAMA - United States forces and militiamen loyal to
the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Al Sadr, have clashed
in Kufa, less than 24 hors after both sides agreed to
a truce in the neighbouring holy city of Najaf.

At least three people were killed and several others
injured in the fighting, which saw fighters from Mr.
Al Sadr's Mehdi militia battling U.S. tanks with
rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons, near
Kufa's main mosque.

....
Analysts point out that the truce in Najaf is part of
an elaborate U.S. plan to disengage troops from
population centres in the Tigris and Euphrates
valleys, where they are susceptible to guerilla
attacks.

This plan began to unfold with the withdrawal of U.S.
forces from the Sunni stronghold of Fallujah less than
a month ago.

U.S. authorities are now reportedly considering
redeploying forces along a string of bases, in remote
areas, closer to the borders with Syria, Jordan, Saudi
Arabia and Iran. Some of the bases under consideration
are Al Muthanna, close to the Saudi Arabian border, Al
Qaim and Ninawa facing Syria, along with Basra and Al
Kut, which are not far from Iran.
....
------------------------------------------------------
9)
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1533958,00.html

News 24 (South Africa)
May 28, 2004

Iraq council member ambushed

Baghdad - Gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying a member
of the Iraqi Governing Council as she was returning on
Thursday to Baghdad from mediation efforts in Najaf.
The council member survived but at least one bodyguard
was killed and her son was missing, aides said.

Salama al-Khafaji was in a three-vehicle convoy that
came under fire in the town of Yusufiyah. A bodyguard
was killed and another was critically wounded,
according to chief aide Fateh Kashef al-Ghataa.

He said the car carrying al-Khafaji's 18-year-old son,
Ahmed Fadel, plunged into an irrigation canal, and
survivors said they saw him swimming away. However, he
was still missing, Kashef al-Ghataa said.

He said US troops sealed off the area while search
parties looked for the missing son.
....
The ambush occurred 10 days after the head of the
Governing Council, Izzadine Saleem, was assassinated
in a suicide car-bombing as he waited to enter the
heavily guarded Green Zone, the Baghdad headquarters
of the US-run occupation authority.

However, the attack against al-Khafaji took place in
an area notorious for ambushes and car hijackings, and
it was unclear whether she was specifically targeted.
Vehicle convoys are especially vulnerable to such
attacks because Iraqis associate them with civilian
contractors and security agents working for the
occupation.

Al-Khafaji is one of three women on the Governing
Council. She replaced another Shiite woman member,
Aquila al-Hashemi, who was killed in September during
an ambush near her Baghdad home.
....
------------------------------------------------------
10)
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=82910&Sn=WORL

Gulf Daily News (Bahrain)
May 28, 2004

WOMEN 'RAPED IN JAIL'

-Another group said it had been told of a mother of
four, arrested in December, who killed herself after
being raped by US guards in front of her husband.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi women who were held at Abu Ghraib
prison near Baghdad have complained of rape by both US
and Iraqi jailers, according to human rights groups
citing alleged victims. Brigadier General Mark
Kimmitt, chief military spokesman for the US-led
coalition in Iraq, said the prisons department was
"unaware of any such reports at Abu Ghraib".

Kimmitt said there were at present no female prisoners
at Abu Ghraib, which has become notorious after
evidence of abuse of male inmates by US military
police guards.

According to the Red Cross, Abu Ghraib held about 30
women in October last year. According to the prison
management, there were five at the beginning of this
month.

Iman Khamas, head of the International Occupation
Watch Centre, a non-governmental organisation which
gathers information on human rights abuses under
coalition rule, said one former detainee had recounted
the alleged rape of her cellmate in Abu Ghraib.

According to Khamas, the prisoner said her cellmate
had been rendered unconscious for 48 hours. "She
claimed she had been raped 17 times in one day by
Iraqi police in the presence of American soldiers."

Another group said it had been told of a mother of
four, arrested in December, who killed herself after
being raped by US guards in front of her husband.
------------------------------------------------------
11)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-5-2004_pg4_3

Reuters
May 28, 2004

'Iraq abuses go against international law?

* EU, Latin American and Caribbean nations slam all
forms of abuses

-?We express our horror at recent evidence of the
mistreatment of prisoners in Iraqi jails. These abuses
go against international law,? said a draft
declaration at the summit of European Union, Latin
American and Caribbean nations.

GUADALAJARA: The US occupation of Iraq, bogged down by
fierce armed resistance and a scandal over prisoner
abuse, faces a new round of international criticism on
Friday at a European and Latin American summit.

Dozens of leaders at the meeting were to condemn the
sexual abuse and humiliation of inmates by American
soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near
Baghdad.

Videotapes and photographs of the mistreatment have
battered US President George W Bush?s election-year
approval ratings, alienated public sentiment in the
Arab world and led even US allies in Iraq to join
protests. ?We express our horror at recent evidence of
the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraqi jails. These
abuses go against international law,? said a draft
declaration at the summit of European Union, Latin
American and Caribbean nations.

?We energetically condemn all forms of abuse, torture
and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
against people, including prisoners of war,? it said.

Pope John Paul condemned torture as an intolerable
affront to human dignity on Thursday in thinly veiled
criticism of US troops in Iraq. The 58-nation summit
brings together some of the fiercest critics of the
Iraq war - French President Jacques Chirac and German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder - with over a dozen
nations that have troops in the US-led coalition
there.

But two of Bush?s closest European allies - Britain?s
Tony Blair and Italy?s Silvio Berlusconi - stayed
away. Chirac, who led European opposition to the Iraq
war last year, added pressure on Bush even before
landing in Mexico?s western city of Guadalajara.

He said a US-backed resolution at the United Nations
on the powers of an Iraqi caretaker government needed
?serious improvement? and told Washington to give the
interim government full sovereignty, even over the
operations of US military forces. About a dozen EU
nations have troops in the US-led coalition in Iraq,
including seven Central and East European states among
the 10 members that joined the EU on May 1.

But most have little more than a symbolic presence in
Iraq. Four Latin American nations sent troops, but
most have since been pulled out.

Bush was also under fire over the US economic embargo
against Cuba. Latin American nations wanted to
directly name the United States in condemning
unilateral actions undermining trade and free markets,
although the Europeans argued for more general
language that did not point directly at Washington.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque condemned
European nations at the summit of ?a lack of
solidarity, egoism and, above all, their lack of
political courage.?
------------------------------------------------------
12)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1118480.htm

Australian Broadcasting Company
May 29, 2004

US allies accused of Iraq abuse

Troops from Poland and other countries in the US-led
coalition also stand accused of abusing prisoners in
Iraq, according to a new report from Associated Press
(AP).

Several US soldiers have been charged over their
alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib
prison near Baghdad.

AP says it has obtained records of interviews
conducted by the US Army's criminal investigation
division.

It quotes an Army interrogator as saying two detainees
had been injured by the Polish Army.

The report says inmates of the notorious Abu Ghraib
prison accused Iraqi forces of abusing them, as well
as saying they had been beaten by other unnamed
coalition forces before arriving at the jail.

AP says the leaked documents also give new details
about some abuses allegedly committed by American
troops.

The offences include forcing a detainee to walk naked
through the prison, as well as depriving inmates of
sleep by playing loud music.

The Polish Army has denied any claims of abuse.

A spokesman for Poland's general staff, Colonel
Zdzislaw Gnatowski, said: "A few weeks ago the chief
military prosecutor carried out an inspection of our
detention centre and confirmed that all procedures
were being followed."

Col Gnatowski added that Poland had not received any
complaints about its soldiers from US officials.

-- BBC/Reuters
------------------------------------------------------
13)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-5-2004_pg4_4

Associated Press
May 28, 2004

Poland faces Iraq prisoner abuses

WARSAW: Poland?s defense minister on Friday expressed
doubt about reports that Polish troops could have been
involved in prisoner abuse. Witness statements
obtained by The Associated Press suggest that troops
from Poland and other countries in the US-led
coalition in Iraq could be involved in abusing
prisoners. ?This is all some unverified leak,? Defense
Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski told Polish television
Friday. ?It all gives an impression of not being a
serious allegation.? He said that Poland, a staunch US
ally in Iraq, will ask Washington for explanations.
The records of interviews by Army Criminal
Investigation Division agents obtained by The
Associated Press include new allegations that
coalition forces had beaten prisoners before turning
them over to the Americans. Sgt. Antonio Monserrate,
an Army interrogator, told investigators that two
detainees had been ?injured by the Polish Army.?
Monserrate referred to the inmates by their prison
identification numbers but did not provide any further
details. Polish forces operate in south-central Iraq.
------------------------------------------------------
14)
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4382624&startrow=21&date=2004-05-28&do_alert=0

Russian Information Agency (Novosti)
May 28, 2004

AMERICAN COMMAND KNEW ABOUT TORTURES IN IRAQ, MOST
RUSSIANS SAY
Nikolai Zherebtsov

-[T]he majority of the polled - two thirds (66
percent) - are sure that the American command knew
about tortures in prisons and only a tenth (10
percent) tend to think it was not in the know.

MOSCOW - The independent Public Opinion fund has many
times polled Russians' approach to the American-Iraqi
conflict and studied their view on the developments in
Iraq. Most respondents gave a negative assessment of
the actions of the United States and its role in
general in the conflict. The media reports on tortures
of imprisoned Iraqis by the American military have
been the pretext for taking up the subject one more
time.

Most of the polled knew about the tortures from the
media: half of them (48 percent) said they "knew about
them", a third (33 percent) "heard something" and 17
percent said they learnt about the tortures for the
first time.

Half of the polled (52 percent) said facts of tortures
of Iraqi prisoners were not a surprise, while 32
percent said it came as a surprise for them. A third
of the respondents (34 percent) believe tortures were
en-masse, another third (30 percent) said they were
episodic.

Meanwhile, the majority of the polled - two thirds (66
percent) - are sure that the American command knew
about tortures in prisons and only a tenth (10
percent) tend to think it was not in the know.

Of course, the respondents for whom it was unexpected
are more than others sure that tortures of Iraqi
prisoners was a regular practice, instead of just
episodes. Interestingly, a quarter of the polled to
whom it came as a surprise tend to be of the same
opinion.
------------------------------------------------------
15)
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/2004/05/29/66741.html

RosBalt News (Russia)
May 28, 2004

North Ossetian President: World to Learn Much More
about Behavior of American Troops in Iraq

MOSCOW, May 28. 'We will learn a great deal more about
the unacceptable behavior of American forces in Iraq.
All the unpleasant news about that is still ahead of
us,' according to the president of North Ossetia,
Alexander Dzasohov. As reported by a Rosbalt
correspondent, Dzasohov made the remarks Friday at a
press conference in the news agency Interax.

In Iraq, which Dzasohov has visited many times and
about whose culture he knows a great deal (he was a
long-time ambassador to Syria), there are 'looted
historical monuments, destroyed libraries. I reject
the position of the United States with respect to
Iraq,' he said. He said the US administration was
warned repeatedly that the removal of the Saddam
Hussein regime and the introduction of forces into
Iraq would be a mistake. 'Time has borne that out,' he
said.

He likewise warned 'our opponents and colleagues'
among Western nations which are trying to strengthen
their position in the Caucasus to rid themselves of
the notion that Russia is weak and unable to challenge
that process. 'That is an unrealistic path,' he said.
'Millions, hundreds of thousands of Caucasus
inhabitants, living on both sides of the Great
Caucasus Range, are tightly intertwined among
themselves.'
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16)
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en66048&F_catID=&f_type=source

Hi Pakistan
May 28, 2004

Russia air lilfts workers from Iraq

-"Neither my friends nor I will come back before firm
power is established here," electricity engineer
Anatoly Sharpov told Russia?s NTV television before
boarding the flight in Baghdad.

MOSCOW: Nearly 100 workers from a Russian energy
company returned home on Thursday from Iraq, evacuated
from the chaotic country after a day after two of
their colleagues were killed in an ambush. An
Emergency Situations Ministry plane flew to Baghdad
and returned to Moscow with 90 employees of
Interenergoservis aboard _ 85 Russians, four
Ukrainians and one Belarusian _ as well as the bodies
of the two dead men, the ITAR-Tass news agency
reported.

The contingent was the first to return after the
company decided to evacuate all its workers from Iraq
following on Wednesday?s ambush in southwestern
Baghdad, which also wounded eight Interenergoservis
employees. Several hundred of employees had already
returned home following previous attacks, but more
than 240 had stayed behind in spite of the Russian
Foreign Ministry?s warnings that the unstable security
situation endangered their lives. One or two more
flights to bring the remaining workers out were
expected Friday.

"Neither my friends nor I will come back before firm
power is established here," electricity engineer
Anatoly Sharpov told Russia?s NTV television before
boarding the flight in Baghdad.

Interenergoservis executive director Alexander
Rybinsky said that two of the wounded company?s
workers would have to stay in an Iraqi hospital
because of their condition, and several company
managers would stay behind with them. Rybinsky said
five of the injured had gunshot wounds and three were
cut by shards of glass and had other injuries, the
ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
------------------------------------------------------
17)
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news6.htm

Agence France-Presse
May 28, 2004

'Soldier contradicts Australia's claim of ignorance
over abuse'

-The abuse scandal and continuing violence in Iraq has
undermined the conservative government of Prime
Minister John Howard just months ahead of national
elections.
An opinion poll published earlier this week showed 63
per cent of voters now feel the Iraq war, and Howard's
decision to commit Australian troops to the conflict,
were unjustified.

SYDNEY ? An Australian officer stationed in Baghdad
learned about allegations of prisoner abuse at the
US-run Abu Ghraib jail last October, months before
government officials say they became aware of the
issue, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The Sydney Morning Herald said Major George O'Kane, a
legal officer in the Australian Defence Force (ADF),
heard the allegations from the Red Cross and passed
details on to his superiors.

The revelation contradicts repeated statements by
Australian government and defence officials that they
first heard of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu
Ghraib early this year.

The abuse scandal and continuing violence in Iraq has
undermined the conservative government of Prime
Minister John Howard just months ahead of national
elections.

An opinion poll published earlier this week showed 63
per cent of voters now feel the Iraq war, and Howard's
decision to commit Australian troops to the conflict,
were unjustified.

The same survey found the opposition Labour Party with
an election-winning 12 point lead over Howard's
coalition, which is seeking a fourth term in office.

The Sydney Morning Herald said O'Kane worked at US
military headquarters in Baghdad with the office of
the US staff judge advocate, Colonel Marc Warren, the
senior legal officer in Iraq, for six months to
February.

He was in the post when the photographs of abuse at
Abu Ghraib jail first circulated in the US military
headquarters in Baghdad.

O'Kane knew of the photographs but did not see them,
unidentified sources told the newspaper.

He was also reportedly aware of the central thrust of
General Antonio Taguba's report in February outlining
"sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" at the
jail.

O'Kane was also involved in drafting a letter
responding to the concerns of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which argued that
some prisoners were not subject to the full protection
of the Geneva Conventions.

He filed regular weekly reports to his Australian
military superiors, the paper said.
....
Thursday's report came a day after Amnesty
International held Australia and Britain responsible
for rights abuses in Iraq alongside the United States.

----------------------------------------------------
18)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1118672.htm

Australian Broadcasting Company
May 29, 2004

Australian soldiers injured in Iraq crash

Six Australian soldiers were injured when their
armoured vehicle crashed in Iraq.

The troops were treated for lacerations and minor
injuries.

Five soldiers were released from hospital while one
was admitted overnight for observation.

The soldiers were part of a convoy and the light
armoured vehicle crashed 10 kilometres north-west of
Baghdad.

The accident's cause is unknown but a defence
spokesman says there is no indication it was the
result of terrorism.

Brigadier Ash Power says the soldiers were evacuated
to a hospital in Baghdad.

"The unit knows them very well," he said.

"We've kept in constant touch with the families who
informed them what is going on and ensured them of the
welfare of those people who are serving the country so
well overseas.

"We'll continue to do that, so our thoughts are with
them all the time."

The troops from the Darwin-based 1st Brigade are
members of the Security Detachment, which protects
Australian diplomats in the Iraqi capital.

A car bomb exploded near the detachment's base on
Tuesday but there were no Australian casualties.
------------------------------------------------------
19)
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=300139

Japan Today
May 29, 2004

Gunmen reportedly kill 2 Japanese journalists in
Baghdad

TOKYO ? A vehicle carrying two Japanese freelance
journalists and their driver and interpreter, both
Iraqis, was attacked Thursday near Baghdad and the
Japanese are feared to have been killed, local
officials and the Japanese government said Friday.

Two bodies initially believed to be those of the
Japanese were being kept at a hospital near the attack
site in Mahmoudiya, about 30 kilometers south of
Baghdad, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told
a press conference in Tokyo.
------------------------------------------------------
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=9&id=300011

Japan Today
May 27, 2004

U.S. official praises Japan's role in Iraq

WASHINGTON ? A senior U.S. government official praised
Japan on Wednesday for its financial and military
contributions to Iraqi reconstruction efforts.

"Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been steadfast
in his commitment to help the people of Iraq,"
Undersecretary of State Alan Larson said in a speech
at a think tank meeting. "His administration has
provided an unwavering diplomatic and political
support." (Kyodo News)