Why were invasion forces so mad at privately-owned media that covered the war on Iraq?
The American campaign seems determined to silence any voice that reveals the truth and has absolutely no tolerance to any correspondent who talks about the huge destruction and increasing numbers of killed and injured innocents.
Soon after the invasion began, the Pentagon demanded Geraldo Rivera from FOX News to leave the war zone in Iraq because he sketched a map in the sand to show viewers his relative location in Iraq. NBC was pushed to fire Peter Arnett after he gave an interview to state-owned Iraqi television in which he said the U.S. military's battle plan had failed.
Day by day the pressure on international media increased and reached its peak only one day before the conquest of Baghdad. American forces deliberately targeted the offices of Aljazeera TV and Abu Dhabi TV as well as Palestine hotel, where most of the media correspondents stay.
The result of this unjustified bombarding was killing three members of the international media and wounding many others. The excuse given is that Iraqi forces were using the hotel to fire back. All correspondents stationed in Palestine hotel denied those claims.
People around the world found themselves forced to believe what the invaders say about the war. Well, people want to confirm what they hear from independent sources.
All kinds of briefings didn't tell us the truth. For example, we don't know what really happened in the sad incident in which seven women and children were fatally shot in a car by U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint in central Iraq. We didn't see live pictures on how Iraqi prisoners of war were treated after they surrendered.
Major American TV networks misled the viewers. Military experts made marketable the claim that civilian casualties are an inevitable part of the war and that the Iraqis abused civilian properties and turned them into military bases.
Along with the military campaign there was huge propaganda that the only goal of invasion was to liberate Iraq not to occupy it. In his taped TV message after Baghdad was taken president Bush told Iraqi citizens that "your nation will soon be free." The first step to maintain that freedom was to appoint General Jay Garner a US "governor" on Iraq.
Before Saddam's statue came down a marine covered Saddam's face with an American flag. Many people are not convinced that marine did it because he was too enthusiastic. Many people considered this action a message that Saddam is gone and the US military is here to take over.
People want to know the truth about the future plans of Iraq. There is already huge conflict on who wins reconstruction contracts. It hasn't been made clear who decides where those contracts go and who is going to pay and how?
The jubilant crowds jumping on Saddam's statues reflect emotional reaction. They are happy that nightmare is over, but only a few of them recognize the existence of other nightmares.
We are sick of looting scenes in Baghdad's streets. Everybody knows for sure that looting often follows the fall of governments. The big question here is what did invasion forces do to stop the chaos and quell looting?
We have the right to know the truth. We have the right to say "Let Freedom Ring."--2)-¼B'alqurashi 4.16Macintosh HD--2SORT+â-ä2AUDT
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