Intimidation Against Iraqis Slows Rebuilding Work

[Barrett808]

Intimidation Against Iraqis Slows Rebuilding Work
By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Intimidation and death threats against Iraqi workers hired for U.S.-funded projects in Iraq are stalling reconstruction in many areas as contractors struggle to attract laborers, said a senior U.S. official.

In one project, about 95 percent of Iraqis hired to build an Iraqi Army base in the northern city of Mosul had not turned up for work, fearing either they or their families would be kidnapped or killed.

"They have been told that if they work for the coalition and in some cases if they even work for this Iraqi government they will be killed. Enough of them have been killed to make this a credible threat," said Bill Taylor, a senior U.S. Embassy official in charge of coordinating rebuilding aid.

Even when the contractor at the base doubled and tripled salaries, this was not enough to attract frightened Iraqi workers, Taylor said in a telephone interview from Baghdad.

"Men were in tears because they wanted to take these jobs but they could not do it without jeopardizing their families. This is really slowing us down," Taylor said.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20041208/ts_nm/iraq_intimidation_dc

[Plaid Adder]

1. Next On Mainstream Media: Military Baffled As To Causes Of Beheadings

Remember a while back they ran a story about how they couldn't figure out why there were all those killings going on in the north?

DING DING DING DING DING! Listen, it's the bell of the magic clue bus!

Slowing us down. No shit.

Sigh,

The Plaid Adder

[Voltaire99]

2. "Intimidation and death threats..."

Not to mention all the corpses!

And isn't it time we stopped using the loaded term "rebuilding"? Rebuilding is a value-neutral word. But what is happening in Iraq isn't neutral at all: it's a take-over.

"Colonizing" is more accurate.