Protesters march in central town against Fallujah offensive (Baquba)

[Barrett808]

Hundreds of protesters in a central Iraqi town have demonstrated against the massive U-S offensive in Fallujah and denounced the country's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

The rally in a town 25 miles northeast of Baghdad took place after the morning prayers marking the end of the month-long Ramadan period of fasting. The town was a former Saddam Hussein stronghold.

Associated Press Television News footage showed some armed men, heads covered with black hoods, among the marchers.

The demonstrators carried banners calling Allawi a "thug" and "traitor."

A police spokesman says there were 60 to 70 protesters who blasted alleged civilian "massacres" at the hands of American troops and demanded an end to hostilities in Fallujah.

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=2562888

[acmavm]

1. Yeah george, sounds like we're really gaining ground over there in

Iraq. Things are just fine. And we're winning over the populace.

[Chipper Chat]

2. who is it that's gaining ground?

"Freedom is on the march" (so to speak)

[asjr]

3. Shrub, better catch that "freedom" before

it gets out of hand.

[newyawker99]

5. Hi Chipper Chat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Chipper Chat]

8. Thanks!

May I be a refreshing, thoughtful, and hopeful voice from "the northern-most overwhelmingly red state in the midwest" - and that's a mouthful!

[acmavm]

6. We thought we were in control of all of Iraq right after the invasion.

That has surely been proven untrue. And there's not enough troops there to keep any ground we've 'gained', therefore we have to bomb it into oblivion. That pretty much seems to be the only way we're going to be able to deal with this mess, total destruction.

Did you see the nifty little news story a couple of days ago where the US had to call in 5,000 (I always wonder about their numbers) troops from the borders of Syria and Iran to help deal with the insurrection? They were Kurdish troops. Now that was one frigging stupid move, at least in my opinion. That act alone is enough to ensure a horrific civil war after we finally realize that this is a no win situation.

Do some people here think that an occupying force is something that's never been seen before in Iraq? If so, then they need to be checking out the British experience and what happened to them. Hell, the God Loving Christian West has been trying to take over the Middle East for eons. Hasn't worked before, won't work now.

What's funny is Poppy bush* had the best chance of a regime change in Iraq, but even he was too smart for that one. Talked the Shi'ites into an uprising and then left them to be killed when he didn't follow through on his promises. His son just decided to try a different method, a far more ignorant one. Time is on the side of the insurgency. Time and manpower. This is their little corner of the world, not ours.

[cal04]

4. Anti-war protest halts city centre

Hundreds of anti-war protesters brought Glasgow to a standstill
Organisers said the “die-in” was a symbolic gesture to bring attention to the war. City centre traffic was halted for around an hour. The demonstrators then staged a silent march through the city centre before holding an emotionally charged rally in St Enoch Square.

Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra, addressed the crowd and renewed calls for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. Gentle and her family have become high-profile anti-war campaigners in recent weeks, and visited Downing Street last month to protest against the war.

Other speakers included Scottish Socialist MSP Rosie Kane, Green MSP Patrick Harvie and SNP MSP Sandra White. Phill Jones of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said the protesters were anxious about the human cost of the latest phase in the war. “We are concerned about the strategy of using force to bring about democracy,” he said. “The growing concern is that the Americans are stopping aid agencies and medical agencies and the fact they have shut off all water and electricity is creating a huge humanitarian crisis.

http://www.sundayherald.com/46016

[mia]

7. Looks like some news is getting out in spite of [our] warning to

"stick to the government line".


Baghdad - Correspondents "to be credible and precise"

The Iraqi government has warned news organisations on Thursday to distinguish between insurgents and ordinary civilians in coverage of the fighting in Fallujah and to promote the leadership's position or face unspecified legal action.

The warning came in a statement sent to news organisations by Iraq's Media High Commission, which cited the 60-day state of emergency declared on Sunday on the eve of the offensive in Fallujah.

"You must be precise and objective in handling news and information," the statement said.

It stressed the necessity of differentiating between "innocent citizens of Fallujah who are not targeted by the military operations and between the terrorist groups who infiltrated the city and took its people hostage under the pretext of resistance and jihad."...



Media watchdog deplores Iraq Govt threat
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said it is deeply disturbed by a new directive from the Iraqi interim Government warning news organisations to stick to the Government line on the US-led offensive in Fallujah or face unspecified action.

"We are very troubled by this directive, which is an attempt to control news coverage through Government coercion," the committee's executive director Ann Cooper said in a statement.

"It damages the Government's credibility in establishing a free and democratic society."

Invoking a 60-day state of emergency declared by Iraq's interim government ahead of the assault that began on Monday, Iraq's Media High Commission urged media to distinguish between insurgents and ordinary residents of the Sunni Muslim city....