Iraq Follow

TWO VICTIMS of Tony Blair and George Bush’s war on the Iraqi people met last week. Their stories show the horror that is being inflicted upon ordinary people the world over by the "war on terror".

ABOUT 50 people attended a vigil outside Bush House, home of the BBC World Service, last week over the BBC’s reporting (or lack of it) of recent events in Iraq.

Three dates already dominate the calendar for the coming year—the 19 March international day of demonstrations against the occupation of Iraq, the 2-9 July protest at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, and the general election which is being widely reported as planned for May.

The destruction of Fallujah raised many questions for Iraqis—questions voiced by three friends aged 24 to 30. The three men are traders who were trapped in Syria as the US laid siege to Fallujah. The government of Iyad Allawi is refusing to allow men of fighting age to re-enter the country. The three have joined the growing band of Iraqi refugees in Syria.

Dr Salam Ismael, general secretary of Doctors for Iraqi Society, spoke to students at Leeds University about the siege of Fallujah, the media’s portrayal of the occupation and his work trying to save the lives of ordinary Iraqis.

HAVING FAILED to persuade us over the war in Iraq, Tony Blair is turning to the politics of fear to drum up votes for New Labour.

George Bush and Tony Blair invaded Iraq with 140,000 armed soldiers and bombed the city of Fallujah to dust. Now they claim democratic elections will go ahead on 30 January.

"So went eight days of combat for this Iraq city, the most sustained period of street to street fighting that Americans have encountered since the Vietnam War. The proximity gave the fighting hellish intensity, with soldiers often close enough to see the enemies in the eyes."

Iraqi doctors have accused the US military of committing a war crime after they destroyed a neighbourhood clinic during the assault on Fallujah.

"There have been no civilian casualties." Iraq’s "prime minister"

Relatives speak out in Fife THE DEATHS of British soldiers in the Black Watch in Iraq are having a deep impact on people in the area they come from in Scotland.

The biggest workers’ rally in South Korea since 1997 took place on Sunday. Slogans included "An end to discrimination against temporary workers", "No to the Korea-Japan free trade area" and "For the withdrawal of Korean troops from Iraq". The rally was a launchpad for an indefinite strike by public sector workers to defend union rights in the face of repression by the government.