BBC 12 Feb. 2006

[b]Blair promises Iraq 'abuse' probe [/b]

The paper said it obtained the footage from a "whistleblower"

Tony Blair has said claims of abuse by soldiers "will be investigated" after images that appeared to show UK troops beating Iraqi youths were published.

The News of the World has published pictures from a video the newspaper says was shot in southern Iraq in 2004.

Mr Blair said the overwhelming majority of UK troops in Iraq behave properly and do a "great job for our country and for the wider world".

The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation into the video images.

A military spokesman in Iraq condemned "all acts of abuse and brutality" by British troops, saying the allegations related to a "tiny number" of soldiers.

On the tape, described as a "secret home video", an unidentified cameraman is heard laughing and urging his colleagues on. It was apparently filmed for fun by a corporal.

The Ministry of Defence said it was aware of the allegations, which are being investigated by the Royal Military Police.

The prime minister, who is currently in South Africa where he is attending a summit on poverty and development, said the presence of troops in Iraq was "helping Iraq to become the democracy they want to be" and "of fundamental importance".

Meanwhile, speaking on the BBC's Sunday AM programme, Chancellor Gordon Brown said the "loyal, hard-working, decent troops" in Iraq would see the allegations as a "slight on their great work".

Those responsible would be brought to trial.

British military spokesman Flight Lieutenant Chris Thomas, based in Basra, said: "We hope that the good relations that the multi-national forces have worked very hard to develop won't be adversely affected by this material."

He said the newspaper's claims related "to only a tiny number of the 80,000 personnel that have served in Iraq".

The tape allegedly shows a disturbance in the street outside what the paper calls a military compound.

Soldiers are shown chasing youths involved in the disturbance, dragging four of them into the compound and beating them on various parts of the body with batons and kicking them, one in the genitals.

The recording is said to show an attack lasting a minute, with 42 blows counted.

The News of the World said a soldier could also be seen kicking a dead Iraqi in the face.

'Shocking pictures'

Home Office minister Andy Burnham told the BBC: "The pictures are shocking and that's why I think the MoD are right and I'm pleased that they've said they'll carry out a full in-depth and very quick investigation.

"That's what needs to be done so that...we can find out the facts and we can make sure that if there is serious wrongdoing then there's appropriate action taken."

The paper claims it has established the soldiers involved were British, but would not disclose which unit or regiment were allegedly involved.

It said it has made exhaustive checks to establish the video's authenticity after obtaining the footage from a whistleblower, who they declined to identify.

Managing editor Stuart Kuttner said: "We've made enquires of the source, of people around the source, of military experts, of the Ministry of Defence and beyond.

"Given that there was a slip-up by a newspaper some time ago, we've satisfied ourselves that this was an absolutely genuine article."
The Ministry of Defence said it took any allegations of abuse very seriously.

However, human rights group Amnesty International said an independent investigation was necessary, rather than one by the military police.
Mike Blakemore said: "This is a complex investigation, this simply isn't investigating a case of a brawl among troops who've had too much to drink. This is a complex matter that needs to be investigated by a competent organisation."

Muslim reaction

Among those to condemn the video were Muslim groups in Britain.
The secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, said: "These pictures are quite appalling and demonstrate a deeply worrying breakdown in army discipline.

"Incidents like this cause enormous damage to our standing in the Muslim world and also place those British troops who are carrying out their duties conscientiously in greater peril."

Dr Imran Waheed, from the radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said the "video footage only represents the tip of the iceberg of abuse of Iraqis".

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said that "incidents of such barbarity are not isolated but symptomatic of the military occupation of Iraq."

The Army's chief General Sir Mike Jackson launched an inquiry last year into the issue of whether pre-deployment training was adequate.
Abuse allegations had damaged the Army but a cover-up would be worse, he said.

[b]Arab TVs highlight video 'scandal' [/b]

Three pan-Arab TV stations - Al-Arabiya, Al-Jazeera and Al-Alam - have all devoted attention to the video images that appear to show British soldiers in southern Iraq beating and kicking local youths.

Iraq's own Al-Sharqiyah channel has not yet been observed to cover the revelations.

The three channels showed the videotape released by the News of the World newspaper and provided comments by correspondents and - in the case of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya - interviews with officials and pundits.

An Iraq-based correspondent for Iran's Al-Alam channel spoke of "yet another scandal caused by the occupation forces".

'Revolting'

The station showed one Iraqi calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops and another describing the pictures as "revolting".

"A fuss is made in Britain if a dog is offended, but here Iraqi citizens are being humiliated," the man said.

The station's correspondent in London said that the British Ministry of Defence's decision to order an investigation "means that the ministry did not doubt the videotape's authenticity".

A correspondent for the Al-Arabiya channel similarly described the images as a "new scandal".

'Scandal'

The station interviewed the assistant editor of the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, Abd-al-Wahab Badr Khan, who also used the word "scandal", while adding that it was "not of the magnitude of the Abu-Ghraib prison scandal".

However, he went on to forecast an angry reaction from Arab public opinion, which he feared would play into the hands of Iraq's insurgents.
"This is further proof that British and US soldiers in Iraq have gone too far in offending and humiliating people," he said.

"Regrettably, this has contributed to the acceptance of terrorist attacks whose justification is said to be the humiliation of the Iraqi people," he added.

The channel also broadcast an interview with an Iraqi Defence Ministry adviser, Muhammad al-Askari, who called for an investigation and urged the British military to "take all necessary legal measures against those who harm Iraqi citizens".

Trouble for Blair?

An Al-Jazeera reporter forecast that the pictures would cause trouble for the British government.

"The recurring attacks and torture by British soldiers will affect their prime minister, Tony Blair," he said. " Rather than merely isolated cases, this sort of behaviour has become constant."

The channel also interviewed left-wing British Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, who made the same point.

"This shows the mismanagement of British policy in Iraq, and I think it will have a major impact on Mr Blair, " he said, according to the station's Arabic translation of his remarks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4707916.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4705482.stm

Blair has a nack for probes. and subsequent whitewashes.

Previously soldiers have been let off because they could not remember who the superior officer at the time of the incident was!

I do not expect to see any justice...

I don't see anything wrong with kicking a few boys who have been throwing grenades at you. If I were a soilder, I too probably would kick them in the nuts.

"[url=http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=4450 wrote:

The Mayor of Tall 'Afar[/url]"]In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpsesof children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zuma and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom.

Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and inevery flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID

AL-JIBOURI

Mayor of Tall ‘Afar,

Ninewa, Iraq

"100man" wrote:

[quote="[url=http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=4450]The Mayor of Tall 'Afar[/url]"]In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpsesof children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zuma and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom.

Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and inevery flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID

AL-JIBOURI

Mayor of Tall ‘Afar,

Ninewa, Iraq

[/quote]

Are americans really that stupid that they believe this :?: :!:

Maybe this has something to do with it:

"[url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/01/news/cleric.php wrote:

International Herald Tribune[/url]"]
Lincoln Group, a Washington-based public relations firm, was told early last year by the American military to identify religious leaders who could help craft messages that would persuade Sunnis in violence-ridden Al Anbar Province to participate in national elections and reject the insurgency, according to a former employee.

Documents and executives say the firm's ties to religious leaders and dozens of other prominent Iraqis is aimed also at enabling it to exercise influence in Iraqi communities on behalf of clients, including the U.S. military.

"We do reach out to clerics. We meet with local government officials and with local businessmen," said a Lincoln executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A Lincoln plan entitled "Divide and Prosper" presented in October to Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, which oversees information operations, suggested that reaching religious leaders was vital for reducing Sunni support for the insurgency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4711398.stm

[b]Basra suspends ties to UK troops [/b]

One has to wonder why British troops are still there if the Basra leadership feel able to cut off connection with them just like that. If their presence was holding the place together I don't think the council would be so quick to disown them.

Anyone watch Newsnight?

t'was bout dem mages. and abuse. and iraq.

I myself have had doubts about an immediate withdrawal of troops... but now I think its the only way.

Quote:

[size=18]Iraq 'death squad caught in act'[/size]

Iraq has launched an investigation into claims by the US military that an Iraqi interior ministry "death squad" has been targeting Sunni Arab Iraqis.

The probe comes after a US general revealed the arrest of 22 policemen allegedly on a mission to kill a Sunni.

"We have found one of the death squads. They are part of the police force," US Maj Gen Joseph Peterson said....

[url=http://www.therevival.co.uk/index.php?p=349]NewsBlog[/url]
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4719252.stm]BBC News[/url]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4731670.stm

Quote:

The US has threatened to cut aid to Iraq if the new government includes politicians with a sectarian bias.

I hope that's a joke.

"Augustus" wrote:

That would be impressively stupid - it'd never fly with the public

What do you mean?

The American people are only supporting the war because the administration (and their media allies) is telling them to.You make it sound like the government is obeying the people rather than vice versa.

I doubt they're going to object if the administration reverses its policy. Which I don't think will happen by the way. This threat by Khalilzad is phoney I imagine.

I can handle aaanything!

oh the Bush admin...

Salam

It seems that Iraq is now heading towards a full civil war, and
hence break up of the country, something the American feared most.

Today's bombing of a Shia holy site was the beginning of the end.

US called the attack on holy shrine at Samarra "a crime against humanity".

Omrow

Probably.

The circle of violence is becoming more violent.

The politicians are asking for civil war to be avoided.

I ask anyone to define 'civil war'. And then tell me what is currently happening is not a civil war... using that definition.

The tragic thing about the Iraq situation is that these groups don't even have a recent history of hating or even fighting eachother. This conflict is brought about by different groups being forced to share one state. It's all about power.

you may call it a conspiracy theory but many armies have used this tactic of divide and rule to conquer countries, they are having difficulties with.

There is a possiblity isn't there that the western forces could be doing this. I'm not saying they are, i just don't know what to believe anymore. Everyday the news seems to get worse.

I don't watch tv, and when i did i just bagan to feel no reaction. The constant bombardment of violent imagery has somewhat desensitised me.

Now i rely soley on the radio news, but even that get's annoying. I can go for weeks now without hearing anything about the world, unless i hear it here.

Like the news of brit soldiers beating Iraqi youths, heard of it. i could have seen the pics if i wanted but i chose not to see them. I don't want to look upon human suffering and be devoid of emotion coz i'm so "used" to it.

Radio five hate it, don't ask me why i listen, i must like some elements. Well yesterday a reporter asked a sunni uni student if he had shia friends considering their sacred shrine had been destroyed by sunnis. The sunni guy replied of course i have shia friends. they understand we are not all the same, they don't hate me at all. They treat me the same as always. Almost all my friends are shia.

The reporter replied oh really that's interesting you have shia friends? What a patronising pillock, you call that investigative journalism. Iraq has a shia majority so him having lots of shia friends is hardly any revelation, dope!

Thats not suprising.

The conflict in Iraq is presented in religious terms when really it's about communal power.

Saddam didn't oppress the Shia because they slandered the Sahaba. He oppressed them because after the Iranian revolution they became a threat to his rule. At one point the Baath part was predominantly Shia.

"Augustus" wrote:

It's very surprising, and a dangerous accusation to make without evidence - or a motive. Not only is there no benefit to a civil war - it hurts the US as well. We've actually done the most to see that the Iraqi government is most inclusive - incurring the irritation of Al Sistani in the process who now wants "more democracy" ie more populism. The US especially needs a strong unified stable Iraq, otherwise it just becomes another failed-state haven for terrorism. That's why the terrorists are trying to destroy the country.

Incidentally the US will be funding the rebuilding of the dome.

I don't think it's any real mystery why the sectarian violence now - as Salaf pointed out it's recent. The reason is the absense of Saddam. A majority that was put down for a very long time now ostensibly has control, some elements inside and outside Iraqi society do not want this, sparking a power grab between the two.

You get many Iraqis saying that they are Iraqis first and sunni/shia second. This is just the effects of baathist/arab nationalist education though. Now that Saddam is gone this is gradually slipping away. Even Christopher Hitchens talks in terms of Iraqis and Kurds. Although he then goes on to claim that Iraqis are united which seems a bit strange to me.

The idea that Iraq could exist as a nation state without an ultra-nationalist dictatorship is ridiculous in my view. The situation there now is comparable to Yugoslavia when Tito died.

A while back the defence secretary John Reid compared Iraq to Italy and Germany which at one point were not nation states. The difference is that the Italiens and Germans chose to become a nation whereas state hood was imposed on Iraq by the British.

"Augustus"][quote="salaf" wrote:

You get many Iraqis saying that they are Iraqis first and sunni/shia second. This is just the effects of baathist/arab nationalist education though. Now that Saddam is gone this is gradually slipping away. Even Christopher Hitchens talks in terms of Iraqis and Kurds. Although he then goes on to claim that Iraqis are united which seems a bit strange to me.

The idea that Iraq could exist as a nation state without an ultra-nationalist dictatorship is ridiculous in my view. The situation there now is comparable to Yugoslavia when Tito died.

A while back the defence secretary John Reid compared Iraq to Italy and Germany which at one point were not nation states. The difference is that the Italiens and Germans chose to become a nation whereas state hood was imposed on Iraq by the British.

Hitchens was talking about the Iraqis and the Kurds before there was even a war, they are his pet socialist lost cause.

He still says it now.

Quote:

As for the possibility of a unified Iraq under anything but a strongman, I am not pursuaded. I suspect that with a lengthened occupation - 10 to 20 years perhaps, more troop strength, and strict media direction a unified and Democratic Iraq is fully possible.

This hasn't worked in many places around the world including Northern Ireland and Spain. The difference is in Iraq you have three big different groups so it becomes a matter of national integrity. Similar to Sri Lanka. If Saddam couldn't establish a permanent feeling of Iraqism among the population then it probably isn't possible.

Quote:

The problem now is that there are not enough bodies on the ground to police and watch the country. Like Germany or Japan in '46, a successful occupation and rebuilding requires absolute security over almost everything.

You're ignoring the facts I'm afraid. Germany has one language, one ethnicity, one religion and no internal tribal affiliations of any great meaning. Eine Volk remember.

The same with Japan. They were nations before WW2 for a reason. Before the British invasion Iraq was not a nation.

Quote:

Also, if the coalition forces considered allowing Islam to play a more important role in government, it would give it greater legitimacy and greater common ground for both parties.

I don't actually think that is a big problem any more. There are islamists and secularists on both sides of the conflict. As I said for now it is about communal power.

Salam

It doesn't get much surreal than this.

Yesterday President George Bush accused Iran of
supplying explosives to Iraqi insurgents. Bombs which are used
to kill American soilders.

He then went on to threaten Iran saying that he would
use pre emptive first strike on Iranian nuclear plants. [url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060316/pl_afp/usattacksstrategyiran_060316...

And guess what happened today ?

Nooo.

Today, the "Great Satan" asked "Axis of Evil" for help.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4813048.stm

[url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060316/wl_mideast_afp/iranusiraqdiplomacy_... Please Help US[/url]

The reason ?

This:

[url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060316/pl_afp/iraqwaranniversaryusbush_060... Lessons[/url]

Omrow

In US MArines, the blacks and poor white Americans are paying the price in Iraq:

[b]WAR HAWKS SHOW CALLOUS DISREGARD FOR WORKING-CLASS TROOPS [/b]

By Cynthia Tucker - Friday Mar 24, 2006

"If I didn't believe we had a plan for victory, I wouldn't leave our people in harm's way. I understand people's lives are being lost." President Bush.

The average American understands that soldiers who fought in Vietnam were unfairly blamed for a war they did not start, for lies they did not tell, for mismanaged battle plans they could not salvage. So we're determined not to make that mistake again. This time around, most of us salute our soldiers.

Even determined peace activists, for the most part, are committed to two things -- ending American involvement in Iraq and honoring the soldiers who volunteered to serve there. In a bitterly divided country, the vast majority of us agree that rank-and-file troops should not be held accountable for the politics that led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Ironically, there is something else most of us agree on, whether in red states or blue: We don't want our loved ones to go to war. Three years ago, when the invasion of Iraq was still widely supported in the United States, the prospect of a military draft was not. Whether Democrats, Republicans or independents, most Americans especially among the affluent classes -- were virulently opposed to the idea that their sons and daughters might be forced to serve the nation's military. We still are.

The politics of discussing a draft became this weird during the last election cycle: Conservatives savaged anybody who suggested the possibility of military conscription as a whiny appeaser who really wanted to end the war. OK. Let's unravel that. If it is a given that a draft would have been so unpopular that it would have ended support for the war in Iraq, what does that say? Doesn't it suggest that many of those who so easily supported this war in the beginning did so because it didn't affect them or their families?

Military recruits are pulled largely from the nation's working class from those whose economic prospects are less than stellar, from high school graduates who know they have little chance of affording college tuition, from young parents whose civilian jobs don't come with health insurance. Enlisted men and women tend to come from households earning between $32,000 and $33,500, according to a 1999 Defense Department study. (The median American income is $43,300.)

This is not a truth the middle class is eager to confront. Each time I write a column about the disproportionate burden borne by our working-class men and women, I get countless angry letters and e-mails tirades from the affluent denouncing me for fomenting race-consciousness (I've said nothing about race) or class warfare. Others write to me that they know somebody whose son or daughter or nephew or co-worker is a college graduate who volunteered to serve. (That's the exception that proves the rule.) We don't want to admit that we've left the burden of defending an affluent nation to those who enjoy less of its affluence. That's too ugly to think about.

Ah, but they volunteered, you say. Yes, they did. All the more reason to honor their commitment by making sure they aren't cannon fodder in a dubious cause. They took to heart the common platitudes and easy slogans about duty and honor and service while many who are wealthier did not. Soldiers shouldn't be ill-used simply because they believed in their country and its leaders.

And they have been ill-used. They were sent to fight on a false pretext -- that Saddam was linked to Sept. 11 by civilian leaders who refused to plan for anything but quick and certain victory.

Of course, combat veterans were rare among the armchair hawks in Congress and the White House who rallied the nation for war. Vice President Dick Cheney has said he had "other priorities" during the war in Vietnam. And President Bush well, that story is well-known. Even if you credit him with conscientiousness and brilliance as a National Guard pilot, he never left the United States.

Their callousness about other people's children aside, it's not just Cheney and Bush whom I hold responsible for the deaths of more than 2,300 hundred Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis. It's also men like Sen. John Kerry and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vietnam veterans who had seen young men die in combat. They knew better than to take the nation to war on the wings of a lie.

That they did was not only unjust; it was immoral.

There seems to be more chaos than usual in iraq today.

First there were 30 bodies found beheaded just north of Baquba.

And then there was a report from an aide to the Shia shia cleric Moqtadr Al Sadr that 20 unarmed civillians were killed in a mosque bby American soldiers.

Then a report of unrest in Baghdad as shia millitants take on American soldiers in running street battles... as the millitants tried to stop them entering a mosque.

The chronology of the last two is probably in reverse, but that is the order I heard it in on Sky News, and then BBC News 24...