Iraq Press Roundup

U.S. forces in Iraq carry out various military campaigns. Military forces arrest and kill innocent Iraqis using the excuse of fighting al-Qaida and confronting terrorism. This issue was featured in Iraqi newspapers Monday.

U.S. forces arresting thousands of Iraqis and killing thousands of others adds more to the ugliness of the face of the occupier, the Sunni al-Mashriq newspaper said.

American terrorism encourages people to support al-Qaida

U.S. forces acknowledge that most of the intelligence information they get from paid Iraqi collaborators is baseless. Acting according to such false information adds brutality to the fact that such information has led to the oppression of thousands of Iraqi people.

The crimes of the U.S. occupation, from raids to arrests to shooting the people who try to escape, have impacted the entire country. The occupier put its focus of attack on the poorest cities in Iraq. They attacked the Shiite majority of Kut, Basra, and Sadr City. Their crimes extend to Sunni cities of Tikrit, Mosul, Diyala and Fallujah as well.

If they are of any consequence, the crimes of the occupier motivate people to seek revenge by joining al-Qaida, a curse that without the occupation would have never existed in Iraq. These crimes also encourage Iraqis to react against the Iraqi government, which is unable to end the violations the U.S. forces perpetrate against the Iraqi people.

In the meantime, since many in the Sunni areas of Iraq find Shiites controlling the government, the presence of the occupier and their attacks increase sectarian tensions among the Iraqi people and their government.

Iraqis consider the U.S.-backed Iraqi government a collaborator and incompetent in its dealing with dire issues.

The independent Azzaman newspaper said in a Monday editorial that the Iraqi government controls distribution of the truth. Members of the government have prevented the creation of a free press that has the ability to voice its dissent.

Problems confront solutions in Iraq

The government of the "new" Iraq attacks media outlets that criticize its performance. This also pushes people to mistrust the government, a similar reaction from the Iraqi people under Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi government has also marginalized opposing viewpoints by rejecting the principle of compromise in managing the county. Failure to compromise is clearly shown in the split between various sects and ethnic groups. Sectarian interpretations and beliefs on certain issues causes a continuation of these divisions

The Iraqi government is accused of entangling politics with the military issues to "achieve security" as Shiite and Kurdish officials are also the commanders of the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga.

The Iraqi government failed because compromises were corrupt and took place according to personal interests. Politicians agree on one issue, for instance, but implementing it would consume so much time, it would turn into a forgotten matter.

The main obstacle the Iraqi government faces is the troubling heritage the governor of Iraq, the head of the Coalition Prudential Authority, Paul Bremer, and the government of Saddam Hussein left behind.

The "decrease" in violence in Iraq is an achievement credited to many circumstances. Some say that the decrease is a result of agreements between various political parties in the Iraqi government. Others credit it to the increased numbers of U.S. troops, while many others say it is a result of Iraqis fighting against al-Qaida.

The propaganda al-Qaida used in showing video of would-be suicide bombers reading their last words before they perform their operations have turned the situation against them, Sot al-Iraq news wire service said Monday.

What led to decrease of their supporters?

Al-Qaida car bombs are no longer surprising to the world community. As their attacks increased and footage of their victims from women, children, and old people were distributed, their base of support diminished.

The support of people is the main contributor to al-Qaida's existence. It is their main weapon and tool of publicity to generate public support. Therefore, it is essential to announce that al-Qaida supporters have declined, the paper said.

Leaders of al-Qaida spend large amounts of money to coerce people to follow their agenda and generate psychological support by claiming they are defending people's rights. They promise people they are winning by announcing the "victories" of their attacks.

Years after their heinous attacks, it is necessary to reveal the truth of their brainwashing operations.

People who supported al-Qaida also watched innocent victims lose their lives in vain. Their reaction to violence is what creates opposition. Al-Qaida supporters of yesterday became their enemies today.

This change was due to al-Qaida switching their attacks from targeting foreign armies to attacking foreign civilians who work in construction companies, innocent Muslims and every human being.