top
Anti-War
Anti-War
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

What's Bush Next Step to His Ultimate Goal? More Chaos?

by Abraham
Are all these lootings part of the Bush's pre-emption doctrine's basic required elements in order to justify further military engagement elsewhere and the eventual total imperialist domination? Is this a set up to assure the extremists will get a hold a small amount of nuclear materials? What is the U.S. government trying to promote?
Iraq Nuclear, Oilfield Chaos Confront U.S. Rulers
Mon May 19, 2003 01:04 PM ET
By Nadim Ladki

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Lawlessness in oilfields and a warning of a possible nuclear emergency reared up to confront Iraq's U.S. administration as thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Monday to demand their own government.

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency said it was alarmed by almost daily reports of looting and destruction at nuclear sites, warning that the theft of radioactive material posed a security threat and a danger to health. Oil officials said the looting and lack of security were also hampering efforts to restore oil output, vital for the devastated country's economic recovery after the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein's government.

In the northern oil city of Kirkuk, more than 10 people were killed in clashes at the weekend between Arabs and Kurds, local police said. Tension between majority Arabs and Kurds has been a major concern in the city, partly driven by disputes over land or property seized under Saddam's "Arabization" campaign.

Police said they were carrying out joint patrols with U.S. forces to control the situation, which had since calmed down.

While many Iraqis are relieved Saddam has gone, they are horrified by the breakdown of law and order and basic services.

U.S. troops backed by tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters raided the Mansur neighborhood of central Baghdad Monday as part of a crackdown on crime and looting.

The soldiers arrested several men and stopped pedestrians to check identity cards and bags.

Meanwhile a demonstration of thousands of mainly Shi'ite Muslims in a Baghdad suburb underscored the impatience of many with the slow pace at which power is being handed to Iraqis.

"No, no, no USA," read one placard.

U.S. administrator Paul Bremer has insisted he is pushing ahead with the creation of an Iraqi interim authority under close U.S. supervision, but Iraqi groups have accused Washington of backing away from its promises to hand real power to Iraqis.

The United States will push for a vote at the United Nations this week to lift sanctions and allow oil exports to resume, but Iraqi officials said lawlessness in the oilfields had forced production targets to be put back for the third time.

Iraq is pumping only 310,000 barrels per day (bpd) now compared to 2.5 million before the war, said a senior official.

Iraq needs 550,000 bpd to meet domestic energy needs before it can resume exports to start financing reconstruction. It is now aiming to reach 1.3 million bpd by mid-July.

"In some areas (security) is getting worse rather than better. What we anticipate on production may not be attainable if the security situation makes repairs impossible," the official said.

NUCLEAR CHAOS

Reports of looting at nuclear sites prompted International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei to issue a fresh call to Washington to let his experts back into Iraq.

He said he had seen reports describing uranium being tipped out of containers that were taken for domestic use, and radioactive sources being stolen and removed from their shielding.

He said he was especially concerned about the "potential radiological safety and security implications of nuclear and radiological materials that may no longer be under control."

One of the sources stored at the Tuwaitha nuclear research center is caesium 137, a powder that could be used to spread radioactivity in a so-called "dirty bomb."

ElBaradei wrote to the United States on April 29 requesting permission to send a mission to Iraq to investigate the looting reports, but has yet to receive a response.

The U.S. military said Saddam's brother-in-law, an Iraqi intelligence agent and number 152 on a U.S. blacklist of former Iraqi officials, had been in U.S. custody since Friday.

U.S. forces have managed to capture 21 out of a list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, but the whereabouts of Saddam and his sons have remained unknown since the fall of Baghdad in April.

Some former Iraqi generals believe Saddam is hiding in Iraq and issuing orders to supporters as he plots a return to power.

The generals, who were in exile for years and are now working with U.S. forces to purge the Iraqi public service and security apparatus of Saddam die-hards, said he had ordered a name-change for his Baath party, whose name means "Renaissance."

Major-General Tawfiq al-Yassiri told Reuters that Saddam had changed its name to "Auda," meaning "Return."

"Saddam is hiding with a small group that probably includes his two sons," said Yassiri, who helped lead a rebellion against Saddam in 1991.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network