More on the toxic aftermath

The victims of Fallujah's health crisis are stifled by western silence

Ross Caputi writes for The Guardian (October 25^th): Four new studies on the health crisis in Fallujah have been published in the last three months. Yet, one of the most severe public health crises in history, for which the US military may be to blame, receives no attention in the United States.

Ever since two major US-led assaults destroyed the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004, Fallujans have witnessed dramatic increases in rates of cancers, birth defects and infant mortality in their city. Dr Chris Busby, the author and co-author of two studies on the Fallujah heath crisis, has called this "the highest rate of genetic damage in any population ever studied".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/25/fallujah-iraq-health-crisis-silence

American bombing of Iraq left legacy of deformed babies

Haroon Siddiqi writes for The Star (October 20^th): Remember Falluja? That city in central Iraq was the scene of two furious attacks in 2004 by American Marines. That spring, they went on a bombing, shooting rampage to avenge the murder and mutilation of four American mercenaries. Instead of targeting the estimated 2,000 insurgents, the Marines almost levelled the city of 300,000, without conquering it. Seven months later, they attacked again with artillery and bombs in what was described as the bloodiest urban warfare involving Americans since the Vietnam War.

Remember Basra? That southern Iraqi city has been suffering since the first Gulf War, in 1991. Radioactive residue from the 800 tons of bombs and 1 million rounds of ammunition used was soon showing up in babies born with huge heads, abnormally large eyes, stunted arms, bloated stomachs and defective hearts. Later in the 1990s, Basra was hit as part of maintaining the American no fly zone on Saddam Hussein. It was attacked yet again in the 2003 American-British invasion and subsequent occupation.

Now we see that the children of Falluja and Basra are suffering a staggering rise in birth defects, primarily from the metals released by bombs, bullets and shells — the dust that gets into food, water, air, soil and crops.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1274727--american-bombing-of-iraq-left-legacy-of-deformed-babies-siddiqui

Stories from Azzaman

Commission orders arrest of Iraqi Central Bank Governor on corruption charges

Azzaman reports (October 15^th): In a surprise move, the Commission of Integrity has ordered the arrest of Central Bank Governor Sinan al-Shabibi, his deputy Mudher Aref and 15 other officials, the Central Bank has revealed.

The commission says the arrest orders come following its investigations which have shown that the governor, his deputy and the other officials are implicated in corruption.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/?p=413

Iraq relying more and more on foreign medical doctors

Azzaman reports (October 14^th): Iraq, a country which used to export medical personnel to other states, is relying more and more on foreign doctors.

The health system, despite massive allocations, has still not recovered and in certain specializations and consultancies there are not enough Iraqi medical specialists to support the system.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/?p=410

Fallujah

Iraq records huge rise in birth defects

The Independent reports (October 14^th): It played unwilling host to one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq war. Fallujah's homes and businesses were left shattered; hundreds of Iraqi civilians were killed. Its residents changed the name of their "City of Mosques" to "the polluted city" after the United States launched two massive military campaigns eight years ago. Now, one month before the World Health Organisation reveals its view on the legacy of the two battles for the town, a new study reports a "staggering rise" in birth defects among Iraqi children conceived in the aftermath of the war.

High rates of miscarriage, toxic levels of lead and mercury contamination and spiralling numbers of birth defects ranging from congenital heart defects to brain dysfunctions and malformed limbs have been recorded. Even more disturbingly, they appear to be occurring at an increasing rate in children born in Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

There is "compelling evidence" to link the increased numbers of defects and miscarriages to military assaults, says Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, one of the lead authors of the report and an environmental toxicologist at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Similar defects have been found among children born in Basra after British troops invaded, according to the new research.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/iraq-records-huge-rise-in-birth-defects-8210444.html

Iraq executes 23 despite international calls to stop

Xinhua reports (October 8^th): The Iraqi Ministry of Justice announced that it has executed a total of 23 convicted prisoners during the past five days over terror and criminal charges.

"The number of prisoners who have been executed for terror and criminal charges so far in this year reached to 102, including five female terrorist," it added.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/08/c_123796688.htm

U.S. stole archives and refuses to return them to Iraq

Azzaman reports (October 6^th): U.S. occupation troops had stolen more than 20,000 documents and their government now refuses to hand them over to Iraq, the head of Iraqi National Archives Saad Iskander said.

Iskander, in a telephone interview with the newspaper, said the Iraqi Jewish archives were among the treasures U.S. troops had removed from the country.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/?p=392