Friday 22 October 2004

Iraq News Not Fit To Print

From the Wall Street Journal :
Basking in the sun by the Al Hamra Hotel swimming pool, a Spanish journalist complained to me that "all my editors want is blood, blood, blood. No context. No politics."
I'm no Chrenkoff, but over at The Command Post, I've posted a few articles that the papers haven't considered important.

Iraq Police Commandos
“They were all chosen on the basis of loyalty to Iraq and from their support for the democratic change taking place in Iraq and for those who have not committed crimes against Iraqis,” Thabit said. “They were efficiently chosen according to information about their background.”

Thabit spent six years in jail for involvement in conspiracies against Saddam Hussein’s regime.
[…]
And the results came in quick and positive operations beginning in the Haifa Street area of Baghdad, where two battalions hauled away 58 foreign fighters attacking Iraqi and multinational forces in the city. The first two battalions also hauled away another large force of foreign fighters in Samarra operations.

Aftermath of an Attack :
“Those people who attack Iraqis everyday don’t care who they kill,” lamented one Iraqi at the scene of the attack. “If they had missed us they could have hit the primary school next door. Thank God the children didn’t get hurt.”
[…]
“The ING are fighting for their country, and the way I look at it, they are just like any American Soldier…fighting for a free Iraq, which is why my Soldiers took it very seriously when they heard the ING needed assistance and were there to support them 100 percent,” San Miguel said.
[…]
San Miguel said after the casualties had been safely evacuated he went with his men to the IP station to explain why the first aid training was postponed.

“They said they understood, expressing their concern for what happened to the ING,” San Miguel said. “It was good to see that the IPs were concerned about the ING, because it shows that there is professional relationship starting to build between the two security forces.”

Individuals Making a Difference :
So far he estimates that more than 200 boxes of donations for Iraqi children have come in. And though he never thought his singular effort to help would grow to such proportions, Tingue said he is pretty happy with how his project turned out.

And even the First Spotting of Spam in Baghdad :
This was the 1st advertizing mail I get from an Iraqi living in Iraq, and I suppose it’s at least one of the 1st advertising mails sent by an Iraqi living in Iraq in English to anyone. I don’t know, it may sound ridiculous to some that I give such importance to a stupid advertising mail, but you have to be an Iraqi to understand why I was thrilled about it. It gave me hope because more Iraqis are planning for the future, making use of the Internet and information technology and seem to be optimistic and welcoming foreigners.
No-one looking at the situation in Iraq would describe it as Peachy and Peaceful. But the unremitting propaganda emanating from those reporters terrorised by the terrorists amounts to a completely distorted view.

No comments: