Hostages being held in Iraq are slated to be slaughtered on Saturday. I think it is important to explain
why the four members of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT 4) are in Iraq now and
what they were doing when they were abducted.
Here it is:
Christian Peacemaker members, including some of those who have been taken captive, had been investigating abuses at the hands of special police and military groups months before the Nov. 15 discovery of 173 detainees in the basement of an Interior Ministry building. American soldiers who liberated the prisoners said some appeared to have been tortured by their Iraqi government captors.
If the people holding them are trying to cover up death squad activities, then publicizing the facts before they are executed may improve their chances of surviving. You can help. More below the fold......
The dog that didn't bark:
People who rely solely on TV to get their news in the US may not even be aware of the fact that four Christian Peacemaker Team members (CPT 4) are being held hostage in Iraq, much less that they are scheduled to be slaughtered on Saturday.
In contrast, people who get their news from Arabic media know there have been daily demonstrations across the West Bank calling for the release of the hostages. Prominent Muslim clerics in Iraq and around the world have declared their capture contrary to Islamic law. Muslims detained for years in Canada have issued statements saying "their freedom is more important than our own." Even al Qaeda supporters, such as Abu Qatada ... currently in detention in Britain.... have called for their release. Yet Christian evangelists in America are silent.
The plight of Tom Fox(US), Norman Kember(UK), James Loney(CAN), and Harmeet Sooden(CAN) have received wide coverage in Canadian and British media. The Prime Minister of Canada has made forceful statements about the situation. Britain's Foreign Secretary has repeatedly made statements about the situation. Yet the American administration has been virtually silent.... about Christians being persecuted for their faith.
With so much news coverage being given to the so-called "War on Christmas" you would think that the Cable networks would be doing round the clock coverage, the tabloids would be running cover stories, and the talk show entertainers would have grabbed at this story to demonstrate how Christians are persecuted for their faith. Yet the only significant comment is from Rush Limbaugh who announced on his show that "part of me likes this." He explained: "Well, here's why I like it. I like any time a bunch of leftist feel-good hand-wringers are shown reality."
Let's talk about reality:
The "special police and military groups" referred to in the Tribune piece are death squads. I realize in Iraq everyone with a gun is a death squad. But these are good old-fashioned CIA trained "paramilitary" groups, straight out of the Casey playbook.
In the past year, the U.S. military has helped build up the commandos under guidance from James Steele, a former Army Special Forces officer who led U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in El Salvador in the 1980s. Salvadoran paramilitary units trained by Steele's team were later accused of a pattern of atrocities.
The most widely known Iraqi unit is called the "Wolf Brigade," although there are others called "Lion",Scorpion", "Snake", etc. Some Iraqis accuse the Wolf Brigade of targeting Palestinian refugees in Iraq, using torture to extract confessions from prisoners, and slaying at least six Sunni clerics. The CPT 4 were traveling with Iraqi Palestinians and meeting with Sunni clerics to discuss these matters when they were kidnapped.
They are not the first people to show an interest in the topic. The allegations of torture, murder, and abuse these people were investigating happened to be the same story that Steve Vincent (New York Time), Yaseer Salihee(Knight Ridder) and Fakher Haider (New York Times) were investigating. All three journalists have this in common:
That was the last story they were covering before they were killed in Iraq this year.
Here are the last articles written by Steve Vincent before his abduction and murder:
http://www.philly.com/...
Here is the story published posthumously by Yaseer Salihee after he was killed by an American sniper:
http://www.epic-usa.org/...
The most recent victim, New York Times Baghdad reporter Fakher Haider, was also working on a story about death squads in the security forces when he was murdered in September. Unfortunately, his story was never published, even after his death.
http://www.epic-usa.org/...
If you still think US and UK trained death squads are merely a conspiratorial left wing loonie fantasy go to google and search Salvador Option. You will find more than you can imagine.
This should not come as a surprise to those familiar with the last time US troops fought a guerilla war against an entrenched insurgency. John Negroponte was in charge of operations in Honduras. James Steele was training paramilitary troops in El Salvador. Porter Goss was equipping counter insurgents from airfields in Florida and Belize. And US nuns were killed with US guns. Suffice to say, it was not coincidental that Honduras pulled out of the "coalition of the willing" the same day Negroponte set up shop in the Baghdad. Those who remember the 80s know that after Negroponte left Honduras, a mass grave with 185 bodies was uncovered on his compound.
Lest folks think this is merely leftwing loonie conspiracy stuff, let me be clear. This is only one possible option. Here are the most likely scenarios:
1.They might be criminals who think they are holding the Iraqi equivalent of a winning lottery ticket. If true, they would be foolish to kill their golden goose.
2.They might actually be jihadists who didn't realize who they were holding. If true, they would be foolish to ignore the pleas of fellow Muslims. The fact that Iraqis just helped US troops capture one of the highest ranking al Qaeda leaders in Iraq should make it clear they risk losing the hearts and minds of the people they claim to champion.
3.They might be people trying to cover up death squad activities. If true, the people with the most clout are in control of the Green Zone. They would be foolish to let their mad dogs kill the hostages. Then the US media will not be able to ignore the story. Then the reason for their being in Iraq will be a significant part of the story. Then everyone will start asking questions about these "special police and military units" that seem to involved in death squad activities. Once people get their teeth into that story, you won't be able to cover it up. If you think support for the war is low now...wait until people start comparing Iraq with El Salvador.
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If you think this is important information to broadcast, please recommend this entry.