Cyprus-Forum.com

[brother]

Fallujah Execution
BYEGM: 11/18/2004

BY DERYA SAZAK

Those fearing the US operation in Iraq would escalate into uncontrolled violence with the reelection of US President George W. Bush were proven right when the scenes of execution in Fallujah were broadcast on TV. More than 1,500 civilians were killed during the Fallujah offensive. When a US soldier was shown on TV killing an unarmed injured Iraqi in a mosque, the humanitarian dimension of the operation came into focus. In a country like Turkey, where nearly 80 people died in traffic accidents during the recent holiday weekend, the killing merited special news bulletins. The scenes dispelled any ambivalence on Turks’ part over Iraq. We shouldn’t forget that if we had sent soldiers there, probably we would have taken part in the US operation to break the resistance in the Sunni triangle. I wonder how these scenes affect those who supported sending Turkish soldiers to Iraq in the runup to the war last March. Seeking to end Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship in Iraq, the US threw Arabs unprotected into the hands of chaos and banditry. In addition, foreigners are undeservedly paying the price for this chaos. For example, 31 Turkish truck drivers have so far lost their lives.

What’s the difference between the operation in Fallujah and the Crusades? The city’s water and electricity aren’t working. People are sick. People are fleeing and leaving the injured behind to die. Certainly the operation in Fallujah is a war crime under the Geneva Convention. However, what’s even crueler is that now the US has set it sights on Mosul and is trying to erase certain places from the map. We can’t talk about a war, but rather serial killings. Unfortunately, violence begets violence, and hopes for stability and peace in Iraq are fading with each passing day.