Secondary School (Iraq) under Siege by US Forces

[tlcandie]

http://electroniciraq.net/news/1271.shtml

<snip>
Today, US forces from the First Armored Division returned with two large tanks, helicopters, several Bradley fighting vehicles and at least 10 hummers to seal off the Al Shahid Adnan Kherala secondary school for boys.

The school was sealed off completely, as well as the doors locked when soldiers and Iraqi Police entered with photos of students taken during the demonstration the night before.
<snip>


<snip>
asked him if anyone was injured last night at the demonstration, or if any weapons were fired.

"No. Some kids were just throwing rocks."
<snip>

<snip>
Several Humvees with machine guns surrounded a large canvas covered troop transport truck into which 26 students were loaded, then driven away with tanks both in front and behind.

The arrests were apparently a preemption for the demonstration to take place tomorrow in the same area.

As we continue to the front entrance of the school we see students held inside, all the doors sealed with security guards outside of them. Students are seen crowded behind the bars of the doors, waiting to be released.

Shortly thereafter the doors are unlocked, releasing the frightened students who are flocking out the doors. The youngest look to be about 10 years old, none of the students older than 18.

At the front gate they are running out, many in tears. Others are enraged, kicking and shaking the front gate.
<snip>

[reprobate]

1. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by G.W. Bush

Today we won more friends in iraq.

[Aidoneus]

2. Support these brave heroes!

They're better people than any of you are! I bet most of you have never laid seige to a school. :eyes:

[GregW]

3. Red Dawn redux

Next up ... the Wahabi Wolverines

[pinto]

4. does it sound like......Palestine to anyone else? n/t

[madrchsod]

7. yes it does.

we are in serious trouble and there will be no peace. the darkness has fallen over our country....

[qanda]

5. This is absolutely terrible!

What in the world is going on over there?

[NNN0LHI]

6. We will force them to love us or we kill them all trying n/t

[tom_paine]

8. A little of both...

[OrAnarch]

9. Im so proud of my adopted soldier!

I hope he was involved in rounding up these young terrorist!


If I haven't said it loud enough, Ill say it again: Each and every soldier over there who doesn't put down their gun and go home, or protest in the name of their beliefs, shares some personal responsibility with the American regime for these crimes against humanity. Though, this beats the hell outta dropping bombs on them and blowing up their cars.


Same applies to anybody who participated in some way to similar activities in the past, presidential contenders or not. Distgusting.

[Moderator]

10. tlcandie

Per DU copyright rules
please post only 4
paragraphs from the
news source.


Thank you.

DU Moderator

[tlcandie]

12. Thanks.. sorry with the short paragraphs it is so hard to get the

crux of the story! :hi:

[tlcandie]

11. Arresting Children.. another account of same situation..Jo Wilding

http://electroniciraq.net/news/1274.shtml

Jo Wilding, Electronic Iraq, 18 December 2003



<snip>
"Two days ago there was a demonstration after school finished, against the coalition and for Saddam. Yesterday the American army came and surrounded the whole block. They just crashed into the school, 6, 7, 8 into every classroom with their guns. They took the name of every student and matched the names to the photos they got from the day before and then arrested the students. They actually dragged them by their shirts onto the floor and out of the class."

<snip>
"There were no leaders, this wasn't an arranged demonstration. It comes honestly, some of the students say, we love Saddam Hussein. Some of the students say no, we hate Saddam Hussein. I told them, it's OK, let them love him and let them hate him, we can all express our opinions. There are no weapons, there is no bombing."

"The American soldiers came with tanks and stopped the demonstration and the kids sat in front of the tanks. They took pictures of the students and they had some spy maybe, I'm not sure, maybe students in the school. I begged the soldiers to leave these students because they are naïve, they just believe this is a civilian demonstration, but the soldiers were very rude to the students and treated them like soldiers. They are kids, they are teenagers, so I begged the officer, but he didn't care.

"I told them, just calm down, but they said no, they are not kids. In Abu Ghraib we have 16 year olds shooting at us. I said yes, but these are in school. They have books, not weapons. And they took pictures of us, what is your name, stand here. I am not a criminal, I am a teacher. They took pictures of most of the teachers.
<snip>



About the author: Jo Wilding is based in Baghdad and wrote for Electronic Iraq during the war.

His website link:

http://www.wildfirejo.org.uk/

[Rex]

13. Democracy or police state?

Wonder how long it will be before they do it here? Training for the Big One!

:tinfoilhat:

[Malva Zebrina]

16. they only do it to the little brown children who do not worship the same

god as their commander in chief. This is getting really and truly barbaric. I never thought I would ever see something so akin to Hitlerism as this in my lifetime. But here it is before our eyes and I cannot believe it.

We are and we have become the modern day Nazi, fascist party. Here it is in all it's wonderful, imperialistic wonder.

George Bush, a man who went AWOL himself, calling himself a "commander in chief" , strutting and indulging in all sorts of spurious, if not comical photo ops as the expense of the American people, is actually in charge of this killing and slaughter and he loves it, apparently.

He is not qualified, has not the intelligence, has not the moral turpitude and is a rich little spoiled prick of a brat who has never had to account for a thing in his pathetic life. He is the worst man to ever steal the presidencey--I should say he is the worst, first man to ever steal the presidency and why--why did he steal the presidency?--it should be obvious by now--he thought he would be CEO over this country and give all of his buddies a whole lot of money while not caring a whit about this country, or it's history or it's people. He doesn't even know about his own country and it's history. All he knows is how to follow where he is led by someone else and that person may be the heartless Cheney or his greedy old daddy.

He is a despicable numbwit--dumb as a box of doorknobs.

I agree--any troop who goes along with this and does not put down their gun and leave in favor of his or her conscience is complicit in this brutal barbarism. And any parent who allows their children to partake of this military as it is now for the sake of reaping in the benefits, is a parasite on the more sane and gentle society and a barbarian at heart, if they do it in order to foster their own child's comeuppance in this world. It is disgusting and barbaric. A college education gained by this type of barbarism--is it worth it? Many might think it so. I would not and would discourage my children from ever joining the military no matter how much the perks of living off what the tax payer will pay for. As it is now, our military is not concerned with defending this country--it is merely a tool to be used to conquor other countries we think are weak and conquorable and vulnerable to our superior military.

We, as tax payers, do NOT pay the military for brutal barbarism.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. So it's getting more like America every day

We have armed gunmen searching schoolchildren here in the US, so it's only fair that Iraqi schoolchildren get the same treatment.

"Terminate Governor Gangbang" Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[Mari333]

15. Dont forget Miami.....this is a police state now

and it will get worse..

[Fridays Child]

17. Different dictator, same tactics...

Arresting and imprisoning children, government-appointed minders for members of the press, what else?

Blah, blah, blah.

[truthspeaker]

18. funny, when asked about anti-Bush demonstrations in the UK

Bush said Iraqis were allowed to demonstrate now. Guess not.