Satellite images show ethnic cleanout in Iraq

[deadparrot]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite images taken at night show heavily Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Baghdad began emptying before a U.S. troop surge in 2007, graphic evidence of ethnic cleansing that preceded a drop in violence, according to a report published on Friday.

The images support the view of international refugee organizations and Iraq experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the bloodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.

Minority Sunni Arabs were driven out of many neighborhoods by Shi'ite militants enraged by the bombing of the Samarra mosque in February 2006. The bombing, blamed on the Sunni militant group al Qaeda, sparked a wave of sectarian violence.

"By the launch of the surge, many of the targets of conflict had either been killed or fled the country, and they turned off the lights when they left," geography professor John Agnew of the University of California Los Angeles, who led the study, said in a statement.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080919/sc_nm/iraq_lights_dc

[unblock]

1. horrifying: the surge was merely cover for ethnic cleansing

"Our findings suggest that the surge has had no observable effect, except insofar as it has helped to provide a seal of approval for a process of ethno-sectarian neighborhood homogenization that is now largely achieved," Agnew's team wrote in their report.



i have a tough time believing that cheney et al. didn't know about this. they knew about the "sectarian violence" and i strongly suspect that they knew it had peaked (with sunnis being killed or driven out) and decided to do something to give themselves an excuse to take credit for the obviously predictable drop in violence THAT HAPPENS AFTER A WARRING FACTION HAS ALREADY KILLED ITS ENEMY!

so, rather than denounce the violence or the ethnic cleansing, they decided to take credit for the fact the situation had resolved itself WITH ONE SIDE DEAD.

[TomInTib]

2. This was the plan all along. I saw the maps.

In the run-up to the war, I was in the office of Blake Eskew, a senior analyst with Purvin&Gertz, a Houston-based petroleum anylist firm.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ccoconline.com%2FPDF%2FBlake%2520Eskew.pdf&ei=6xXUSJHqGJKasAPtm4T0DA&usg=AFQjCNEIWvsG3uzYiAtsgnriRocOa0Tzpg&sig2=fUnO7OIF4xRqdC3Vwussog

When we entered the reception area, we saw Jas A Baker III, Hamid Karzai and Stephen Hadley (who I did not recognize at the time). We walked into the conference room, amid much post-conference clutter.

There was a hand-drawn map of Iraq on the whiteboard at the end of the room. Iraq was split into thirds, each labeled either Kurds, Sunni, or Shia.

Under the map was written the words "Population re-distribution".

I said something to the effect of wishing I had my camera, and Eskew almost blew a gasket running accross the room to close the shutter over that map.

[PATRICK]

4. That would be the Cheney maps

shown to the oil execs who passed this "secure" info down the line, info they are afraid of falling int the hands of the American Congress or people?

Should subpoena this guy? He is not covered by executive privilege if he is spreading this stuff across corporate blackboards, especially if he was not even privy to the original energy meetings.

I think a lot of big picture planning HAS been accomplished and the 30 year occupation of Iraq is STILL, to date, in play. Yet the outcome have been terribly executed, threatened with total failure(even in its own sneaky rotten goal) as has everything else in this RW dream/nightmare unfolding in every arena of raped reality. That includes peak oil, climate change, onrushing global changes. yes, they believe them all and, like 911, are ONLY planning to reap the consequences in the form of personal opportunities and protections. We have a long way to go to even begin getting at a just way of dealing with these destroyers.

[TomInTib]

5. Google "Blake Eskew"

And he is just one of them.

There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of people who were privy to this information.

[CitizenPatriot]

3. doesn't mccain have an ad out right now

mocking Obama for not "admitting" the surge worked? I've seen it here in Georgia.

that could SO come back on his ass. Ethnic cleanser McCain. Good one.

[ixion]

6. is it war crimes yet?

just askin. I mean, there are those who say we're not as bad as the Nazis because we haven't killed as many Iraqis. So what's the number? How many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have to die at the behest of our tax dollars before it becomes a war crime?

[Pete2069]

7. War Crimes are the policies of this administration.

Name one type of crime commented by Germany in 1920 - 1940's
in which this administration has not committed???

Bush--- the constitution is nothing but a G.. D... piece of
paper and he could do as he please..
Bush--- If this country was a dictatorship the county would be
easy to run,,, as long as he was the one.

Bush--- I am a War president (sound like 100 year war McCain).
Bush has destroy our constitution and turn our country into a
dictatorship and HE IS THE CHOSEN ONE>>

The "ONE" Bush and the republicans has chosen to
follow him ,, with his dictatorial powers is McSame.....

We can not take four more years , but it looks as if the
republican party are gearing up to steal another election....

[2CheeseEnchiladas]

8. Photo 18 and 19 WTF?!!?!

The image was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop® software.
<img src ="" </img>

[sudopod]

10. memes in MY DU?

It's moar likely than you think.

[keopeli]

14. I agree. From the looks of it, at least one of those pics is altered.

Compare the two pics. Their uniforms are identical - right down to the wrinkles!

The pictures supposedly came from the Army.

A benign reason could be that perhaps one of the soldiers was missing their picture on file at their home base in Georgia and a creative administrator made one of the fellow. It may be there is no malice in the fact, but it certainly appears that one of the two pictures is altered.

---

Welcome to DU!
Keo

[bananas]

18. Army Alters Photographs (of dead soldiers), Issues Them To AP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3500435

[quiet.american]

9. It's good to see this in the "mainstream." Why have 'Pubs been allowed to crow about surge success?

I've been wondering if Obama and Biden are just holding off in explaining the facts of life re: the surge to McCain and Palin, until the debates.

Add to this the fact that the U.S. has actually budgeted $150 million a year to pay off tribal chiefs and their fighters in Iraq not to attack us, and that's what "the surge is working" looks like.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. K&R

[Miss Chybil]

12. I wish more people would explain what is really happening over there.

I hate that it's all so political we can never get the truth. I think this article is a great start. It is Reuters. We'll see if anybody picks it up.

[superconnected]

13. So bush isn't just a mass murderer, he's helped in ethnic cleansings

and people don't believe satan exists...

[Zenlitened]

15. I miss the days when "ethnic cleansing"...

... had "quotes" around it when the phrase appeared in print.

:(

Orwell was a dewy-eyed optimist.

[OakCliffDem]

16. I take this to mean the reasons the Bush Administration gave for the drop in violence were incorrect

The military 'Surge' was not the real reason for the drop in violence and therefore cannot be characterized as a 'success'.

Or more bluntly, Bush lied (again). Bush lied and used the military for political gain. Bush and his whole cadre need to go to prison for a long time.

[Sick Of Their Lies]

17. Surge worked???

It sounds like the Sunni's drove out and killed anyone the US thought was a threat.
So the surge really was not needed except to show the world we can launch a large military action
just to show we can, Just like Vietnam. and as far as all the killing goes, It seems like Bush ordered and arranged the largest
killing of people since Hitler in Germany. Once again more proof that Bush=Hitler.
Look for Bush to do this here in the USA when he declares himself Dictator For Life after Obama wins the biggest landslide election ever.