More Reports of U.S. War Crimes in Najaf as Major Assault Looms

[Nambe]

The NewStandard

As US-led forces reportedly prepared to launch a major assault against members of Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Mehdi militia in Najaf, the city’s top health official, Falah Al-Mahani, said Wednesday that deteriorating security conditions were causing "a real catastrophe" for local health services. Al- Mahani’s statements and the reported comments of other medical officials in Najaf suggest that forces on both sides may be committing war crimes in the embattled city.

"Ambulances are prevented from reaching the injured people by the clashing parties," Al-Mahani told the Associated Press. "Our staff are not able to reach their hospitals. We are paralyzed."

Al-Mahani also said that the fighting has wounded 18 members of his own staff, the AP reports. He put the total civilian casualty figures in Najaf at 25 killed and 146 wounded as of Tuesday night.

The Christian Science Monitor reported last week that doctors at Najaf’s Al-Hakim hospital said US-led forces had taken over the city’s best-equipped hospital, turning it into a base of operations and making it off limits to civilians. The use of civilian hospitals for combat operations and the prevention of civilian access to emergency facilities are both strictly forbidden by the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which the United States is a signatory. ..

Bushista Thug * * Kendra D-Ore
The Last Four Years in a Nutshell

[bluestateguy]

1. What is that picture of in your sig line?

Do explain if you can.

[Nambe]

2. That is from dimson's Beaverton, Or rally.

The bush supporter on the left didn't like what Kendra (from Eugene) was saying about bush. The rest of the story is hear-say, but Kendra was escorted from the scene. I know Kendra and there may be legal follow-ups, but it's a pretty good story. If you know martial arts self defense, you will recognise Kendra's grip.

[teryang]

3. And if you know martial arts, the countermove

is to pivot to the right, slamming the right palm or forearm into the triceps area of the attacker forcing them to the ground with a very painful elbow lock. If you hit it hard enough, the elbow joint will come apart with permanent damage.

[recon54]

4. Wow

That picture chillingly encapsulates some features of the current political landscape. Is a larger version available online?

[Rose Siding]

5. No wonder they bannished the media

Closing a civilian hospital in the middle of a war zone alone, without Abu Ghraib, without Guantanamo, should be enough grounds to bring the cabal to justice. We sure turned out to be a lousy super power.