"No Great Way To Die"- But the Generals Love Napalm

[chlamor]

“No Great Way To Die” – But the Generals Love Napalm
Exchange With the BBC's Director of News

David Edwards, MEDIA LENS

By contrast, the journalist Dahr Jamail recently interviewed an Iraqi doctor from Fallujah who describes atrocities committed by US forces during their assault on that city last November. The doctor, now a refugee in Jordan and speaking on condition of anonymity, insists his testimony is backed up by video and photographic evidence. According to the doctor, during the second week of their attack US forces “announced that all the families to leave their homes and meet at an intersection in the street while carrying a white flag. They gave them 72 hours to leave and after that they would be considered an enemy. We documented this story with video - a family of 12, including a relative and his oldest child who was 7 years old. They heard this instruction, so they left with all their food and money they could carry, and white flags. When they reached the intersection where the families were accumulating, they heard someone shouting 'Now!' in English, and shooting started everywhere.”


Grisly Accounts - A Few Questions For The BBC

On 15th February, Media Lens contacted the BBC’s director of news, Helen Boaden, and asked whether the BBC was investigating these specific allegations of US atrocities. Her response came via a BBC spokesperson: “The conduct of coalition forces has been examined at length by BBC programmes, and if justified, that will continue to be the case.” (Email from BBC Press Office, 23 February, 2005) In a follow-up query sent on February 25, we asked which BBC programmes had addressed the conduct of “coalition” forces in Fallujah, including the above evidence of war crimes. Our email was ignored.

<snip>

We pressed Boaden to explain why the BBC news had devoted so little attention to these repeated allegations of US atrocities, or to the evidence of the use of banned weapons in Fallujah. Boaden responded:

Dear David Cromwell,

“At this briefing, we were given exactly the same information as the officers who were about to command the Marines in battle. We knew what they knew. There was incredibly sensitive information, such as the latest satellite imagery of the insurgents and the distilled ‘humint’ or human intelligence, such as it was, on the insurgents' movements and strength. We were, of course, covered by the rules of the embed, which were particularly strict about operational security. That meant I couldn't go on air with the battle plan before it started, or at any stage go into details about the exact rules of engagement. Total access also meant access on the ground, going out with individual patrols, hearing the orders as they were given out, seeing how they were implemented.”

<snip>

Media Lens then replied:
Your response does not support your earlier assertion that the BBC “had total access to the military operation, at all levels.” I note that you have, in fact, backed down from that claim given that you state that it means simply that Paul Wood “was never stopped from going into any meeting he asked to go into.” That is not at all the same thing. Also, Wood says that he “attended the eve of battle briefing for the battalion.” What evidence does he have that this was the only such briefing? Are you aware that US marines have, in fact, already admitted that they have used an upgraded version of napalm? (Andrew Buncombe, “US admits it used napalm bombs in Iraq,” The Independent on Sunday, 10 August, 2003). The upgraded weapon, which uses kerosene rather than petrol, was deployed when dozens of napalm bombs were dropped near bridges over the Saddam Canal and the Tigris River, south of Baghdad. As Andrew Buncombe reported in The Independent on Sunday: “We napalmed both those bridge approaches,” said Colonel James Alles, commander of Marine Air Group 11. “Unfortunately there were people there... you could see them in the cockpit video. They were Iraqi soldiers. It's no great way to die. The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect.”

<snip>

SUGGESTED ACTION

The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. When writing emails to journalists, we strongly urge readers to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.

Write to Helen Boaden, BBC news director:
Email: [e-mail]

Please also send all emails to us at Media Lens:
Email: [e-mail]

This is a free service. However, financial support is vital. Please consider giving less to the corporate media and donating more to Media Lens:

http://www.medialens.org/donate.html

Visit the Media Lens website: http://www.medialens.org


To See Entire Article/Exchange Go To:

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m10781