7 April 2003

Kia ora,

The information pack ‘Responding to Children and Young People’s Uncertainty in a Time of War’ by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is now available at http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/childrenAndWar.asp

Below are the links to Robert Fisk’s latest articles from Baghdad (2 April to 6 April); the links to the latest articles by John Pilger, George Monbiot and Mark Steel; and the text of two reports: ‘The toll of a war that has taken Allies to the gates of Baghdad’ and ‘Red Cross: Iraq Casualties Too High to Count’.

These links, as well as many others, will be uploaded to the Stop killing the people of Iraq index at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/iraqa.htm later today. The page is currently being updated every Monday and Thursday afternoon.

* The Battle of Baghdad: 'Ever so slowly, the suburbs were turned into battlefields', Robert Fisk 06 April 2003, is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=394486

* Saddam appears on TV ambling through streets, Robert Fisk, 5 April 2003 is at http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=394170

* Where were the panicking crowds? Where were the food queues? Where were the empty streets? Robert Fisk, 5 April 2003 is at http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=394169

* The ministry of mendacity strikes again, Robert Fisk, 4 April 2003 is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=393723

* Saddam's masters of concealment dig in, ready for battle, Robert Fisk, 3 April 2003 is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=393460

* Wailing children, the wounded, the dead: victims of the day cluster bombs rained on Babylon, Robert Fisk, 3 April 2003 is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=393458

* We see too much. We know too much. That's our best defence, John Pilger, 6 April 2003 is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=394406

* It will end in disaster - The US and British governments have dragged us into a mess that will last for years, George Monbiot, 1 April 2003 is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,926820,00.html

* The minute it's made up, you'll hear about it ... Ah yes, that chemical weapons factory that turned out to be an all-night petrol garage, Mark Steel, 3 April 2003 is at http://argument.independent.co.uk/regular_columnists/mark_steel/story.jsp?story=393414

And in a war that has produced an absurd amount of stranger than fiction moments ... see Tony’s Blair’s latest plan to justify his government’s involvement in the invasion - ‘Troops to hand out leaflets explaining Blair's plan for Iraq’, Ben Russell, 5 April 2003 which is at http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=394153

The toll of a war that has taken Allies to the gates of Baghdad

5 April 2003

130,000 British and American troops are in action in Iraq from a total force of 250,000 in the Gulf. The Allies have launched 725 Tomahawk cruise missiles, flown 18,000 sorties, dropped 50 cluster bombs and discharged 12,000 precision-guided munitions. There have been an estimated 1,252 Iraqi civilian deaths, 57 Kurdish deaths and 5,103 civilian injuries. 88 Allied troops have been killed in the conflict, 27 of whom are British. At least 12 Allied soldiers are missing, 34 Allied soldiers have been killed in 'friendly fire' incidents or battlefield accidents. 9 journalists have been killed or are unaccounted for. There have been 2 suicide attacks on US troops, killing 7 soldiers. 8,023 Iraqi combatants have been taken prisoner of war. So far, 0 weapons of mass destruction have been found. 1,500,000 people in southern Iraq have no access to clean water. 200,000 children in southern Iraq are at risk of death from diarrhoea. 17,000,000 Iraqis are reliant on food aid, which has now been stopped. 600 oil wells and refineries are now under British and American control. 80bn dollars has been set aside by US Congress to meet the cost of war. A capital city of 5,000,000 people now stands between the Allied forces and their 1 objective: the removal of Saddam Hussein.

© 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://argument.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/story.jsp?story=394172

Red Cross: Iraq Casualties Too High to Count 6 April 2003

Geneva - The number of casualties in Baghdad is so high that hospitals have stopped counting the number of people treated, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday.

"No one is able to keep accurate statistics of the admitted and transferred war wounded any longer as one emergency arrival follows the other in the hospitals of Baghdad," the ICRC said in a statement.

"Ambulances are picking up the wounded and running them to the triage areas and on to hospitals," it said. "Some of the wounded try to reach the nearest hospitals by foot."

The neutral Swiss-run organization - the main aid agency left in Iraq - gave no estimates on the number of deaths and did not confirm U.S. Central Command estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 Iraqi fighters were killed in Saturday's foray into Baghdad by American armored vehicles.

"All of the hospitals are under pressure and the medical staff is working without respite," said the ICRC statement. "Despite the intense and desperate activity, hospital staff is still managing the situation."

But it said that hospitals urgently needed more water supplies. Given the general power outage in Baghdad, most hospitals and water installations are now being powered by backup generators. It said it was getting many requests for service kits, spare parts and repairs for water plants.

The ICRC said that Red Cross delegates who reached the southern city of Basra reported that the medical situation was generally under control and that there were no signs of epidemics. But it said it feared the worst for other hospitals outside Baghdad and Basra.

© 2003 The Associated Press

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0406-02.htm

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