KavkazCenter - U.S. war crimes in Iraq

U.S. war crimes in Iraq

America’s justification for invading Iraq(that Saddam Hussein is a dictator who committed hideous crimes against humanity and violated international law with his alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction and is thus poses a great threat to the world) seems ironic in light of the U.S. crimes and massacres since the occupation began in March 2003.

It's true Saddam Hussein is viewed by many of his population as a tyrant, dictator and may be a criminal; but the U.S. record in Iraq is even more disgraceful and inhuman if not downright criminal.

There are three sets of questions regarding possible U.S. war crimes in Iraq. First set of questions involves the legality of Iraq war in the first place according to international law. Shortly before the U.S. invaded Iraq on March 20 2003, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that the UN Charter is "very clear on the circumstances under which force can be used. If the U.S. and others were to go outside the Council and take military action, it would not be in conformity with the charter." He made it clear that attacking Iraq was "not in conformity with the UN Charter, from our point of view, and from the Charter part of view, it was illegal."

Second set of questions concerns the possible illegality of Iraq war and the U.S. Army’s behaviour there. Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called on holding accountable those guilty of violating international humanitarian rights laws-including deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, killing of injured persons "be they members of the Multinational Force or insurgents."

Weaponry used by the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq, including cluster bombs and depleted uranium, is in itself illegal.

Under Article 85 of the Geneva Conventions it is considered a crime launching "an indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population in the knowledge that such an attack will cause an excessive loss of life or injury to civilians."

Cluster bombs are described by the UN as "weapons of indiscriminate effects."

A reporter for the British daily The Mirror wrote from a hospital in Hillah, "Among the 168 patients I counted, not one was being treated for bullet wounds. All of them, men, women, children, bore the wounds of bomb shrapnel. It peppered their bodies. Blackened their skin. Smashed heads. Tore limbs. A doctor reported that 'All the injuries you see were caused by cluster bombs'...The majority of the victims were children who died because they were outside."

Third set of questions deals with sexually abusing and torturing detainees held in U.S. custody, the clearest U.S. violation of the rules of war.

Despite the appalling pictures that had been released by numerous media outlets depicting the horrific acts of the American guards at Abu Ghraib prison near the Iraqi capital, the issue remained unresolved and only few low-ranking soldiers were charged in the scandal.

Bottom line- America has some questions to answer regarding its actions, crimes to be precise, in Iraq, questions that absolutely won’t be answered by launching another aggression elsewhere in the Middle East.

Adapted from Introduction to “IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY: AMERICAN WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ AND BEYOND”