Waiting, they may release her husband

By Samir Haddad, IOL Baghdad Correspondent

BAGHDAD, January 10 (IslamOnline.net & news agencies) – Queues of women, children and old people have amassed in front of Abu Gharib concentration camp, to the west of Baghdad, hoping for the release of their detained relatives, following the U.S. governor in Iraq Paul Bremer’s statement Thursday January 8, on releasing 500 detainees out of 9300 taken prisoners by the U.S. occupation troops recently.

“I and my four children have been waiting for the release of my husband for five months,” Muntaha Khalaf recalled her tragedy, in front of the concentration camp, following the arrest of her husband by the U.S. troops.

“The U.S. soldiers broke into our house in August 2003, accused him of robbery and arrested him. Since then, I have met him only once, following which we knew nothing about him,” the Belgium Le Soir correspondent quoted Muntaha as saying in a report published Friday, January 9.

“The only time I met my husband, he was crying severely and has lost much weight,” she added.

Mohamed Saadon, for his part, has promised to join the Iraqi resistance movements in case occupation troops do not release his brother.

“They broke into our house at a very late hour at night and detained my brother. I have been looking for him for months. When the U.S. troops occupied Iraq, they promised to be just; yet, nothing has changed,” Saadon told the Belgian newspaper.

“No one respects the Iraqi people. I wish that my brother is among the released. If not, I’ll join the resistance,” he bitterly resumed.

“I wait for the release of my father Faisal Mohamed, 58, who has been arrested since November 16, 2003,” Maitham Faisal Mohamed El-Ezzawi, who kept waiting for long hours in front of Abu Gharib prison, told IslamOnline.net.

“At 12 midnight, several U.S. occupation troops attacked our house, handcuffed my brothers, the youngest of whom is 12, and messed with everything around them,” El-Azzawi added.

“The behavior of U.S. soldiers is acceptable. They handcuffed my sick father and left him kneeling for three whole hours. My mother tried to beg the U.S. soldier to leave her husband alone but he kicked her,” he resumed.

El-Azzawi reiterated that the search process continued for four hours. The soldiers found nothing but a small pistol and an old rifle owned by his grandfather.

He accused the occupation forces of stealing about 11 million Iraqi Dinars while searching.

El-Azzawi said that he does not know the whereabouts of his father. He left his job a month ago to be able to look for him in all prisons around Baghdad.

Detaining A Boy

Iraqis before Abu Gharib detention camp, so much for promises of ‘freedom’

“The U.S. troops arrested my father and five brothers along with myself. I and a brother of mine were released leaving my father, 50, and three of my brothers under arrest,” Raad Ghanem, 15, said, emphasizing that the occupation soldiers arrest the inhabitants of any house they break into.

“They besieged our house in Al-Ressala district, then broke into it at dawn. Although they found no weapons, they arrested us,” Raad told IslamOnline.net.

Raad said that he visited his father and brothers only once in six months, when a mate of their father told them they are in Umm Qasr prison to the south of Baghdad.

Bribes For Release

The young boy said that the occupation soldiers receive bribes from Iraqi families to release their relatives.

“Six people have been arrested with my father and brothers. They had enough weapons to be arrested. Yet, they bribed the U.S. official who set them free the following day,” the boy said.

“The promises of the U.S. governor in Iraq Paul Bremer to release Iraqi detainees will not stop the attacks against the U.S. troops. The Iraqi resistance members have an agenda which they apply,” Ghost Heltzmann, the Middle East regional manager of International Crises Squad Foundation, based in Brussels, said.

“The resistance elements will not relinquish their weapons for the sake of promises of releasing the detainees. Most detainees have nothing to do with resistance,” Heltzmann told Le Soir newspaper.

Such releases, however, may reduce the people’s support to the resistance, according to Heltzmann.