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That was one year ago
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CAIRO,
April 9 (IslamOnline.net) – Exactly one year ago, the toppling of
the famous statue of now-imprisoned Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
made the headlines and TV news coverage worldwide.
April
9, 2003 witnessed the fall of Baghdad to the U.S.-led occupation
forces, the ousting of Saddam along with the Iraqi Baathist regime in
what Washington dubbed “Iraq Freedom Operation”.
Friday,
April 9, 2004 witnessed U.S. occupation forces using a ladder to
remove posters of Shiite scholar Moqtada al-Sadr that were affixed to
a sculpture symbolizing a “new Iraq”, erected on the plinth where
Saddam's statue once stood in a Baghdad square.
The
same day this year also witnessed U.S.-led occupation forces met by a
revolution all through the occupied state, with Shiites and Sunnis
bridging gaps and unified, insisting to “expel the occupiers”.
World
media extensively covered the out-of-control situation all over Iraq,
with Qatar-based al-Jazeera dedicating most of its air time to live
coverage from Fallujah, where it exclusively airs some horrific scenes
of bombardment by U.S. F16 fighter jets and helicopters of
densely-populated residential areas in the western Baghdad town, seen
as the bastion of Iraqi resistance.
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Sadr posters marked new Iraq, U.S. soldiers removed them Friday, April 9, 2004. |
British
and U.S. papers also gave prominent coverage – with varying degrees
– to the situation in Iraq on the first anniversary of Baghdad fall.
Anti-war
Independent daily ran a heading entitled “Iraq, one year on” on
its front-page online edition, under which its Baghdad correspondent
Patrick Cockburn wrote: “Now Iraq is a country where people fear to
venture on to the streets. Whether you are a foreign contractor, a
Muslim attending prayers or a journalist, this is a land of
ever-present danger”.
Click
here for Cockburn’s Iraq anniversary story…
Rebert
Fisk, the famous anti-war Independent writer also weighed in, running
a strong article headed: “Iraqis do not want us”.
Fisk
started his article saying: “A war founded on illusions, lies and
right-wing ideology was bound to founder in blood and fire. Saddam had
weapons of mass destruction. He was in contact with al-Qaeda, he was
involved with the crimes against humanity of 11 September. The people
of Iraq would greet us with flowers and music. There would be a
democracy”.
The
Guardian also made Iraq its headline saying: “U.S. battles for
control of Iraq”, under which the paper gave a news-coverage of the
burning situation where clashes were reported almost everywhere across
Iraq.
Also,
the British daily ran an article entitled, “A coalition showing
signs of fracture”, in which it said: “To the dismay of U.S.
central command, Japanese and South Korean forces have retreated to
their compounds after coming under fire, while Ukrainian and Kazakh
forces have been driven out of the town of Kut by Shia (Shiite)
fighters.”
Click
here for the Guardian’s article…
U.S.
papers also weighed in giving Iraq prominent coverage, with the New
York Times saying – on its online edition front-page – (Fighting
Continues to rage across Iraq) and (Signs That Shiites and Sunnis Are
Joining to Battle Americans).
The
article focused on the growing cooperation between Iraqi Shiites and
Sunnis with a
common goal: Killing Americans.
The
same extent of coverage applied also to
the Washington Post, with a slight change of focus, as the tense
situation in Fallujah figured higher in its coverage.
The
Post also focused on U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell’s
assessment of the situation in Iraq as 'Disquieting'.
For
a deeper follow-up of the situation in Iraq, one year after falling to
the occupation forces, read the following…
U.S.
Ends ‘90-Minute’ Fallujah Offensive Suspension
Scholars
Condemn U.S. ‘Genocide’ In Iraq
U.S.
Facing 'Serious Problem' In Iraq: Rumsfeld
U.S.
Forces Fire At Aid Convoys To Fallujah
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Japanese Held In Iraq, Korean Pastors Freed
Shiites
Join Sunni Fighters In Al-Azamiya
