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My
first meeting with Wadah Khanfar, an Al Jazeera news network
correspondent, and his colleague took place exactly 10 days
before the beginning of the war.
Wadah:
What do you think of the war?
I
replied: I think Saddam will eventually withdraw if he
thinks that the US administration is serious about targeting
him. He may sign a deal or relinquish power and run for his
life.
Wadah:
That’s contrary to all expectations. We came to cover the war.
**:
Saddam will remain obstinate till the end, but he’ll
eventually concede to everything. Didn’t he say that he would
not withdraw from Kuwait unless Israel withdrew from Palestine
and Syria withdrew from Lebanon? He even told Iraqis that if
they heard that a withdrawal had been ordered, they should know
that it was not on his order. Nonetheless, he withdrew. He said
that he would not allow the inspectors into Iraq but eventually
did. When dealing with a weaker opponent, he never compromises;
however, when he deals with a stronger opponent, he
procrastinates until all doors close on him; then, he throws in
the towel.
Wadah:
So do you think the war won’t take place?
**:
Not necessarily. But if a war breaks out, I don’t think that
he’ll persevere.
Wadah:
How long do you think he’ll hold out?
**:
The army might not resist longer than a month.
Wadah:
But most Muslims and Arabs think the resistance will last
longer.
**:
That’s because they do not live in Iraq. There’s a huge
difference between the views of those who live here and those
who monitor the situation from afar.
Wadah:
Why?
**:
It’s not because the Iraqi army is weak or ill-equipped;
it’s because when death stares the troops in the eye,
they’ll ask themselves “Who are we fighting for? Are we
defending the regime? Does the regime deserve the ultimate
sacrifice?” These questions will lead the troops to a state of
confusion, which won’t help the Iraqi army.
On
this note our conversation ended, and I said goodbye to my
friends and returned to Arbil in the hope of meeting them there
later.
Seeing
the Iraqis’ strong resistance in the South a few days after
the war started, my friends asked:
Is
this not steadfastness?
I
said: Yes, by Allah it is. This is surprising; I did not expect
such resistance from the Iraqi army although I have an opinion
that you might not share with me.
Waddah:
What is it?
**:
I think that those fighting in the South are Arab volunteers
seeking martyrdom. They are fighting for the sake of Allah,
seeking to please Him, not Saddam, who means nothing to them. As
for the Iraqi troops, they cannot keep Saddam out of the
picture; and when they think of him, they see him unworthy of
their ultimate sacrifice. That’s the Iraqi Army’s
Achilles’ heel.
Reality
Misrepresented
I
have spent much time in discussion with several journalists.
What puzzles me is the stark difference between the events I
witnessed and the media’s version of these events. When a
local person - like myself - who is familiar with the region,
its people and political reality compares the events he
witnessed with those reported by the foreign media from a
Western perspective, he would notice the difference and
undoubtedly believe what he had seen with his own eyes.
Sometimes the extent of the media’s distortions was such that
I thought I was seeing reports of events other than those I had
witnessed. Examples of these distortions include inaccurate
reporting of the number of people killed or injured, biased
coverage of confrontations, errors in the names of individuals,
groups and parties, and generalizations or sweeping statements
that associated isolated cases with a certain community, ethnic
group, or an entire nation.
Targeting
Ansar Al-Islam
Wadah
wanted to visit the base of Ansar Al-Islam in order to do a
story on the group, which drew international attention for the
following reasons:
-
Suspicions
were raised about this group - which espoused armed struggle
and carried out military operations - and its links with Al
Qaeda, which is accused by the United States of
fundamentalism and international terrorism. Ansar Al-Islam
has also declared war against Kurdish Authority officials,
whom it perceives to be disbelievers.
-
Fighting
“terrorism” was a key objective cited by the US
administration in the war against Iraq, and Ansar Al-Islam
was viewed as a terrorist organization and was targeted as
such.
Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials directed Wadah to the
headquarters of Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah, which offered to
assist him in reaching Ansar Al-Islam’s base. Contact was
made, but Wadah’s request for an interview with Ansar Al-Islam
was denied. Facing an impending war, they may have had more
important issues to deal with than media coverage.
Thus,
Wadah’s assignment was limited to Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah
and its leader, Ali Babir. Wadah spent a few days there working
on his report, which was broadcast on Al Jazeera TV six days
before US missiles hit Al-Jama’ah Islamiyah’s bases.
I
was not with Wadah while he was preparing his report, but I
accompanied him on the day of the missiles strike when we went
to photograph the scene - details of which will, InshaAllah
(by the will of Allah), be covered in a future entry.
Personal
Observations
As
an observer of events on the Kurdish scene in general and of
Islamic groups in particular, I wish to raise a few questions on
the practicality of some of the actions taken - questions that
are in no way intended to denounce or condemn any group.
Was
it appropriate for Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah to display its
armed troops in a way that suggested that they were adequately
armed and prepared to defend themselves against a US attack?
Sheikh Ali Babir, the group’s amir (leader), is
reported to have said that the group would not attack US troops
but would use all means available to defend itself if attacked.
Was
it not in the group’s best interest to downplay its military
force, which was incomparable with that of the US troops, as
opposed to showing it off?
Did
Saddam not make a deadly mistake by displaying his might and
challenging the surrounding countries, as well as Israel,
Britain and the United States of America? Did his problems not
start when he openly stated that he would burn half of Israel
(the half not populated by Palestinians)? Did his actions not
lead to the increased protection of Israel, the destruction of
Iraq and the calamity that befell the Iraqi people?
The
Al Jazeera correspondent who filed the report cannot be blamed
for what happened to the group as he simply did his job. In my
opinion, the group made a mistake when they displayed their
might at an inappropriate time and did not take the precautions
required to protect themselves against possible US attacks.
At
a press conference a few hours before the bombardment of the
group’s base, Colin Powell stated that “terrorists’
hideouts” would be the next target of the US forces. Did
military prudence not call for the evacuation of the group’s
base, which consisted of residential buildings close to Ansar
Al-Islam’s base.
The
number of casualties from Ansar Al-Islam, which was the target
of the bombardment, was much less than that of Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah
because the former group evacuated its base.
On
several occasions, we asked PUK officials for the reason behind
the US attack on the Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah’s base. They
responded that they had informed the group that Ansar
Al-Islam’s base would be targeted and that Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah
should be cautious as its base was too close to that of Ansar
Al-Islam. But officials from Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah denied
this, saying that they had requested that their base be
relocated but they did not have enough time before the bombing
started. At a meeting with Ali Babir, he stated that he did
receive a letter from Jalal Talibani to this effect, but the
letter did not specify when the bombing would occur.
After
the bombardment, Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah reached an agreement
with the PUK whereby Al-Jama’ah Islamiyah’s troops would
withdraw from their base and redeploy in the Bashdar areas in
Rania to open the way for coalition forces and PUK troops to
advance towards Ansar Al-Islam’s base. According to the
agreement, Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamyiah would send their families
and injured troops across the Iranian borders; however, Iranian
authorities denied them entry and many of the injured died at
the border.
When
Wadah entered Kurdistan, the Al Jazeera management feared that
the Iraqi authorities’ knowledge of the presence of its
correspondent in Kurdistan would jeopardize its other
correspondents in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra. Therefore, for more
than a week, Wadah’s Kurdistan interviews and reports were
broadcast without displaying his photo or Al Jazeera’s logo,
and reports on Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyah were aired by Tayseer
Alooni from Al Jazeera’s studio in Doha. However, this changed
as of March 20th, when Al Jazeera broadcast its first report on
the confrontation line in Aski Kilk between Arbil and Mosul;
this report was followed by another from the Ibrahim Al-Khalil
outpost on the Iraqi-Turkish border, where an Al Jazeera
correspondent monitored the situation to report on the possible
entry of Turkish troops into northern Iraq.
A
Nation Falls Victim to International Tug-of-War
On
Tuseday afternoon, March 18th, I met Wadah, who had just arrived
from As-Sulaimaniyah, at the Jawarjra Hotel in Arbil and headed
to the Arbil Tower Hotel, which served as a center for news
coverage from northern Iraq. The city appeared ghost-like as
most of its population, fearing Iraqi bombardment of major
cities, had left, heading for the mountains or small villages.
Most people residing in As-Sulaimaniyah, Dahuk as well as areas
along the confrontation lines also deserted their homes. It was
sad to see shops and businesses closed.
Wadah
asked: Why are the streets deserted?
I
answered: The people have left the city.
Wadah:
Why?
**:
For fear of bombs and the impending war.
Wadah:
Can this be possible? The Iraqi Army is in a position of
defense, and it is unreasonable to expect Iraqi forces to
advance. On the other hand, the Iraqi army will not target
cities but the occupying forces.
**:
You cannot apply reason in times of war.
Wadah:
This is strange.
**:
Yes! It is, but you cannot blame the people for running away.
They have been victims to an international tug-of-war for so
long, and the inherent fear in the psyche of the Kurdish people
makes them run from death in search of life.
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