Residents of Basra have begun telling stories of militia massacres
Mom says one son was killed for drinking alcohol, two others slain for their car
Authorities: Man admits to killed 15 girls, including one 9 year old
Dad in park says, "It's the first time that we have dared to come here in two years"
By Arwa Damon
CNN
BASRA, Iraq (CNN) -- The man, blindfolded and handcuffed, crouches in the corner of the detention center while an Iraqi soldier grills him about rampant crimes being carried out by gangs in the southern city of Basra.
"How many girls did you kill and rape?" the soldier asks.
"I raped one, sir," the man responds.
"What was her name?"
"Ahlam," he says.
Ahlam was a university student in the predominantly Shiite city of Basra. The detainee said the gang he was in kidnapped her as she was leaving the university, heading home.
"They forced me, and I killed her with a machine gun, sir," he says.
The suspect, who is unshaven and appears to be in his 20s or 30s, was arrested by Iraq security forces after they retook most of Basra in April.
CNN was shown what authorities say was his first confession. On it are the names of 15 girls whom he admitted kidnapping, raping and killing. The youngest girl on the list was just 9 years old.
Basra turned into a battleground between warring Shiite factions vying for control of the country's oil-rich south after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Basra's streets teemed with Shiite militias armed with weapons, mostly from Iran, according to the Iraqi forces and the U.S. military. Watch a mom describe her three sons killed »
For four years after the invasion, Basra was under the control of British forces, but they were unable to contain the violence and withdrew in September last year.
Women bore the brunt of the militias' extremist ideologies. The militants spray-painted threats on walls across Basra, warning women to wear headscarves and not to wear make-up. Women were sometimes executed for the vague charge of doing something "un-Islamic."
In the wasteland on the outskirts of Basra, dotted with rundown homes, the stench of death mixes with the sewage. Local residents told the Iraqi Army that executions often take place in the area, particularly for women, sometimes killed for something as seemingly inocuous as wearing jeans.
Militias implemented their own laws with abandon, threatening stores for displaying mannequins with bare shoulders or for selling Western music. Many store owners are still too frightened to speak publicly.
But the horrors of militia rule are now surfacing as some residents begin to feel more comfortable speaking out.
Inside her rundown home, Sabriya's watery eyes peer out from under her robe. She points to the first photo of one of her sons on the wall.
"This one was killed because he was drinking," she says.
She draws her finger across her neck and gestures at the next photo.
"This one was slaughtered for his car."
"This one the same," she adds, looking at the third.
Her three sons, her daughter and her sister were all killed by the hard-line militia. Her sister was slaughtered because she was a single woman living alone, Sabriya says.
"They came in at night and put a pillow on her face and shot her in the head," she says.
Sabriya lives on what was once dubbed "murder street" for the daily killings that happened there last year.
On the day CNN visited, dozens of young men sat where there used to be piles of bodies. Sheik Maktouf al-Maraiyani shudders at the memory.
"Every day, we would find 10 or 15 of our men killed," he says, adding sorrowfully "one of them was my son." His son was 25 years old.
Now, "murder street" is part of a citywide effort to get Basra back on its feet. In a project funded by U.S. forces, Sheikh Maktouf and others are being paid $20 a day and upwards to clean up trash. Watch the transformation of 'murder street' »
Basra may be part of the country's oil rich south, but it wallows in its own sewage and trash. The stench of filth is impossible to escape. The effort also helps with the massive unemployment plaguing the city.
British forces officially handed over responsibility of Basra to Iraqi forces in December.
"The situation was so bad because the security forces were controlled by the militias," says Brig. Gen. Aziz al-Swady, who commands the 14th Iraq Army Divison.
To help curb the violence, British troops have returned to the city, adopting the U.S. approach of embedding with Iraqi units as advisers. The Iraqi prime minister also has flooded the city with additional troops, bringing in soldiers from western Iraq along with their American advisers.
"Now the citizens have started to trust the Iraqi security forces," said al-Swady.
The biggest difference is that residents are starting to leave their homes -- something unthinkable just a few months ago. At one of the parks in the city this past weekend, a father named Al'aa was out with his three young children and his wife.
"It's the first time that we have dared to come here in two years," he said.
The park was once often used for executions.
Everyone, residents and soldiers alike, knows the battle for Basra is not over. Militias still lurk in the shadows, and the security gains may not last without economic gains.
"The most important thing, our government must focus on finding jobs, different jobs for these people," says Maj. Gen. Tariq al-Azawi.
You never complained about what the Catholic IRA did because it never affected YOU, as a catholic or a person. You shrugged all responsibility for standing against horror, even simply to condem what they did witha few words. It was someone elses problem. You, were safe, happy free from fear and whilst, not oblivious to what was happening, chose to do nothing.
Occupation: The term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Iraq 2003-2005 Liberation:when something or someone is freed: Operation Telic 2003
You never complained about what the Catholic IRA did because it never affected YOU, as a catholic or a person. You shrugged all responsibility for standing against horror, even simply to condem what they did witha few words. It was someone elses problem. You, were safe, happy free from fear and whilst, not oblivious to what was happening, chose to do nothing.
I was in like 6th grade when Clinton left office, and second grade when my teacher was almost killed by an IRA bombing, while I certianly did condemn the IRA, I doubt CNN would have had an 11 year old me on to condemn their atrocities on behalf of all peoples of Irish Catholic ancestry.
I suppose I should have said that people did not assume that I supported the IRA's atrocities simply because of my family ancestry, however it seems that many people, here at least, do assume that all Muslims are acting as some single mass that all support violent groups.
Were you ever deployed to Northern Ireland?
EDIT:The larger point being that while the prejudice aghinst Muslims may not be fair, it is something they need to do a better job opposing, for their sake.
I havnt watched Al Jazerah for a while. When I did it seemed reasonably balanced and reporting similar things to the BBC.
Has it changed message lately to support a veiw that Coalition occupation-aggressor forces are killing a thousand babies a day and the Iraqi "resistance" is simply fighting these evil kuffar?
Many posters will be aware of the left-wing, anti-bush, anti-war site Iraqbodycount.
It's front page has 100point Bold Font saying " a list of the deaths caused by the american war in Iraq"
It then goes on to detail thousands of deaths of muslims by muslims in Iraq and the majority of them innocents. Evry so often there will be a entry of an american-caused fatality of a civilian. It then focuses on this incident and indites the Americans as having culpability for the death squads and Al Quada in the land of the two rivers work.
Check it out truemuslim.Who is doing the killing there. It started as a way of bashing america and has ended up simply shooting its own foot.
Occupation: The term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Iraq 2003-2005 Liberation:when something or someone is freed: Operation Telic 2003
I havnt watched Al Jazerah for a while. When I did it seemed reasonably balanced and reporting similar things to the BBC.
Has it changed message lately to support a veiw that Coalition occupation-aggressor forces are killing a thousand babies a day and the Iraqi "resistance" is simply fighting these evil kuffar?
Many posters will be aware of the left-wing, anti-bush, anti-war site Iraqbodycount.
It's front page has 100point Bold Font saying " a list of the deaths caused by the american war in Iraq"
It then goes on to detail thousands of deaths of muslims by muslims in Iraq and the majority of them innocents. Evry so often there will be a entry of an american-caused fatality of a civilian. It then focuses on this incident and indites the Americans as having culpability for the death squads and Al Quada in the land of the two rivers work.
Check it out truemuslim.Who is doing the killing there. It started as a way of bashing america and has ended up simply shooting its own foot.
well cmon we ALL know that the fight between themselves is because they didn't know bush was contagious!!
...
ok ok fine am juss messin .
wait no im not ,
bush spreads stupidness which became spread around "normal" iraqi's so they became stupid by the stupidness that bush started....makes sense to me..
ur a dino anyway, u only kno letters and colors! To tick off!!
oh btw u do kno that the lil fight they havin in iraq is between shi'a and sunnah which is absolutly retarded! They think thats islam...they just abuse islam tho.
im guessin its the shi'a that started it anyway........shi'as on LI plz dont jump at me.
(yes i do mess around then make my post serious at the end )
well cmon we ALL know that the fight between themselves is because they didn't know bush was contagious!!
...
ok ok fine am juss messin .
wait no im not ,
bush spreads stupidness which became spread around "normal" iraqi's so they became stupid by the stupidness that bush started....makes sense to me..
ur a dino anyway, u only kno letters and colors! To tick off!!
oh btw u do kno that the lil fight they havin in iraq is between shi'a and sunnah which is absolutly retarded! They think thats islam...they just abuse islam tho.
im guessin its the shi'a that started it anyway........shi'as on LI plz dont jump at me.
(yes i do mess around then make my post serious at the end )
Actually the killing was going on long before Bush. I remember visiting family in Anah as a child. The way they would treat and talk to Shiites was disgraceful. Iraq was never peaceful it just wasn't in the public eye. There's a reason why so many people (including) my parents left Iraq.
I struggle to think of a nation that hasnt gone through this at some point in order to find peace.
UK France USA Russia Germany, very few nations seem to be able to just veiw their fellow humans with any sense of humaity. It seems to take some sort of vast and traumatic blood letting in order to accept a very simple fact. Civil war and division.
And as the US and the coalition have found, you cant teach humanity.
The strange thing is that Iraq is one of the oldest populated area of land in the world. From the Hyksos to the Skythians, from the Ottomans to Saddam, how many times must they be shown?
Last edited by barney; 05-22-2008 at 07:31 PM.
Occupation: The term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Iraq 2003-2005 Liberation:when something or someone is freed: Operation Telic 2003
I struggle to think of a nation that hasnt gone through this at some point in order to find peace.
UK France USA Russia Germany, very few nations seem to be able to just veiw their fellow humans with any sense of humaity. It seems to take some sort of vast and traumatic blood letting in order to accept a very simple fact. And as the US and the coalition have found, you cant teach humanity.
The strange thing is that Iraq is one of the oldest populated area of land in the world. From the Hyksos to the Skythians, from the Ottomans to Saddam, how many times must they be shown?
Well depends on the criteria. Are you talking about an insurgency during an occupation? If so you can look at Japan. Their transition was peaceful after WWII.
This is ever disturbing and disgusting to say the least. Fellow Muslims killing other Muslims so discriminatorily. It can’t get any uglier than that.
Don't make too much out of this... it's the primal nature of man. I'm actually more ticked off that the title "Iraqi" was used to profile the story because this is exactly what happened after Katrina and Rita wiped out New Orleans. When you take away human dignity and leave them with no food, no water, no electricity and what have you, society degrades and the primal instinct to survive kicks into gear. It's a "human" condition, not an Iraqi one.
Don't make too much out of this... it's the primal nature of man. I'm actually more ticked off that the title "Iraqi" was used to profile the story because this is exactly what happened after Katrina and Rita wiped out New Orleans. When you take away human dignity and leave them with no food, no water, no electricity and what have you, society degrades and the primal instinct to survive kicks into gear. It's a "human" condition, not an Iraqi one.
The Ninth Scribe
Ummm no it wasn't. There was not rapant murder and rape. They even admitted all those early reports were way off. The news agencies took a big black eye because of it.
Don't make too much out of this... it's the primal nature of man. I'm actually more ticked off that the title "Iraqi" was used to profile the story because this is exactly what happened after Katrina and Rita wiped out New Orleans. When you take away human dignity and leave them with no food, no water, no electricity and what have you, society degrades and the primal instinct to survive kicks into gear. It's a "human" condition, not an Iraqi one.
The Ninth Scribe
What are you talking about? They are fighting with RPG's and automatic weapons. Do you think they made them themselves out of mud and dung? Who said Basra has no food, water and elelctricity? These are rival militias vying for political power, it's not Lord of the Flies on the Euprates Delta.
This isn't even Sunni v Shia. These are Shia fighting among themselves for future political influence, oil money or austere religious edicts. A better analogy would be Chicago 1920's gangland warfare without the vernier of civility.
What are you talking about? They are fighting with RPG's and automatic weapons. Do you think they made them themselves out of mud and dung? Who said Basra has no food, water and elelctricity? These are rival militias vying for political power, it's not Lord of the Flies on the Euprates Delta.
This isn't even Sunni v Shia. These are Shia fighting among themselves for future political influence, oil money or austere religious edicts. A better analogy would be Chicago 1920's gangland warfare without the vernier of civility.
That country is NOT stable and neither is it's future. Everyone has different ideas about what will bring them stability, hence all the in-fighting. And no one in Iraq is living a life of luxury - not even in the Green Zone! It is not status quo or normal - in TRUTH people are dying there, starving there and crying there on a daily basis. Today there is yet another blow-out between U.S. military and Iraqis over yet another air-strike gone bad! The only people who trivialize their situation are the ones who live far away from it... like you!
Also, the Shia vs Sunni and Shia vs Shia should be more clarified. It is Maliki against any group that doesn't like Maliki... and he has the United States to enforce that while the United States enforces him. No one has the right to disagree with him or they're thrown out of the cabinet and will be named an enemy of the state. The only reason al Sadr is behaving himself is because he saw what would happen to his people in Sadr city if he didn't. And seeing is believing!
The Ninth Scribe
Last edited by Ninth_Scribe; 05-23-2008 at 03:43 PM.
Ummm no it wasn't. There was not rapant murder and rape. They even admitted all those early reports were way off. The news agencies took a big black eye because of it.
Um... yes there was! Even my worst enemies (who LIVED there at the time) had reported directly to me exactly what was happening. There were no police to call for help and there was no court to process complaints - it's was a social nightmare! Also, the billions in aid never even reached the people because the government fudged the accounting so they could pocket the difference. Unless you're saying those trailers that were "donated" really did cost them $250,000.00 each? In which case I have a bridge for sale! Those people have relocated but they got NOTHING from the government! Most of the fall-out now is from contractor fraud (my is that the pot calling the kettle black). The government wants it's money back so, in the end, they didn't pay for diddly while they take no responsibility for their own engineering failures! The levee that failed just failed again AFTER the repairs the government (not private contractors) supposedly made. There's 22 million dollars of our tax money well spent!
Um... yes there was! Even my worst enemies (who LIVED there at the time) had reported directly to me exactly what was happening. There were no police to call for help and there was no court to process complaints - it's was a social nightmare! Also, the billions in aid never even reached the people because the government fudged the accounting so they could pocket the difference. Unless you're saying those trailers that were "donated" really did cost them $250,000.00 each? In which case I have a bridge for sale! Those people have relocated but they got NOTHING from the government! Most of the fall-out now is from contractor fraud (my is that the pot calling the kettle black). The government wants it's money back so, in the end, they didn't pay for diddly while they take no responsibility for their own engineering failures! The levee that failed just failed again AFTER the repairs the government (not private contractors) supposedly made. There's 22 million dollars of our tax money well spent!
Once again, people just don't pay attention while others trivialize their plight.
The Ninth Scribe
How about a source from the people actually there?
Many journalists also contributed to the spread of false rumors of lawlessness among the victims, which many have interpreted as an instance of yellow journalism. Many news organizations carried the unsubstantiated accounts that murder and rape were widespread, and in some cases later repeated the claims as fact, without attribution. However, only one actual report of a raping occurred during the uproar. A few of the reports of rape and violence were based on statements made by New Orleans city officials, including the Chief of Police. Many officials later claimed these rumors often impeded the relief and rescue efforts.
Izyan, you of all people should know there are two sides to every story. I think where you and I differ is that I don't choose sides so quickly. I like to have both sides - and that's how I find that thing called truth somewhere in between. The statement you posted is politically predictable - no specific names or events are given, no one takes a direct hit, so the author doesn't even have to worry about getting sued by anyone. At any rate, the poor are the poor. No one listens to them so they don't bother speaking and it's that mentality that concerns me because it was that mentality that enabled priests to abuse thousands of kids because... who will ever believe them over the word of a priest? Likewise, my own enemies were right when they said no one cared about what happens to them or any of the others there. They were all left to fend for themselves and the ones who did accept "help" are paying for it now.
But times are changing fast though, my friend. Anyone can make statements when they don't have to take any responsibility for them and the one you posted is just like that. It proves nothing, it changed nothing and, in my book, it's innuendo until it does.
The Ninth Scribe
Last edited by Ninth_Scribe; 05-23-2008 at 04:49 PM.
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