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US troops starve Iraqi citizens

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Scholarly Pursuits
Forum Name: Current Affairs
Forum Discription: Debates on topical, current World politics
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6280
Printed Date: 28-Mar-2024 at 12:58
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Topic: US troops starve Iraqi citizens
Posted By: Anushirvan
Subject: US troops starve Iraqi citizens
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 20:09
US troops 'starve Iraqi citizens'
Jean Ziegler
Ziegler: "Flagrant violation of international law"
A senior United Nations official has accused US-led coalition troops of depriving Iraqi civilians of food and water in breach of humanitarian law.

Human rights investigator Jean Ziegler said they had driven people out of insurgent strongholds that were about to be attacked by cutting supplies.

Mr Ziegler, a Swiss-born sociologist, said such tactics were in breach of international law.

A US military spokesman in Baghdad denied the allegations.

"A drama is taking place in total silence in Iraq, where the coalition's occupying forces are using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population," Mr Ziegler told a press conference in Geneva.

He said coalition forces were using "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare."

"This is a flagrant violation of international law," he added.

'False allegations'

Mr Ziegler said he understood the "military rationale" when confronting insurgents who do not respect "any law of war".

But he insisted that civilians who could not leave besieged cities and towns for whatever reason should not suffer as a result of this strategy.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, a US military spokesman, later rejected the accusations.

"Any allegations of us withholding basic needs from the Iraqi people are false," he said.

Even though some supplies had been delayed during fighting, he argued that "all precautions" were being taken to take care of civilians.

"It does not do relief supplies any good if you have them going into a firefight," he said.

The Geneva Conventions forbid depriving civilians of food and water.

Cutting off food supply lines and destroying food stocks is also forbidden.

Mr Ziegler, who opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, said he would urge the UN General Assembly to condemn this practice when he presented his yearly report on 27 October.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4344136.stm - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4344136.stm

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Iranian and Proud



Replies:
Posted By: ArmenianSurvival
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 20:19
Interesting article, do you happen to still have the link? Merci.

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Mass Murderers Agree: Gun Control Works!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Resistance

Քիչ ենք բայց Հայ ենք։


Posted By: Anushirvan
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 20:21

ooops

I edited the post see the link.



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Iranian and Proud


Posted By: hugoestr
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 20:56
Anushirvan,

Could you please discuss what is your take on this? Even though I can guess it, I don't want to make any assumptions

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Posted By: Thegeneral
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 21:24

Is it just me or does that UN "official" look stoned?

For some reason I have a feeling it is just another ploy to make people dislike the war and more importantly, America.  Yes, Hugo, America!  If you make alegations against American soldiers with so substance, it is anti-AMERICAN.



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Posted By: ArmenianSurvival
Date Posted: 16-Oct-2005 at 21:42
Originally posted by Thegeneral

If you make alegations against American soldiers with so substance, it is anti-AMERICAN.


Anti-American, or anti-war?

People degrade Iraqi insurgents, but this is not aimed at all Iraqis. The same could be said about atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers, and how they do not reflect our opinion or view of average Americans. Getting these stories out might make some of these right-wing whackos think twice about getting their hands dirty from war.


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Mass Murderers Agree: Gun Control Works!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Resistance

Քիչ ենք բայց Հայ ենք։


Posted By: Genghis
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 00:04
That's just stupid, he's talking basically about sieges of insurgent strongholds, and rule number one in "Sieges for Dummies" is to let nothing into where you're besieging.

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Member of IAEA


Posted By: Aryan Khadem
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 01:15

Hay I know people are dying and this sounds insensitive but dam it America made Saddam, so they took him out, Iraqi's made their bed now they have to sleep in it. Attacking Iran because America gave you money and asked you too then asking this same country to help fight america is absolutely funny, alienating your own people and your Arab neighbours, Listen Iraq was never a country.

I can see peace in this war, when the dust settles Iraqi will adance itself as a democratic middle eastern country and maybe just maybe others will follow suit. Personally i am all for Iran being a Federal republic but hay whatever workds....

In the end all politics is lies



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Life is beautiful but I am darker then Life.

Iran Aziz Janam Fadayt

ShahanShah


Posted By: Tobodai
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 04:08

Originally posted by Genghis

That's just stupid, he's talking basically about sieges of insurgent strongholds, and rule number one in "Sieges for Dummies" is to let nothing into where you're besieging.

Thats the first thing I thought too.  No one with a brain would conduct a siege and let food and medicine get in to the beseiged, civilians or not.



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"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton


Posted By: hugoestr
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 09:42
Anushirvan,

You got to explain the reason why you posted this story and make an argument for or against. Please do so soon.



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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 11:57
Originally posted by Thegeneral

If you make alegations against American soldiers with so substance, it is anti-AMERICAN.


you don't have to be anti-American to heavily criticize what America is doing in Iraq.
In fact I think it is almost anti-American not to criticize what America is doing, because this kind of behavior harms the USA more than it does good.


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Posted By: Thegeneral
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 16:36

You can of course critizice America and the war, but do NOT make comments about our troops who are risking their lives over there starving people.

Attacking American troops directly is anti-American.



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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 16:47
in other words: the troops in Iraq can do what they like, and when someone says it's wrong what they do he's anti-American and should shut up.

ever heard of ad hominem?


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Posted By: Thegeneral
Date Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 17:59

I am saying that starving people is right.  I am saying, making up stories that we actually are doing that is wrong.

No, I have never heard of ad hominem.



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