14 April 14 2004, Rick McDowell, American Friends Service Committee
Mary and I plan to temporarily relocate to Amman, Jordan, until a measure of security and order has been restored to Baghdad.
As AFSC country representatives, we set three conditions that would determine our decision to evacuate. The first was if Iraqi friends, neighbors, or associates were placed at risk by our presence. The second condition was the kidnapping of foreigners; and lastly, if international relief organizations were targeted by extremists or anti-Coalition forces.
We believe that all three conditions have been realized.
The past few days have been extremely difficult. We find solace in the knowledge that many Iraqi friends and associates, worried about our safety, have invited us to stay in their homes, nevertheless while in Baghdad, we have chosen to stay in the relative safety of our own home. We will continue to file reports from Amman, but before we leave, we want to share with you some of the somber reality that may not be reaching your television sets.
What is unthinkable?
Last night, President Bush declared that the consequence of failure of this military operation is unthinkable. We believe the decision of a year ago—to employ the violence of war, when diplomacy and non-violent measures were not yet exhausted—was also an unthinkable failure. Iraqis view the future and the forthcoming handover of power on June 30 as unthinkable.
Military sources have confirmed 87 deaths among U.S. troops so far this month. This compares to 89 killed in action in the three-week war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
International news sources estimate that 690 Iraqis were killed in Fallujah and Ramadi and 1,174 were wounded during the period of April 5–12. Throughout the rest of the country, 123 Iraqis were killed and 465 were wounded. Sadr City, the poor Shiite enclave in Baghdad, witnessed 83 deaths and 247 injuries between April 4 and April 8.
The violence, which is defining Iraq, is spinning out of control.
Further skirmishes in Fallujah, and the decision to assemble U.S. and Coalition forces around the holy city of Najaf in preparation for a possible offensive, may lead to uncalculated consequences for both Iraqis and the Coalition. The U.S. and its Coalition partners have lost the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and are quickly losing their military advantage. After a week of heavy fighting, U.S. forces failed to take control of Fallujah. This failure should be the catalyst that forces the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to choose diplomacy and negotiation over force.
Reports from Fallujah
The siege of Fallujah, which was precipitated by the brutal murder of four U.S. security personnel, has resulted in the deaths of more than 600 Iraqis. At an emergency meeting of international relief organizations on Easter Sunday, we heard a report that 518 Iraqis had been killed in Fallujah, including 157 women and 146 children. One hundred of the children were under the age of twelve, and 46 were under the age of five. Dozens of American soldiers were also killed or wounded in Fallujah. At times during the mêlée, only women and children were allowed to evacuate the besieged city. One-third of the population of Fallujah (60,000) has evacuated the city and is now supported by mosques in the neighborhoods of Baghdad and other cities and villages. American forces were seen arresting males who were recovering from wounds in Baghdad’s hospitals as soon their conditions stabilized.
Retribution
In this country, once considered among the most secular in the region, tensions are running high in Iraq’s Christian community. A radical militant organization has threatened to destroy a church each time a mosque is destroyed by Coalition Forces, and to kill a Christian each time a Muslim is killed.
Forty foreigners from 12 countries have been taken hostage during an outbreak of kidnappings: today 22 foreigners remain captive. France, Russia, the Czech Republic, and China have called upon their nationals to evacuate.
Most international relief organizations have curtailed work while international staffs are evacuated. The NGOs Coordination Committee in Iraq—the organization of non-governmental organizations from around the world—issued a statement this week denouncing current violations of international conventions governing armed conflicts.
Spinning out of control
