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bismi-lLahi-rRahmani-rRahiem
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
=== News Update ===
Secret Burials in the Desert
Secret US Mass Graves of Green Card Hopefuls..
Aug. 19, 2003
By Kawther Salam
The Daily Life of Kawther Salam
Ultimate Disrespect for U.S. Army Personnel and US-Contracted
Mercenaries in Iraq
Did the Pentagon order the assassination of a journalist in order to
cover up secret mass burials of dead U.S. soldiers and U.S.- contracted
mercenaries in the deserts around Baghdad? What is really behind the
killing of my colleague and friend, the Palestinian Reuters cameraman,
Mazen Dana, in Bagdad?
Did the Pentagon order the assassination of a journalist in order to
cover up secret mass burials of dead U.S. soldiers and U.S.- contracted
mercenaries in the deserts around Baghdad?
What is really behind the killing of my colleague and friend, the
Palestinian Reuters cameraman, Mazen Dana, in Bagdad? Is the Pentagon
really scared of the media telling the U.S public what is really going
on in Iraq? Do the criminals in the Pentagon want to cover their crimes
against their own soldiers by killing journalists in Iraq? If so, then
this is what can be called organized terror.
The U.S. troops obviously felt threatened and in big danger due to the
Palestinian Reuters cameraman, Mazen Dana, who was investigating a story
about secret burials of U.S. mercenaries and soldiers in mass graves in
far-away places in deserts strips around Baghdad, burials which had
obviously been authorized by the commanders of the U.S. army.
Mazen's scoop began when he realized that that the U.S. troops were
burying human bodies wrapped in plastic in the desert. Initially, he
thought that these were the bodies of Iraqi people. He kept watching and
investigating the activities of the U.S. troops. He kept developing his
scoop, working around different U.S. units and military jails, trying to
figure out where the bodies had come from, and whether they were Iraqi
or not.
Ultimately he found a source, a U.S. mercenary, who told him that those
buried were not Iraqis, but mercenaries who had been promised green
cards and U.S. citizenship in return for serving in the U.S. Army.
Besides, according to this source, not few of those interred were
Americans who had been killed in combat. Mazen had been able to film the
activities of the U.S. army, and their secret mass graves. He was
experienced in journalistic work in areas of conflict and under
dangerous conditions. In our hometown Hebron, he had been covering the
Israeli Duvdevan units, essentially death squads of the Israeli army
which can not normally be filmed. Since he had become aware of what the
Americans were doing in the desert, he kept the secret to himself. The
intelligence units of the U.S. Army probably knew that Mazen was
uncovering, and they must have feared that their secret desert burials
would expose the Pentagon and the Army for involvement in a big
scandal.
The U.S. Army prides itself of always bringing home their dead, and this
ultimate disrespect for their own would certainly be frowned upon by the
American society at large, even if not few of them were mercenaries. The
story also had the potential of making foreigners think twice before
joining the U.S. military forces as mercenaries, nobody wants to be
disrespected in this most abject and impious way, not even those who
would sign up as mercenaries.
During his last days, Mazen felt that the U.S. Army were observing him.
Ten days before his death, he called home to Hebron and told his family
that he feared for his life because of the story he was investigating,
and he promised them to return as soon as he had finished his research.
On Sunday, August 17, 2003, at noon and in bright sunshine, Mazen Dana
was assassinated by the U.S. Army outside Abu Ghraib prison, where it
had previously given him permission to film.
According to my colleague, Nael al-Shyoukhi, who was with Dana at the
time of his death, the camera team was known to the U.S. military
personnel at the prison. Al-Shyoukhi said that they had asked for
permission to interview an officer, which had been denied. The soldiers
had seen their IDs and knew about their mission and intentions.
Nael Al-Shyoukhi said "after we filmed we went into the car and prepared
to go when a convoy led by a tank arrived and Mazen stepped out of the
car to film. I followed him and Mazen walked three to four meters. We
were noted and seen clearly. The soldier on the tank shot at us. I lay
on the ground. I heard Mazen, I saw him scream and touch his chest with
his blood-covered hand".
The Pentagon Response: The U.S officials said that the troops mistook
Mazen's camera for a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. This was
obviously a lie which nobody, not even naive people, will be able to
believe. How can it be that the U.S. troops have the most
technologically advanced sensors on their weapons, but will not be able
to distinguish a camera from an RPG launcher at 50 meters in broad
daylight? Did the U.S. troops learn to lie from their friends at the
Israeli Defense Force (IDF)? This killing was a prepared assassination
by the U.S troops in order to cover up their criminal activities, which
Mazen had discovered and was about to expose.
When I received the news of the killing of Mazen Dana, I thought for the
first moment that the Israeli government was involved or in some way
behind it. Mazen Dana had troubled the Israeli occupation more than
enough for one man.
The Israeli occupation forces targeted Dana several time during this
Intifada, and even before that during the 'peaceful' period. He was shot
in Hebron in 1998 by the IDF, together with his colleague Nael Al-
Shyioukhi. Mazen Dana had been exposing the daily crimes of killing and
collective murder in Hebron and the occupied territories, and he was
shot again by the IDF during 2001. The Israelis were obviously not
interested in his return from Iraq to Hebron.
All Palestinians know that the U.S. Pentagon and the Israeli Defense
Ministry do work together closely. Maybe we do not realize this, but we
are killed by the IDF soldiers who use U.S. bullets, grenades, rockets
and missiles, airplanes and attack helicopters. The U.S is constantly
providing Israel with highly developed killing machinery, around $2
billions worth a year. That is more military aid than any other country
receives from the U.S. It is also more aid (period) than any other
country receives from the U.S. A quarter of the enormous military budget
of the Jewish state is paid for directly by the U.S. American soldiers
also did train Israeli soldiers to raid the Jenin refugee camp and other
cities, they trained the Israelis in assassinating, killing and chasing
"wanted" people, and in other so- called 'counter-insurgency
techniques'. They also offered the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) Minister
Muhammad Dahlan to train his forces to do the same. Soon the P.A.
forces, instead of the IDF, will probably be chasing and murdering
Palestinians.
When I called Hebron to offer my condolences to Mazen Dana's family and
to inquire about his death, I was informed about his investigation in
Iraq on secret mass burials by the U.S. soldiers in the desert. This
made me worry about my other colleague, Nael Al- Shyioukhi, who was
still in Iraq, so I delayed writing this story until after Nael's safe
return to our home town, Hebron.
Mazen Dana held a B.A. in English Literature from Hebron University. He
was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine during
his time in the University. For this he was a targeted and harassed by
the Israeli occupation forces, even after he stopped his political
activities.
During the first Intifada I worked for a short while with Mazen as a
correspondent for Voice of Palestine Radio in Jerusalem. After that I
worked with Al Fajir Newspaper, and Dana continued his work with
different media. He was investigated several times by the Israeli civil
administration in Hebron. He became a peace supporter after the signing
of the Oslo Agreement in 1993, and he then became a member of Fatah
Peace Wing. He had been employed by Reuters since 10 years as a
cameraman to cover the conflict in his hometown Hebron. Mazen Dana and
Nael Al-Shyoukhi had been working together for eight years when Mazen
was shot last Sunday.
The Israeli occupation intelligence units continued considering Mazen
Dana as a member of Popular Front party even after he discontinued his
activities with it, and they did not grant him the an Israeli Government
Press "GPO" Card, or a travel permit to visit the Reuters office in
Jerusalem.
Dana was attacked several times by Jewish settlers and IDF soldiers in
Hebron. In May 2000, Dana was shot in the leg with a rubber-coated
bullet while filming Palestinian youths throwing stones towards the
Hebron area H2 under Israeli control. Dana was arrested hundreds of
times. In 1997 Dana was arrested as a result of filming IDF soldiers who
were arresting me during an incident at the Halhol bridge border, where
the IDF soldiers had caused the death of a nine-year-old child by
preventing him from reaching a hospital in Hebron during a curfew which
was imposed on the city, during peace time.
Dana established the Journalist House of Hebron during the year 2002
despite the daily attacks and the constant threat of arrests made by the
IDF soldiers against all Hebronite journalists.
The last time I met my colleague Mazen Dana was at the end of May 2002
at our colleague's house: Hossam Abu Allan, an Agence France- Presse
(AFP) photographer who was arrested and imprisoned by the IDF for five
months without being tried or even charged. At 10:30 on the same night
Mazen drove with me in his jeep to "Al-Beweareh" mountain to film IDF
tanks, 54 armed vehicles were arriving to Hebron on Road 60 as the
military was preparing to re-occupy the city of Hebron, the area H1,
normally under PA control.
Mazen Dana had a long experience as a television cameraman, and he had
experienced the hardships and harsh working conditions of journalistic
work under military occupation. He left behind a wife and four wonderful
children in Hebron. He also left a courageous and historic journalistic
experience and a legacy for other journalists behind him.
Mazen Dana left behind him a wife and four cute children in Hebron. He
left a courageously historical journalistic experience and signs for
other journalists behind him.
To most people, his death is but one more display of the abjectly
criminal behavior of the gang in control at the Pentagon. To those of us
who knew him and who worked with him, he will be a missed and respected
colleague, friend, community and family member.
source:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2003/08/276043.html
===
-muslim voice-
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BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW
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