Shelling of Residential Areas by Maliki’s Forces are Increasing Civilian Casualties

Shelling of Residential Areas by Maliki’s Forces are Increasing Civilian Casualties

by Dr. Souad Al-Azzawi on 06-07-2014

BRussells Tribunal

Maliki's armed forces are supervised by American military experts. This means that the shelling and bombing of innocent civilians in Mosul, Saladin, Diyalah, Kirkuk, and Anbar is an approved policy by those criminal advisors.

In accordance with the reports of UN agencies, during June, more than 5000 Iraqis died as a result of the armed engagement between tribal revolutionaries and Maliki's armed forces and militias. As it is known, most of the casualties among civilians have been a direct result of the bombing and shelling of Maliki's forces to residential areas in the liberated governorates. Thousands of families have left their homes to other cities in fear of the use of explosive barrels by Maliki’s thugs. The Iraqi population is facing another catastrophe especially in areas where the occupation forces were mostly resisted in previous years. Today, we are facing yet another Fallujah-like crises, but on a bigger, more wide-spread scale.

Maliki's armed forces are supervised by American military experts. This means that the shelling and bombing of innocent civilians in Mosul, Saladin, Diyalah, Kirkuk, and Anbar is an approved policy by those criminal advisors. 

As Iraqi activists, we have to do more than sit by and watch these criminal forces committing more massacres among the civilian population and uncaused detainees. We feel that there is an urgent call to write a statement to the United Nations demanding the formulation of a resolution that bans the shelling of populated residential areas and imposes No Fly Zones like the ones imposed on Iraq during the nineties to keep Iraq an open target for US-UK aggression and continues shelling. We hope that this time NO Fly Zones would be to protect residential areas targeted by Maliki’s air force.   

The brutality of Maliki's government towards the residents of these cities is unbearable. His criminal forces are imposing collective punishments in these areas ranging from depriving the civilians their rights in clean water, electricity, cooking fuel, healthcare, and telecommunications, to mass detentions and executions without trial.

This whole situation will be more complicated if Kurdistan region announces their independence because most of the runaway families are stationing or taking refuge in Kurdistan region.

I here call and hope you agree with me that we need to formulate some kind of action demanding the protection of the civilians in these populated cities and even in Baghdad. 

Dr. Souad Al-Azzawi is associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, Geo environmental consultant.  Former Vice President of Mamoun University for Scientific Affairs,  Former Chairwoman of the Environmental Engineering Dept.of University of Baghdad. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the BRussells Tribunal.