Tag: military

US troops admit abusing Iraqis

Posted on By 3arabawy

From Al-Jazeera:

Almost one in ten US combat troops deployed in Iraq have mistreated a civilian, according to a new survey conducted by an army mental health advisory team.
The report, released on Friday, also found that less than half of the soldiers and marines surveyed would report a fellow serviceman for killing or injuring an innocent Iraqi…
More than a third of the 1,320 soldiers and 447 marines surveyed said that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or marine, while almost 38 per cent said torture should be allowed in order to gather “important information about insurgents”…
The survey showed only 47 per cent of soldiers and 38 per cent of marines agreed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect.

Argentina revokes Dirty War generals’ pardon

Posted on By 3arabawy

Good news:

A court in Argentina has overturned a 1990 pardon given to two former military dictators saying they must continue to serve life sentences for human rights abuses.
Jorge Videla, a former president, and Eduardo Massera, a navy chief, were leaders of the junta that waged a “dirty war” against political opponents in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Official reports say around 9,000 people were killed, although human rights groups put the death toll closer to 30,000.
On Wednesday the Argentine federal criminal court declared the 1990 amnesties given to the two men were unconstitutional.

Via Al-Jazeera.

Mubarak’s regime threatens to cut Hamas ties if resistance operations don’t stop

Posted on By 3arabawy

From the Jerusalem Post:

Egypt has threatened to cut off its relations with Hamas unless the movement halts its rocket attacks on Israel, Palestinian Authority officials said Wednesday.
The officials said Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman sent a “tough” message to Hamas leaders, warning them against the continued rocket attacks. The message was delivered to PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas by Burhan Hammad, a senior Egyptian intelligence officer based in the Gaza Strip, the officials added.
They said that Suleiman also warned that Egypt would not side with the Palestinians if Israel launched a military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.