Number Of Iraqis Fleeing Homes Soars In Months Since Troop Surge

The New York Times:

The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.

Despite some evidence that the troop buildup has improved security in certain areas, sectarian violence continues and American-led operations have brought new fighting, driving fearful Iraqis from their homes at much higher rates than before the tens of thousands of additional troops arrived, the studies show.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[factanonverba]

We surge, they 'desurge.' Talk about your ethnic cleansing and depopulation of a country. I suppose I should be thankful we haven't committed genocide, or have we?

[HumeSkeptic]

we haven't committed genocide, or have we?
---

Not quite. But stay tuned. We have done some horrible things that have not yet been reported - atleast that's what I heard recently from people I trust.

[peacekitten]

oh yes we have.

depleted uranium will see to that forever.

[HumeSkeptic]

After what we have done in Iraq, we have no right, none, to call ourselves civilized.

We are now the biggest terrorists in the world by far.

We are the murderers and torturers of innocent people on a much larger scale than the thugs of al Qaeda can ever be.

Why are we not in the streets screaming? Why are we not demanding an end to this horror being inflicted on innocent people in our name?

Whare is America's conscience? Where is our morality?

Are we really this depraved to accept such injustice for the control of Iraqi oil?

What did these people ever do to us?

What have we become?

[imusintheevening]

The really sad part is that most of us are against this war and war mongering in general.

Why are we not in the streets screaming? - Bush/Cheney thought about that - gave us a tax cut - and without a draft most people don't take the time to inform themselves about what is reaqlly going on. I say bring back the draft and then the soccer moms will get with the program. Hard for your kid to be a soccer star when he has no legs.

[HumeSkeptic]

I don't know about "most of us". My guess is that a lot of those who turned against this fraud (aka war) later are just pissed that we didn't "win" - and not because they were fundamentally opposed to the invasion. I might be wrong.

What is sickening is that about 30% of Americans still support this fraud, and the fascists who perpetrated it.

[Macready]

and where is congress (with few exceptions) in all of this .. . certainly not listening to the people, not reading intelligence reports as they plan like legistlators . .. I guess most of them are taking bribes from the lobbyists . . . and what about the Dem prez candidates . . . too busy I guess to get involved much . . . most of them anyway

[HumeSkeptic]

What these fascist criminals in the White House have done to the people of Iraq is unforgivable.

Needless to say, we and our children will pay a price for these crimes. And we would deserve every punishment inflicted upon us.

[imusintheevening]

I thought Jon Stewart's "America to the Rescue" was one of the best comments he's ever done. After reading Ghost War's by Steven Coll, The Halliburton Agenda and The Carlyle Group book it all came clear. So, clear in fact that the CIA has a term for an event like 9/11 - blowback - and that is what we got from our billions spent in assisting a proxy covert cold war in Afghanistan. It is hard to imagine the price fanatics will want to take out on us for this overt war.

[JaneC]

Yet, they don't even blink. If they have their way it will be off to Iran. We have seven nuclear warheads headed all around the globe since a year before Iraq ever began. The tip of the iceberg from hell rears it's ugly head.

[HumeSkeptic]

It is hard to imagine the price fanatics will want to take out on us for this overt war.
--------

And it won't just be the "fanatics". There would be ordinary people hell bent on revenge, and rightfully so.

Just as we claim to be fighting "terrorists", they would do the same.

[wndrwrthg]

Due to the very nature of urban warfare, you would exect to see an increase in the number of dislaced civilians. Troops respond to any attacks with a terrible swift sword, that leaves crumbled heaps of homes and bodies in their wake. War is suffered most by the people who are not fighting. When there are no front lines and every person is suspect it is to be exected that the number of refugees would increase dramatically. As long as the fighting remains in the cities and towns there will be refugees, and as the best way for the opposition forces to combat us, we will see this continue.

[getoffmedz]

wndrwrthg - when can we expect you to join up?

[wndrwrthg]

Getoff, you may never expect to see me join up. I have been opposed to this illegal war from the begining. My post was in no way a slam against our troops, but only tried to point out the realities of urban warfare. As in all wars it is the non-combatants that suffer the greatest price.

[JaneC]

The Bush administration needs to tell us again, a bit more clearly how they had no idea what the aftermath of an invasion and occupation would be, or what a quagmire it would create.
**************

“If you're going to go in and try to topple Saddam Hussein, you have to go to Baghdad. Once you've got Baghdad, it's not clear what you will do with it. It's not clear what kind of government you would put in place of the one that's currently there now. Is it going to be a Shia regime, a Sunni regime or a Kurdish regime? Or one that tilts toward the Ba'athists, or one that tilts toward the Islamic fundamentalists. How much credibility is that government going to have if it's set up by the United States military when it's there? How long does the United States military have to stay to protect the people that sign on for the government, and what happens to it once we leave?”
Defense Secretary Dick Cheney
Interview with the New York Times on April 13, 1991

[imusintheevening]

This Cheney was the pre-Halliburton CEO Cheney. YOu are spot on, they knew and they did it regardless. If that is not criminal and evil what is?

[JaneC]

I thought I was floored by the recent video of Cheney stating what a "quagmire" it would be over there back in 1994, I was floored more when I read that quote above. They knew right down to the finest detail what would happen. Scum of the earth they are. They fed our troops into a known meat grinder.

[Jtt]

Not only is the surge a failure but it has guaranteed the escalation of hostilities during the inevitable and approaching post surge period.

Last year it was time to set up refugee camps, evacuate troops and assist the UN in transitioning this disaster out of US jurisdiction.

It actually can, still get worse.

[imusintheevening]

We have created more than 2 million refugees with our misguided war. Here's a few more statistics:



Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 7,354
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualities have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 536
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 305, including 54 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 94 status unknown.
Daily Insurgent Attacks, Feb 2004 - 14
Daily Insurgent Attacks, July 2005 - 70
Daily Insurgent Attacks, May 2007 - 163
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Nov 2003 - 15,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Oct 2006 - 20,000 - 30,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, June 2007 - 70,000
QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS
Iraqis Displaced Inside Iraq, by Iraq War, as of May 2007 - 2,135,000
Iraqi Refugees in Syria & Jordan - 1.3 million to 1.75 million
Iraqi Unemployment Rate - 27 to 60%, where curfew not in effect
Consumer Price Inflation in 2006 - 50%
Iraqi Children Suffering from Chronic Malnutrition - 28% in June 2007 (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Percent of professionals who have left Iraq since 2003 - 40%
Iraqi Physicians Before 2003 Invasion - 34,000
Iraqi Physicians Who Have Left Iraq Since 2005 Invasion - 12,000
Iraqi Physicians Murdered Since 2003 Invasion - 2,000
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 1 to 2 hours, per Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (Per Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2007)
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 10.9 in May 2007
Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 5.6 in May 2007
Pre-War Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 16 to 24
Number of Iraqi Homes Connected to Sewer Systems - 37%
Iraqis without access to adequate water supplies - 70% (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitated - 22%

[SaviourMachine]

I can't begin to imagine what a living hell these people have been made to endure.

All this misery and suffering for money,for greed,for power.

It's obscene.

[getoffmedz]

SaviorMachine - It's far from obscene it's CRIMINAL!

imusintheevening's list of Iraq facts is astounding. How can the lying members of this vile administration and their stupid supporters say things are improving?

[imusintheevening]

For power - exactly - for re-election. For greed - It's not really about the oil, its about the profits from the high oil prices and the no-bid contracts.

[LibsRHilarious]

These "Iraqis" are terrorists.

[getoffmedz]

LibsRHilarious - what's an Iraqis?

You trolls can't really be that stupid?

Get back on-topic.

[JaneC]

These people are civilians, innocents. Your mad simian is a terrorist and his hands are soaked with blood.

[HumeSkeptic]

These "Iraqis" are terrorists. - LibsRHilarious
----------

No. They are innocent civilians terrorized by us. We are the terrorists.

[Macready]

no but you are you stupid excuse for a human being . . .

[MajorKong]

Reminds me of the scene in Full Metal Jacket where the helicopter door-gunner is shooting civilians:

"The ones that run are Viet Cong. The ones that don't run are well-disciplined Viet Cong."

[helonias]

"How do you shoot women and children"

Door gunner "You just don't lead them as much"

[Advocate123]

Great, so you cite a correlation to insinuate that the our troops are bad people causing people to leave their homes.

Advocate123
http://copiousdissent.blogspot.com

[getoffmedz]

Advocate123 - your false assertion or insinuation that I insinuated is a lie.

Get it?

Probably not.

That's a tired old tactic. Get a new one?

Oh and quit SPAMMING!

[imusintheevening]

No Advocate, the troops are not bad - war is bad - get it? Just what did the Iraqi civilians do in your mind to deserve their current fate? Just how have we helped them? Just how have we helped ourselves? Just how can you listen to an ass like Dennis Miller?

[JaneC]

I don't know where you got that but I thank you for sharing it. I wonder when the candy, flowers, and thank yous will be handed out.

[TRYKER]

Don't you just love it when Bush says, "we won't abandon our friends, our allies."

Remember though, Bush said that "if the Iraqis asked us to leave, we would leave."
OK, Iraqis, hold a vote or do whatever, and finally ask Bush to leave.
Let us help them with procedures to get this done.
Let US citizens work with Iraqi citizens and stop this occupation/assassination.

We seem to be minus a State Department and Diplomats... we have to fill that void ourselves.
Would a Foundation give US civilians and Iraq civilians a grant to hold a Peace Summit? Would that get the world's attention? And Bushco?
There has to be somebody in this country that isn't making his living off this war...anyone?
This terrible tale will never end...we have to do something.

[NoblesseOblige]

The recent reports that I have read cite over one million Iraqis have fled their homeland. This does not include the thousands who have been displaced within the country of Iraq. All of these people are suffering--they are all part of the human family--which means these are our brothers and sisters--including yours.

And, this isn't about the troops; they simply do what they are told. Rather, it's about George W. Bu$h and his cabal who are primarily responsible for this atrocity. But, you, too, are complicit if you support this administration. Is this the way you would treat your family?

[mimsnpips]

well spoken Noblesse. We invaded a sovreign nation without a declaration of war, a complicit congress that still refuses to regain the standing our country once had by impeaching them both.
This invasion was based upon lies. Many citizens were so full of fear and the lies so well designed that the citizens believed them. Now in desperation the Iraq War is compared to Vietnam in the latest speech read to us.
Our military is stretched to the breaking point. Our rights slowly shaved away. All in the name of what? Even money and power seem not enough to justify what has happened. Perhaps madness.

[Henk]

This is from the UN dated Apr. 07:"Already two million have fled Iraq altogether, he said, while another 1.8 million are already displaced inside the country..."

That's one in eight displaced add to that another Million dead civilians.

For what?

[BobBrown]

The troops are fighting against the Suni sometimes against the Shia sometimes. We are in fight where there sre animosities that are hundred of years old. And if you recall we went to disarm Saddam,... wel that was easy there was no WMD at all ... I think like 5 teams gave up leading to Bush himself to acknowledge that the "intelligence" his buddy Cheney fabricated was bad. So then we decided to build the largest embassy in Bagdad and become the arbiter of the intercinine war and also we manage to bring Alqaida into Iraq. It is not that the troops are good or bad .. they are just folowing stupid orders to find WMD whwere there in none or to arbitrate a sectatrian war that we shouldn't ...

[1man1voicenovote]

They will one day thank us.

We have given them the freedom to go anywhere and do anything.

[getoffmedz]

1man1voicenovote - surely you write satire? The Surge has spread violence into areas of Iraq that have never seen the levels of violence they endure now.

The largest loss of life since the U.S. attacked Iraq occurred just a week ago. Over 500 dead from one attack against Kurds.

This criminal and false war for oil is as insane as are ALL those who support it.

WE MUST LEAVE, NOW!

[coyote4]

Coyote took one last look at the blue shy, swallowed hard and walked into the open mouth and down the throat of the Monster.

Along the way down he saw bones scattered about, and he thought to himself, "I can see that many people have been dying."

As he went along he saw some boys who were eating the entrails of their fathers and he said to them: "Where is the Monster's heart? Come, show me."

As they were heading that way,Grizzly Bear rushed out at them, roaring!
Coyote said, "So! You attack me even as you do innocent people," and he kicked Bear on the nose, hard.
-Thus, the bear today has only a short nose.

As they went deeper, Rattlesnake rattled and struck at their ankles in fury. "So, you too towards the people, are vicious. We are nothing to you," Coyote condemned.

He stomped on Rattlesnake's head, and flattened it out. It is still that way.

Coyote then was scorned by George Bush who spat: "I see the Monster has kept you for his digestion.
Bush taunted:
Hah! I'd like to see you try to save your people!"
Hah! I'd like to see you try to save your people!"
Hah! I'd like to see you try to save your people!"

Suddenly, as coyote took one unsteady step, then another, all along the way, the people began to greet Coyote and talk to him. His close friend, Fox, greeted him from the side and said:

"The Monster is so dangerous.

How can we defeat him?"

[Macready]

You are so right -- the troops are and have been part of the problem . . . it is truly an insane unnecessary war . . . in fact what it was and is was the illegal invasion of a foreign country for no other reason than to steal its oil . . . so American and British oil companies could make even bigger bucks than they do now . .. it was murder, inc on an international stage . . .

the troops have to be pulled out now and Congress must get the balls to impeach and then send the criminals to the Hague along with tony b-liar for trial . . .

[imusintheevening]

1Man they will be ecstatic when the tourist dollars start to flow any time now. Heck, Senator Graham was gushing, "I bought 5 rugs for 5 bucks!"

Here are some nice pictures of the next tourist mecca:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/81306/Iraq-Before-After-War-

[MadCow]

Random facts about Iraq before the US/UK "improved" it:

"Unlike other poorer countries, which focused on mass health care using primary care practitioners, Iraq developed a Westernized system of sophisticated hospitals with advanced medical procedures, provided by specialist physicians. The UNICEF/WHO report noted that prior to 1990, 97 percent of the urban dwellers and 71 percent of the rural population had access to free primary health care; just 2 percent of hospital beds were privately managed.

Infant mortality rates fell from 80 per 1,000 live births in 1974, to 60 in 1982 and 40 in 1989, according to government statistics. A similar trend characterized under-five mortality rates which halved from 120 per 1,000 live births in 1974 to 60 in 1989. ........."

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/46856/?page=2

[lodger]

We should hire them to build a fence on the Mescan border.

[lochnessmonster]

NPR had a story on yesterday about the "brain drain" going on there. Most of the doctors and their families have left for fear of retribution...helping the Americans and Iraqi forces working with them.

[MajorKong]

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" - Janis Joplin

[konchster]

Actually Kris Kristofferson