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   Vol.65/No.10            March 12, 2001 
 
 
U.S. war against Iraqi people
(editorial)
 
Washington's recent cluster bombing of Iraq on the outskirts of Baghdad is a continuation of the brutal character of the U.S. rulers' 10-year assault against the Iraqi people. This policy has included the killing of as many as 150,000 human beings in the Gulf War in 1991 through a six-week bombardment and one-hundred-hour invasion of the country; sanctions imposed by Washington under the auspices of the United Nations since 1990; and the imposition of "no-fly" zones over northern and southern Iraq patrolled by U.S. warplanes that regularly bomb the country. In fact, over the past two years these bombing attacks have killed an average of one Iraqi civilian about every other day. Washington has made it clear that there will be no letup in these attacks.

The 28 cluster bombs, each weighing 1,000 pounds put the lie to Secretary of State Colin Powell's claim that Washington is "not after the Iraqi people." Cluster bombs are designed to kill and maim people. Despite Washington's claims about the pinpoint accuracy of their "precision-guided" weapons, these cluster bombs have no aimpoint, except to disperse thousands of highly explosive bomblets over a wide area. And those that don't explode become imbedded in the ground, ready to go off as Iraqi workers, farmers, or children travel through the area.

Washington has been dropping the Joint Stand-off Weapon--the Pentagon's latest brand of cluster bombs--on Iraq since January 1999, under the Democratic Clinton administration and now by Republican George Bush.

The ongoing bombing drive against Iraq and the Pentagon's use of such weapons against the Iraqi people show the true face of imperialism. Yet the capitalist media has been virtually silent about the use of the weapons. A story that finally did appear in the Washington Post's web site never did made it into its print edition.

In his recent visit to the Mideast region, Powell succeeded in winning some support from Arab leaders for the Bush administration's plan to ease some aspects of the overall sanctions, while tightening up those deemed most damaging to the country. Washington's aim is to reinvigorate a policy that in recent months has been cracking at the edges. Its goal is to more effectively seal the borders around Iraq, and tighten its grip on oil and the country's other major imports and exports.

Another indication of the Bush administration's intentions to further step up its assault upon Iraq is reflected in his nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to be deputy defense secretary. Wolfowitz is an advocate of Washington arming the Iraqi opposition groups. In the spring of 1999 he wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine that "the United States should be prepared to commit ground forces to protect a sanctuary in southern Iraq where the opposition could safely mobilize." The big-business media did take notice of Wolfowitz's views when Bush announced his nomination for the high-level Pentagon post.

Working people can respond to these stepped-up threats by defending Iraq's sovereignty and demanding: Hands off Iraq! Halt the bombing! End the sanctions and the "no-fly" zones.
 
 
Related article:
U.S. used cluster bombs in assault against Iraq  
 
 
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