Mark Tyson
Member
Arabs Celebrate Strikes On U.S.
Associated Press
November 3, 2003
CAIRO, Egypt - Across the Arab world, strikes like the deadly downing of a U.S. helicopter are applauded by many as resistance to occupation and proof that Iraqis were not completely humiliated by the ease of the U.S. led victory over Saddam Hussein.
The reaction is not surprising given prewar opposition among many Arabs to the invasion of Iraq. At a meeting in Damascus Sunday, foreign ministers from countries bordering Iraq and others in the region repeated calls on the United States to restore order in Iraq.
In Egypt, U.S. Ambassador C. David Welch has accused Egyptian commentators of spending too much time criticizing the United States and too little exploring how Iraqis might benefit from the fall of Saddam. Egyptian journalists responded by declaring a boycott of Welch.
"Iraq is now building the glory of the (Arab) community," Mustafa Bakri, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian weekly Al-Osboa, wrote Sunday, referring to the resistance.
Samir Ragab, editor of the Egyptian daily Al-Gomhouria, lauded the Iraqis in his column for fighting back.
"Every citizen who lives in Iraq, be they Baathist or anti-Baathist, whether they support or oppose Saddam, will stand up and shout at the top of his lungs: `We will chase the Americans and their followers until they leave our home ashamed and defeated.'"
In Saudi Arabia, Al-Watan newspaper said last week that U.S. war planners did not foresee that although "the Iraqi people hated Saddam Hussein, they also hate having a foreign presence on their land."
"Even though such attacks are not welcomed because they took innocent Iraqi souls, they have, however, delivered a strong message to decision-makers in the White House that they are no longer in control of security in Iraq, and that the victory in the classic war does not mean total control over Iraq," Al-Watan said.
The comments followed one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq. On Oct. 26, ground-fired rockets slammed into a Baghdad hotel housing hundreds of staffers for the coalition administration, killing one person. The next day, three dozen people were killed in a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad that devastated the international Red Cross headquarters and four Iraqi police stations.
Sunday was the deadliest day for American troops in their six-month occupation of Iraq, with a U.S. Chinook helicopter hit by a missile and crashing west of Baghdad. At least 16 soldiers were killed and more than 20 wounded.
Iraqi villagers displayed charred pieces of wreckage like trophies to reporters and in nearby Fallujah, center of opposition to the Americans, townspeople celebrated on the streets.
Some Arab observers are disturbed to see international aid workers and Iraqis attacked along with the Americans.
Under the headline: "More than a crime: a political mistake!" Talal Salman, publisher of Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper, urged Iraqis to choose their targets carefully after the Red Cross attack.
"There is a huge difference between the bombing which targeted a hotel known to be the base for occupation officials and their followers, and the crimes of mass murder that took place ... against the Red Cross and Iraqi police stations and groups of Iraqi citizens," Salman wrote. "Precision in specifying the target is the sharpest resistance weapon."
The Emirates' Gulf News said attacks that do not target coalition forces cannot be called resistance.
"To attack humanitarian organizations, which are trying to help Iraq recover, is an exercise in trying to create terror and confusion, with purely destructive intent," the newspaper said. "These attacks will not help Iraq, and will not solve the country's political future. They should stop."
Associated Press
November 3, 2003
CAIRO, Egypt - Across the Arab world, strikes like the deadly downing of a U.S. helicopter are applauded by many as resistance to occupation and proof that Iraqis were not completely humiliated by the ease of the U.S. led victory over Saddam Hussein.
The reaction is not surprising given prewar opposition among many Arabs to the invasion of Iraq. At a meeting in Damascus Sunday, foreign ministers from countries bordering Iraq and others in the region repeated calls on the United States to restore order in Iraq.
In Egypt, U.S. Ambassador C. David Welch has accused Egyptian commentators of spending too much time criticizing the United States and too little exploring how Iraqis might benefit from the fall of Saddam. Egyptian journalists responded by declaring a boycott of Welch.
"Iraq is now building the glory of the (Arab) community," Mustafa Bakri, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian weekly Al-Osboa, wrote Sunday, referring to the resistance.
Samir Ragab, editor of the Egyptian daily Al-Gomhouria, lauded the Iraqis in his column for fighting back.
"Every citizen who lives in Iraq, be they Baathist or anti-Baathist, whether they support or oppose Saddam, will stand up and shout at the top of his lungs: `We will chase the Americans and their followers until they leave our home ashamed and defeated.'"
In Saudi Arabia, Al-Watan newspaper said last week that U.S. war planners did not foresee that although "the Iraqi people hated Saddam Hussein, they also hate having a foreign presence on their land."
"Even though such attacks are not welcomed because they took innocent Iraqi souls, they have, however, delivered a strong message to decision-makers in the White House that they are no longer in control of security in Iraq, and that the victory in the classic war does not mean total control over Iraq," Al-Watan said.
The comments followed one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq. On Oct. 26, ground-fired rockets slammed into a Baghdad hotel housing hundreds of staffers for the coalition administration, killing one person. The next day, three dozen people were killed in a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad that devastated the international Red Cross headquarters and four Iraqi police stations.
Sunday was the deadliest day for American troops in their six-month occupation of Iraq, with a U.S. Chinook helicopter hit by a missile and crashing west of Baghdad. At least 16 soldiers were killed and more than 20 wounded.
Iraqi villagers displayed charred pieces of wreckage like trophies to reporters and in nearby Fallujah, center of opposition to the Americans, townspeople celebrated on the streets.
Some Arab observers are disturbed to see international aid workers and Iraqis attacked along with the Americans.
Under the headline: "More than a crime: a political mistake!" Talal Salman, publisher of Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper, urged Iraqis to choose their targets carefully after the Red Cross attack.
"There is a huge difference between the bombing which targeted a hotel known to be the base for occupation officials and their followers, and the crimes of mass murder that took place ... against the Red Cross and Iraqi police stations and groups of Iraqi citizens," Salman wrote. "Precision in specifying the target is the sharpest resistance weapon."
The Emirates' Gulf News said attacks that do not target coalition forces cannot be called resistance.
"To attack humanitarian organizations, which are trying to help Iraq recover, is an exercise in trying to create terror and confusion, with purely destructive intent," the newspaper said. "These attacks will not help Iraq, and will not solve the country's political future. They should stop."
