Last week, Nouri al-Maliki, chief thug and prime minister of Iraq, tried really hard to keep the crazy down. His massacre from last month was still leaving an impression. That's April 23rd, Nouri al-Maliki's federal forces stormed a sit-in in Hawija, Kirkuk. Alsumaria noted Kirkuk's Department of Health (Hawija is in Kirkuk) announced 50 activists have died and 110 were injured in the assault. UNICEF informed the world that 8 of the dead were children and twelve more children were left injured. Surveying the country on Friday, Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) reporteds: on how the massacre still had the country reeling and quoted Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi stating, "The conditions for a civil war are present now. The first person responsible is the prime minister."
Friday found news that Nouri's forces were yet again blocking reporters from covering the protests and that a reporter had been arrested by Nouri's forces. Then Saturday, citing Sheikh Abdul Razzaq al-Shammari, National Iraqi News Agency reported that Nouri's forces "stormed the home of one member of the organizing committee for Anbar sit-ins" and quotes al-Shammari stating, "The force that raided the home arrested his eldest son as he was out of his home, after broke doors and tampering the furniture" and took the man's passport. There was no arrest warrant, no search warrant, no legal authorization for the raid.
The violence, of course, never ended. Nouri's bullied and tortured and conducted false and secret arrests for over six years now and no peace. It might occur to people at some point that there is no peace because of the fact that Nouri's bullied and tortured and conducted false and secret arrests for over six years now.
Iraq Body Count counts 174 violent deaths in Iraq through yesterday.
At what point does the US State Dept, which is still spending billions of US taxpayer dollars in Iraq, roll up their sleeves and really get to work.
Because Iraq is in crises mode. Even if the US media largely ignores that fact.
------------
Illustration is Isaiah's "Here's Nouri."
