Iraqi resistance readings

Below is a report-back from the UNC SDS and FRSO teach-in on the conference recently held in Italy in solidarity with the Iraqi resistance. 

 

The teach-in last Thursday

 

The teach-in was in the place I referred to in an earlier post and I think there were about 20 people in the class room.  When I came in the presentation was starting, with background statistics on how living standards have declined under the foreign occupation.  He also spoke about how the Italian conference was held, despite some speakers not being able to come, and an earlier attempt at a conference that was cancelled when US Congress members pressured the Italians to deny entry to people. I think Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah, and the Lebanese Communist Party were represented, in addition to Iraqi guerilla groups.  Next the speaker talked about the composition and actions of the Resistance, based on his research, Conference attendees, and an interview with a member of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance. 

 

History and composition of the Resistance

 

Kosta said part of the reason for resistance is that an Iraqi has the duty to avenge the death of a family member.  This duty came up because the occupation forces killed innocent Iraqis, including peaceful demonstrators (I think he referred to 17 killed after US troops panicked in Falluja in April 17th, 2003, but I could have the date and place wrong).  Public meetings were then held, along with underground meetings to organize cells.  The US had too few soldiers, so they tried to surround Falluja (?), but they could not block all routes.  The US has twice attacked Falluja, devastating the city, and I think Kosta said that now only people with government cards saying that they were residents before 2003 can go there.  He showed statistics showing that resistance attacks have been increasing since 2003, with a few very high spikes, I assume from the battles with al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.  The terrorist attacks we here about in the media against civilians are a minority of the actions.  I think the figure given for the number of guerillas was 400-500,000, which the speaker said he was doubtful about, but heard from several sources.  Patriotic nationalists, Baathists, Islamists, and communists make up the Resistance.  Kosta said that only about 2% of the Resistance is with al-Qaida, which targets civilians.  For this, groups such as the Islamic Army Group have broken all links with the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida.  

 

The militias

 

Militias such as the Badr Brigades, the Mahdi Army, and others are also behind attacks on civilians, and they are operating through the official "puppet" security forces.  The speaker also pointed out that Negreponte was posted to Iraq at one point, and he was behind the death squads in Honduras.  There was also talk in the US military of the El Salvador style death squad option to fight the Resistance.  Perhaps that option has been taken, since the militias can get through occupation check points, even carrying many prisoners.  

 

Civil War?

 

Kosta argued that Iraqis are not split by sectarianism as much as the Western media would have us believe, and that there will not be a civil war after the occupation ends, since the occupation is fomenting divisions.  The CIA could try to destabilize the post-occupation government, but they will be opposed.  He also argued that the resistance is what will end the occupation and hold in check the Bush Administration, not the Democrats or the anti-war movement, though I doubt Kosta meant that protest in pointless, only that, like the Vietnam War protests, it is not decisive.    

 

Q&A

 

There were several questions, I would say cautiously supportive of the proposition that we should support the Resistance.  Political support is all the Resistance wants from us, Kosta said, not material aid or new Lincoln Brigades (Americans who fought on the side of the Republic in thr Spanish Civil War in the 30's).  He was asked if he supported impeachment, which he said he does, though I think he also said it was a doubtful prospect and not what will be decisive.       

 

Hopefully he will be able to come to the TSF meeting on April 29th so you can hear this from the source.  You can read an article he wrote about the conference in the Fight Back! newspaper in March, but unfortuntely I can't provide a link at the moment. 

 

The Death Squads, a video available on Google Videos was suggested as a useful documentary on the action of the militias, and if I can I will download it and bring it to the meeting.

 

Useful readings for the TSF:

 

I looked at these quickly this afternoon and all but the first work, unless there are typos.  Just paste them into your browser if my blog does not list them as actual links.  I'll add more or edit these later.  They are a mix of documents about the Resistance and Iraq or directly from the Resistance, representing a variety of views, along with more about the non-violent Iraqi Civil Resistance.  These aren't required readings for the meeting, but could help answer questions, provide more context, and prompt discussion.  www.iraq-news-network.de (might not be available now) - a lot of useful information, mostly Baathist I think www.broadleft.org/ir - list and links to many Iraqi political parties, including the Worker-communist Party of Iraq (which has an English language website), which is mentioned in "Iraqi Civil Resistance" www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/Iraq.htm - also links to parties and copies of the Iraqi consititutions, NGOs, etc.  www.mltranslations.org - an interview with a leader of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance, which is an alliance of several secular and religious groups resisting the occupation, and formed during the 90's to oppose the sanctions.  I can't remember the link, but you can find it in the what's new section near the top.    home.zonnet.nl/patrioticalliance - this appears to be the IPA's website www.iraqiresistance.info - I think this is the website of the Italian conference The October 2005 edition of Triangle Free Press carried an interview from www.counterpunch.org (the Voices of the Resistance series), with Sheik Hadi al-Khalassi, of the Iraq National Foundation Congress, a political group seemingly speaking for the Resistance.  I can't find the interview online and I don't think I saw an INFC website, so I can't provide an easy link at the moment.  www.idao.org - this looked like another useful site, I think about the secular and democratic side of the Resistance www.jihadunspun.com/articles/18122003-Iraqi-Resistance/ir/ailatir01.html  - a useful list of Resistance groups that I think is supportive of Iraqi liberation (from the title I thought that it might be rightwing)  www.ifcongress.com - I think this is the group that I bought my copy of "Iraqi Civil Resistance" from, and it is probably connected to ICR  gnn.tv/articles/2359/Civil_Resistance - more about the ICR and I think also the IFC www.albasrah.net/moqawama/english/iraqi_resistance.htm  - this is an often cited website, and has all of the Iraq Resistance Reports archived, as do other sites.  I haven't examined its politics yet.

                                                                                                                                          

www.counterpunch.org has an article (posted this week) by a Durham writer about a new documentary on the Resistance, which has a website online at www.meetingresistance.com. 

The group I bleong to has an article by a knowledgeable guest writer about the composition and history of Iraq's Resistance online at www.allianceml.com that can be reached by seeing What is New and then scrolling to the 2006 or 2005 issues.