Friday, 4 July, 2008, 01:32 AM Doha Time
NEW YORK: A just released report by the US Army makes a severe indictment of the planning and conduct of the Iraq war. Both the civilian and military planning for a post-Saddam Iraq was inadequate, and that the US Army commanders didn’t foresee the full spectrum of operations needed to bring stability to the country, it said.
In the civilian arena, this is particularly true in the case of refugees, millions of Iraqis who had to flee their own country in desperation. According to official estimates Iraqi refugees now total almost 5mn people, and are part of one of the most tragic humanitarian crises in the region.
According to Amnesty International, countries are evading their responsibility towards Iraqi refugees by promoting a false sense of security in Iraq, which is neither safe nor suitable for their return.
The organisation stressed that the world’s richest countries are failing to provide necessary assistance to Iraqi refugees, "most of whom are plunged in despair and hurtling towards destitution".
According to the most recent estimates of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Iraqis who have fled their homes has now reached 4.7mn. This is the highest number since the US-led invasion and the subsequent internal armed conflict in Iraq.
Neighbouring countries, particularly Syria and Jordan, have received most refugees. However, lack of support from the international community has obliged those countries to restrict their entry and to deport Iraqis, even those who may be at risk of persecution in their own country.
The same policy of deportation back to Iraq is now being attempted by several European countries, who intend to send Iraqis back to the most dangerous parts of the country, such as the south and central regions.
Even Sweden, host to the largest number of Iraqi refugees in Europe, which was once hailed as a positive example, has now changed its asylum policies and is denying protection to large numbers of Iraqis.
This is happening while people continue being killed in large numbers by armed groups, the Multinational Force, Iraqi security forces and private military. In desperation, many Iraqis still try to flee their country, which has become now more difficult to do following recent visa restrictions on Iraqis by Jordan and Syria. Many families are forced to have the children work in the streets or resort to prostitution in a desperate attempt to help them survive.
In a scathing report on the situation, Refugees International states: "Since the beginning of the crisis, the government of Iraq has proven to be unwilling and unable to respond to the needs of vulnerable Iraqis. Although it has access to large sums of money, it is divided along sectarian lines, lacking both the capacity and the political will to use its important resources to address humanitarian needs. As a result, the government doesn’t have any credibility left with Iraqis." |
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