Iraqi police urge all media to leave Najaf

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/YAT522652.htm

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Iraqi police urged local and foreign journalists in Najaf to leave the holy city on Sunday, citing safety concerns after talks aimed at ending fighting between militia and U.S. forces collapsed.

Najaf police chief Ghaleb al-Jazaeri told a news conference all media should leave the southern city by midday (0800 GMT). snip

A group of policemen armed with rifles and pistols later went to a hotel where foreign and Iraqi journalists were staying.

"I have an order that all journalists must leave Najaf now, anyone who does not leave will be arrested," said a police lieutenant, who gave his name as Mohammed.

more

[soothsayer]

1. uh oh, getting ready to deploy some WMDs on the Iraqis again?

Wouldn't want any witnesses for that.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Bush is fixin' to make some more mass graves I think

Ain't giving that oil up.

Don

[UpInArms]

3. WTF? Don't they want witnesses to the

"birth of democracy"?

This stinks to high heaven!

The blatant suppression of accurate reporting of the acts of the genocide of a nation continue.

:nuke:

[markses]

4. All potential witnesses to this crime, please exit the premises

Repeat: All potential witnesses, please leave immediately!

------------------------------------------

Is Allawi's planned massacre of the Shia set to rival Saddam's efforts of 1991?

[Stanchetalarooni]

5. I imagine this to be the Sabra/Shatila of this debacle.

Slaughter. Who needs journalists to tell us the truth. We know.

[leftchick]

6. Interesting... I just heard the MSRNC correspondent say....

IT was only foreign journalists asked to leave. Hmmmm

[54anickel]

7. Guess the car bomb scare from an earlier report didn't work. Sounded

similar to the "terralerts" we get here.

Before the renewed violence Sunday, Mahdi Army militiamen were seen patrolling the streets of Najaf's Old City. Police officials warned journalists to leave the city, saying they had intelligence a car bomb might be sent to target them.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/228/world/Explosions_echo_throughout_Naj:.shtml

[acmavm]

8. And like the blackout on the numbers of American casualties for the last

week, they can hide the numbers of Iraqi casualties from coming out. Or so they think. We can't get a fix on the numbers because the events are happening thousands of miles away. The Iraqis will know, it's happening in their own country. And it will send up a flame that will blow the place wide open. Especially if they try to nab al Sadr without anyone knowing. The Iraqis will know.

[progressivebydesign]

16. I'm CONVINCED the death count blackout is related to the GOP Conv. N/T

[acmavm]

18. So am I. That and bush*'s poll numbers.

.

[Ernesto]

21. Ya think?

[iconoclastic cat]

9. After all the warnings about what will happen if the US assaults Najaf,

they decide to go ahead with this while also persecuting journalists? Are these freaks insane?

[UpInArms]

13. Was that a rhetorical question?

Are these freaks insane?

[Junkdrawer]

14. Here it comes...

Negroponte orders Iraqis to attack the Najaf shrine. Iranian Shia (with or without the approval of their government) storm over the border. The US becomes involved "repelling the invasion" and soon Iran and the US are at war. The US threatens massive retaliation if Iran uses it's missiles and then the US then takes out Iranian nuclear and missile sites.

[Danieljay]

37. hmmm, and 70,000 troops being pulled from Europe..must

be planning for something big, are they freeing up the troops for another invasion? This doesn't look good...I get the feeling there is something about to happen that the Bush administration doesn't wish the world to know about. Imagine that.

[iconoclastic cat]

10. Add this to the mix:

From Juan Cole this morning:

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Thousands Stream to Najaf

Thousands of Shiites are streaming toward Najaf in hopes of forming a human shield around Muqtada al-Sadr, according to al-Hayat. Many have already gathered at the gates to the old city in Najaf and around the shrine of Imam Ali.

In the meantime, the Allawi government says it intends to send an Iraqi military force into the shrine of Ali after Muqtada al-Sadr and his militiamen, according to al-Sharq al-Awsat. Allawi should be careful. A colleague of mine was reminded of a similarity between the current situation and the Indian government raid on the Sikh Golden Temple in 1984. That invasion of holy space arguably led to the assassination of Indira Gandhi and prolonged civil instability in the Punjab.

(much more)
***

Oh, crap. The US is going to slaughter unarmed people again. Remember today, my friends.

[Just Me]

35. In this day and age, someone will accurately document history.

The journalists may get the boot but I am certain there are other cameras running and, one way or another, the film will ultimately be distributed.

Nevertheless, it is yet another sad day in human evolution.

:cry:

[happynewyear]

11. its like Fallujah all over again

and how very sad it is! Another MOAB? Another 10,000 dead? :nuke:

:puke:

:dem: :kick:

[blitzen]

12. AP: all journalists "evicted" from Najaf

http://www.kctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2175969

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

17. From Blitzen's link:

"The ban would mean the only news coverage of the ongoing fighting in Najaf would come from reporters embedded with the U-S military.

U-S military officials aren't commenting."

I hope America has an appetite for bullshit because we are about to be served a heaping pile of it.

[progressivebydesign]

15. Bush isn't taking enough heat for the hellhole in Iraq right now!!

I'm really pissed that Bush seems to have washed his hands of Iraq in the past few weeks. THat M.F. is traipsing around the country meeting with his elite, and our soldiers are STILL DYING over there!!! But. the media is NOT reporting the deaths more than in passing, or not at all. The place has gotten so much worse, and the media only seems to care about... what? Scott Peterson?

[nolabels]

27. "the media is NOT reporting" because they are the S.O.B.s............

That had such a heavy hand in 'bringing it on'. The Corporate media will be able to break their addiction to propaganda habit about as easy as cigarette addict working in a smoke shop would be able to break his habit with tobacco.

The corporate media are still able to function in a fashion and hardly know they are junkies, but as soon as someone brings up the problem they have they become defensive and try to change the subject. All these are symptoms for a diagnosis for this kind of group psychosis of an addictive quality that borders on a cult following. Boycott, chide, criticize and ignore or whatever else feels correct, thats what I am doing, because they deserve every second of it.

People like Michael Moore are warriors, if we can find more like him things could be different

[Geo55]

19. If they'd just roll over

and give us conroll & cheap OIL , everything would be fine.
GOD ! how I hate our addiction , Crawford Crudcake's lying & stealing , the death.....the blood is on ALL of our hands if we don't change soon.

[minkyboodle]

20. Unbelievable

This development more than any other makes me fear for the lives of the people of Najaf... No witnesses except embedded propagandists

[Aidoneus]

22. the Groznying of an-Najaf al-Ashraf should be interesting

I expected that treatment for al-Fallujah, but they surprised me! Those wacky guys! :eyes:

`Alawi seems to be royally fucked over Najaf, the choices for the neoBaathist puppet regime are either to crawl away or blast away, a mark in the "win" column for Sadr(HA) and the Mahdi's Army either way.

[IndianaGreen]

23. CNN is now reporting that terrorist are going to blow up the mosque

How convenient! No media, no witnesses, and now the claim that there are terrorists that are planning to blow up the Imam Ali Mosque. Who will believe this shit? The same morons that believed Saddam has WMDs in Iraq!

Iraq claims foreigners threatening mosque
National conference troubled by protests, attacks
Sunday, August 15, 2004 Posted: 12:53 PM EDT (1653 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Twenty-five heavily armed foreigners holed up inside the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf have threatened to blow up the building, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Sunday in a written statement.

The statement said the interim Iraqi government has ordered national guard forces not to target the mosque, and not to approach it.

The mosque, in the center of Najaf, is a holy site to Shiite Muslims. They believe it houses the tomb of the Prophet Muhammed's cousin and son-in-law.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/15/iraq.main/index.html

[leftchick]

25. only the AmeriKan Morans will believe that one....

and that is who the bushista*s are playing politics for at this point. Pretty damn contemptable, dispicable and disgusting. I am so ashamed of the country...

[Barrett808]

24. Let the massacre begin -- gettin' Grozny on their asses n/t

[blitzen]

26. Freepers' pathetic response (if you can stomach it!)

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=12154

sorry little hate-blog refers to journalists as "covert (terror) sympathizers"

[stickdog]

28. Freedom isn't free!

[Just Me]

41. Freedom,...defined by,...the "spokes-person" of the day,...yes? n/t

[catmandu57]

29. Nothing good is going to come of any of this

They don't care, they just don't fucking care, the repukes see everything as falling into their hands and are salivating over the prospect. WWIII is just around the corner, it's starting with the newest attack.
When they shut down the eyes and ears, we won't know what the fuck is happening, how many dead, wounded, just who it was who destroyed the shrine, but, I'll tell you one thing, it's not going to be hard to figure out.
The ING doesn't have the firepower to do it, we do.
They're getting ready to go after Fallujah again also, this will unite the sunni and shia, and it's going to come home to us.
John q. is going to be taken by suprise, why do they want to kill us?, and georgie will be given a green light to wipe his ass on our constitution, and nobody will give a fat rats ass.

[blitzen]

30. UPDATE: Iraqi Gov't. backs down on threat to evict journalists

http://www.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5155&ContentID=x51828&Layout=KBCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154&URL=http://localhost/apwirefeed/d84fs1801.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines

Flip-Floppers!!!


from the article:
But now, a government spokesman reports that Iraq's interior minister says the government will be "taking it easy on the journalists."

He says the order was issued only out of concern for their safety. And now, he says, the interior minister has decided that if journalists want to stay -- it'll be at their own risk.

[nolabels]

31. "it'll be at their own risk"

Except they will dropping things other than basketballs


http://blog.timschnabel.net/archive/2003_02_09_index.htm

[allemand]

39. Iran TV journalist detained in Najaf

<...>

Police fired shots in the air before detaining a journalist for the Arabic service of Iran's state broadcaster live on television.

Mohammad al-Kazem, an Iraqi correspondent of Iran's Al-Alam channel, was detained at gunpoint by Iraqi police during the live interview from a Najaf rooftop.

<...>

"I have an order that all journalists must leave Najaf now. Anyone who does not leave will be arrested," a police lieutenant said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1177050.htm

[bpilgrim]

42. thats what got them into this mess

:crazy:

peace

[number6]

32. Don't want any witnesses ....

:nuke: to the crime ...

[Bo]

33. Bush in...TERMINATOR IV Najaf death

I dont know weather to laugh or cry any more. And stupid murikans vote for this bastardo.

[found object]

34. Does Iraqi militia have a mix of North/South American mercenaries?

Just wondering. Anyone know?

[Disturbed]

36. US Puppet govt.

This fake govt. is now making the serious mistake that plays right into the hands of the "insurgents". By sending in "Iraqi Govt." forces it will recieve the wrath of most Iraqis, showing themselves to be obvious puppets of the USA. Man, these people are extremely stupid.

[sal]

38. What? All Journalists?

I guess that means Fox, ABC, NBC,, and CBS can stay? I believe they fall under the catagory or infotainers and propagandists.

On Edit: By the way, if so-called journalists are willing to be arrested and held in contempt for secreting their sources in the Plame affair, why shouldn't they be equally recalcitrant in defending their right to access to the most imprtant new story in the world? (because they are cowards)

[Tight_rope]

40. Why leave?...Are they going to do something they don't want the world

to see? I say they need to stay and see what the hell is going down.