ibnMuslim writes "Saddam Hussein is one of 22 million Iraqis. Just as we do not know whether Osama bin Laden is still alive, we do not know whether war against Iraq will eliminate the Iraqi leader. However we do know that thousands of innocent people will pay the price for his crimes. It could well be tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people.MAPW brief for parliament - September 2002
How much “collateral damage” will there be this time? It has
become customary for war to be sanitised by referring to innocent people who die
as “collateral damage”. However if the Australian Government is to support the
US war against Iraq, purportedly to save innocent people from weapons of mass
destruction, this should be done in full knowledge of the numbers of innocent
people who are likely to die in the process. In August 1991, the Harvard-based
International Study Team conducted a comprehensive assessment of child deaths
due to the 1991 Gulf War (which lasted just 6 weeks) and its aftermath including
post-war violence. It was estimated that 3,500 civilians died during the war and
that 111,000 civilians died subsequently, of whom 70,000 were under the age of
15 years.
The total number of Iraqis, both civilian and military, who
died as a result of the 1991 war was estimated at 205,500, of whom 70% were
civilians. Many of the soldiers who died were conscripts. The civilian deaths
resulted largely from the destruction of Iraq's civilian infrastructure,
especially electricity-generating power plants, which led to a breakdown in
water purification and sanitation. This breakdown caused outbreaks of infectious
diseases such as cholera, typhoid, malaria, meningitis, polio, and hepatitis.
After 12 years of economic sanctions, much of Iraq’s civilian infrastructure is
still in a state of disrepair. Many analysts believe that another war would not
be fought in the desert but in urban areas, thus increasing the likelihood that
large numbers of innocent civilians will die from direct bombing hits.
In 1991, only 7.4% of the bombs dropped on Iraq were
precision-guided. Hundreds of women and children were incinerated when the
Ameriyah bomb shelter in Baghdad was hit. Approximately 350 US and allied
military personnel were killed in the Gulf War, and some 25,000 veterans are
suffering from Gulf War Syndrome. · What if the US uses a nuclear weapon against
Iraq? The US, in its Nuclear Posture Review that was revealed early this year,
has made clear its preparedness to use the very weapons it accuses the Iraqi
leader of developing. If even a 1 kiloton “mini-nuke” were launched at an Iraqi
presidential bunker in Baghdad, about 20,000 innocent people would die. Many
more would be left with horrific injuries and no medical care. WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION ARE INHUMANE WEAPONS.WE MUST ELIMINATE THEM BY HUMANE AND LAWFUL
MEANS.
For further information, please see the MAPW website:
www.mapw.org.au
or email
mapw@mapw.org.au
phone 0413 594 717 MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FOR PREVENTION OF WAR
(MAPW) AUSTRALIA WAR AGAINST IRAQ - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CIVILIAN POPULATION OF
IRAQ
-------------------------------------
MS. GIJI GYAEXECUTIVE OFFICER, MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FOR PREVENTION OF WAR(MAPW
AUSTRALIA)
GIJI.GYA@MAPW.ORG.AU
WWW.MAPW.ORG.AU
---------------------------------PH: +61 (0) 413 594 717FAX: +61 3 9427
7920------------------------PO BOX 1379CARLTON (MELBOURNE) VIC 3053, AUSTRALIA
MAPW CONDEMNS BOMBING OF IRAQWWW.MAPW.ORG.AU/MAPW-COMMENTARY/PRESS-RELEASES/02-09-10MAPW-IRAQ-NOFLY-RELEASE.HTML
IRAQ BRIEFWWW.MAPW.ORG.AU/MAPW-COMMENTARY/BRIEFINGS/02-08-15IRAQ-PARLIAMENTARIANS.HTML
WWW.ENDOFEXISTENCE.ORG
NGO RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE NPT.
HTTP://WWW.REACHINGCRITICALWILL.ORG/NPT/NGOPRES02/14.PDF
"
