British and Russian officals express concern over "disproportionate" use of force in Iraq by The Telegraph / ABC News 2:39pm 10th Apr, 2004   13 April , 2004     British forces concerned by American tactics. (ABC News: AM).    TONY EASTLEY: British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will head for Washington later this week, no doubt to help shore up the stocks of the coalition of the willing. It's been a bloody April in Iraq, the heaviest period of fighting since Saddam Hussein fell.    About 70 coalition troops have died and perhaps 10 times that number of Iraqis have been killed in fighting. But as the British Prime Minister prepares for his trip, there are rumblings of disquiet from within British forces about the hardline American tactics adopted this week. But the US military doesn't see it that way, and nor does President George W. Bush. From Washington, John Shovelan reports.    JOHN SHOVELAN: At the beginning of a week of high Washington diplomacy, Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, told President Bush he was worried about the violence in Iraq.    HOSNI MUBARAK: I conveyed to the President our serious concerns about the current state of affairs…    JOHN SHOVELAN: But President Bush defended the US crackdown against Sunnis and Shi'ites as necessary to clear obstacles to the transition to Iraqi rule.    GEORGE BUSH: There was lawlessness and gangs that were trying to take the law in their own hands.    JOHN SHOVELAN: British officers are reported as highly critical of the way the US military has put down resistance.    A senior British officer in southern Iraq is quoted saying: "My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they're facing. They're not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are."    He went on: "The US troops view things in very simplistic terms. As far as they are concerned, Iraq is bandit country and everybody is out to kill them."    But Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, head of US forces in Iraq, strongly defended the US tactics, which have included the use of heavy armour and artillery.    RICARDO SANCHEZ: It is very clear where we're taking fire from and where we're taking fire from we're applying the appropriate, proportionate combat power to eliminate that resistance. We are being very deliberate and precise in the application of that combat power to prevent any wounding or injuring of non-combatants in the area.    JOHN SHOVELAN: British Prime Minister Tony Blair is being pressed to raise the issue with President Bush when they meet later this week. President Bush dismissed the criticism saying he was proud of how the US military had conducted combat operations.    GEORGE BUSH: Our job is to provide security for the Iraqi people so that a transition can take place and that's what you were seeing. And our job also is to protect American lives. If our soldiers are at risk they will defend themselves. And I'm proud of the fact that our soldiers did so, mindful that there are innocent Iraqis, often times in between them and an enemy that is shooting at them. We're a compassionate country that cares about the loss of innocent life.    London. April 12, 2004    "British commanders condemn US military tactics", by Sean Rayment. (The Telegraph)    Senior British commanders have condemned American military tactics in Iraq as heavy-handed and disproportionate. One senior officer said that America's aggressive methods were causing friction among allied commanders and that there was a growing sense of "unease and frustration" among the British high command..    ..Speaking from his base in southern Iraq, the officer said: "My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them.. They are not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are."    ..The officer explained that, under British military rules of war, British troops would never be given clearance to carry out attacks similar to those being conducted by the US military, in which helicopter gunships have been used on targets in urban areas.    British rules of engagement only allow troops to open fire when attacked, using the minimum force necessary and only at identified targets. The American approach was markedly different, the officer said.    "When US troops are attacked with mortars in Baghdad, they use mortar-locating radar to find the firing point and then attack the general area with artillery, even though the area they are attacking may be in the middle of a densely populated residential area.    "They may well kill the terrorists in the barrage, but they will also kill and maim innocent civilians. That has been their response on a number of occasions. It is trite, but American troops do shoot first and ask questions later."    The officer believed America had now lost the military initiative in Iraq, and it could only be regained with carefully planned, precision attacks against the insurgents. "The US will have to abandon the sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut approach - it has failed," he said. "They need to stop viewing every Iraqi, every Arab as the enemy and attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people."    - Telegraph    April 10, 2004    Russia urges US to halt 'disproportionate' use of force in Iraq. (ABC News)    Russia has called on US-led forces in Iraq to refrain from "disproportionate" use of force and halt their latest offensive, in one of its toughest statements on Iraq to date.    "Russia calls for an end to military operations and restraint," said the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, one of the staunchest opponents of the US-led war.    The statement followed a week of violence in Iraq that has claimed the lives of dozens of US troops and hundreds of Iraqis. The ministry said in a statement the US assault on towns in southern and central Iraq, particularly Fallujah, were causing a humanitarian disaster and the troops had to scale back.    It pointed out that the United Nations Security Council had approved a resolution in May 2003, just weeks after the United States launched the war, that not only lifted sanctions against Iraq but also forbade Western powers from exercising unreasonable force in their disputed campaign.    Russia expressed particular concern about the situation in Fallujah, which was encircled and bombed by US troops after four civilian contractors were killed and dragged through the streets by a mob.    "Hospitals, civilian buildings and religious establishments are being attacked," the Ministry said. "Completely innocent people are being killed as a result, including the elderly, women and children. "We have seen hundreds of people wounded." Moscow said it was "imperative ... to halt the humanitarian catastrophe" afflicting some Iraq cities, and avoid an escalation of conflict.    The United States is due to hand over power to an Iraqi interim government by June 30, the deadline it established for the transfer of sovereignty. But that deadline has been thrown into doubt by the escalating violence by radical Muslim Shiite insurgents. The Shiites had previously stood on the sidelines of the conflict but are now forming a second front for the hard-pressed coalition forces, which are already battling with a Sunni Muslim revolt.    The Russian statement made no direct appeal to Sunni or Shiite militia to drop their weapons, another apparent sign of increasing frustration with Washington over how it is managing the occupation.    Russia appeared to put all the responsibility on Washington's shoulders, saying the United Nations - where it plays a key role - should not get involved in peace efforts until the United States had security under control.    "The question of putting the process of resolving (the situation in) Iraq under United Nations auspices can only be discussed when conditions are stable and not when open battles are raging in Iraq," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Fedotov told Interfax news agency.    Russia had argued until now for the United Nations to play a leading role in resolving the Iraqi conflict.    --AFP    April 13, 2004.    "Indonesia voices concern over Iraq bloodshed" (ABC News)    The world's largest Muslim-populated nation, Indonesia, has expressed deep concern about rising violence in Iraq, which has claimed hundreds of lives.    "We are deeply concerned at the escalating violence in Iraq and we hope that the United Nations can play a more active role in solving existing security problems there," said foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa.    "We cannot fail to realise that over the past week there have been very serious security problems in Iraq."    Coalition forces are battling insurgents from both the Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities and the US Military says some 700 Iraqis and 70 coalition troops have died since April 1. It has given no figure for civilian casualties.    11 April 2004    "Alarmed over rising violence in Iraq, Annan urges protection of civilians". (UN News)    Alarmed at the mounting violence in Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reviewed the matter with senior UN and United States officials while urging all concerned to protect civilians.    The Secretary-General, who has been following recent developments with “great anxiety,” has been in touch with US Secretary of State Colin Powell as well as with his own Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, who is currently in Iraq, a UN spokesman said in a statement released in New York.    Pointing to the increasing number of casualties among non-combatants, the Secretary-General appealed to all parties “to exercise restraint in order to minimize danger to innocent civilians,” the spokesman said.    8 April 2004    "Iraq: ICRC calls on belligerents to respect civilians, sick and wounded". International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Press release.    Geneva: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is extremely alarmed about the escalation of violence throughout Iraq and fears a further deterioration of the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.    A major issue of concern for the ICRC is the increasing number of casualties and the difficulty of providing them with basic services, notably medical care. The ICRC calls upon all belligerents to respect the civilian population, to refrain from excessive force and to respect and ensure access to medical facilities at all times, in accordance with international humanitarian law.    Yesterday and today, the ICRC delivered urgently needed medical items and surgical equipment to the besieged city of Fallujah and to Najaf, Nassiriyah and Baghdad. It stands ready to provide further supplies.
	Next (more recent) news item
	Next (older) news item