Developments Overseas:
Iraqi guerrilla attacks on US forces intensifying

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

The Iraqi people have raised their level of resistance even as the US continues to find it difficult getting significant multilateral support for its occupation of Iraq. On the 2nd of November, 16 American troops were killed when a surface-to-air missile downed their Chinook helicopter in Albu-Isa village in the town of Baisa in Fallujah, Iraq. Three more Americans (a soldier and two civilian contractors of the US Army Engineering Corps) were killed that same morning in Baghdad when a bomb was detonated under their vehicle.

American troops who came to the rescue witnessed the people rejoicing over the downed helicopter and the death of the soldiers aboard. "American pigs!" they shouted at the slain foreign troops.

It was the second most severe attack against US-led occupation forces since they invaded Iraq. A hundred and thirty-nine American soldiers have been killed since the US declared the end of hostilities. An average of two coffins are sent home to the US each day.

Earlier, up to 43 soldiers were killed and over 200 wounded in a series of bombings by guerrilla forces against coalition forces and their puppets on October 27.

The bombings took place a day after rockets were rained on the Rashid Hotel where US Deputy Defense Sec. Paul Wolfowitz was staying. Although he was not injured in the attacks, a high-ranking US military official was killed.

These recent attacks indicate the rising capability and level of coordination of the Iraqi forces fighting the occupation.

On the other hand, aside from the $87.5 billion budget approved by the US Senate to sustain US occupation troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US has been unable to obtain meaningful support, especially from France and Germany. The US-organized conference in Madrid, Spain on October 24 to garner financial support for the "reconstruction of Iraq" was a failure.

Opposition to the occupation is gaining strength not only overseas but in the US itself. On October 25, over 100,000 people launched protest actions in Washington DC. It was the largest demonstration against the US' war since Bush declared the major confrontation in Iraq over. The protesters hailed from over 145 cities, and included 800 families of American soldiers deployed in the Middle East. Meanwhile, 25,000 people marched in the city square in front of the San Francisco City Hall in California.

These protest actions were led by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice coalitions.

07 November 2003
English Edition

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