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There are member on Free Minds who live in Indonesia. Are you all ok?

n the on-going vicious occupation of Iraq, the American and British are seemingly meticulous about reporting their own casualties ? as opposed to Iraqi casualties, whom they refuse to count, despite obliged under international law to do so.

As of 13th May 2006, the U.S. military states its casualties as 2,436 deaths of US soldiers and 17,648 injured. These very precise figures are updated daily. The problem with these statistics is that they are misleading and wrong and deliberately so. To arrive at these figures, the following deaths and casualties are excluded:

? Soldiers killed or injured in any other way other than a direct bullet or bomb. In other words, if a pilot or driver crashes because he had to evade a missile or bomb, it would not be counted as a death.

? The dying and critically wounded are listed as en route to military hospitals outside of the country and not reported on the daily postings. This means a soldier who was shot and/or wounded but died on a flight to a U.S. military hospital would not be counted.

? Anyone who dies in hospital or a U.S. military base.

? Anyone who suffers from severe mental illnesses as a direct result of the war. This category includes those who are medically diagnosed as depressed and/or suicidal.

? Anyone who is seemingly not seriously hurt at the time of a bombing or battle but who has long term physical or mental problems as a result. The most common example of this are soldiers who survive a road side bomb but who suffer long term brain damage.

? Soldiers in the U.S. Army who are not U.S. citizens. These are commonly citizens of poor South and Central American countries who are persuaded to fight in the hope of U.S. citizenship after years of risking their lives.

The Pentagon has followed this deliberately deceitful policy from the time of the invasion. It is now admitted that in the six month period from the pre-planned date of the invasion of Iraq on 20th March 2003 till September 2003, the true scale of American casualties in Iraq was far higher than officially stated.

During those six months, more than 6,000 American servicemen were evacuated for medical reasons, including more than 1,500 American soldiers who have been wounded, many seriously. The figures shocked many Americans, who believed that casualties in the early period of the invasion of Iraq were relatively light. Even when these figures came to light, it did not persuade the Pentagon or the Bush administration to be any more honest about what followed.

On June 29 2005, the Veterans Administration (an official U.S. body) admitted to the U.S. Congress that there were over 103,000 U.S. military casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The estimated costs of looking after the injured and disabled was estimated at $2.6 billion more than originally budgeted. The official figures at the time were showing 13,000 casualties ? meaning that the true figure was many multiples higher.

The U.S. Defence Department admitted in November 2004 that there have been over 15,000 troops evacuated from Iraq for medical reasons that have never been counted in official statistics. Only 20% of those ever evacuated for medical reasons are ever returned to active service.

Amongst the 15,000 evacuated and never counted as official casualties were those with serious spinal injuries, bone fractures, heart problems and mental illness.

The most serious exclusion, however, was and is traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Because of the body armour worn by U.S. troops, many soldiers survive a road side bomb but with the brain damage caused by the bombs often undetected. The explosions often cause brain damage similar to "shaken-baby syndrome," according to neurologists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. The injury is often hard to detect immediately after being hurt. Many soldiers may look fully recovered, but their brain functions are damaged and often deteriorate over time. An explosion can cause the brain to move violently inside the skull and the shock wave from the blast can also damage brain tissues. To try to identify cases of TBI, doctors at Walter Reed screened every arriving service member wounded in an explosion, along with those hurt in Iraq or Afghanistan in a vehicle accident or fall, or by a gunshot wound to the face, neck or head.

They found TBI in about 60% of the cases. Till January 2005, 437 cases of TBI were diagnosed among wounded soldiers at the Army hospital.

Slightly more than half had permanent brain damage. Similar TBI screening began in August at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., near Washington. It showed 83% ? or 97 wounded Marines and sailors ? with temporary or permanent brain damage. TBI may come to characterize this war, much the way illnesses from Agent Orange typified the Vietnam War according to doctors. The numbers involved make it a serious long term problem for the U.S. as the financial and social cost are yet to be fully calculated.

The Pentagon refusal to be honest and open about the human cost on U.S. servicemen and women has led several members of Bush?s own Republican Party who are members of the U.S. Congress to write to Bush on 7th December 2005. In the letter they state that there have been ?50,000 cases of mental trauma. Moreover, 101,000 of the 431,000 troops who have returned home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan and who have separated from the military have sought help. This figure shows the Pentagon's official Iraq casualty count of 2,082 U.S. troops killed, and 15,477 wounded as of today, to be inaccurate by several multiples?.

Terrified of losing public support for what is already a highly unpopular war, President Bush personally ordered that no pictures be taken of the coffined and flag-draped dead under any circumstances. The justification of this was to protect the bereaved relatives but is obviously designed to keep the huge number of arriving bodies secret.

Yesterday, a senior Pentagon official confirmed on the condition of anonymity that the actual death toll of U.S. service personnel as of 1st May 2006 in Iraq is in excess of 12,000. The real number of casualties ? i.e. those unable to return to active service - is in excess of 150,000. He also confirmed that all reports from the U.S. military in Iraq confirmed that Iraqi resistance to the occupation growing better organized and more deadly by the day.

Whatever the Americans do, it seems that the British army have an irresistible urge to follow - which includes hiding casualties figures. In January 2006, the British Defence Minister claimed that there were only 230 British wounded since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. That figure was too low for anyone to take seriously and within 2 months of constant pressure, the more accurate figure of 6,700 British servicemen and women needing hospital treatments was given by the British Ministry of Defence.

The UK government was forced to admit that 4,000 British soldiers were seriously injured enough to be flown back to the UK for medical treatment in the previous three years. It is worth bearing in mind that the total British contingent is 8,000. With an admitted 4,000 casualties, the figure of 109 military deaths seems incredibly low and could only be reached if the Bush method of calculating casualties is used.

However hard the Americans and British try to hide the true human cost of the invasion to the world, of both Iraqi and their own; the true figures will emerge one day.

With the large majority of the U.S. public already having lost faith in their Commander in Chief, it remains to be seen if the invasion of Iraq will be viewed as another Vietnam or whether future American invasions will be dubbed ?another Iraq' due to the huge financial and human losses that were inflicted.

Source: Al Jazeera. Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/article_full_story.asp?service_ID=11372

Tariq Aziz, former Iraqi deputy prime minister sits in front of an Iraqi judge during his initial interview at an undisclosed location in Baghdad, in July 2004. Aziz took the witness stand to defend Saddam Hussein and his associates in a case involving the killing of Shiite civilians from Dujail in the 1980s.
(AFP/File)

Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz took the witness stand to defend Saddam Hussein and his associates in a case involving the killing of Shiite civilians from Dujail in the 1980s.

While he was not involved with the events of Dujail itself, his testimony focused on the series of assassination attempts against officials of the Baath regime at that time, which Aziz blamed on the Shiite Dawa Party of the current prime minister.

"The president is not guilty, nor are any of the officials in the government, just because they punished those who tried to assassinate the head of state," he told the court.

An assassination attempt against Saddam in Dujail in 1982 sparked a harsh crackdown and the killing of 148 people from the Shiite town, as well as the arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of people and the destruction of their orchards.

"The Dujail case is part of a chain of assassination operations against officials and I am one of the victims," he said, laying the responsibility for the attempt at the feet of the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa Party.

"I am also a victim of the criminal acts of a party which is now an official party in the government," he said. "I want them tried for their criminal acts like the assassination attempt in the Mustansiriyah university."

Complete report at : http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/article/89239

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Prisoners wielding improvised weapons clashed with guards trying to stop a detainee from committing suicide at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the military said Friday. The fight occurred Thursday in a medium-security section of the camp as guards were responding to the fourth attempted suicide that day at the detention center on the U.S. Navy base, said Cmdr. Robert Durand. Detainees used fans, light fixtures and other improvised weapons to attack the guards as they entered a communal living area to stop a prisoner who was trying to hang himself, Durand said.

They don't stop talking about human rights violations in other countries. What a hypocricy?

Idol

You don't have knowledge to understand properly the simplest verse of Qur'an 1:2 and you claim to know it all. Jinns are thoughts, prophets in Qur'an are allegory.

Qur'an clearly define the creation of jinns and they are seperate models from humans. Qur'an refers to jinns and inis as seperate entities. You will not understand this because you are faithless person who is trying to promote his own religion.

Excellent very funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v1sxGj5UxI

Four videos.

What will happen next?

UNITED NATIONS - China's UN envoy Wang Guangya restated Beijing's opposition to Western plans to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN charter to legally bind Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. Wang, who presides over the 15-member Security Council for this month, said the standoff with Iran over fears that it may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons, should be resolved through diplomacy.

After reading the latest report, Wang made clear that Beijing was opposed to a new Security Council resolution that could lead to sanctions or other strong action.

Russia and China want the IAEA to play the main role and have the council stay in the background. The two fear that a tough resolution would push the council into the forefront and lead to more resolutions.

"All we want is to work for a diplomatic solution because this region is already complicated, there are a lot of problems in the region, and we should not do anything that would cause the situation (to be) more complicated," Wang said.

Bolton, on the other hand, underscored that the United States was increasingly concerned about what he said was Iran's "extensive program" to develop long-range ballistic missiles, particularly because of its status as "the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

He repeated earlier U.S. suggestions that Washington might go outside the Security Council to pressure Iran. The United States has previously mentioned bringing together a coalition of allies that could impose sanctions bilaterally.

"There are a variety of other things that could be undertaken within or without the Security Council," he said.

Interesting. Diplomacy. 

Is U.S. in a position to take action against Iran?

Is U.S. capable of building a coalition against Iran?

16:125 Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.

The free minds fake intellectuals are creating hurdles for the people who wants to read the message with their stupid philosphy.

Following link is the example:

http://www.free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=5520.0

Peace Layth,

I believe Dhulqarnan is banned again. I really don't understand your policy. People who constantly talk Sex and Homosexuality BS are well and alive on the forum. These people have no shame in supporting what is clearly prohibited by God. Dhulqarnan is the one who get banned because some members hate him.

Why don't they have the same tolerance which all you have towards members who mocks Qur'an and its message?

According to me your policy is biased unfair unjust. I can take banning for saying this.

God bless you.

PS: I will post this where this gets your immediate attention.

U.S. news are talking about Osama Bin Laden latest tape 24/7. This new message timing is very interesting because of Bush administration is facing the heat on NSA spying charges and wiretaping phones.  

Osama last message was in Oct. 2004 just before the U.S. ellections which certainly helped Republicans.

Now this tape has helped Republicans to come out with confidence to justify their wire taping and spying charges that we want to listen who Osama is talking to in U.S.

Why Osama always come out to bail out Repubicans whenever they are in deep mess?

Do the Repulicans know the whereabouts of Osama?

Is Bush administration making these fake Osama tapes?

It looks very suspicious and make no sense to me.  Comment.

U.S. fears prospect of Saudi coup, weighs invasion plans

Saudis must take this seriously. The problem is that Royal Family are more sincerely in following White House commands instead of having faith in Allah Taala.

Ok. I added tennis myself.

The season is near to an end by mid Novermber but the new season will starts in January with Australian Open.

The following are the best players categorized by my standard of ratings,

Roger Federer  - Great Player
Rafael Nadal     - Great Player
Juan Carlos Ferrero - Great Player
Guillermo Coria - Great Player

Andy Roddick - Good Player
Gael Monfils    - Good Young Player with a potential to be a great player.
Richard Gasquest - Good Young Player with a potential to be a great player.
Marrat Safin - Good player. Great players if he overcome his mental attitude.
Leyton Hewitt - Good Player

Under Achiever.

Mario Ancic
Ivan Ljubicic
Xavier Mallise

Women
Kim Clijsters
Justin Hennin
Maria Sharapova
Elena Dementiava
Anstasia Myskina
Amellie Mauresmo

Women most disliked player Serena Williams.
Men most dislied player a youngster from England Andy Murrey.

Watch the greed of money in action in the name of promoting God's message. Read forum.

http://www.galaxydastak.com

Detail analysis pending until they close down the forum.

Can we discuss the issue on the forum? I would also like to discuss the Arab News reporting hypocrisy and pro American articles and news.

Permission required by Administration of this forum.