Un Official Accuses Us Of Starving Iraqi

A United Nations human rights investigator has accused US and British forces in Iraq of breaching international law by depriving civilians of food and water in besieged cities as they try to flush out militants.

The US military denied the charge and said that while supplies were sometimes disrupted by combat, food was never deliberately withheld.

Jean Ziegler, a former Swiss sociology professor who is UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said the Geneva Conventions banned military forces from using "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare".

__He said that in Fallujah, Tal Afar and Samarra, Iraqi and US-led forces had cut off or restricted food and water to encourage residents to flee before assaults on entrenched Sunni insurgents over the past year.

"A drama is taking place in total silence in Iraq, where the coalition's occupying forces are using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population," Mr Ziegler said. __
Two 1977 protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which lay down rules of conduct in armed conflicts, ban using deprivation of food or water as a weapon of war.

They also prohibit destruction of food stocks or interruption of food supply lines.

Mr Ziegler said he understood the military rationale of the coalition forces who were "facing such a horrible enemy - these insurgents who do not respect any law of war and who use the civilian population of cities like Fallujah or Tal Afar as human shields, who keep them as hostages".

But he said their actions were nevertheless a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian law".

Mr Ziegler said he hoped the General Assembly would "condemn this strategy of the coalition forces" when he presents his report on the right to food in New York on October 27.

Accusations 'baseless'

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, a spokesman for the US military in Iraq, said Mr Ziegler's accusations were baseless.

"Any allegations of us withholding basic needs from the Iraqi people are false," he said.

"In conjunction with our combat operations, we take all precautions to ensure that the Iraqi people are taken care of, as does the Iraqi Government," Lt Col Boylan said.

"There have in the past ... been some supplies that have been delayed due to combat operations, but they were due to transit the area once it was deemed safe. It does not do relief supplies any good if you have them going into a firefight."

Mr Ziegler said that he had been in touch with British authorities on the issue, and "a channel seems to be opening", but that attempts to start a dialogue with US authorities had been fruitless.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1482944.htm

my question is the locals all knew about the eminent US assault.so why did they stay?if they didn't want to fight they would have left. there was plenty of food and medicine outside falluja.the ones that stayed were either there to fight or used as shields by insurgents.so when an American patrol is pinned down by rockets and mortars.and some machine guns.and the easiest way to destroy the position without risking any Americans is to "shake and bake"them.. shake and bake is white phosphorus.only to have reporters come in later any say" look dead civilians."try dead insurgents and their human shields.

ak_m_f
Do you want to waste your precious time in answering this man from the Mid west? It will be better to tell him some heavy joke.

Ketchup wrote: Whisper wrote: <SPAN ="bold">ak_m_f</SPAN><FONT face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" color=#006699 size=3>Do you want to waste your precious time in answering this man from the Mid west? It will be better to tell him some heavy joke. Maybe you could try and have a sensible debate.� Instead of throwing insults how about explaining why you feel this is wrong. A buddy of mine has just come back from Iraq... his version is a lot different to many I read on this site.� Iraqies are still handed out water food etc.. after they have recieved thier hand outs�some then follow it through by throwing rocks etc at thier vehicles.� That being said many are greatful.

Its like I break into your house and take it ouver, Then I lock you in a room; and every day I give u little food ( from your own stock that is).
I bet u will throw rock at me too..