Riverbend/'Baghdad Burning' Blogger's Home Raided

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Monday February 13, 2006 23:15

by redjade

»Perhaps what is most disturbing about her blog post is that the raid did not seem to be directed at her - this is just 'normal' life in Baghdad - Iraq's 'New Normal';«

Suddenly, two of them were in the living room. We were all sitting on the sofa, near my aunt. My cousin B. was by then awake, eyes wide with fear. They were holding large lights or ‘torches’ and one of them pointed a Klashnikov at us. “Is there anyone here but you and them?” One of them barked at my aunt. “No- it’s only us and my husband outside with you- you can check the house.” T.’s hands went up to block the glaring light of the torch and one of the men yelled at her to put her hands down, they fell limply in her lap. I squinted in the strong light and as my sight adjusted, I noticed they were wearing masks, only their eyes and mouths showing. I glanced at my cousins and noted that T. was barely breathing. J. was sitting perfectly still, eyes focused on nothing in particular, I vaguely noted that her sweater was on backwards.

One of them stood with the Klashnikov pointed at us, and the other one began opening cabinets and checking behind doors. We were silent. The only sounds came from my aunt, who was praying in a tremulous whisper and little B., who was sucking away at his thumb, eyes wide with fear. I could hear the rest of the troops walking around the house, opening closets, doors and cabinets.

I listened for Ammoo S., hoping to hear him outside but I could only distinguish the harsh voices of the troops. The minutes we sat in the living room seemed to last forever. I didn’t know where to look exactly. My eyes kept wandering to the man with the weapon and yet I knew staring at him wasn’t a good idea. I stared down at a newspaper at my feet and tried to read the upside-down headlines. I glanced at J. again- her heart was beating so hard, the small silver pendant that my mother had given her just that day was throbbing on her chest in time to her heartbeat.

Suddenly, someone called out something from outside and it was over. They began rushing to leave the house, almost as fast as they’d invaded it. Doors slamming, lights dimming. We were left in the dark once more, not daring to move from the sofa we were sitting on, listening as the men disappeared, leaving only a couple to stand at our gate.

“Where’s baba?” J. asked, panicking for a moment before we heard his slippered feet in the driveway. “Did they take him?” Her voice was getting higher. Ammoo S. finally walked into the house, looking weary and drained. I could tell his face was pale even in the relative dark of the house. My aunt sat sobbing quietly in the living room, T. comforting her. “Houses are no longer sacred… We can’t sleep… We can’t live… If you can’t be safe in your own house, where can you be safe? The animals… the bastards…”

We found out a few hours later that one of our neighbors, two houses down, had died. Abu Salih was a man in his seventies and as the Iraqi mercenaries raided his house, he had a heart-attack. His grandson couldn’t get him to the hospital on time because the troops wouldn’t let him leave the house until they’d finished with it. His grandson told us later that day that the Iraqis were checking the houses, but the American troops had the area surrounded and secured. It was a coordinated raid.

read the whole thing at...
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_riverbendb....html

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Comments (4 of 4)

Who is she?

Mon Feb 13, 2006 23:16

Riverbend is the pseudonymous author of the blog Bagdad Burning, launched August 17, 2003. Riverbend's identity is carefully hidden, but the weblog entries indicate that Riverbend is a young, unmarried Iraqi woman, from a Sunni family, living with her parents and brother in a middle class neighbourhood in the north of Baghdad. Before the US occupation she was a computer programmer. She writes in idiomatic English reflecting upon her Western education. The blog combines political statements with a large dose of Iraqi cultural information, such as the celebration of Ramadhan and examples of Iraqi cuisine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverbend

Riverbend caught in a 'Cyber Storm'?

Mon Feb 13, 2006 23:36

U.S. concludes 'Cyber Storm' mock attacks
The government concluded its "Cyber Storm" wargame Friday, its biggest-ever exercise to test how it would respond to devastating attacks over the Internet from anti-globalization activists, underground hackers and bloggers.

Bloggers?

Participants confirmed parts of the worldwide simulation challenged government officials and industry executives to respond to deliberate misinformation campaigns and activist calls by Internet bloggers, online diarists whose "Web logs" include political rantings and musings about current events.

[....]

Government officials from the United States, Canada, Australia and England and executives from Microsoft, Cisco, Verisign and others said they were careful to simulate attacks only using isolated computers, working from basement offices at the Secret Services headquarters in downtown Washington.

More at
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Cyber_Sto....html

———

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Conducts First Full-Scale
Cyber Security Exercise to Enhance Nation’s Cyber Preparedness

Washington, DC -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the completion of Cyber Storm, the first full-scale government-led cyber security exercise to examine response, coordination, and recovery mechanisms to a simulated cyber-event within international, federal, state, and local governments, in conjunction with the private sector. In total, 115 public, private, and international agencies, organizations, and companies were involved in the planning and implementation of Cyber Storm.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=5410

Al-Qaeda has Blackberries

Sat Feb 18, 2006 00:05

»Rummy describes your average Indymedia activist's tools as suspect Al-Qaeda activity.... I still wonder about Baghdad Burning's raid, was it a message?«

Donald H. Rumsfeld speaks to the Council on Foreign Relations....

Our federal government is only beginning to adapt our operations for the 21st Century. For the most part, the U.S. Government still functions as a “five and dime” store in an E-Bay world.

Today we are engaged in the first war in history -- unconventional and irregular as it is -- in an era of:

• E-mail;
• Blogs;
• Blackberries;
• Instant messaging;
• Digital cameras;
• A global Internet with no inhibitions;
• Cell phones;
• Hand held video cameras;
• Talk radio;
• 24 hours news broadcasts; and
• Satellite television.

more madness at...
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/2006/sp20060217-125....html

Pentagon Monitors Blog Threat

Sat Mar 04, 2006 01:59

'[Army Reserve Maj. Richard J. McNorton, CENTCOM's chief of engagement operations] said the team contacts bloggers to inform the writers about any given topic that may have been posted on their site. This outreach effort enables the team to offer complete information to bloggers by inviting them to visit CENTCOM's Web site for news releases, data or imagery.

The team engages bloggers who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information. They extend a friendly invitation to all bloggers to visit the command's Web site.'

and, oh!, it just gets better after that....

read: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/3/141233/7763

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Riverbend/'Baghdad Burning' Blogger's Home Raided

Comments (4 of 4)