Iraqi Red Crescent: U.S. Is Biggest Threat

Dec. 15, 2006

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(CBS/AP) Harassment from U.S. forces is a greater threat to the work of the Iraqi Red Crescent than insurgent attacks, a senior official of the Red Cross-linked humanitarian organization said Friday.

Dr. Jamal Al-Karbouli, vice president of the Iraqi Red Crescent, said some U.S. forces appeared not to realize that the society, which uses as its symbol the Muslim red crescent instead of the red cross, was part of the international humanitarian movement.

"The main problem we are facing is the American forces more than the other forces," Al-Karbouli told reporters in Geneva. "We are spending a lot of time to explain about the Red Crescent."

Al-Karbouli said insurgent groups in Iraq did not pose as great a problem for the organization.

"The insurgents, they are Iraqis, a lot of them are Iraqis, and they respect the Iraqis. And they respect (the Red Crescent's) identity, which is neutrality."

In other developments:

Gunmen killed a Shiite tribal sheik linked to British forces in a drive-by shooting Friday in the southern city of Basra.

Two Marines were reported killed in fighting in a volatile province west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The deaths raise to 53 the number of American troops who have died in December, which is on track to being one of the deadliest months of the war. At least 2,942 members of the U.S. military have died since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Hoping for some good news, Iraqis tuned in to watch their national soccer team face off against Qatar in the Asian Games finals. But Iraq's bold bid for a gold medal ended in a 1-0 loss.

Three days before he steps down, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the architect of the war in Iraq, was to be saluted at the Defense Department with a full honor review by the armed forces. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were to be the lead speakers.

Al-Karbouli also complained that Red Crescent offices in Baghdad, Anbar and Najaf provinces had been repeatedly "attacked" by U.S.-led multi-national forces searching for insurgents.

"We have flags, we have everything, we have (the) logo, so they (U.S. forces) know everything, but unfortunately they come again and attack us many times," Al-Karbouli said. He complained that U.S. forces broke doors and windows at the Red Crescent headquarters "and they didn't find anything, and they left."

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the U.S.-led coalition forces "strive to ensure they are respectful when they conduct interaction with the local population."

"When we conduct searches, we do not 'attack' the place we are searching," he said.

Al-Karbouli said insurgent groups had tried to enlist support from the Red Crescent, but the organization had refused.

"We always say no. We want to keep our neutrality," he said.

Doctors and other medical workers have been targeted by militants in bombings and shootings in Iraq's relentless violence. Hospitals also have become safe havens for insurgents or Shiite militiamen, who have sometimes holed up in them in battles with U.S. forces.

The Red Crescent, which is part of the international Red Cross movement, has around 1,000 staff and some 200,000 volunteers in the country. It works closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross which visits detainees and tries to provide food, water and medicine to Iraqis.

Iraqi Red Crescent accuses U.S. forces of attacks

By Stephanie Nebehay Fri Dec 15, 9:45 AM ET

The Iraqi Red Crescent accused U.S. forces on Friday of carrying out a spate of attacks on its offices over the last three years during operations to flush out suspected militants.

Jamal Al Karbouli, vice-president of the Iraqi Red Crescent, said that in the latest incident, U.S forces had occupied and nearly destroyed its Falluja office, held staff for hours, and burned two cars clearly marked with its neutral symbol.

The only Iraqi aid agency working in all 18 provinces, its 1,000 staff and 200,000 volunteers already face extremely difficult conditions because of the growing sectarian violence, he said.

"The main difficulties we are facing, first of all, is the presence of MNF, the multinational forces, which sometimes gives us a hard time. They are attacking some offices and detaining some volunteers," Karbouli told a news conference in Geneva.

"The last example was about seven days ago in Falluja. We had our offices attacked by American forces, they detained the volunteers and staff more than two hours and they burned the cars and even the building which belonged to us," he added.

Karbouli said U.S. forces had "attacked" its Baghdad headquarters a number of times since the overthrow of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. In most of the incidents, the Americans claimed to have received "information."

"Four to five times they have attacked the headquarters, they break doors and windows, just to see. And they didn't find anything and they left," he said.

"We don't know the reason behind it, is it to scare us or decrease our work or another reason, as they mention, fear of terrorists? We don't know."

"The Iraqi Red Crescent is the only Iraqi body working all over Iraq. Because of this, they are suspicious," Karbouli said.

U.S. CHECKING ALLEGATIONS

The U.S. military in Iraq said it was checking the allegations but said its forces do not attack sites while conducting searches.

"When we conduct searches, we do not attack the place we are searching. Coalition Forces strive to ensure they are respectful when they conduct interaction with the local population," U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver told Reuters in an e-mail reply.

Karbouli said the agency faced pressure from militant groups in Iraq, where insurgents from the minority Sunni community and militias from the majority Shi'ites are accused of atrocities against civilians.

"They try to work with us many times. We say 'No, we want to keep neutral'," he told reporters.

"Fortunately we have a good reputation with Iraqis on both sides. Both of them respect us and trust us as a neutral organization," Karbouli said.

The Iraqi Red Crescent is providing vital medicines and other supplies to hospitals and vulnerable civilians, including some of the 100,000 uprooted families who have fled bloodshed. It also distributes messages from detainees to their families.

Multinational forces sometimes fail to recognize Iraqi Red Crescent identity cards, making it difficult for its workers to pass through checkpoints and fearful to leave home. "We are facing problems which stop us from work. At some checkpoints I.D.s are not respected," he said.

In the past three years, seven of the agency's staff or volunteers have been killed and about eight detained, either during incidents in their homes or while working, he said.