by Dahr Jamail
Baghdad, Apr 23

Three families of refugees from the besieged city of Fallujah who are seeking refuge in the Al-Adhamiya neighborhood of Baghdad, described the conditions in the embattled city of Fallujah as “a horrible disaster.” A man called Khaled Abu Mujahed, speaking from Fallujah on behalf of the Islamic Party, stated that while some relief supplies are getting inside the city, a great number of families remain trapped in their homes, and the stench of dead bodies has become overpowering.

Refugees streamed out of Fallujah when fighting began after United States Marines placed the city under siege, cut off power supplies and began an invasion of the city. Resistance forces referred to by locals as mujahideen fought back, killing scores of US troops. Americans killed hundreds of Iraqi civilians, plus an unknown number of Iraqi fighters.

Crowded inside an empty house in the Al-Adhamiya district of Baghdad, Abu Muher, patriarch of one family that left Fallujah last Saturday, told of a harrowing journey out of his home city. “We were nearly bombed by the Americans when we tried to leave on Friday,” he said. “Bombs fell in front and behind us, so we had to turn back. Saturday we were lucky to escape.”

JNV Anti-War Briefing 60 (26 April 2004)

Posted: 26 April 2004

COMPULSORY IDENTITY CARDS ON THE WAY
Today, the British Home Secretary announced his intention to bring in a compulsory national identity card (the last scheme was scrapped in 1952 - see BBC Online http://tinyurl.com/yvbl5). The ID card system is to be based on ‘biometric’ information-information such as fingerprints, or a scan of the iris of the eye - taken from all 60 million people living in the UK.

David Blunkett has long been trying to introduce national ID cards (called ‘entitlement cards’ at one point), but was forced to water down his proposals last Nov. after objections from Cabinet colleagues. ‘But sources say opposition to ID cards has weakened since the Madrid attacks. “The realities of the past few weeks have had a big impact,” one said.’ (Independent, 5 Apr. 2004, p. 1)

The ‘war on terrorism’ is being used as a justification for ID cards.
But there is no evidence that ID cards can help stop terrorism.