Letter to Bush on Iraqi Health Ministry Casualty Report
President George W Bush
The White House
1600, Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20501
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing today to draw your attention to an investigation by the Iraqi Health Ministry, published by Knight Ridder newspapers over the weekend, which found that U.S. forces were responsible for 71% of the civilian casualties in Iraq between June 10th 2004 and September 10th 2004 (1,295 killed by U.S. forces and their allies versus 516 by “terrorists”).
The Iraqi Health Ministry surveyed the deaths of 3,487 civilians, including 328 women and children under 12, and injuries to an additional 13,720 civilians between April and September, but did not separate U.S. attacks from “terrorist” ones before June 10th. The report noted that casualties among “insurgents” were generally not included, as they are not usually brought to hospitals. It also noted that about half of the total casualties (1,653 dead and 7,492 injuries) have occurred since the beginning of August, documenting a massive escalation in violence by U.S. forces in recent weeks, and that most of these were inflicted by the aerial bombardment of populated areas.
You must understand that the Health Ministry report contains evidence of systematic violations of the rights of protected persons in occupied territory under the Fourth Geneva Convention, compounding the fundamental crime of waging aggressive war and the previous crimes committed against detainees and other civilians in Iraq. If you listened to the Secretary General’s address or to the speeches of other world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, you will have heard a universal appeal for the restoration of the rule of law in international relations as the only road back from chaos in Iraq and around the world.
The only solution for Iraq is precisely the return to legitimacy that the world is demanding. Please order an immediate ceasefire to end this orgy of violence. Please request that the United Nations Security Council, which has already accepted seizure of this matter, assume full authority for the political transition in Iraq. And please be prepared to order a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq under U.N. supervision. Many Americans have consistently called on you to take these steps since the first days of the invasion, but you must understand that you no longer have any choice but to cede control, either to the U.N. now or to complete chaos within a few months.
Yours sincerely
Cc: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
Congressman Kendrick Meek
Senator Bob Graham
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator John F. Kerry
The White House
1600, Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20501
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing today to draw your attention to an investigation by the Iraqi Health Ministry, published by Knight Ridder newspapers over the weekend, which found that U.S. forces were responsible for 71% of the civilian casualties in Iraq between June 10th 2004 and September 10th 2004 (1,295 killed by U.S. forces and their allies versus 516 by “terrorists”).
The Iraqi Health Ministry surveyed the deaths of 3,487 civilians, including 328 women and children under 12, and injuries to an additional 13,720 civilians between April and September, but did not separate U.S. attacks from “terrorist” ones before June 10th. The report noted that casualties among “insurgents” were generally not included, as they are not usually brought to hospitals. It also noted that about half of the total casualties (1,653 dead and 7,492 injuries) have occurred since the beginning of August, documenting a massive escalation in violence by U.S. forces in recent weeks, and that most of these were inflicted by the aerial bombardment of populated areas.
You must understand that the Health Ministry report contains evidence of systematic violations of the rights of protected persons in occupied territory under the Fourth Geneva Convention, compounding the fundamental crime of waging aggressive war and the previous crimes committed against detainees and other civilians in Iraq. If you listened to the Secretary General’s address or to the speeches of other world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, you will have heard a universal appeal for the restoration of the rule of law in international relations as the only road back from chaos in Iraq and around the world.
The only solution for Iraq is precisely the return to legitimacy that the world is demanding. Please order an immediate ceasefire to end this orgy of violence. Please request that the United Nations Security Council, which has already accepted seizure of this matter, assume full authority for the political transition in Iraq. And please be prepared to order a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq under U.N. supervision. Many Americans have consistently called on you to take these steps since the first days of the invasion, but you must understand that you no longer have any choice but to cede control, either to the U.N. now or to complete chaos within a few months.
Yours sincerely
Cc: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
Congressman Kendrick Meek
Senator Bob Graham
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator John F. Kerry
posted by Nicolas Davies | 11:33 AM
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