[news] Briefing: Denial of Water to Iraqi Cities

Tue Nov 16 20:13:25 PST 2004

>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> This briefing is also available in PDF format at:
> http://www.casi.org.uk/briefing/041110denialofwater.pdf
>
> *******************************
>
> BRIEFING, 11/11/04
>
> Denial of Water to Iraqi Cities
>
> INTRODUCTION
>
> Water supplies to Tall Afar, Samarra and Fallujah have been cut off
> during US attacks in the past two months, affecting up to 750,000
> civilians. This appears to form part of a deliberate US policy of
> denying water to the residents of cities under attack. If so, it has
> been adopted without a public debate, and without consulting
> Coalition partners. It is a serious breach of international
> humanitarian law, and is deepening Iraqi opposition to the United
> States, other Coalition members, and the Iraqi interim government.
>
> EVIDENCE FOR THE DENIAL OF WATER
>
> Tall Afar
>
> On 19 September 2004, the Washington Post reported that US
> forces 'had turned off' water supplies to Tall Afar 'for at least three
> days' (1). Turkish television reported a statement from the Iraqi
> Turkoman Front that 'Tall Afar is completely surrounded. Entries and
> exits are banned.
> The water shortage is very serious' (2). Al-Manar television in
> Lebanon interviewed an aid worker who stated that 'the main
> problem facing the people of Tall Afar and adjacent areas is
> shortage of water' (3). Relief workers reported a shortage of clean
> water (4). Moreover, the Washington Post reports that the US army
> failed to offer water to those fleeing Tall Afar, including children 
> and
> pregnant women (5).
>
> Samarra
>
> 'Water and electricity [were] cut off' during the assault on Samarra
> on Friday 1 October 2004, according to Knight Ridder Newspapers
> (6) and the Independent (7). The Washington Post explicitly blames
> 'U.S. forces' for this (8). Iraqi TV station Al-Sharqiyah reported that
> technical teams were working to 'restore the power and water supply
> and repair the sewage networks in Samarra' (9). Al Jazeera
> interviewed an aid worker who confirmed that 'the city is
> experiencing a crisis in which power and water are cut off' (10), as
> well as the commander of the Samarra Police, who reported that
> 'there is no electricity and no water' (11).
>
> Fallujah
>
> On 16 October the Washington Post reported that: 'Electricity and
> water were cut off to the city [Fallujah] just as a fresh wave of 
> strikes
> began Thursday night, an action that U.S. forces also took at the
> start of assaults on Najaf and Samarra.' (12)
>
> Residents of Fallujah have told the UN's Integrated Regional
> Information Networks that 'they had no food or clean water and did
> not have time to store enough to hold out through the impending
> battle' (13). The water shortage has been confirmed by other
> civilians fleeing Fallujah(14), Fadhil Badrani, a BBC journalist in
> Falluja, confirmed on 8 November that 'the water supply has been
> cut off'.
>
> In light of the shortage of water and other supplies, the Red Cross
> has attempted to deliver water to Fallujah. However the US has
> refused to allow shipments of water into Fallujah until it has
> taken control of the city (15).
>
> Other cases
>
> There have been allegations that the water supply was cut off during
> the assault on Najaf in August 2004, and during the invasion of
> Basra in 2003. We have not investigated these claims.
>
>
> JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE DENIAL OF
> WATER
>
> Some military analysts have attempted to justify the denial of water
> on tactical or humanitarian grounds. Ian Kemp, editor of military
> journal 'Jane's Defense Weekly', argues that: 'The longer the city
> [Fallujah] is sealed off with the insurgents inside, the more 
> difficult it
> is going to be for them. Eventually, their supplies of food and water
> are going to dwindle' (16).
>
> Barak Salmoni, assistant professor in National Security Affairs at the
> U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, told the San Francisco
> Chronicle that civilians would probably be encouraged to leave
> Fallujah 'by cutting off water and other supplies' (17).
>
> These arguments are deeply flawed on legal, humanitarian and
> political grounds. The majority of the population of Fallujah fled
> before the American attack. Those who have not already fled
> Fallujah are forced to remain, since roads out of the city have been
> blocked (18), including by
> British troops (19). Not only are those remaining unable to leave, but
> they are likely to consist largely of those too old, weak, or ill to 
> flee -
> precisely the groups which will be most severely affected by a
> shortage of water.
>
> REACTION IN IRAQ
>
> The information reported above is more widely known in Iraq than in
> the US and UK, and has had become a significant political issue.
> Belief that US tactics involve denial of water is widespread.
> According to the LA Times:
> 'As soon as the women of Fallouja learned that four Americans had
> been killed, their bodies mutilated, burned and strung up from a
> bridge, they knew a terrible battle was coming. They filled their
> bathtubs and buckets with water...' (20)
>
> Condemnations of the tactic have been issued by several major Iraqi
> political groups. On 1 October the Iraqi Islamic Party issued a
> statement criticising the US attack on Fallujah which 'cut off water,
> electricity, and medical supplies', and arguing that such an approach
> 'will further aggravate and complicate the security situation'. It also
> called for compensation for the victims (21).
>
> Three days later Muqtada al-Sadr criticized both the denial of water
> to Samarra, and the lack of international outrage at it: 'They say that
> this city is experiencing the worst humanitarian situations, without
> water and electricity, but no-one speaks about this. If the wronged
> party were America, wouldn't the whole world come to its rescue and
> wouldn't it denounce this?' (22)
>
> Denial of water is one of the misguided tactics which increases
> distrust of the Coalition forces. Asked in June how much confidence
> they had in US and UK forces, 50.8% of participating Iraqis
> responded 'none at all', with a further 29.5% saying 'not very much'
> (23).
>
> This in turn fuels anti-American violence. A spokesman for the
> Association of Muslim Scholars, one of the most significant Sunni
> political groupings in Iraq, reported that the party's representative 
> in
> Samarra had told him that 'there was no water'. He argued that partly
> asa result of this: 'The Iraqis no longer trust the Americans. It is 
> not a
> question of military manifestations. It is now a question of popular
> rejection for the Americans, not for the military manifestations.' (24)
>
> His analysis is confirmed by the Oxford Research International poll,
> according to which one third of Iraqis regard attacks against
> Coalition forces as 'acceptable' (25).
>
> REACTION IN THE UK
>
> Awareness of this issue remains extremely limited among the British
> public. The British government denies involvement. Despite inquiries
> from CASI and others, they appear not to have raised the issue with
> their American counterparts. UK Armed Forces Minister Adam
> Ingram has denied knowledge of US action to cut off water
> supplies in Tall Afar (26), despite coverage in the Washington Post.
> Similarly Hilary Benn, the UK Secretary of State for International
> Development, says he has not discussed the issue with his
> American counterparts (27). This lack of communication with the
> American side suggests a lack of concern for the
> humanitarian implications of the conflict in Iraq, and an unwillingness
> to comment on American activities. Concerning British forces, Mr.
> Ingram has claimed that: 'With regard to the action of our own
> Forces, I can also confirm that we have not cut off water supplies to
> civilians. It is possible that local temporary disruptions may have
> occurred at some time due to damage from
> combat with anti-Iaqi Forces but we are not aware of any actual
> cases where this has happened' (28).
>
> LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
>
> The denial of water to civilians is illegal both under Iraqi and
> international law. Article 12 of the Transitional Administrative
> Law,which serves as a constitution during the interim period, states
> that: 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the security of his
> person' (29)
>
> International law specifically forbids the denial of water to civilians
> during conflict. Under Article 14 of the second protocol of the
> Geneva Conventions,
>
> 'Starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited. It is
> therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless for
> that purpose, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian
> population such as food-stuffs, agricultural areas for the production
> of food-stuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and
> supplies and irrigation works.' (30)
>
> RECOMMENDATIONS
>
> CASI calls on Members of Parliament to raise this issue with
> ministers as a matter of urgency. The UK government must use its
> influence with our US ally to ensure that all military operations are
> conducted within the bounds of international law. In addition to the
> suffering caused to the civilian population, use of these tactics by US
> forces puts our own troops at risk from rising insurgency.
>
> We hope that the issue will be taken up by international NGOs such
> as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Deliberate
> disruption of civilian water supplies should be a matter of concern for
> all who are promoting human rights in Iraq.
>
> CASI urges journalists on the ground in Iraq to investigate the above
> reports further, in order to build up a clearer picture of use of this
> tactic. The UK media must give greater weight to the plight of civilian
> populations in their coverage of conflicts such as Fallujah. The UK
> public needs to know that our Coalition partner is using this illegal
> tactic.
>
> ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
>
> This briefing was prepared for CASI by Daniel O'Huiginn and Alison
> Klevnas. Thanks to Felicity Arbuthnot, Anne Campbell, Helena
> Cobban,
> Mike Lewis, Rory McCarthy, Glen Rangwala, Colin Rowat, Shirin,
> Jonathan
> Stevenson, Per Klevnas and the members of the CASI Analysis list
> for
> their help and advice. Except where otherwise noted, extracts from
> the
> Iraqi press and broadcast media are taken from the BBC news
> monitoring
> service.
>
> For more information on this issue, please contact:
>
> Daniel O'Huiginn,
> Tel: 01223 328040
> Mobile: 07745 192426
> Email: dan.ohuiginn at casi.org.uk
> <mailto:dan.ohuiginn at casi.org.uk>
>
> (1) 'After Recapturing N. Iraqi City, Rebuilding Starts from Scratch',
> by Steve Fainaru. 19 September 2004.
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31377-
> 2004Sep18?language=printer
> (2) Comments by Faruq Abd-al-Rahman, leader of the Iraqi
> Turkoman
> Front, on TRT 2 Television, Ankara, 1600 gmt 12 September 2004
> (3) Al-Manar Television, Beirut, 0440 gmt 14 September 2004
> (4) Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, 1200 gmt 15 September 2004
> (5) 'After Recapturing N. Iraqi City, Rebuilding Starts from Scratch',
> by Steve Fainaru. 19 September 2004.
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31377-
> 2004Sep18?language=printer
> (6) 'US, Iraqi forces take control of Samarra'. By Nancy A. Youssef
> and
> Patrick Kerkstra, 1 October 2004,
> http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/world/9813499.htm
> (7) 'Onslaught in Samarra escalates in 'dress rehearsal' for major
> US
> assault on rebels'. Ken Sengupta, Independent, 3 October.
> http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=56
> 835
> (8) Washington Post, 16 October 2004.
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34612-
> 2004Oct15?language=printer
> (9) Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad, 1300GMT 8 October 2004
> (10) Al-Jazeera TV, 1505 gmt 1 October 2004
> (11) Al Jazeera TV, 1810 gmt 2 October 2004
> (12) Washington Post, 16 October 2004.
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34612-
> 2004Oct15?language=printer
> (13) 'Iraq: thousands of residents have fled Fallujah'. IRIN, 8
> November.
> http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8
> ad5/c8e6aade2a3db177c1256f460051db3b?OpenDocument
> (14) Comment by Shirin,
> http://justworldnews.org/MT/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=966
> (15) 'Iraq: thousands of residents have fled Fallujah'. IRIN, 8
> November.
> http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8
> ad5/c8e6aade2a3db177c1256f460051db3b?OpenDocument
> (16) 'Iraq: US troops surround al-Fallujah as offensive preparations
> continue'. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty feature, 8 November
> 2004.
> http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/11/f29d2002-7151-4453-
> 9e91-97c77a17d3f2.html
> (17) San Francisco Chronicle, 6th November 2004.
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
> bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/11/06/MNGHL9NBU11.DTL
> (18)
> http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=58
> 0548
> (19) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3989815.stm
> (20) LA Times, 24 October,
> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-
> fallouja24oct24,1,6787318.story?coll=la-headlines-world
> (21) Statement issued by the Political Bureau of the Iraqi Islamic
> Party, on 19 Sha'ban 1425 AH, corresponding to 3 Oct 2004.
> Reported on
> Dar al-Salam radio, Baghdad in Arabic 1600 gmt 4 Oct 04
> (22) Statement by Muqtada al-Sadr on Al-Manar Television, Beirut,
> in
> Arabic 1800 gmt 4 October 2004
> (23) Survey conducted in June 2004 by Oxford Research
> International,
> http://www.oxfordresearch.com/Iraq%20June%202004%20Frequenc
> y%20Tables.PD
> (24) Al-Jazeera TV, 1615 GMT 2 October 2004
> (25) Survey conducted in June 2004 by Oxford Research
> International,
> http://www.oxfordresearch.com/Iraq%20June%202004%20Frequenc
> y%20Tables.PD
> (26) Response of Adam Ingram on 25 October 2004 to questions
> 191479
> (tabled by Llwyd, and 192090, 192089, and 192087 tabled by Adam
> Price.
> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/cm04
> 1025/text/41025w03.htm#41025w03.html_spnew9
> (27) Response to question by Adam Price MP:
> Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International
> Development
> what discussions he has had with counterparts in the US
> Administration
> on cutting off water supplies in Iraq. [192088]
> Hilary Benn: I have had no such discussions
> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/cm04
> 1103/text/41103w03.htm#41103w03.html_spnew4
> (28) Letter from Adam Ingram to Anne Campbell MP, dated 21
> October
> 2004, ref D/Min(AF)/AI 4770/04/C
> (29) Law of administration for the state of Iraq for the transitional
> period, http://www.cpa-iraq.org/government/TAL.html
> (30)
> http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/d6
> 7c3971bcff1c10c125641e0052b545