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Misreporting Of Iraq War By Western Media
Sun Apr 6 05:23:27 2003
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Misreporting Of Iraq War By Western Media
Asian News International 4-5-3
http://www.aniin.com/

NEW DELHI (ANI) -- Dr. Waiel S.H. Awwad, a Syrian war
correspondent who went missing in Iraq, said on Friday
the most difficult job for the coalition troops will
be to win the trust of Iraqi people once Baghdad
falls. New Delhi-based Awwad, reporting for Al Arabiya
television, a part of Middle East Broadcasting
Corporation, went missing along with two crew members
in Iraq on March 22 until he contacted home last
Sunday.

Awwad and his crew were ambushed on the third day of
coalition attacks as they were proceeding to Zuber,
20 kms north of Basra, to talk to Iraqis in the town,
which the British claimed had been "liberated".
Recounting his nine-day ordeal, Awwad, who was
embedded with a US maintenance division, said it was
the mere "presence of mind" which saved him from the
jaws of death.

"You know, it became a capture, a big capture like
they thought we are really Americans. And they started
shouting slogans, firing in the air, "Saddam Zindabad,
Saddam, Saddam". I said fine, we took the (video)
shots, we took everything. Then they said no, you have
to come with us to the Ba'ath headquarters in Zuber
and there in the Ba'ath headquarters, we were
interrogated, we were asked why we came with the
Americans? You are not supposed to be a part of the
Americans, these are the invaders and all sort of
things," Awwad said.

Awwad said coalition troops made long claims in the
initial days of war and the unexpected resistance by
the Iraqis was often misreported in the western media.

The Arabic-speaking journalist said they could have
been branded "traitors" and killed for being embedded
with the "enemy" but he was smuggled out by a
compassionate tribal leader, who was also a member o
f Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's ruling Ba'ath
party. "There are bad people in Iraq and there are
good people in Iraq.

That is the story which nobody believes. And while we
were there more than 20 British soldiers were killed
in Zuber when the British were only admitting two
soldiers were killed. When I saw it with my own eyes,
three tanks were blown (up), three vehicles were blown
(up) and six Prisoners of War were caught. Now who
could give such facts from the ground if we were not
there," he said.

Awwad said he witnessed a zealous fighting spirit
among Iraqis during his accidental reporting from both
sides of the war. He said the Iraqi people did not
approve of Saddam's regime but for most of those
fighting coalition forces, it was a choice etween "the
lesser of the two evils".

"The Iraqi people have suffered at the hands of Saddam
Hussein, I tell you (there is) no doubt about it and I
am sure there will be lots of stories coming after the
war (is) over because people will come forward and
tell you, Yes, we did this and that but Iraqi people
also learnt from the Britishers, the Britishers were
not a good colonial power in Iraq and they have
suffered enough on their hands. So they have to choose
between the two devils and they prefer Saddam Hussein.
They said, Saddam Hussain, we know him for 30 years,
we suffered at his hands but these are colonial
powers, they have some reasons to come and take oil.
So the genuine fighting among the people comprised
more than a regular army," Awwad said.

He said even the common Iraqis fought coalition
troops, some out of fear of Ba'ath party's informers
which happened to be even in their families, and
others for gaining "rewards" proportionate to enemy's
losses.

Awwad, who also reported from Afghanistan during the
war on Taliban and al Qaeda, said unceasing
bombardment of Baghdad a nd other pockets of
resistance could lead to dislocation of civilian
population and also harm the goodwill the coalition
troops hope to win over.

"I believe the human catastrophe has now been set up
in this area, Why? While we were in jail, we were
detained in a house, the way the bombardment was
taking place, so much devastating that even (at) the
place we were sitting, we were so scared that we might

die because of the shaking of the place. I know it
from Afghanistan when the B-52s used to come and bomb,
the whole ground shook under our feet. So the psycho
war on the Iraqi people was so much and there is
influx of refugees going out of Iraq now, out of
Basra, out of Zuber. People saying, OK fine you took
our president, we don't want him but why you make us
look so demoralised, so much we are sitting here, why?
Now I believe if the Britishers are not in a position
to regain the confidence of the Iraqis, there will be
more casualties to come," he said. wwad hoped the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq would set in
motion a new era of development for the Iraqi people,
among the most educated and innovative in the Arab
world.

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