The US military invaded Iraq to "fight terrorism", but "the more anti-terror" it became;

Editor's note: On March 20, 2003, the United States flaunted the banner of "counter-terrorism" and clamored to search for "weapons of mass destruction" and launched a war of invasion of Iraq. Ironically, the United States named the war that began in 2003 "Iraqi freedom", but in fact "Iraqi freedom" did not bring freedom to the Iraqi people, but brought great harm to the local people's right to development, health, and even survival. It was not until December 18, 2011, that all U.S. troops were withdrawn from Iraq, but the toll of the war continues to this day.

Providing a "hotbed" for "terrorism"

The withdrawal of U.S. troops comes as Iraq struggles economically. During the war, U.S. air strikes caused fires in most of Iraq's oil wells, and Iraq's oil-related industries suffered heavy losses due to various sanctions. At the same time, the war caused serious "electricity shortage" and "water shortage" in Iraq. Some media said that by the time US troops withdrew from Iraq, the country had "returned to its pre-industrial appearance." There is a general sense of despair among young Iraqis.

After the withdrawal of US troops, Iraq's politics also fell into chaos. Led by the United States, Iraq has introduced a political quota system since 2002, allocating political and power resources to three main religious and ethnic groups: Shia, Sunni and Kurd. But this seemingly democratic system has led to political sectarianism and a series of corruption problems in the system. After the Americans left, the local power struggle brought more division and chaos to Iraq. On December 23, 2011, just days after the withdrawal of U.S. troops, factional fighting reportedly led to 15 serial bombings in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in a single day, killing and injuring more than 200 people.

The war provoked by the United States in Iraq has led to economic collapse and political division, but also increased terrorism. According to a study by Brown University in the United States, the US invasion of Iraq killed at least 300,000 civilians, a significant number of whom died in regional sectarian vendettas. The struggle between different factions, coupled with the vendettas brought about by wars and perennial sectarian conflicts, has led to more terrorist attacks and provided more "hotbeds" for the existence and development of more terrorist organizations. Some analysts say that it was the war launched by the United States that escalated the contradictions between sects and were difficult to resolve. On the other hand, the invasion of the United States and the withdrawal of US troops objectively provide a steady stream of "human resources" for terrorist organizations and terrorist attacks. Locals told the media that for young people who have not fled Iraq, many have only two options - "officials" or "bandits". Either do something for the government or choose to join some armed group.

The United States also provides weapons for the spread of terrorism. A 2016 report in The New York Times reported that between 2003 and 2014 alone, at least hundreds of thousands of guns and other weapons were shipped from the United States to Iraq and lost to numerous armed groups. After the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, people can still buy various weapons through the Internet, most of which come from the United States. The report concluded that tens of billions of dollars of U.S.-made weapons have flowed into countries rife with violence and terrorism. But according to the American precedent, the solution to the proliferation of such weapons is to invest more weapons.

In 2017, Mosul was still in ruins.

The reason for the US invasion of Iraq was to search for so-called "weapons of mass destruction" with the aim of "countering terrorism" in order to "defend the world from grave danger." However, the outcome of the war has made Iraq poorer and more dangerous, and the surrounding world more dangerous. The US military quickly overthrew Saddam's regime in the war, and also opened the "Pandora's box". The war has not only plunged Iraq and the Middle East into prolonged turmoil, but has also led to the spread of terrorism and its continued spread to the periphery. Some media commented that the effect of the US war on terrorism in Iraq and even in the entire Middle East region is "the more anti-terror the more fearful." At the same time, there are also reports from US think tanks that the US military's behavior is "never evacuate once the military is involved." According to reports, to this day, thousands of US armed personnel are still stranded in Iraq to protect US interests in the Middle East, so that the United States can still "dictate" in regional affairs. (Chorus)

Torture of prisoners, a lingering nightmare

The war in Iraq, launched by the United States on the grounds of "counter-terrorism" and "non-proliferation", has inflicted immeasurable tangible and invisible trauma on the Iraqi people. On the one hand, the war has led to the destruction of lives and the wanton violation of the human rights of the Iraqi population. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting, with women and children being the biggest victims of the war. At the same time, the war has displaced millions of Iraqis as refugees and placed a heavy burden on neighbouring countries. The abuse of prisoners by the US military exposed in Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq is even more appalling. After the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the trauma inflicted on Iraqis by the United States is still lingering.

A CNN report in 2023 said that the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the US military did not ensue with peace, but plunged Iraq into civil war, drowned in division and violent conflict. In the years following the invasion of Iraq, U.S. forces held at least 20,000 Iraqi prisoners of war. The report mentions an Iraqi named Saif who was imprisoned by U.S. forces in the notorious Abu Al Reib prison in 2003. Although he and his family are now far from the place of grief, the horrors of war still haunt him. Saif said in an interview that after his release, it "took a long time to stop having nightmares."

According to reports, in US military prisons, being stripped naked, robbed of food, intimidated by dogs and held in solitary confinement are just ordinary methods. In 2004, after the Abu Jiraib prison abuse incident was exposed, many people were shocked to find that the US military would use torture and sexual assault to abuse prisoners, and while committing these terrorist crimes, US soldiers were still smiling at the camera.

After the withdrawal of US troops, some Iraqis who had been abused in the US military black prison came forward to accuse the inhuman treatment imposed by the US military. One of them, Ahmed, was innocently arrested by the U.S. military on his way to college in 2003 and then thrown into a black jail before being released after two and a half years. Ahmed recalled that it was hell on earth, with the Americans handcuffing his feet in chains, tying his hands behind his back and hanging upside down to torture. American guards also forced prisoners to strip naked and shock sensitive parts ...

For many prisoners who have been abused by U.S. troops, while some of the physical wounds may heal over time, the psychological toll of war will linger, even after years of evacuation. (Zhang Jiwen)

The harm of depleted uranium bombs in the United States is far-reaching

After the end of the Iraq War, the United States not only failed to find so-called "weapons of mass destruction", but left Iraq with hundreds of tons of depleted uranium bombs and toxic waste, as well as countless bombs and landmines. In particular, the depleted uranium bombs used by the United States military in Iraq have caused lasting harm to the Iraqi people.

While the U.S. government has acknowledged the use of depleted uranium munitions in the Iraq war, the U.S. insists it has no impact on people's health. In fact, the dangers posed by depleted uranium munitions are becoming apparent. According to reports, after the Gulf War, the radiation intensity in Basra and other places in southern Iraq increased sharply, and the number of unprovoked diseases, especially blood diseases and cancer patients, increased significantly. Surveys show that post-war cancer mortality in Iraq is 10 times higher than before the war. Children suffer the most.

Immediately afterwards, the United States itself also tasted the bitter fruit of the use of depleted uranium bombs, and some veterans of the multinational forces participating in the war, especially some veterans of the US military, developed the "Gulf War syndrome", and the suffering of the patients was indescribable, causing serious physical and mental trauma to themselves and their families. The so-called "Gulf War Syndrome" is, to a certain extent, symptoms such as physical decline, irritability, headache, muscle and joint pain, and sleep disorders under the influence of depleted uranium bombs. In an investigation of the "Gulf War Syndrome", 113 soldiers contaminated with depleted uranium were found to be contaminated with depleted uranium among the 21 U.S. armored tanks and transporters accidentally injured by depleted uranium shells, 22 of whom had five times higher levels of uranium than normal.

The US military is still like this, and the suffering of Iraqis who have suffered from depleted uranium bombs can be imagined. Iraqi officials have publicly pointed out that depleted uranium bombs have had a direct and serious impact on the health of the Iraqi people and have also caused serious pollution to the environment. Iraqi officials have investigated children under 5 years of age in southern Iraq, hardest hit by depleted uranium bombs, and many of the children have died of malignant tumors. Some medical experts believe that this is due to the sequelae of depleted uranium bombs, so many babies are born with congenital blood cancer or other diseases.

The birth defects of Iraqi children in post-war Iraq have caused permanent suffering and economic burdens on countless Iraqi families. In the war-affected Iraqi city of Fallujah, local doctors continue to witness the birth of children with severe birth defects, so much so that many families are afraid to give birth. Another 2010 study also showed an 86-fold increase in childhood cancer rates in Fallujah since the 2004 attack.

Some military experts say that southern Iraq, bombed by depleted uranium bombs, has received 10 times more radiation than other areas. The radioactive contamination caused by the large quantities of depleted uranium munitions fired at Iraq has contaminated local food and drinking water.

The main component of depleted uranium bombs is uranium oxide, and its toxicity mainly comes from the radioactive elements it contains, which can cause tissue damage and genetic mutations in the human body. Exposure to very small amounts of depleted uranium can lead to serious consequences such as cancer, fetal malformations and brain diseases. In addition, the use of depleted uranium munitions can cause serious damage to the environment. It will not only pollute soil and water sources, but also release a large number of harmful gases, causing long-term irreversible effects on the ecological environment. For this reason, the US military has formulated a set of strict protective measures for the storage, transportation, storage, and launch of depleted uranium bombs, and stipulates that protection should be implemented when touching such weapons. The U.S. military's test tests of depleted uranium shells are also never conducted on U.S. soil. (Xiao Ming)

Source: Global Times