Discovery of prisoners heartens Iraq's Sunni minority

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops' discovery of 173 mostly Sunni Arab men beaten and malnourished in a secret Interior Ministry jail has sent a jolt of optimism through Baghdad's disaffected Sunni minority.

"This is like a dream - the American forces free Iraqi prisoners tortured by the government?" said Huthayfa Mohammed, 20, a Sunni Arab who can't find his brother after Iraqi police detained him. "This is brand new."

The U.S. military's discovery of the men is "an indication that the Americans would like to show the Iraqis how they are really trying to handle the whole situation in an even-handed policy and make them feel more confident in the American policy," said Dr. Hassan Bazzaz, a Sunni professor of political science and international affairs at Baghdad University. "It's definitely going to ... give a better chance for the Arab Sunnis and tarnish the others."

In the Sunni neighborhood of Adhemiya on Wednesday, Mohammed Jassim was hard at work painting banners for youth movements and political parties. About 10 white banners hung on the walls to dry in his narrow shop. He pointed to one in the back of the store with blue, red and yellow writing. "In order to stop raids and assassinations and the art of torture Participate in the next election."

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/world/13184822.htm

This is the line that told me it's bullshit: "This is like a dream - the American forces free Iraqi prisoners tortured by the government?" said Huthayfa Mohammed, 20, a Sunni Arab who can't find his brother after Iraqi police detained him. "This is brand new."

Yeah, brand fucking new. So this media prop is delighted over this, but how about if we ask him a follow up question, shall we?

Interviewer: Mr. Huthayfa Mohammed, now that this prisoner release has made you happy, how do you feel about the thousands of your fellow countrymen still being held by the U.S. military without any charges and are being tortured at this very moment?

Mr. Hutayfa Mohammed: (pause in disbelief) DEATH TO AMERICA!!!

Interviewer: Mr. Huthayfa Mohammed, I thought you were just saying that this was brand new and from all appearances you were happy...

Mr. Hutayfa Mohammed: I was happy at the release but still very pissed off at how I'm being used as a media tool!!!

Interviewer: (back to camera), there you have it folks, pissed off at being used as a media tool. In other news, the east coast is under martial law...

prisoners (or at least stood back and let it happen), suddenly "stumble on" yet MORE tortured prisoners, and suddenly are appalled...coming to prisoner rescue/protection.

Besides, wasn't there a prison where the prisoners were recently doing "hunger strike" to protest imprisonment? I kept hearing the story. Then this. Was THIS the same place?

amateurs!

Will the bullshit spin see no end.

This is the nonsense they were pushing on the CBS Evening News as well. Everybody now loves the Americans because they freed the Sunnis from the Iraqi puppet government jail. Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqis languish without trial or reason in American detention centers. I mean, really. Oh, and the bodies keep piling up. Remember when the media was all excited because the two Hussein brothers had been killed and everything was gonna go back to normal now? These fucking idiots are doing the nation a severe disservice by soft-pedaling the shitstorm we're in. A little sand in the eyes is good for you, see. Aren't glasses really made out of sand?

not all Iraqis are happy about this:

"Amid the swirl of political intrigue in Baghdad, few took discovery of the prison at face value. Shiite Iraqis saw it as an effort by the U.S. military to undermine the Shiite-dominated transitional government just one month before the Dec. 15 elections.

"The Americans want another government. They are doing the same thing as they did in 1991 when they used Shiites and then dumped them," said Qassem Darwish, a Shiite street vendor in Karrada, referring to a U.S.-inspired Shiite uprising in the southern port city of Basra against Saddam. Saddam crushed the rebellion and slaughtered its participants while the United States did nothing to help."

Feel better?

Good to know thinks are still looking bad.

Seriously, I think this is all election politics: Sunnis are happy the Shia look bad. This could work in their favour in next month's elections.