Iraqi Red Crescent cites US as biggest threat to its work

Harassment from US forces is a greater threat to the work of the Iraqi Red Crescent than insurgent attacks, a senior official of the Red Cross-linked humanitarian organization said on Dec. 15. "The main problem we are facing is the American forces more than the other forces," Dr. Jamal Al-Karbouli, vice-president of the Iraqi Red Crescent, told reporters in Geneva. The official said some members of the US military appeared not to realize that the organization, which uses the Muslim red crescent symbol instead of the red cross, was still part of the international humanitarian movement and should be accorded the same rights under the Geneva Conventions on warfare. Karbouli said Red Crescent offices in Baghdad, Anbar and Najaf provinces had been repeatedly attacked by US forces. "We have flags, we have everything, we have [the] logo, so [US forces] know everything, but unfortunately they come again and attack us many times," he said. He said that US forces say they are searching for information when the attacks are carried out. "[It would be] good for them at least to ask us about this information before attacking us," he added. In most of the incidents, US troops claimed to have received "information." Karbouli said that in the latest incident, US forces had occupied and nearly destroyed its Falluja office, held staff for hours and burned two cars and a building clearly marked with its neutral symbol. He claimed US forces had "attacked" its Baghdad headquarters a number of times since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. "Four to five times they have attacked the headquarters, they break doors and windows, just to see. And they didn't find anything and they left," he said. "We don't know the reason behind it; is it to scare us or decrease our work or another reason, as they mention, fear of terrorists? We don't know. "The Iraqi Red Crescent is the only Iraqi body working all over Iraq. Because of this, they are suspicious," Karbouli said. He claimed that insurgent groups in Iraq did not pose as great a problem for the organization as the US forces. "The insurgents, they are Iraqis, a lot of them are Iraqis, and they respect the Iraqis. And they respect our identity, which is neutrality. "I would not say we don't have problems, we don't have a lot of problems" with the insurgents, he said. The US military in Iraq said it was checking the allegations but said its forces do not attack sites while conducting searches. "When we conduct searches, we do not attack the place we are searching. Coalition Forces strive to ensure they are respectful when they conduct interaction with the local population," US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver told Reuters news agency. The Iraqi Red Crescent is providing vital medicines and other supplies to hospitals and vulnerable civilians, including some of the 100,000 uprooted families who have fled bloodshed. It also distributes messages from detainees to their families. The organization, which is part of the International Red Cross movement, has around 1,000 staff and some 200,000 volunteers in the country. It is the only humanitarian group currently working throughout war-torn Iraq.