Washington, DC, February 23, 2006–The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) reiterates its condemnation of the ongoing cycle of violence in Iraq. According to the latest news reports, which are likely underestimated, the violence in Iraq has claimed the lives of approximately 32,000 Iraqi civilians. The same reports indicate that the lives of 2,282 US soldiers and approximately 200 soldiers of other nationalities have also been lost. Additionally, thousands of people have also been wounded.
On February 22, an attack on the Askariya Shrine was carried out in the morning. Located 60 miles north of Baghdad in the largely Sunni city of Sumarra, the Askariya Shrine is one of Shiite Islam‘s‘ holiest shrines. Though no causalities were reported in this bombing, a surge in sectarian violence has followed.
ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said, “Our thoughts and condolences go out to the people of Iraq and to our servicemen and women. Continued violence and terror has gripped the country and divided it on ethnic and sectarian lines. This is a tragedy for the Iraqi people and for the whole international community.”
Hon. Oakar added, “ADC calls on all parties in Iraq to work toward a halt to violence and to commit to non-violent solutions to the country’s problems. This war has caused enormous death and destruction to the long suffering Iraqi civilian population; a people who have already endured two major recent wars, a brutal dictatorship, and more than a decade of unprecedented and suffocating international sanctions.” She continued, “ADC also calls on the US, as the occupying power in Iraq, to do more to meet its moral and legal obligations to protect civilians from harm. ADC also believes that the war and ongoing occupation places our servicemen and women at great risk, we strongly hope for their quick and safe return.”
To read more on ADC‘s position, as outlined in the ADC‘s 2005 Resolutions, see:
https://www.adc.org/index.php?id=2524
To view read more on ADC‘s position, see:
https://www.adc.org/index.php?id=1755