US-led troops in Baghdad and Basra yesterday braced for more protests amid tension after two days of violent clashes with Iraqi army veterans angry at not receiving the back pay they had been promised.
In another development, US military officials announced they had closed a makeshift prison camp at Baghdad airport that had become notorious amid allegations of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.
In the center of Baghdad, about 150 people stood in a tense face-off with US troops outside the compound where they hoped to receive their pay, even though they were told payments were suspended until further notice.
"We will be here every day until they pay us," said an irate Hamza Mahdi, 23, who has been trying to get paid since Sept. 18.
US soldiers said they feared there could be a repeat of the past days' disturbances after clashes on Saturday left two Iraqis dead in Baghdad and one in Basra.
The veterans of ousted president Saddam Hussein's army had lined up in hopes of receiving the one-off payment of US$40 from the US-led occupying forces.
But they were told on Sunday there would be no payments at this stage and that they should stay tuned to radio and television for an announcement on future payments.
Meanwhile, the US military said it shut down Camp Cropper, a notorious makeshift prison facility at the heavily-guarded Baghdad airport where hundreds of Iraqis were held in tents.
The camp, where prisoners were held in the scorching summer heat, had drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel George Krivo said the prisoners were moved to "superior facilities" and that most were taken to Baghdad Central prison.
This, he said was in line with US policy to provide prisoners with "the best possible facilities."
Amnesty International said in June that the conditions in which the prisoners were held at the camp "may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, banned by international law."
In another development, mortar rounds were fired at coalition troops stationed outside the Iraqi city of Karbala yesterday morning, but caused no casualties, military and police officials said.
The attackers managed to flee in the car from which they fired at the camp.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese