Fourth anniversary of US invasion of Iraq

US Imperialism must pay for its crimes against humanity!

Four years have passed since the Anglo– American coalition invaded and occupied Iraq following a relentless campaign of disinformation and slander against the government of Saddam Hussein. In these four years, it is estimated that one million Iraqi people have lost their lives, and innumerable atrocities have been committed by the occupying forces. While the brave people of Iraq continue to resist the occupation and fight for the withdrawal of foreign troops from their land, it is necessary for the peoples of the whole world to step up their opposition to the criminal occupation of Iraq by US imperialism and its continued aggressive designs against the people of the region and the world.

Soon after the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the very premises on which the Anglo–American imperialists had justified their aggression were shown to be completely fabricated and a collection of falsehoods. The imperialists, in the manner of Hitler and other fascists before them, had deliberately created conditions to disorient opinion in their own countries and among the people of the world. It must be remembered that for thirteen long years before this, Iraq was subject to harsh economic sanctions which had made life miserable for the ordinary people of Iraq while debilitating the governments’ power to resist aggression.

The invasion and subjugation of Iraq has been the linchpin of the US imperialist offensive against the peoples of the world which is being carried out in the name of “war against terror”. This offensive has seen the occupation and destruction of Afghanistan, the destabilisation of Pakistan and other states in Central Asia, the relentless pressure against Iran, and the continued battering of the Palestinians and other peoples of West Asia and Northern Africa. The aim of this offensive is to establish the dictate of the US imperialist bourgeoisie in all corners of the globe, and to crush through overwhelming military force and terror any challenge to its ambitions from any quarter.

After the occupation, the US imperialists have tried to crush the resistance of the Iraqi people by using the most reprehensible methods known to mankind. The US imperialists, touting themselves as ‘defenders of freedom and democracy’ have resorted to mass murders, gassing of entire towns, inhuman torture and rape to break the resistance of the people. They have even been guilty of using depleted uranium as part of their arsenal, thus endangering several unborn generations of Iraqi people. Over four million people are estimated to have fled their homes in terror. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been murdered in cold blood, including scientists, academics, intellectuals and doctors. All prominent figures opposed to the occupation including religious leaders have been targeted by the death squads of the US imperialists and their collaborators. After farcical trials, former President Saddam Hussein and his aides were judicially murdered- acts which were condemned round the world.

While people belonging to various ethnic groups and religions have been living in Iraq for centuries in harmony, the occupying forces have deliberately tried to induce divisions along communal lines and splinter their resistance. The so–called “Iraqi Governing Council” set up by the US imperialists after the occupation in 2003 was itself a blatant attempt to divide Iraqis according to their religion and ethnicity. The US imperialists have tried to formalise this division with the fraudulent “constitution” imposed on the country, while the so-called “federation” is a precursor for the planned division of Iraq. From all accounts, the occupying forces and the government they have imposed on Iraq have not even been able to restore basic civic necessities, power or health care to the people.

It is increasingly clear to all that the US imperialists are stuck in a quagmire. All their efforts over the last four years to overcome the resistance to the occupation have not been successful. Not only do they and their puppet government have no credibility in the eyes of the people of Iraq and the world, the patriotic people of Iraq are making life hell for them. The opposition to the occupation and the war in Iraq has also been staunch in the US and Britain, just as in other countries around the globe. Growing numbers of people have made their disgust with the war mongering policies of the US imperialists abundantly clear through massive street protests. They have also shown their strong disapproval through the ballot box but, the fraud of representative democracy being what it is, the ruling elites in USA and Britain have been able to ensure that the overwhelming popular disgust notwithstanding, the war goes on. The Anglo-American imperialists have used the veto power in the Security Council of the United Nations to ensure that the world body is powerless in converting the widespread resentment against their actions into any kind of action against them.

Despite all attempts over the last four years to subdue them, the patriotic forces of Iraq have shown their iron determination to fight for their goal of freeing their country from foreign occupation. The anti–war movement around the world has similarly sustained its opposition to imperialist war. No matter how hard and how long the struggle may be, the patriots of Iraq and the peace loving people around the globe are clear that they must persist undaunted. It is the imperialists who have to fear the wrath of the peoples, who will one day hold them to account and make them pay for all their crimes against humanity.