YESTERDAY the role model for US-UK imperialism was Pontius Pilate, as the US military and Prime Minister Blair sought to wash their hands of the abuse and bloodletting taking place in Baghdad under their occupation.
A US senior officer, Major General Caldwell, at mid-day sought to convince the world that the US role ended when Saddam was handed over to the Iraqi puppets at the execution centre, and that if the US had been in charge it would have handled completely differently. Abu Ghraib plainly did not happen. He said that Saddam thanked the soldiers who had escorted him to the building, adding that this included the Colonel on site – so there was at least one high US-ranking officer on site at the execution.
The initial video released by the puppet government was soundless and purported to show an allegedly ‘dignified execution’, a version of events that was supported by Muaffal al Rubbaie the security adviser of the Iraqi government.
However, a different version of events emerged after the mobile phone videos appeared on the internet showing Saddam being baited by the guards and the assembled mob baying, before he was dispatched in mid-prayer.
One of the trial prosecutors, Munkith al-Faroon, said that two high government officials were using mobile phones to video the execution.
Rubbaie then changed his version of events, but said that US guards had searched them three times as they sought to enter the building, taking away mobile phones. He added that the Maliki government had no control over the guards and executioners who were already there when government officials arrived.
The government was allegedly powerless to stop the mob baiting of the elected Iraqi leader, but proceeded to cover up what had happened. This government was not even in control of its own execution chamber.
If Rubbaie is correct, the execution was carried out by elements beyond its control who had been allowed by the US guards to take over the execution chamber.
It is beyond belief that having kept Saddam away from the clutches of the torturers for two years, and seen the sectarian slaughter that has been taking place in Baghdad and other cities, that the US occupation did not have any forces in the building, and were not observing the torture chamber by camera. It seems that an atrocity that would incite sectarianism was just what the US and the UK required, at a time when they are being defeated.
Yesterday afternoon, the Iraqi puppet government announced that it had arrested one of the guards. Obviously they now have a scapegoat. There was no word about the government officials who had managed to keep their mobile phones and had used them.
Except for John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, the British government has kept quiet about the nature of the justice being administered by their puppets.
Yesterday morning the position of the Prime Minister was revealed. He did not agree with Prescott, but supported the Iraqi government ‘inquiry’ into how the mobile footage was leaked and appeared on the internet. He also remained a supporter of the Maliki government.
Blair can advise Maliki over his inquiry. He is the expert on inquiries that end no nearer the truth than when they started.
Later in the afternoon, President Bush scuttled out of a press briefing with a journalist shouting after him what about Iraq and Saddam’s execution. He could not even take a single question. His behaviour was the opposite of Saddam’s.
The basic thing about the execution of Saddam is that the occupying powers allowed their Iraqi government’s death squads to bait and insult Saddam Hussein in a way that deepens sectarian divisions in Iraq, and will be used to try to turn the Ba’athists who oppose the occupation against the Sadrists who also oppose the occupation.
The only gainer from a conflict between these two movements will be the occupying US and UK. The answer of the masses to this latest imperialist provocation must be to unite all of the anti-occupation forces to drive US and UK troops out of Iraq.
