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Abuse Propaganda Fuels Hatred of Westerners

(Telegraph-UK) Jack Fairweather - Images depicting an American soldier with a female Iraqi prisoner or Pvt. Lynndie England with an Iraqi soldier on a dog leash can be found everywhere in Iraq - on video and DVD at market stalls and as mass-produced flyers. The effect has been to fuel a level of hatred against foreigners that makes kidnap and murder a ready response. Most Iraqis believe that women are being held - and abused - by American forces. Anger at the images has blurred the demarcation between U.S. troops and Western civilians, making kidnappings a simpler, acceptable alternative to attacks on armed soldiers. "We only see ajnabi - the Arabic word for foreigner - now," said one Iraqi. A spokesman for the U.S. military said no more than 45 women were processed through Abu Ghraib and the last two were released in July.
2004-09-22 00:00:00
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