good o'l american soldier

Mosul: US Soldier Orders the Female Students to Remove their Clothing
2006-03-04 :: media bureau::iraqi league

On 28th of Feb, 2006, a group of female students were returning home on board the official 40-seater bus belonging to the Mosul Institute of Teachers. As the bus reached Square-19, a US solider ordered the bus to stop, and proceeded to board the bus.

The bus driver was following the usual route in the vicinity of the Institute. As the bus reached the area of Square-19, those on board were shocked to find they were surrounded by US tanks; the bus driver stopped the bus when he was ordered to by he American soldiers; he was then handcuffed in the ever familiar fashion and made to sit on the side of the road. The soldiers then began to hit the bus with their riffle butts to intimidate and incite fear in the female students.

Then, American male and female soldiers boarded the bus full of the frightened girls. The female solider first ordered the girls to remove their traditional head dress, then removed her own shirt revealing her breasts before ordering them to reveal their breasts as well.

Feeling under threat of abuse by the American occupation soldiers, the girls began to scream and call for help to the near-by office of the so-called ‘the National Guards’, whose job has never been the protection of the people of Iraq, who know too well that the National Guards’ job is to protect the US forces of occupation from local unrest. Indeed, it was the heroics of the head of Institute of Teaching who save the girls, whose intervention proved to be vital to the release of the girls in their humiliating public abuse. The girls were finally released after three hours and in state of fear and hysteria.

The following day saw other female students in the Institute go on a strike and demonstrate against the continued acts of intimidation and harassment by the US forces of occupation. The head of the Institute called in the local authorities to file in a formal complaint. The local authorities sent a team to the Institute which included the local provincial head and the head of the local office of education. To add insult to injury, and to the shock and dismay of everyone, the local provincial head went to the defence of the US forces of occupation accusing the girls of lying. He then failed to offer an answer when he was asked how it was possible for 40 students to collectively tell a single lie! However, the head of the local office of education appeared to confirm the abuse story when he asked the head of the Institute and the girls to forgive what had taken place.

It is important to note that the national press was present at the institute to cover the plight of the female students in the face of occupation. However, the local provincial head threatened to discipline all if news of the abuse of the girls is published.

The IL Talks to the Deputy Head of the Mosul Institute of Teachers
2006-03-04 :: media bureau::iraqi league ::

Today, the Iraqi League (IL) interviewed Mrs Shatha Ma’yoof, the deputy head of Mosul Institute of Teachers over the events published by the IL in which soldiers of the US forces of occupation subject a group of 40 female students to remove their clothing on board of the college bus.

Mrs Ma’yoof confirmed the story which was received by the IL from its correspondent on the ground. She confirmed that there were 40 female students on the bus, and that the incident had taken place at 13.45 whilst the bus was on route to the Aleslah-Alzera’ee district. The deputy head of the Institute was reluctant to repeat the words of the US soldier ordering the girls to remove their clothing, because of their indecent nature. She also added that the US soldiers had grabbed and beaten up a young boy in front of the girls in order to intimidate and install fear in the girls. She said that the girls were held for one hour and not three as was originally reported by the IL.

Regarding the restraining of the media from publication of the incident, the Mrs Ma’yoof indicated that the US forces of occupation had handed the security of the eastern region of Mosul City to the local security forces, and that this incident would have been a huge embarrassment and an indication of the failure of the local provincial head, who has being celebrating his alleged success in assuming responsibility of the region security.

Ma’yoof reported that the US general in charge of the US forces of occupation stationed in Mosul had contacted the Institute. He was in a state of rage accusing the 40 girls of lying and manufacturing the story in order to ruin the image of the US forces of occupation, which he claimed to have come to Iraq to bring peace and security. His manner of speaking was interpreted as a collection of threats and intimidation by the management. The US general also denied there were female soldiers in his ranks.

The management of the Institute refused to give in to the threats and intimidation by the US forces of occupation, stating that the word of 40 female students carry a greater level of integrity than that of the occupation forces, and demanded a written apology from the US general to the girls over this particular incident.

The IL has asked the management of the Institute of Teachers to act on behalf of the institute in seeking legal prosecution against the US forces of occupation.