Baghdad Descends Further into Anarchy, Iraqi Troops Abandon Mosul

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 12, 2003

Baghdad Descends Further into Anarchy, Iraqi Troops Abandon Mosul

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Public order is deteriorating in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Friday amid a widespread looting spree that gripped one Iraqi city after another while Iraqi troops have abandoned the oil-rich town of Mosul after US forces signed acease-fire agreement with Iraqi troops there.

Car movement was more active Friday than previous days simply because a large numbers of looted official vehicles were being used to carry stolen furniture and other property from government buildings.

Witnesses told Xinhua that the Chinese Embassy had not survived the daily pillage alongside a number of other looted embassies in the same area.

They said even taxi drivers were busy escaping with the stolen valuables like TV sets, fridges, air conditioners or even modern cars.

A Xinhua corespondent saw seven people pulling a new government vehicle which came under fire and its driver was killed earlier.

A leader of the group said, "On Thursday, I seized a military vehicle with over 100 Klashincov guns on board and now I am heading to the central market place in Baghdad to take more (stolen items)."

More than 25 people were treated for gunshot wounds in the Al-Kindi hospital, one of the biggest medical centers in Baghdad. These people were wounded in clashes during looting in the Iraqi capital, according to hospital sources.

British International Development Secretary Clare Short on Friday called on the US forces to put an end to the rampant looting in Baghdad and elsewhere that broke out when US forces swept into the capital on Wednesday.

"It's an absolute priority that US troops should bring order toBaghdad," Short told BBC Radio.

Short said that under the Geneva Conventions, "an occupying power has a duty to make sure that civilians are cared for, to keep order and to keep civilian administration ticking over."

Short noted the immediate effort should focus on securing hospitals which are being looted of equipment including heart monitors and incubators.

Also in Baghdad, US Marines destroyed a large Iraqi weapons andammunitions depot in a northern suburb Thursday night, witnesses told Xinhua.

The missiles and other weapons in the depot, located in Oteifiaon the western side of the Tigris River, caused a huge explosion that shuttered windows, doors, and houses at least half a kilometers away, said one of the witnesses, who owned a house in the area.

One of the missiles exploded not far from the site of the depot,killing at least three US marines, he said.

In the north, Iraqi troops have left the town of Mosul after they signed a cease-fire agreement with US forces.

"In the north, a coalition special operations commander accepted a signed cease-fire agreement from the Iraqi 5th Corps commander regular army near Mosul," Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters at the US Central Command near the Qatari capital of Doha.

The Iraqi troops left the city in such a hurry that guns, ammunition and uniforms were littered on streets in Mosul, and chaos erupted in the town when residents turned out to grab everything they can following Iraqi soldiers' departure, reports said.

Questions?Comments? Click here

US-led Forces Still Face Numerous Challenges in Iraq

Four US Soldiers Wounded in Suicide Attack in Baghdad

>> Full Coverage

China Has not Provided Weapons to Iraq Since 1990 ( 2 Messages)

SARS May not Originate from China: WHO Official ( 10 Messages)

HK Star Leslie Cheung Commits Suicide ( 41 Messages)

The War to Topple Saddam Is a Burden on the Americans ( 13 Messages)

Who Are the Real Criminals? ( 28 Messages)