Let’s get one thing straight. They’re not private security contractors, they’re mercenaries. The media seem determined to finesse the fact that these people swarming all over Iraq are hired guns and, as we saw on Sunday, hired killers. There’s between 20,000 (BBC) and 127,000 (Washington Post) of them apparently. That kind of accuracy with figures is symptomatic of the unmitigated incompetence we’ve seen since the invasion.

Blackwater, the perpetrators of Sunday’s little snafu, are buying light combat aircraft, for God’s sake:

The aircraft can carry up to 1.5 tons of weapons, including 12.7mm machine-guns, bombs and missiles.

…

Blackwater already has a force of armed helicopters in Iraq, and apparently wants something a little faster, and more heavily armed, to fulfill its security contracts overseas.

That’s some heavy machinery for private security contractors. Particularly when their legal status (ie, can you get redress if they shoot up your family?) is ambiguous at best.

From today’s Times:

A man said to have been an interpreter for the British Army in Basra has been killed by militia gunmen on the very day that his wife learnt she was pregnant with their first child.

Nine or ten masked men went to the home of Moayed Ahmed Khalaf in the al-Hayaniah district of Basra and beat him in front of his wife and mother, four sources told The Times. They then dragged him away, telling the frantic women that they would bring him back shortly. Khalaf’s body was found on Al Qa’ed Street later that night. He had been shot multiple times, according to Colonel Ali Manshed, commander of the Shatt-al-Arab police station.

A cousin, a close friend and two other interpreters all told The Times that Khalaf, 31, had worked for the British at their Basra airport base. Colonel Manshed said that everyone questioned by the police had said Khalaf was an interpreter, adding: “He was a good man, everyone liked him and there was no other reason to kill him.”

However Major Mike Shearer, a spokesman at the airport base, said that the army could find no record of Khalaf having worked for the army.

Here’s more links. A Radio 4 Fact The Facts documentary (RealPlayer required - a text transcript is here); a Facebook group.

I’m grateful again to my MP Celia Barlow, who has forwarded to me another response she’s had, this time from the Home Office. There’s no need to transcribe it because it is exactly the same as the responses received by Garry and Tim. Go see if you have a love of boilerplate.

(I have to add that, while I’ve had my reservations about Celia Barlow, on this matter she has been excellent. She has also said she will be attending the meeting on October 9.)

Hope to see you on October 9. If the Government would only get their act together, they could make the event redundant for any reason other than a celebratory drink.

…security force chief tells interpreters for British Army:

Iraqi interpreters working for the British Army have been advised to leave Basra or be killed.

The warning was issued by a leading member of the city’s security forces after militiamen attacked and destroyed the home of one interpreter and narrowly failed to kidnap another. There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that a third had been killed.

“All the interpreters have to leave Basra because these militia will never let them rest. They will kill everybody they know [who worked for the British],” Colonel Saleem Agaa Alzabon, who leads Basra’s special forces, said. “The interpreters have to leave. They have no choice.”

(via Dan)

Unfortunately, another escape route has been closed:

Officials of the United Nations Refugee Agency in Damascus have sounded the alarm over Syria’s new visa rules for Iraqis after a survey found the border “virtually empty” for “the first time in months, if not years.” Before Sept. 10, no visa was required to enter the country.

“The regulations effectively mean there is no longer a safe place outside for Iraqis fleeing persecution and violence,” Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the agency, said.

A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner For Refugees told Radio Free Europe that fleeing the country is now “difficult if not impossible” for many Iraqis, especially the poor.

(via Jamie)

The UK government have a moral responsibility towards these people.

Update: Garry:

Still, I’m sure the militias mean get out or die after the Prime Minister’s trilateral ministerial review to consider the options has presented recommendations to Ministers in late September. At this stage, surely the militias realise that it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the recommendations…

I’m grateful to my MP, Celia Barlow, for forwarding a letter from the office of Foreign Office minister Kim Howells on the subject of the Iraqi employees living under the shadow of the power drill.

To save me the time of typing out his response for your delectation, I’ll merely point you towards the boilerplate text received by Tim Ireland and Curious Hamster from the Home Office, the two being almost identical in content.

It’s good to see that all the various government departments working on this matter have managed to come up with a unified message for public consumption if not, you know, an actual plan for saving these people’s lives.

So, as you were. See you on October 9.

The campaign keeps rolling. If you’ve already written to your MP, write or email him or her again and this time invite them to a speaker meeting at Parliament on the second day of the new session, Tuesday 9th October.

Via Dan:

If you haven’t already written to your MP, please do so: outline what’s happening and why we should be concerned, ask them to contact the relevant Ministries (particularly the Home Office but also the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and also invite them to the meeting. Talking points for both letters are here. Any blogger who has participated in this campaign is invited as is any blogreader who successfully invites their MP. Just email Dan Hardie at danhardie.blog@gmail.com and an invitation will be heading your way.

Stress to MPs that mainstream print and TV journalists will be present: that is the kind of thing that tends, for some reason, to attract them. And stress that this is the first blog-based campaign in the UK. This is how politics is going, and they need to see what it looks like.

Dan spoke to an ex-Royal Engineer yesterday who told him of an Iraqi employee murdered since this campaign began. Now that the British contingent has withdrawn to Basra Airport, we can probably expect more power-drilling, cigarette-burning and shooting of Iraqi employees. These people are dying right now. The pressure needs to be maintained on MPs and the various ministries involved.

Hope to see you on October 9.

Updated list is here.

Update: Tim and Garry get responses from the Home Office. Of a sort.

The MPs’ responses so far stand at:

Conservatives (7):
Mark Field
Michael Howard
Anne Milton
Patrick Mercer
James Paice
Ed Vaizey
Theresa Villiers

Labour (19):
Diane Abbott
Charlotte Atkins
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Alistair Darling
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Jim Fitzpatrick
Ian Gibson
Helen Goodman
Patricia Hewitt
Sadiq Khan
David Lammy
David Lepper
Tony Lloyd
Chris Mole
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)

Lib Dems (8):
John Barrett
Malcolm Bruce
Lynn Featherstone
David Howarth
Don Foster
Greg Mulholland
Robert Smith
Stephen Williams

The campaign to help secure safe haven for the Iraqi employees of the British forces in Southern Iraq moves on apace. Thanks to the tireless Dan Hardie, Lib Dem MP Lynne ‘The letters, eh? We have all been having a lot of them and we’ve been writing to the Home Office about it’ Featherstone and Conservative MP Ed ‘My support is unconditional‘ Vaizey have agreed to co-host a at Portcullis House in October (date to be confirmed). Mr Vaizey has also offered to make public statements on behalf of the campaign.

More responses from MPs are coming in. And Philip Challinor received this from the Home Office via his MP:

Thank you for your letter to the Home Secretary of 26 July on behalf of Mr Philip Challinor. I have been asked to reply.

Mr Challinor asks us to grant asylum in the United Kingdom to locally engaged staff who have helped the British Forces in Iraq. we are extremely grateful for the service of locally employed staff in Iraq and take their security very seriously. We recognise that there are concerns about the safety of locally employed staff. We keep all such issues under review and we will now look again at the assistance we provide. The total number of Iraqis who have worked for us since 2003 with a claim to assistance could be at least 15,000. We therefore need to consider the options carefully in this genuinely complex area.

The Prime Minister has commissioned a trilateral Ministerial review to consider the options. The Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Foreign & Commonwealth Office are the members of the review group, which will present recommendations to Ministers in late September. At this stage it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the recommendations. I hope this reassures you that we are taking seriously the issues that have been raised surrounding locally employed staff working for the UK in Iraq.

(Signed) Tony McNulty, pp Meg Hillier.

The MPs response so far stand at:

Conservatives (1):
Anne Milton

Labour (15):
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Alistair Darling
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Jim Fitzpatrick
Ian Gibson
Helen Goodman
Patricia Hewitt
Sadiq Khan
David Lammy
Chris Mole
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)

Lib Dems (4):
John Barrett
Lynn Featherstone
Don Foster
Robert Smith

Lastly, with thanks to Chris Brooke, there’s this.

The Times, August 23: Britain ready to back down on asylum for its interpreters in Iraq
The Government has accepted privately that interpreters who face persecution and death for helping British troops in Iraq must be given sanctuary in Britain.

A collection of media coverage so far of what’s happening to the Iraqi employees and their families is below the fold. (Thanks to Chris Brooke). People should feel free to cut and paste the list into their own blogs if they like.

The campaign is continuing. Please remember that this is about a wider group than the 91 interpreters that the media has largely focussed on.

If you’re able to help, here’s a few things you could do:

1. Watch the video.
2. Write to your MP. Ask them to refer your concerns to the Home Office, Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence.
3. Let us know if you get a response.
4. Join the list of supporters.
5. Spread the word. If you have a blog, why not help yourself to one of Unity’s lovely blog banners?
6. Sign the petition.

The responses from MPs currently look like this:

Conservatives (1):
Anne Milton

Labour (14):
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Jim Fitzpatrick
Ian Gibson
Helen Goodman
Patricia Hewitt
Sadiq Khan
David Lammy
Chris Mole
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)

Lib Dems (3):
John Barrett
Lynn Featherstone
Robert Smith

If you’ve received a reply from your MP, blog it, let me know and I’ll link to you from the list. Anyone not having a blog can send the reply here and I’ll reproduce it if you like.

More from Dan: Two teenage quislings.

(more…)

For any bloggers supporting the Iraqi employees campaign, Unity has a rather smart set of blog banners.

How you can help:

1. Watch the video.
2. Write to your MP.
3. Let us know if you get a response.
4. Sign the petition.
5. Join the list of supporters.

The number of taxpayer-paid private contractors in Iraq, the number of bullets fired for each insurgent killed, the percentage of amputations performed on U.S. war-wounded: a compilation of numbers puts Iraq into perspective.

read the rest

This from today’s Times, via Tim W:

Mohammad’s body was found dumped in wasteland on the outskirts of Basra. His killers had burnt cigarettes into his back, broken one of his hands and legs and shot him three times in the head and twice in the chest. His crime: to have worked as an interpreter for the British in Iraq.

How you can help:

1. Watch the video.
2. Write to your MP.
3. Let us know if you get a response.
4. Sign the petition*.
5. Join the list of supporters.

*Speaking personally, I doubt very much the petition will sway the conscience of a politician or career civil servant but as a tangible show of solidarity it is very important.

Update: This can’t be stressed enough…

This is not solely about the 91 translators currently employed by the UK forces in Basra. Even they have not yet been guaranteed their safety despite the increase in media attention- but there are many more Iraqis facing the same threat of a horrible death for their work for British personnel. The Government must grant Asylum rights to any Iraqi who is seriously at risk of being murdered for having worked for this country.

Over at Tim’s place.

Anyone actively supporting the campaign and wishing to be included on the list should drop Tim a line at manic AT bloggerheads DOT com.

The plight the Iraqi employees was featured on Five Live’s ‘Pods and Blogs’ slot last night. Dan Hardie gave an interview after the testimony of a former Iraqi translator, Mohammed. You can listen to the whole show here (it includes highlights from this weeks Britblog Roundup).

Alternatively, an MP3 of the part of the show concerning the employees can be downloaded here (very kindly hosted by Unity) or listened to using the flash thingy below:

Don’t forget to write to your MP (some pointers here) and let us know if you get a response. Also, sign the petition.

Here’s the responses so far from MPs about the Iraqi interpreters:

Conservatives (1):
Anne Milton

Labour (11):
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Jim Fitzpatrick
Patricia Hewitt
David Lammy
Chris Mole
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)

Lib Dems (3):
John Barrett
Lynn Featherstone
Robert Smith

If you’ve received a reply from your MP, blog it, let me know and I’ll link to you from the list. Anyone not having a blog can send the reply here and I’ll reproduce it if you like.

If you’d like to write to your MP, some tips for doing so are here. Don’t forget the Downing Street petition.

I make no apology for continuing to post about the Iraqi employees of the coalition facing torture and death.

On this occasion, can I just say:

What. The. Fuck?

Read the comments for the full effect.

Just who is this Neil Clark cock-end? Fortunately, I’ve been previously unaware of his work. Is it always this kind of offal? What utter scum.

I have to say, any blogger who hasn’t linked to this issue so far should do so if only for the rosey glow of being on the opposite side of the argument as Clark.

(Via Alex.)

Update: Nice roundup of things so far from Dan H.

It’s not Iraqi interpreters, it’s Iraqi employees.

Dsquared in the comments over at Jamie’s place:

I think the phrase “Iraqi translators” is a bit dangerous, as it allows Des Browne to chew down the number of visas to the 90 people actually employed as interpreters.

Think on.

The plight of Iraqi interpreters (explained with post-it notes).

Write to your MP (asking them politely to refer your concerns to the Home Secretary). And sign the petition.

(Get your lovely blog button here.)

Imagine you’re fighting two wars. Neither of them seems to being going very well unfortunately. Cock-ups, conspiracies and downright childlike incompetence masquerading as malice have managed to serve up a bloody banquet of bugger all.

You’re losing the media war as well. Stories of your cock-ups, conspiracies and downright childlike incompetence masquerading as malice are rife.

So, what are you to do? Roll up your sleeves, stamp out the cock-ups, debunk the conspiracies and evict the downright childlike incompetence masquerading as malice? Nah. Why bother when you can just choke off the sources of tales of your amateurism? If it’s not in the papers, who cares?

Sorted.

The Downing Street petition for the Iraqi translators is showing 601 signatures at the minute. That’s pretty pisspoor frankly but, let’s face it, what are the lives of a few wog collaborators against, say, road charging? It’s all about capturing the public imagination of course and people can more readily visualise having to cough up a few quid than being drilled in the face. It’s the British disease.

And to muddy the waters further, the Lib Dems thought it useful to split the vote by starting their own petition. Anyway, it only take a few seconds to sign but isn’t sophisticated enough to tell you who and how many have signed up.

BBC:

Gordon Brown says he will review the cases of Iraqi interpreters who have been told any claim for asylum in the UK will not be given special treatment.

…but…

No 10 said the issue would be kept under review, but previous decisions were unlikely to be overturned.

These Iraqi interpreters must be kicking themselves. If only they were millionaire businessmen or long distance runners, they’d be sitting pretty and none of this fuss would have happened.

Then the Defence Secretary, the abject Des Browne, said his piece:

He said about 20,000 Iraqis had helped British forces since 2003.

Nice scary number that. 20,000. It should carve off some support for these potential freeloaders and benefit scroungers. That’ll be the Daily Mail and Express vote successfully neutralised if nothing else. It is nice to see that Des has been thoughtfully counting the number of helpful Iraqi citizens. One wonders if he’s keeping count of those being tortured and drilled to death one by one. What do you think?

And how about this…

“That’s why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people.

“That’s in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn.”

Mr Browne also said the government would “move at the appropriate pace” to get its policy right in relation to duty of care “to all of those whom we have a responsibility to”.

‘In the autumn‘? ‘Appropriate pace’? This isn’t good enough. These people are dying right now. And not by a nice swift, lights-out bullet to the back of the head. They’re being power drilled in the hands and legs and head so their mutilated bodies can serve as warning to others. Those 91 interpreters could be dead ‘in the autumn’.

Do you really want to be on the same side of the argument as somebody as morally compromised as Des Browne? If not, please write to your MP and sign the petition.

Update: The letters page from today’s Times.

Update updated: The 8.10 slot on Radio 4’s Today programme (RealPlayer required).

And more: Des Browne on the Today programme. May induce vomiting.

More: Jamie is thoughtful on this:

I think it’s unlikely for opsec reasons that there’ll be a formal public announcement. People need to be extracted quietly so as not to tip off the insurgents that the process is underway, for one thing. What seems to have been achieved so far is getting the issue a bit more front and centre. Next job: keeping it there.

As I say in the comments, let’s hope doing it on the quiet is the plan. It doesn’t detract from the fact however that, from the outset, the Government’s default position on this was “fuck ‘em”. Hence people getting turned away from the UK embassy in Damascus and the power-drilled bodies lying about the place.

Following the letter-writing campaign to highlight the moral obligations we owe to those Iraqis who have worked for the coalition and now face reprisals, I received the following from my MP, Celia Barlow:

By supporting our efforts in southern Iraq, those Iraqis are taking a tremendous risk for themselves and their families.

I agree that we have an obligation to protect Iraqis under threat for supporting the coalition’s efforts to restore order. It is incumbent upon the Government to look at different ways for this to happen, such as studying the US model or discussing this issue with our coalition partners. I welcome your input on this issue and hope to hear a positive outcome for the brave Iraqis contributing to our efforts soon.

So, while good to get a reply, it amounted to little more than a ‘thanks, let’s wait and see’. I think a follow up asking her to refer my letter to the Home Secretary might be in order. Much as Patricia Hewitt did for one of her constituents. Or maybe I should ask for a referral to the Foreign Secretary much as David Lammy did for Davide. Dan Hardie has more.

This is from the Times today:

The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.

One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website.

If you wrote a letter to your MP and received a reply post it on your blog (or if you don’t have a blog let me know and I can post it for you if you like) and let me know and I’ll link back to as many as I can find. There’s still ample opportunity to write a letter if you haven’t already - some guidelines are here - and a letter can be sent online using Write To Them. (Update: It’s worth stressing the urgency of this situation when writing your letter - these people are being tortured and murdered right now.)

Also, please sign the Downing Street petition. There’s also a Facebook group.

Responses so far:

Conservatives (1):
Anne Milton

Labour (9):
Celia Barlow
Hugh Bayley
Wayne David
Frank Dobson
Patricia Hewitt
David Lammy
Andrew Smith
Dr Rudi Vis
Paul Truswell (via Ian Clenshaw)

Lib Dems (2):
John Barrett
Robert Smith

Refugee workers call it the “pull factor” — camps with conditions comfortable enough to attract people in a country where an average of 60,000 Iraqis a month are driven from their homes by sectarian violence.

So the challenge for aid workers is to provide safe havens that do not invite permanence. The Qawala camp on the outskirts of Sulaimaniya in northern Kurdistan, a haven of stability in a treacherous country, fits the bill.

Conditions are unlikely to pull in all but the most desperate.

read the rest

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to offer asylum in the UK to the Iraqis who have been working as translators and in other capacities for the UK armed forces.

This and this (where I get called ‘You fanny’ in the comments - with Hitchens I’m in good company; at least I won’t be thirsty).