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More tragic and disturbing than the massacres of innocent civilians in Iraq is the fact that the Iraqi government and the international community seem to be taking these horrific crimes against humanity in stride.
Recently, another wave of suicide bombings occurred in Baghdad, taking the lives of over 120 Iraqis and injuring hundreds of others. Nothing is being done about it.
When, on August 19, terrorist bombs struck main government buildings, including the Ministry of foreign affairs, the Iraqi government decided to call for an international investigation, insisting that foreign powers were behind the series of attacks on civilian targets in the country. Not much happened in this vein, due to some Arab pressure to avoid internationalising the security situation in the country.
One wave of terrorist attacks after another has followed in Iraq since then, with no end in sight.
Arab and international condemnation is obviously not the solution. What needs to be done is to identify the country or factions that stand behind these barbaric attacks.
Often such acts of terrorism are attributed to Al Qaeda, but even though Al Qaeda’s record speaks for itself - some 98 per cent of the casualties inflicted by this extremist Islamic movement are fellow Muslims - facts could not be confirmed.
There is growing conviction and consensus that those responsible for the mass killings in Iraq are well known and can be identified. If this is the case, what does it take to convince the world to start taking effective measures against the murderers, besides expressing ritual condemnation?
The prime responsibility to address the state of affairs in Iraq lies with its government, which must be more forthcoming and work hard towards identifying the source of terrorism in the country.
It is high time to speak out boldly against those who mastermind terrorist attacks against the Iraqi people. The government, the entire world, cannot just stand idle by and let the Iraqis’ lives be taken mercilessly.
Staying silent in the face of the mass killings in Iraq is an act of complicity in the commission of these crimes against humanity.
Iraqis deserve to live in peace as much as any other nation in the world.
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