To our readers : Apologies

We do apologies for not updating the site and news round.
We have been pre-occupied with the immense work we had in trying to save the injured in the Massacre of April 8, at the refugee camp Ashraf.
At the beginning we mobilized to provide medical help with collaboration of Medicine Sans frontier and ACAT as well as 3 Doctors who accepted to provide volunteer help for those seriously injured.We also contacted the office of the ICRC in Erbil but unfortunately did not have a positive response. The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) was very blunt in rejecting help for the camp residents , which was a great surprise.
The first few steps was not as complicated as the latest; out team was apt to provide as much aid as required but we faced immense barrage when trying to get to the scene. The main reason our work was hampered was the reluctance of the Iraqi Government to allow us permission to visit the Camp or anywhere near it. Visa was spared from our team. We managed to get a team of 3 Doctors to Baghuba , which seems to be not far from the Camp. From Baghuba to the Camp, as out guid told us , was only half an hour. From the time we set out towards the Camp, our convoy of 3 cars was stopped every fifteen to twenty minutes by Iraqi forces, questioned and at last miles before we could get to the junction where we parted from the main road towards the camp, we were stopped completely.
We were told “it is an unsafe location for any visit”. Obviously the Iraqi military was intent to prevent any visit to the Camp by outsiders. It was and seemed to be under heavy siege and barred entrance. The Camp is now a “Big Prison”.
We stayed at the crossroads for a couple of hours to try to contact the US forces who were supposed to be nearby. All communications were out , said the Iraqi officer who was controlling all our moves.
We are therefore very concerned of the near future of the inhabitants of this camp and feel it necessary to concentrate more on the events and developments ongoing on this place.
Whatever may be the reason, it is crystal clear that the Iraqi forces situated at the Camp and the surrounding vicinity , are not peaceful at all and are not the for “protection” means. The armored personal carriers and cannon guns and machineguns seem more like the army was getting ready for “combat”. All our photographic equipment was taken away from us.
DL