Baby Killing Lies and the 1991 Gulf War
by Rene • Friday March 01, 2002 at 07:08 PM
How war profiteers orchestrated a singly monstrous lie against Saddam Hussein order to brainwash Americans into supporting the 1991 Gulf war.
With billions of bucks at their disposal the Kuwaiti government, with the help of a NY PR firm, phony witnesses, the mainstream media, war mongering politicians, the U.S.-Israeli propaganda machine and other various war profiteers, were able to completely deceived the American people. To date, no one has ever been charged for this terrible crime. The sad facts follow:
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AND THE MEDIA
by Andrew F. Smith
This guide was partially funded by the United States Institute for Peace and the Longview Foundation.
The Incubator Baby Incident
READING 18A: Incubator Baby Incident
The London Daily Telegraph, on September 5, 1990, reported the claim by the exiled Kuwaiti housing minister, Yahya al-Sumait, that "babies in the premature unit of one hospital had been removed from their incubators so that these, too, could be carried off." The story was repeated on Reuters, an electronic press service. Two days later the Los Angeles Times published the Reuters story about the atrocity accounts of a San Francisco woman identified as "Cindy" and her traveling companion "Rudy" who had been evacuated from occupied Kuwait. "Iraqis are . . . taking hospital equipment, babies out of incubators. Life-support systems are turned off."
READING18B: Nayirah's Testimony
On October 10, 1990, the congressional Human Rights Caucus provided an opportunity for Amnesty International to present their evidence against Iraq on Capitol Hill. The Caucus is not a committee of Congress and therefore does not require that a witness take an oath. An anonymous fifteen year old "Nayirah" allegedly a Kuwaiti with first hand knowledge of the crimes witnessed by "Cindy" from San Francisco. Nayirah reportedly could not give her last name because of fear of reprisals against her family. She testified tearfully:
"I volunteered at the al-Addan hospital. While I was there, I saw the Iraqi soldiers come into the hospital with guns, and go into the room where 15 babies were in incubators. They took the babies out of the incubators, took the incubators, and left the babies on the cold floor to die. It was horrifying."
All major television networks, CNN and many local television stations replayed this testimony. Many newspapers reported on the hearing, and offer Nayirah's testimony.
READING 18C: President Bush
President Bush watched the hearings of the congressional Human Rights Caucus. In these hearings "Nayirah" reported on the Iraqis taking baby incubators in Kuwait. He was delighted with them. On October 15, 1990, President Bush reported that he had met with the Emir of Kuwait, who had told the President horrible tales about "newborn babies thrown out of incubators and the incubators then being shipped to Baghdad." He referred to the story five more times during the next five weeks, once in an interview with David Frost
READING 18D: The U.N. Security Council
On November 27, 1990, the U. N. Security Council heard "Dr. Issah Ibrahim," who explained that after the Iraqis took over "the hardest thing was burying the babies. Under my supervision, 120 newborn babies were buried the second week of the invasion. I myself buried 40 newborn babies that had been taken from their incubators by soldiers." An unidentified Kuwaiti refugee supported the testimony. The next day newspapers all over America reported on the testimony of this witness.
READING 18E: Middle East Watch's Report
Middle East Watch, a New York based human rights group, also pursued these reports. They cited a Dr. Ahmed al-Shatti who related the stories of Iraqi torture at a press conference in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on October 14, 1990. The doctor was unable to document his claims, but other physicians gave similar reports. A Kuwaiti physician, Dr. Ali al-Hawil, said that between 60 to 70 babies had died in the Kuwait City maternity hospital after soldiers dismantled the premature-babies unit. He claimed that he and his colleagues buried 50 babies on August 20.
READING 18F: Amnesty International's Report
On December 19, 1990, Amnesty International published an 84-page report on the Human Rights violations in occupied Kuwait. The report stated, "In addition, over 300 premature babies were reported to have died after Iraqi soldiers removed them from incubators, which were then looted." The report cited three supports for this allegation. First, it reported that an unnamed Red Crescent doctor as saying that 312 premature babies at Maternity Hospital in al Sabah Medical Complex died after being taken from incubators and that he personally had buried 72. Second, the report also quoted the previous statement made before the Human Right Caucus offered by the anonymous fifteen year old "Nayirah." Third, the report mentioned a woman who had quadruplets at al Razi Hospital, who had gone home and then returned to find them out of their incubators. They died a day later at home. On January 8, 1991, U.S. executive director of Amnesty International reported the story in testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
READING 18G: Additional Support
On January 8, 1991, Stephen Solaraz, a leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, quoted verbatim the Amnesty International Report on this story. On the following day President Bush cited the Amnesty International Report in a letter sent to campus newspapers all over the country. In the Senate, six senators specifically cited the baby incubator story in their speeches supporting the resolution to give President Bush power to use American forces in Kuwait. On February 15, Vice President Dan Quayle declared in a speech that, "There are pictures Saddam doesn't want us to see. Pictures of premature babies in Kuwait that were tossed out of their incubators and left to die."
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