Aquila al-Hashimi, Iraqi governing council member dies from gunshots

[Chewbacca]

Story

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Aquila al-Hashimi, one of three women on Iraq's American-picked Governing Council, died Thursday, five days after she was shot and critically wounded by assailants, the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority reported. She died about 11:30 a.m., said Gary Thatcher, coalition director of strategic communications. Six men in a pickup trick ambushed al-Hashimi as she drove near her home in western Baghdad Saturday, shooting her in the abdomen. She was preparing to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which opened in New York on Tuesday. ''On behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority and all its members, I offer condolences to her family, her colleagues on the Governing Council and the people of Iraq,'' L. Paul Bremer, the top American civilian official in Iraq, said in a statement. Al-Hashimi, who was not married and thought to have been in her mid-40s, had been cared for a U.S. military hospital in the compound at Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace in central Baghdad where the U.S.-led coalition has its headquarters. Al-Hashimi, a career diplomat and Shiite Muslim, had been expected to become Iraq's new ambassador to the United Nations. She served in the Foreign Ministry during the Saddam government and was the only official of the ousted regime appointed to the 25-member Governing Council. The Governing Council president, Ahmad Chalabi, blamed remnants of the Saddam regime, ousted by U.S.-led forces in April. Chalabi attended the Security Council along with Adnan Pachachi, the elder statesman on the council and a former foreign minister in a government before Saddam Hussein seized power. Al-Hashimi was a controversial choice for the council. She has served as a key aide to former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and often traveled abroad with him as he represented Saddam's government. Al-Hashimi ran the oil-for-food program in the Foreign Ministry under which the United Nations allowed Iraq to exchange oil earnings for humanitarian goods. She had a degree in law and a doctorate in French literature and viewed herself as a women's rights advocate. Her last role at the ministry was as director of international relations. U.S.-led forces have been struggling to put down a guerrilla-style insurgency that has targeted Americans and their Iraqi allies. The police chief of the central town of Khaldiyah, who was working with U.S. forces, was assassinated by gunmen last week, and other attacks have killed police recruits trained by the Americans. Last month, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a top Shiite cleric who leads a movement with a seat on the Governing Council, was killed in a car bombing that left at least 85 people dead. Al-Hakim's brother, Abdel-Aziz, is a council member. The council was established by the U.S.-led coalition in mid-July to put an Iraqi face on the process of rebuilding the country.

[johnny]

This is exactly what i expected to happen. The Iraqi's will never accept a government appointed by the US.

[Chewbacca]

I'm just pissed off the only security she recieved were three barely trained relatives with second-hand AKs. They escorted her to work the same way at the same time evreyday. A freaking sitting duck in a shooting gallery.

[johnny]

No bodyguard could have prevented her death i'm afraid. Apparently they didn't just shoot at her, they launched grenades at her as well. I guess they wanted to make sure she had no chance of survival.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by johnny: No bodyguard could have prevented her death i'm afraid. Apparently they didn't just shoot at her, they launched grenades at her as well. I guess they wanted to make sure she had no chance of survival.

Bullshizzle. Most diplomats, dignataries and leaders have armored SUVs piloted by security experts that are trained to idenify and evade threats. I saw one of these on tv take two direct rpg hits and was still able to drive away. Also, notice she didn't die from grenade shrapnel but from small arms hits, even if the an armored vehicle is disabled from explosives hit it can still soak up bullet damage. Nope, the ball was dropped on this person's secuirty, the facts are obvious.

[Skunk]

Originally posted by johnny: This is exactly what i expected to happen. The Iraqi's will never accept a government appointed by the US.

It's more than that. Ms al-Hashimi was one of only three female members of the Governing Council in a country which has rarely seen any women in any positions of power. Add on to the fact that Ms al-Hashimi refused to wear a head scarf and you have the seeds of resentment - and the creation of a 'soft' target whose death would cause few complaints amongst the Iraqi populace.

I would be amongst the first to champion women's rights in any country - but in Iraq the appointment of a women to such a position marked a cultural revolution in a country that simply was not ready for it. Ms al-Hashimi's appointment had far more to do with fending off criticism from liberals in Washington than it had in serving Iraqi interests.

Bear in mind that it took thiry years of (often violent) campaigning in the UK just to get women the vote - never mind the right to sit in parliament. Iraqi reform requires a soft approach too - or you risk alienation. I'm not saying that they should wait 30 years - but a more measured timescale would have been more appropriate.

I am betting that after the first real elections, we won't see a single female elected at all - and probably won't see one in government for at least another ten years after.