It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
WAR: US Military Accused of Harvesting/Selling Iraqi Body Parts
page: 1share:
An article published in a Saudi Government Daily, Al-Watan, claims that based on "secret" European military intelligence, the US has been harvesting
and selling Iraqi body parts. The startling accusations continue on to say that a "secret" team of US physicians follow troops on some of their
attacks, to ensure the quick removal of organs from dead and wounded Iraqis- before they are killed- and transferring them to private operations rooms
before they are transferred to America for sale. The report also accuses the US military of burning bodies to conceal the crimes, as well as accuses
the same of hiring some Iraqis to lead them to the dead and wounded. Going rates: $40.00 per usable kidney, and $25.00 for an eye.
www.memri.org
Fakhriya Ahmad, Al-Watan, Brussels- "Secret European military intelligence reports indicate the transformation of the American humanitarian mission in Iraq into a profitable trade in the American markets through the practice of American physicians extracting human organs from the dead and wounded, before they are put to death, for sale to medical centers in America. A secret team of American physicians follow the troops during their attacks on Iraqi armed men to ensure quick [medical] operations for extracting some organs and transferring them to private operations rooms before they are transferred to America for sale.
"The reports confirm the finding of tens of mutilated cadavers or cadavers missing parts. Some were found without a head. The American military command could not offer reasons to explain the bewilderment about the missing parts, suggesting that this may have been caused by the penetration of bullets to the [missing] parts. But these excuses cannot be medically accepted. The reports also confirmed that the burning of bodies was deliberate in order to conceal the crime of organ extraction. [The reports] further indicate that American medical teams have [made] active and suspicious moves in Iraq to recruit some Iraqis to guide them to dead and critically injured individuals to engage in the extraction of organs. These teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye. The reports confirm the finding of mutilated bodies in Fallujah. The reports indicate that the cadavers are immunized inside special cars to prevent the spread of the plague until the bodies are buried by their relatives.
"The reports have indicated that a number of those killed in 'Abu Ghraib' and other prisons were subjected to operations for extracting their organs. Following their mutilations, the bodies were discarded far from the prisons to conceal the facts. The reports revealed that that the American forces restricted the media by force to prevent them from getting near the scenes and recording the events. But the relatives of the Iraqis are aware of these facts. The reports have [also] indicated that the military forces of the European allies have noticed the absence of organs from the cadavers that were dealt with by the Americans and have reported to their high command, which instructed them to maintain silence and to avoid the discussion of the subject due to its gravity, while the military and intelligence high command have written secret reports about was observed by their forces and sent them to the European ministries of defense for their information."
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Yes, my jaw dropped too. I mean really. Let me read that report again. WHAT? Surely not. I mean prisoner abuse is one thing, but THIS is un-friggin-believable. If the US military is busted on these charges, can you imagine? If this is true, how could the USA not call for the immediate impeachment of GW Bush, as well as the removal of all his staff? Well, like many of you, I don't believe it. Surely we could not stoop to such levels. Could we?
Related News Links:
www.worldnetdaily.com
www.infowars.com
www.memri.org
Fakhriya Ahmad, Al-Watan, Brussels- "Secret European military intelligence reports indicate the transformation of the American humanitarian mission in Iraq into a profitable trade in the American markets through the practice of American physicians extracting human organs from the dead and wounded, before they are put to death, for sale to medical centers in America. A secret team of American physicians follow the troops during their attacks on Iraqi armed men to ensure quick [medical] operations for extracting some organs and transferring them to private operations rooms before they are transferred to America for sale.
"The reports confirm the finding of tens of mutilated cadavers or cadavers missing parts. Some were found without a head. The American military command could not offer reasons to explain the bewilderment about the missing parts, suggesting that this may have been caused by the penetration of bullets to the [missing] parts. But these excuses cannot be medically accepted. The reports also confirmed that the burning of bodies was deliberate in order to conceal the crime of organ extraction. [The reports] further indicate that American medical teams have [made] active and suspicious moves in Iraq to recruit some Iraqis to guide them to dead and critically injured individuals to engage in the extraction of organs. These teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye. The reports confirm the finding of mutilated bodies in Fallujah. The reports indicate that the cadavers are immunized inside special cars to prevent the spread of the plague until the bodies are buried by their relatives.
"The reports have indicated that a number of those killed in 'Abu Ghraib' and other prisons were subjected to operations for extracting their organs. Following their mutilations, the bodies were discarded far from the prisons to conceal the facts. The reports revealed that that the American forces restricted the media by force to prevent them from getting near the scenes and recording the events. But the relatives of the Iraqis are aware of these facts. The reports have [also] indicated that the military forces of the European allies have noticed the absence of organs from the cadavers that were dealt with by the Americans and have reported to their high command, which instructed them to maintain silence and to avoid the discussion of the subject due to its gravity, while the military and intelligence high command have written secret reports about was observed by their forces and sent them to the European ministries of defense for their information."
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Yes, my jaw dropped too. I mean really. Let me read that report again. WHAT? Surely not. I mean prisoner abuse is one thing, but THIS is un-friggin-believable. If the US military is busted on these charges, can you imagine? If this is true, how could the USA not call for the immediate impeachment of GW Bush, as well as the removal of all his staff? Well, like many of you, I don't believe it. Surely we could not stoop to such levels. Could we?
Related News Links:
www.worldnetdaily.com
www.infowars.com
Originally posted by TrueAmerican
"The reports confirm the finding of tens of mutilated cadavers or cadavers missing parts. Some were found without a head. The American military command could not offer reasons to explain the bewilderment about the missing parts, suggesting that this may have been caused by the penetration of bullets to the [missing] parts. But these excuses cannot be medically accepted. The reports also confirmed that the burning of bodies was deliberate in order to conceal the crime of organ extraction.
"The reports have indicated that a number of those killed in 'Abu Ghraib' and other prisons were subjected to operations for extracting their organs. Following their mutilations, the bodies were discarded far from the prisons to conceal the facts. .... But the relatives of the Iraqis are aware of these facts. The reports have [also] indicated that the military forces of the European allies have noticed the absence of organs from the cadavers that were dealt with by the Americans and have reported to their high command, which instructed them to maintain silence and to avoid the discussion of the subject due to its gravity, while the military and intelligence high command have written secret reports about was observed by their forces and sent them to the European ministries of defense for their information."
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
I mean prisoner abuse is one thing, but THIS is un-friggin-believable.
Yes it is unbelievable. From the article I am unsure; are we burning the bodies to prevent evidence or do we leave them laying around to be discovered? An absence of heads as well as miscellaneous organs? Since when have we perfected the art of head transplants. And no, the heads weren't removed to make I.D. impossible since the other evidence ie removed organs would still be there. Organ degredation is also quite high with time as well as the poor quality the organs would be to begin with. No, not because they are from Iraqis etc, but due to the nature of the death, lack of oxygenation to the organ and other qualities needed for organ transplants.
You really can't believe all that you read and the US is not the only evil in the world.
We also didn't cause the earthquake to cause a tsunami to kill off a significant amount of Muslims in SE Asia. (I'm sure that's going to come up soon as well)
and people wonder why I think that the internet is filled with pro-terrorist propaganda????
The very nature of this story is patently absurd. My guess, though, is that a dozen or so ATSers will hail it as the truth and then wonder why 'rednecks' like myself think that they're propaganda agents.
[edit on 27-12-2004 by onlyinmydreams]
The very nature of this story is patently absurd. My guess, though, is that a dozen or so ATSers will hail it as the truth and then wonder why 'rednecks' like myself think that they're propaganda agents.
[edit on 27-12-2004 by onlyinmydreams]
OK, I agree that our government has done all kind of horrible deeds in Iraq, but please not body parts, this one is hard to follow.
It may be just propaganda to inflame the Iraq resistance against the US.
Is not way that body parts can be hastily removed in a battlefield without some damage to the organs.
Second it takes to long to transport the organs to an equip facility to do such transplants.
And again to who the organs are given too. We may be from the human species but organs can not be transplant on anybody without the necessary research on the compatibility of a donor to the recipient.
Its not as easy as the article makes it sound. Actually is impossible.
I think is all propaganda to make America look like some kind of Frankenstein.
It may be just propaganda to inflame the Iraq resistance against the US.
Is not way that body parts can be hastily removed in a battlefield without some damage to the organs.
Second it takes to long to transport the organs to an equip facility to do such transplants.
And again to who the organs are given too. We may be from the human species but organs can not be transplant on anybody without the necessary research on the compatibility of a donor to the recipient.
Its not as easy as the article makes it sound. Actually is impossible.
I think is all propaganda to make America look like some kind of Frankenstein.
In the Saudi government daily Al-Watan, a n article from Brussels written by Fakhriya Ahmad charges that, based on alleged secret European military reports, the U.S. military in Iraq is harvesting and selling human organs. The following day, the story was also published in the Iranian daily Jomhouri-ye Islami, [1] as well as the Syrian daily Teshreen. [2] The following are excerpts from the article: [3]
I'm sure in this case "European military reports" will be with most certainty infallable and correct.
However, if this were to be true it will be 10 times worse than Abu Ghraib. Although I personally doubt we'll hear much more of this.
these teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye.
Organs go for a hell of a lot more than that - especially on the black market.
Originally posted by PistolPete
these teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye.
Organs go for a hell of a lot more than that - especially on the black market.
I thought these types of things went into to the hundreds and the thousands! Seems way cheap to me! I don't know what to think. I certainly hope this is all a bunch of propaganda bs......otherwise, I shutter to even think about it!
I really find this story hard to buy. It would be kinda hard to keep something like that hidden for so long without someone blowing the whistle.
EDIT: After reading through all the material, I AM NOW CONVINCED this is pure BS.
[edit on 27-12-2004 by sardion2000]
EDIT: After reading through all the material, I AM NOW CONVINCED this is pure BS.
[edit on 27-12-2004 by sardion2000]
yeah well, I ain't so convinced yet that this is BS. In just a few searches, I came up with all this:
organtx.org...
209.157.64.200...
www.grunt.com...
www.bmarsh.com...
This story is not over yet, as far as I am concerned. And you can bet someone somewhere is going to put much pressure on those "secret European sources." We'll see if anything further develops on this.
Nancy Scheper-Hughes is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and director of Organ Watch, a centre that investigates trafficking in body parts.
She says there's a huge worldwide market in organs, and the cheapest place is Iraq.
organtx.org...
He was an eyewitness to several american soldiers cutting off dead iraqi body parts putting them in bags of ice so they can send it home to family. Eyeballs, fingers and sometimes even arms. They are being doped up on speed pills to stay awake and eventually begin to go stir crazy.
209.157.64.200...
I got an email from my husband and he asked me to post the following for you guys here on Grit....
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 4:54 PM
Subject: Fw: Allied Justice.........
Yes Sir!! All messages received and duly acted upon. Finally heard from my nephew Cpt.Richard Scot Meyer, 101st Airborne. He was to say the least, mildly excited over taking out an Iraqi forward observer that was directing republican guard artillery rounds. Got him with a clean head shot at 200 yards at night. He also stated that they were behind the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and that those guys were leaving many, many Iraqi body parts in their wake on the road to Baghdad causing his commanding oficer to remark - quote "The Goddamn Marines have killed every living thing up here except the lizards and snakes, and from the looks of the damn tire tracks in the sand, they're trying like hell to take them out too!"
www.grunt.com...
Baghdad Bans Arabs From Buying Iraqi Body Parts
Jerusalem,(Reuters 2/7/00) - The Palestinian ambassador to Baghdad said on Monday the sale of kidneys and other body parts has become a flourishing business in sanctions-hit Iraq.
The ambassador, Azaam al-Ahmad, said in statement broadcast on the Voice of Palestine that kidneys were selling for $300 in Iraq and that 86 cash-strapped Palestinians were among those who have sold their organs for money.
"The sale of kidneys and other body parts has become a profitable business in Iraq," alAhmad said.
"It has a special market and some have exploited in a very ugly way the needs of the Iraqis and others as a result of the embargo imposed on them," he said.
www.bmarsh.com...
This story is not over yet, as far as I am concerned. And you can bet someone somewhere is going to put much pressure on those "secret European sources." We'll see if anything further develops on this.
Almost of the opinion that MEMRI got their notes crossed when writing this article: "American military" should have been the Communist Chinese, the
worlds largest harvesters of organs to the international black market, maybe?
First it was the "oil".
Now its "body parts".....
Then this:
What? They have got to be kidding, can get more than that on EBAY anyone...hellllooo!?
And to think, jihadunspun.com didn't report this first?
seekerof
[edit on 27-12-2004 by Seekerof]
First it was the "oil".
Now its "body parts".....
Then this:
Going rates: $40.00 per usable kidney, and $25.00 for an eye.
What? They have got to be kidding, can get more than that on EBAY anyone...hellllooo!?
And to think, jihadunspun.com didn't report this first?
seekerof
[edit on 27-12-2004 by Seekerof]
How reliable is the original source? I find it very, very hard to believe that the US has Doctors traveling around harvesting body parts.
There have been no reports of this from any of the major News sources and if the Anti-War people got a hold of any proof it would be a huge story.
I think this is just another attempt to discredit the US in Iraq.
There have been no reports of this from any of the major News sources and if the Anti-War people got a hold of any proof it would be a huge story.
I think this is just another attempt to discredit the US in Iraq.
Yup, I saw all those about the Chinese as well. Any unclaimed bodies after execution they are free to farm out. But since it really didn't have much
to do with this particular story, I opted to leave them out it. Jesus, Seeker, what are you, a walking talking set of Britannicas?
Well, when we start seeing them on Ebay we will know. I do find this one a little hard to swallow, but then again, ya never know...It wouldnt
surprise me too much
as posted by TrueAmerican
Jesus, Seeker, what are you, a walking talking set of Britannicas?
Nah, just an old History major.
Love to read and research.
seekerof
I built an organ tracking system for a regional OPO a few years back. If I remember correctly the warm ischemic time is a factor. This refers to how
long the organ was without oxygenated blood and was warm -- not packed in ice.
Cold ischemic time refers to how long the organ was without oxygenated blood and was packed in ice. I have read that kidneys can handle a total cold ischemic time of about 2-3 days, give or take depending on what you read. Expirements such as chemical solutions and laparoscopic surgery are being found to increase allowable ischemic time.
I searched my design notes from the system I built but I ended up finding this online.
Thus it is technically possible to transplant kidneys and eyes from the fields of Iraq into American recipients. However, the important thing remains the warm ischemic time. If the organ cannot be harvested quickly the transplant success rate drops. For this article to be true there would have to be teams of surgeons ready to extract organs and transfer them to ice very quickly.
Also, organ matches are typically done while the donor body is on life support to maintain viability of the tissue. Tests are performed and drugs are administered to keep the body essentially living. I don't see how this would be entirely possible in the field.
I'm going off of memory and a quick google search to confirm I remember what I am talking about. FredT could probably elaborate more and correct me where I am wrong.
Cold ischemic time refers to how long the organ was without oxygenated blood and was packed in ice. I have read that kidneys can handle a total cold ischemic time of about 2-3 days, give or take depending on what you read. Expirements such as chemical solutions and laparoscopic surgery are being found to increase allowable ischemic time.
I searched my design notes from the system I built but I ended up finding this online.
The following are the approximate cold ischemic times (link to definitions) for certain organs and tissues:
Heart 4 to 6 hours
Lung 4 to 6 hours
Pancreas 12 to 14 hours
Liver Up to 24 hours
Kidney 48 to 72 hours
Corneas 5 to 7 days
Bone Marrow Up to 3 years
Bone 5 years or more
Heart Valves 10 years
Saphenous Vein 10 years
Thus it is technically possible to transplant kidneys and eyes from the fields of Iraq into American recipients. However, the important thing remains the warm ischemic time. If the organ cannot be harvested quickly the transplant success rate drops. For this article to be true there would have to be teams of surgeons ready to extract organs and transfer them to ice very quickly.
Also, organ matches are typically done while the donor body is on life support to maintain viability of the tissue. Tests are performed and drugs are administered to keep the body essentially living. I don't see how this would be entirely possible in the field.
I'm going off of memory and a quick google search to confirm I remember what I am talking about. FredT could probably elaborate more and correct me where I am wrong.
Trueamerican - if that's what you really are - this posting sets a new low. You said yourself it was "unbelievable". So why did you post it? I
realize this is an open forum, but surely we must draw the line at outrageous nonsense.
Janus....
The original source of this assertion is the Saudi Government Daily....not very reliable as a news source, when applied to Westen standards. As for MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Organization) is or was deemed reliable, but some proponents of 'correct' journalism are beginning to label MEMRI as being almost or near unreliable. MEMRI is a considered a resource site for relaying and/or posting articles from the Arab/Middle Eastern media and its varied sources. It is not an opinion site, for all intense and purposes. As such, I find the proponents claims of MEMRI being "unreliable" to be overboard.
seekerof
[edit on 27-12-2004 by Seekerof]
The original source of this assertion is the Saudi Government Daily....not very reliable as a news source, when applied to Westen standards. As for MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Organization) is or was deemed reliable, but some proponents of 'correct' journalism are beginning to label MEMRI as being almost or near unreliable. MEMRI is a considered a resource site for relaying and/or posting articles from the Arab/Middle Eastern media and its varied sources. It is not an opinion site, for all intense and purposes. As such, I find the proponents claims of MEMRI being "unreliable" to be overboard.
seekerof
[edit on 27-12-2004 by Seekerof]
Let me try to organzie all the fatcs here, because it seems everyone does not know how to read correctly.
The teams themselves are reportedly paying these prices out to the Iraqis that they recruit to find them dead or dying insurgents. Sounds like capitalism to me. Rip off the supplier and then rip off the customer
It also sounds to me that if this were true, it is probably just a certain group of individuals trained in the medical field who saw an opportunity to make some money and they were cutting the offensive units a share of the profit (as they would have to in order to ensure secrecy). True entrepeneurs. The higher ups can technically be unaware of such activites as a country is a big place and there are many to keep track of.
There were no alternative sources located in the news article, save for one that did not work.
In regards to this article
It appears to be dated in the year 2000 which of course 2 years before America decided to liberate/occupy Iraq. Sanctions can hurt people really bad man.
And for what reason you decided to quote the following I do not know
If you are trying to make it seem that the quote was implying that the Marines were operating on Iraqis and just leaving behind body parts then you have taken it out of context. It is known fact that high calibur weapons and explosives will blow people into pieces and cut the body into chunks of meat. It was simply the marines were on a mission and the CO was simply flabergasted at the effiency of the units and his aggravation of not getting a piece of the action. Yes, that is correct, some soldiers actually enjoy war. It is a reason why many decide to develop a military career.
All in all I really doubt the validity of the story, although it is not impossible by technical standards, yes it is very possible. But is it happening? I doubt it. It happens in other parts of the world but hey we may never know.
[The reports] further indicate that American medical teams have [made] active and suspicious moves in Iraq to recruit some Iraqis to guide them to dead and critically injured individuals to engage in the extraction of organs. These teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye.
The teams themselves are reportedly paying these prices out to the Iraqis that they recruit to find them dead or dying insurgents. Sounds like capitalism to me. Rip off the supplier and then rip off the customer
It also sounds to me that if this were true, it is probably just a certain group of individuals trained in the medical field who saw an opportunity to make some money and they were cutting the offensive units a share of the profit (as they would have to in order to ensure secrecy). True entrepeneurs. The higher ups can technically be unaware of such activites as a country is a big place and there are many to keep track of.
There were no alternative sources located in the news article, save for one that did not work.
In regards to this article
Baghdad Bans Arabs From Buying Iraqi Body Parts
Jerusalem,(Reuters 2/7/00) - The Palestinian ambassador to Baghdad said on Monday the sale of kidneys and other body parts has become a flourishing business in sanctions-hit Iraq.
The ambassador, Azaam al-Ahmad, said in statement broadcast on the Voice of Palestine that kidneys were selling for $300 in Iraq and that 86 cash-strapped Palestinians were among those who have sold their organs for money.
"The sale of kidneys and other body parts has become a profitable business in Iraq," alAhmad said.
"It has a special market and some have exploited in a very ugly way the needs of the Iraqis and others as a result of the embargo imposed on them," he said.
It appears to be dated in the year 2000 which of course 2 years before America decided to liberate/occupy Iraq. Sanctions can hurt people really bad man.
And for what reason you decided to quote the following I do not know
He also stated that they were behind the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and that those guys were leaving many, many Iraqi body parts in their wake on the road to Baghdad causing his commanding oficer to remark - quote "The Goddamn Marines have killed every living thing up here except the lizards and snakes, and from the looks of the damn tire tracks in the sand, they're trying like hell to take them out too!"
If you are trying to make it seem that the quote was implying that the Marines were operating on Iraqis and just leaving behind body parts then you have taken it out of context. It is known fact that high calibur weapons and explosives will blow people into pieces and cut the body into chunks of meat. It was simply the marines were on a mission and the CO was simply flabergasted at the effiency of the units and his aggravation of not getting a piece of the action. Yes, that is correct, some soldiers actually enjoy war. It is a reason why many decide to develop a military career.
All in all I really doubt the validity of the story, although it is not impossible by technical standards, yes it is very possible. But is it happening? I doubt it. It happens in other parts of the world but hey we may never know.
Saudi Government Daily? Shucks and i thought they were on our side *cough* Hot bed of fundamentalists *cough*
Originally posted by AlexofSkye
Trueamerican - if that's what you really are - this posting sets a new low. You said yourself it was "unbelievable". So why did you post it? I realize this is an open forum, but surely we must draw the line at outrageous nonsense.
If that's what you really are...Yes, that is what I really am, whether you like it or not. I saw this first on infowars.com. They had it sourced to Worldnetdaily. WND sourced to MEMRI. So I went to MEMRI and got the quote from there. And as I understand it, the article also appeared in a couple of other Middle Eastern/Arab/Asian papers. In addition, a further google check reveals that no less than 20 other places have picked up the story as well.
So my reasoning was, well enough places have this, that I should probably post it, even though I at first thought it was total BS myself. But now I am not so sure, with what titian is saying, combined with the fact that the article states:
A secret team of American physicians follow the troops during their attacks on Iraqi armed men to ensure quick [medical] operations for extracting some organs and transferring them to private operations rooms before they are transferred to America for sale.
But Banshee felt like the source was unreliable, and she moved it from ATSNN to here. Well, needless to say, I highly respect her opinion, and was totally fine with that. If other things develop to lend more creedence to the story, she also said we may move it back to ATSNN. Works for me. Quit shooting the messenger.
Originally posted by TrueAmerican
An article published in a Saudi Government Daily, Al-Watan, claims that based on "secret" European military intelligence, the US has been harvesting and selling Iraqi body parts. The startling accusations continue on to say that a "secret" team of US physicians follow troops on some of their attacks, to ensure the quick removal of organs from dead and wounded Iraqis- before they are killed- and transferring them to private operations rooms
Where the viscious ameri can devils eat the organs raw! Oh those horrible vampires with their polytheistic ways! Look, even in their religious services they consume the blood and body of a man that they pretend is god! Oh those horrible satanical fools, surely allah will ride the desert of them! And the jews are evil too, the joooooos, the jooooos[/sarcasm]
Gosh, imagine, weird and unfounded claims comming out of wahhabist state controlled newspapers.
[edit on 27-12-2004 by Nygdan]