Word: iraqi
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...Iraqi parliament has passed a law to change the country's flag, by altering the way "Allahu Akbar" (God Is Great) is emblazoned across the middle of the banner. The words will remain, but in a different calligraphic form. That may not seem like a big change, but for many Iraqis it makes a world of difference...
...calligraphy was based on Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, and for many who suffered most under his iron fist - especially the Kurds - the flag came to symbolize his repressive rule. As I look at the Iraqi flag hanging on the wall in my office in New York, I can understand their resentment. Even holy words can seem profane when they are uttered (or, in this case, written) by the embodiment of evil...
...trouble is that there is only so much cash available. The sheikh says his house will cost about 200 million Iraqi dinars, or about $150,000, to rebuild. Lt. Spainhour explains that big money is very hard to get, but that supplies and humanitarian assistance might be available. Spainhour's superior, Captain Douglas Willig, says the U.S. military can offer about $1,000 per family for claims money; he can offer them micro-grants to start small businesses; and he has two construction packs for a school and a marketplace each worth about $20,000. "I want to help...
...Iraq, of which 3,658 were paid, totaling $8,397,726. Fewer were filed in and paid out in 2007 - 7,103 and 2,896 respectively - but the total dollar amount was larger: $13,074,660. U.S. officers praise the program, though it is impossible to say how many Iraqi hearts and minds have been appeased. It can take months for a claim to be paid and if a claim is filed after the U.S. military unit involved is rotated out of Iraq, the odds are that the claim will never be awarded. In Iraq today, it is not uncommon...
...comprehensive database of Iraqi claims for war damage compensation is not available. Critics of the program, especially of the money paid out to the families of innocent Iraqi families killed in conflict, complain that the military does not proactively release these documents. Last year the ACLU filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act and received about 2,000 pages of information, a snapshot of part of 2005 and 2006, but it is by no means comprehensive or complete. The U.S. has been known to pay up to $2,500 for an "accidental" killing...