ZORIAH

Patrolling Sadr City

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A U.S. Army soldier offers a young girl a piece of candy while on a security patrol in Sadr City, Iraq - June, 2008.

Night Patrol - Anbar Province Iraq

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U.S. Marines conduct a night patrol outside the city of Garma/Karmah in Anbar Province, Iraq in June, 2008.  The Marines were searching for information regarding the suicide blast which killed several Marines and dozens of Iraqi civilians.

Tracking Al Qaeda in Iraq - After The Anbar Suicide Bombing

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I am not happy about the fact that I have become the news, as all I came here to do was document the news.  I feel that I need to continue to stand up for what I believe in and fight for the rights of all journalist here and those who may come here...so I will do so.

This blog is about photojournalism though, and I want to keep the attention on what is going on in Iraq, not just what is going on with the issue of freedom of press.  I will continue posting work from my embeds this summer, starting with this post.

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Photo:  U.S. Marines search a home near Garma/Karmah in hopes of gaining more information regarding the attack on the 26th of June.  These searches and information gathering operations also help maintain as much security in the area as possible.

EDIT: The Multi National Force Iraq (MNF-I) upholds my rights to keep my credentials, minus the ability to document U.S. Marine operations. I would like to thank all of these senior officials for refusing to make decisions based on unsubstantiated claims. Click here to read my July 7th post.

Zoriah: Clarification & Definition of Embeds : Embed Ground Rules

Last night I was invited to have dinner at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with a senior public affairs staff member. The senior PA leadership have been following my situation closely.  The U.S. Marine Corps continues to push for my complete "barment" (not a word in the dictionary - but is stated in my embed termination letter) from the Department of Defense (which means I could not embed in Iraq, Afghanistan, or anywhere else the U.S. Military may end up in the future). The Multi National Force Iraq (MNF-I) upholds my rights to keep my credentials, minus the ability to document U.S. Marine operations. I would like to thank all of these senior officials for refusing to make decisions based on unsubstantiated claims.

There are a few people posting comments on this blog who do not seem to understand what an embedded journalist such as myself actually is.

The Media Hold Harmless Agreement journalists sign, which clarifies the definition of embeds can now be found on this page. The remainder of my original clarification post is still on this page along with the comments.

Please read my contract before posting comments that I have violated any rules.

I do not work for the U.S. Military, the Marines, the Department of Defense, or any other government, public, or private organization.  I work as a freelance journalist in Iraq under the umbrella of (but not for) a major media organization. This is the standard form of operation for embedded freelance journalists.

Because of the extreme dangers of working in Iraq, it is impossible to for a independent journalist to move freely from place to place without an incredible amount of security and financial resources.

Embedding allows journalists to live with soldiers or Marines and document their lives and their struggles. It also allows interaction, to some degree, with the local population, while remaining somewhat protected.  Embedding is not considered ideal to most journalists, but we find ourselves with few choices because it has become so dangerous for us during the past few years of the war.  You can easily do a Google search to find out more about the number of killed and injured journalists during this conflict.

Without the option to embed, journalists would have to pay literally thousands of dollars a day for security and transportation.  To lose the ability to embed is the equivalent of losing your ability to report from Iraq.  This is the reason it is important to fight for the rights of embedded journalists to document freely.

EDIT: The Multi National Force Iraq (MNF-I) upholds my rights to keep my credentials, minus the ability to document U.S. Marine operations. I would like to thank all of these senior officials for refusing to make decisions based on unsubstantiated claims. Click here to read my July 7th post.

Happy Fourth of July - Update on Zoriah's Situation

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I would like to wish a Happy Fourth of July to all of the Marines, soldiers, and military personnel who struggle to survive and bring order in a chaotic situation in Iraq.

On this American Indepedance Day, my heartfelt goodwill extends to their families back home, and to the Iraqi’s and Afghans who live day in and day out in a climate of uncertainty and fear.

May all of you find peace and unity and return to your lives, families, and children safe and unharmed.

I have been banned from documenting the conflict in Fallujah and Anbar Province by the U.S. Marine Corps.  Today, I wait in Baghdad's Green Zone to find out if I will blacklisted completely and forced to leave Iraq.

I stand firm in the belief that I have been unjustly censored by the U.S. Military for reporting strictly under the guidelines given to me.

To all of the U.S. Marines and their families who have emailed me and voiced their support of the post and of the issue as a whole I want to extend a special thank you.

Zoriah: Embed Termination - Statement About My Situation in Iraq

A few hours after posting my story on the suicide bombing in Anbar Province, I was woken up by a young marine who took me to receive a phone call.  A high ranking Public Affairs Officer told me that they were requesting that I remove my blog post immediately.  I asked on what grounds, as media rules state that wounded and killed soldiers may be portrayed in images as long as their name tags and identifiable features are not shown.  I made very sure my images followed those guidelines, and questioned a large number of soldiers on base to see if they could find anything at all that would identify the dead.  I did this primarily out of respect for the families.

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After the post was online, I was told that the Marine Corps would not allow even the pants or shoes of a injured or killed Marine to be depicted in images. This was a rule I had never been told or even heard of.  I refused to remove the blog post.  It seemed insane to me that the Marines would embed a war photographer and then be upset when photographs were taken of war.

A few minutes later my embed was terminated and a convoy was arranged, despite a fierce sand storm, to bring me to Camp Fallujah where I would wait for the first flight out of the Marines area of operation and into the Green Zone.

I still wait for my flight out one day later.  Apparently they fear that someone is angry enough to do me harm, as I now must go to the chow hall with two armed escorts.  However, I have had five or more Marines approach me on base and tell me that the images were the best and most powerful, real photographs of war they had ever seen, and that they supported my choices 100%.

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I truly labored with the decision to post these images and I still do.  But in my heart of hearts I know that people need to see and feel the reality of this horrible situation.  How can things change if all that comes out of Iraq are sanitized, white-washed images of war designed for mainstream media outlets who focus on making money, not on the quality and truth in what they report?

To the families of the Marines, the interpreters, the Iraqi police, and the civilians killed in the attack: you have my deepest condolences.  These men were attending a city council meeting and working together to better their community.  Something terrible happened to them when they were in the midst of doing a good thing.

I have done everything I can to post images of Marines that are not in any way identifiable.  I photographed to the best of my ability -- hoping to capture images that speak the truth yet capture the horror and senselessness of these kinds of attacks in a dignified, emotional, and artistic way. I have made sure there are ample warnings that the post is very graphic and very disturbing.  I put it on a separate page that contains even more warnings and buffer text and images before the graphic content is displayed to avoid anyone stumbling on it by accident.

If despite my safeguards these images end up hurting people, I offer you my sincerest apologies.  Please know that my intent is to show the true nature of the abominations of war in hopes that this will deter others from committing or accepting senseless acts of violence.

EDIT: The Multi National Force Iraq (MNF-I) upholds my rights to keep my credentials, minus the ability to document U.S. Marine operations. I would like to thank all of these senior officials for refusing to make decisions based on unsubstantiated claims. Click here to read my July 7th post.

Zoriah's Embed Assignment in Iraq Cancelled Because of His EyeWitness Blog Post About the Sucide Attack in Anbar

This is Laurel Havir Porter, writing for Zoriah who has no internet access. I received word from Zoriah that the U.S. Marines Public Affairs spoke with him early this morning, and demanded that he take down the post he made yesterday about the suicide attack. When he refused, they canceled his embed with them in Iraq.

When Zoriah wrote me, he stated that the Marines were arranging a special convoy and flight out of the area immediately. A sandstorm delayed the flight. He expects to arrive in the green zone soon. We will give you an update as the situation unfolds.

Anbar Province Suicide Bombing - Zoriah's Eyewitness Account - Iraq War Diary

My hands still shake and my heart pounds despite my fatigue.  A combination of depression, fear, and adrenaline makes my thoughts race with the realization that a simple decision was the only thing that seperated me from a body count that grows daily.  I look at the images I took on the 26th of June, and realize they do nothing to capture the emotion of being an eyewitness to the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda suicide attack in Karmah/Garma... the smell... the sound of screams and crying.

I want you to observe and comprehend what others live through on a daily basis -- to see what the Iraqi civilians and foreign soldiers see.  I want people who follow my photography to understand that although I am able to bring images of war to the world in a form of art, what actually goes on here is horror.  My message is not that war yields great photography.  My message is: War yields human misery and suffering.

My eyewitness report and the images contained in the link below are extremely graphic. To see the reality of the Iraq War -- please read and view my entire post by clicking the link below.

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If you are offended by graphic images -- instead of reading the entry about the suicide attack linked to below and being upset by the sight of death -- please do something to stop the events that facilitate these atrocities.

CLICK HERE to view my June 26th diary entry -- the day of the latest suicide bombing in Anbar Province.

JAMILLA MARKET - SADR CITY - IRAQ WAR PHOTOGRAPHER DIARIES

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A young girl watches a soldier from a market stall as a US Army soldier patrols the Jamilla Market in Sadr City, Iraq.  The Jamilla Market is struggling to recover from severe damage it sustained during weeks of fighting between coalition forces and local militants in the area.

IRAQ WAR PHOTOGRAPHER DIARY - MILITIAS

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The above image is of a confiscated weapons cache housed inside of a US/Iraqi army base in Sadr City.  Notice that there are no magazines in these weapons.  As I was taking these photos, U.S. soldiers filled their pockets with loaded magazines, intending to distribute them to local militias.

I am lying in my cot in a dank, concrete room in Joint Security Station Sadr City when one of the Army commanders who bunks next to me walks though the door, obviously frustrated an annoyed.  He is stationed upstairs in the Tactical Operations Center, which is basically a command center for all the troops in the area and a relay point between them and other commands around the area.

"What's wrong man?  You look pissed," I say, as he throws his bag down on his bunk.

"Everyone upstairs is all fucking pissed off because the fucking New York Times just broke a story about how the U.S. is arming and funding all of these neighborhood militias and gangs all around Iraq," he says.

I mention to him that I happen to know for a fact that this is true because not more than two days ago I saw it with my own eyes.

He responds, "Yeah, I know its true too, we are taking guns out of one guys hand and putting them into the hands of another guy.  I'm not pissed about the article, I just have to work with a bunch of idiots who are pissed about the article. That is what makes my life miserable."

I have decided to post what I wrote a few days ago, now that I am sure that hunch was correct.

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I am a photojournalist.  It is my job to be a visual story teller, showing people what other's lives and struggles are like, when they would otherwise have no way of visualizing these lives.  I don't consider myself to very an expert in politics, warfare or the situation in Iraq. It puts me in the unique position of seeing and experiencing without pre-conceived notions or ideas.  Since my job is based on truly "seeing", I am at ease with learning things along my path.

I am noticing a disturbing trend in Iraq right now, one that I feel pretty sure will prove to be a major mistake in this war and cause a fair amount of grief to the Iraqi people and most likely beyond.  The U.S. Military is arming and funding militias and civil military groups across the country.  After a discussion with a soldier about the Sons of Iraq, what is now called a "neighborhood guard" by the US military, the soldier said, "We are basically paying these guys off with money and weapons to not kill us."

   

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The streets of Iraq are now filled with various militias and private security forces.  Think of these militias as Blackwater without background checks, rules or any kind of oversight whatsoever (ok, so just think of it like Blackwater!) . Often, they are composed mainly of children not old enough to drive and carrying AK-47 assault rifles nearly as big as themselves.

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Another soldier explains to me that most of the members from the militant groups and death squads a year or two ago, are now either wearing the uniforms of the Iraqi National Police Force, or in one of the hundreds, if not thousands of militias.  As I said before, I no expert on such things, but in my humble opinion this appears to be a disaster waiting to happen.

The important events and issues I cover aren't always the subjects that sell to corporate media. These human stories need your support and funding to be told. The cost of travel, food, accommodations, and equipment is substantial. Please consider a subscription of $25 per month to help me tell these stories to the world. -- Thank you -- Zoriah