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Troops to Iraq: President urged to intervene

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI JUNE 26. Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a NGO working in health sector, has urged the President to intervene to prevent the sending of Indian forces to Iraq.

Any army deployed in Iraq will be exposed to the long-term and irreversible disastrous effects of Depleted Uranium (DU) weapons that were used in the war. While the U.S. and the U.K. may be willing to subject their troops to this hazard, there was no need for the other forces to be coerced to face the dangerous situation, said a statement by the Abhiyan convener and Kerala University Vice-Chancellor, B. Ekbal.

The sending of Indian troops or any other force to Iraq on political grounds will be considered as support for the occupying forces and will legitimise such ongoing illegal occupation in other parts of the world, he said.

According to Dr. Ekbal, the DU weapons have devastating effects on life systems. With a half-life period of 1,10,000 years, the DU weapons would spell disaster to civilians as well as combatants and others who have to stay in the affected areas.

Scientific studies have concluded that DU weapons led to an epidemic of leukaemia among Iraqi civilians, especially children.

The veterans of Gulf War in the U.S. and the U.K. were facing health problems which were not yet well understood by medical professionals.

It was being suspected that these health effects were linked to DU weapons, the statement said.

Abhiyan is a coalition of networks, grass root-level health workers, medical experts, humanitarian workers, social scientists and scientists.

The Abhiyan requested the President, who is the supreme commander of forces, to stop the move to send the Indian troops, which was initiated by a section of the political leadership in India.

The Abhiyan also felt that it was important to provide complete and unbiased information to the Indian public and the soldiers about the negative and long-term impacts of DU weapons.26

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