Friday, August 10, 2007
Mosul dam in danger of imminent collapse
(Voices of Iraq) - A major disaster is looming in northern Iraq because the wall of the Mosul Dam that holds back the Tigris river north of Mosul city is in danger of imminent collapse, a report by the Independent newspaper said on Wednesday. Quoting experts, the newspaper said that flood waters could destroy 70% of Ninewa province and "inflict heavy damage 190 miles (300km) downstream along the Tigris."
According to the report, "This would mean heavy damage to cities such as Tikrit and Samarra and the floods could reach as far as Baghdad." Citing "fundamental and irreversible flaws existing in the dam's foundation," a recent report by the US Army Corps of Engineers indicated that the safety of the dam against a potential catastrophic collapse "cannot be guaranteed.
"Suggesting possible solutions, the report said "The main method used to strengthen the foundations of the Mosul dam is pumping liquid cement into it or grouting. But a US-funded study concluded that grouting would not save the dam, although it did need to be continued and enhanced 'to reduce the probability of failure.'"
"An international panel of experts called in by the Ministry of Water Resources in Baghdad concluded that a limit should also be placed on the level of the water in the reservoir - that was done in April last year," read the report. The Mosul Dam, built between 1980 and 1984, has long been known to be in a "dangerous condition because of unstable bedrock," the newspaper said.
Labels: collapse, Ministry of Water Resources, Mosul Dam, USACE
Swedish plane fired at while flying over northern Iraq
Security
(SR) - A Swedish passenger jet has been fired at while flying over northeastern Iraq. The Nordic Airways plane was carrying some 130 passengers, and had just taken off from Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, en route to Stockholm. After the pilot saw bright light flashes, the crew realized that someone had opened fire but no damage has been reported, and no passengers were injured. The plane landed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport on Thursday, without the passengers being aware of what had occurred. The airline makes one journey a week on this route, but has suspended all flights until further notice.
Labels: Arlanda, Nordic Airways, northeastern Iraq, passenger jet, Sulaymaniyah
Car bomb in Kurdish area of Kirkuk
Security
(AP) — A car bomb struck a market in a Kurdish area in the northern city of Kirkuk on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, police said. South of Baghdad, the military said a U.S. helicopter was forced down, leaving two soldiers injured. The attack in Kirkuk, a disputed oil-rich city that has seen a recent rise in ethnic tensions, occurred while the capital remained relatively calm under a driving ban aimed at preventing such attacks during a major Shiite pilgrimage.
The blast tore through the stalls as the market was packed with afternoon shoppers buying vegetables and household goods in a predominantly Kurdish area in southern Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad. Police initially said it was a suicide attack, but police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader later said it was a parked car bomb. Qader said at least eight people were killed and 45 were wounded.
Tensions have increased in Kirkuk as Kurds seek to incorporate the oil-rich city into their autonomous zone in northern Iraq — a move opposed by Arabs and Turkomen in the area. The area also has seen an increase in violence by militants believed to have fled the operations in the Baghdad area.
The blast tore through the stalls as the market was packed with afternoon shoppers buying vegetables and household goods in a predominantly Kurdish area in southern Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad. Police initially said it was a suicide attack, but police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader later said it was a parked car bomb. Qader said at least eight people were killed and 45 were wounded.
Tensions have increased in Kirkuk as Kurds seek to incorporate the oil-rich city into their autonomous zone in northern Iraq — a move opposed by Arabs and Turkomen in the area. The area also has seen an increase in violence by militants believed to have fled the operations in the Baghdad area.
U.S. military - Sadr back in Iran
Politics
(AFP) - Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr is reported to be back in Iran and elements of his Mahdi Army militia appear to be operating outside his control, a US military commander in Baghdad said Friday. Sadr's reported absence comes amid US fears that Iranian-backed cells are arming for attacks ahead of a key assessment to US Congress next month on whether the surge in US forces has worked to curb sectarian violence in Baghdad.
Colonel John Castles, a brigade commander whose area includes the sprawling Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, said he has seen intelligence reports that armor piercing explosives are being smuggled in from Iran. So far no surge in attacks has materialized, he said. To the contrary, indirect fire attacks have fallen in his Baghdad sector from about 60 a month in May to about 40 in July, he said.
"But there is reporting that supports that they are trying to increase that particularly as we go into the months of August and September," he said. Speaking to reporters here via video link from Baghdad, Castles said the degree of Sadr's influence and control over his movement in Sadr City was uncertain. "I think he is now in Iran, so just based on his location that implies that some of his control is not direct," he said, adding that US reporting places Sadr in Iran.
He said Sadr's political organization remains strong, but his control over the Mahdi Army is harder to discern.
"I personally think that it's fractured somewhat, that they don't get a whole lot of direct guidelines from him and that some of these divisions of it are operating on their own," he said. Sadr was reported to have gone to Iran in January ahead of a US troop surge to restore order in Baghdad and halt a spiral of sectarian violence.
He resurfaced in May in the southern Shiite city of Kufa where he led Friday prayers. He later met with key lieutenants in Najaf, reasserting his control over the movement.
Colonel John Castles, a brigade commander whose area includes the sprawling Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, said he has seen intelligence reports that armor piercing explosives are being smuggled in from Iran. So far no surge in attacks has materialized, he said. To the contrary, indirect fire attacks have fallen in his Baghdad sector from about 60 a month in May to about 40 in July, he said.
"But there is reporting that supports that they are trying to increase that particularly as we go into the months of August and September," he said. Speaking to reporters here via video link from Baghdad, Castles said the degree of Sadr's influence and control over his movement in Sadr City was uncertain. "I think he is now in Iran, so just based on his location that implies that some of his control is not direct," he said, adding that US reporting places Sadr in Iran.
He said Sadr's political organization remains strong, but his control over the Mahdi Army is harder to discern.
"I personally think that it's fractured somewhat, that they don't get a whole lot of direct guidelines from him and that some of these divisions of it are operating on their own," he said. Sadr was reported to have gone to Iran in January ahead of a US troop surge to restore order in Baghdad and halt a spiral of sectarian violence.
He resurfaced in May in the southern Shiite city of Kufa where he led Friday prayers. He later met with key lieutenants in Najaf, reasserting his control over the movement.
Labels: Colonel John Castles, Iran, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr
Gunmen blow up bridge north of Tikrit
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen blew up a bridge linking Salah al-Din and Kirkuk provinces on Thursday morning, a police source said. "Unknown gunmen planted and blew up large amounts of explosives under the Pitrokimiwiat concrete bridge near Makhoul mount, 50 km north of Tikrit, bringing down a large part of the bridge," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added, "the 35 km-long bridge linked Salah al-Din province with Kirkuk." It was built over the Lower Zab River, a tributary of the Tigris. Tikrit, capital city of Salah al-Din, is 175 km north of Baghdad.
Labels: bridge, Kirkuk, Makhoul mount, Pitrokimiwiat bridge, Tikrit
Iraq security confernece in Syria underlines need for unity
Regional
(SANA) - An international meeting on Iraq Thursday underlined respect to the country's unity and sovereignty, non-interference in its internal affairs and the need to achieve national reconciliation among different Iraqi parties. Security Coordination and Cooperation Committee for Iraq neighboring countries condemned in a final statement following two-day meetings all acts of terrorism and violence which target Iraqi innocent civilians, infrastructure, institutions and worship places.
"Border control is a joint responsibility between Iraq and its neighbors," the statement said, announcing readiness to cooperate with the Iraqi government in its efforts to realize security and stability in Iraq, re-establish Iraqi security and army forces on national and professional bases." The participants agreed to submit a group of recommendations to the foreign Ministers' meeting of Iraq neighboring countries due later in Istanbul and to the interior Ministers' meeting expected in Kuwait.
The two-day meetings discussed issues related to security cooperation, combating terrorism and organized crime, and ways of monitoring borders. Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Arab League and UN delegations in addition to representatives from UN permanent member states took part in the meeting.
Head of the Iraqi delegation to the meeting, Labid Abawi described recommendations as important and "they meet Iraq's aspirations," adding "discussions on Iraq were held within an atmosphere of frankness, transparency and seriousness. He denied some media reports claiming that the Iraqi delegation handed a paper on smuggling weapons and infiltrating fighters from Syria into Iraq, saying "those reports are incorrect allegations."
"Border control is a joint responsibility between Iraq and its neighbors," the statement said, announcing readiness to cooperate with the Iraqi government in its efforts to realize security and stability in Iraq, re-establish Iraqi security and army forces on national and professional bases." The participants agreed to submit a group of recommendations to the foreign Ministers' meeting of Iraq neighboring countries due later in Istanbul and to the interior Ministers' meeting expected in Kuwait.
The two-day meetings discussed issues related to security cooperation, combating terrorism and organized crime, and ways of monitoring borders. Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Arab League and UN delegations in addition to representatives from UN permanent member states took part in the meeting.
Head of the Iraqi delegation to the meeting, Labid Abawi described recommendations as important and "they meet Iraq's aspirations," adding "discussions on Iraq were held within an atmosphere of frankness, transparency and seriousness. He denied some media reports claiming that the Iraqi delegation handed a paper on smuggling weapons and infiltrating fighters from Syria into Iraq, saying "those reports are incorrect allegations."
Labels: Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi, Iraq security conference, Syria
Sebastian River Holding's Inc. announces currency dividend possibly worth $1 per share
Finance
(PortAl Iraq) - Sebastian River Holding's Inc., announced that the board of directors have approved an Iraqi dinar dividend for all shareholders of record on Sept. 14 with a payout date of Sept. 28. Shareholders of record on the dividend record date will receive one Iraqi dinar for every one share of Sebastian River Holding's Inc. owned, payable in lots of 1,000 shares equal to a 1,000 Iraqi dinar currency note.
"We are getting the shareholders involved," Sebastian River Holding's President and CEO Daniel Duffy said. "Now all of our shareholders can own a piece of history, by receiving actual Iraq money in the form of the dinar."
The Company feels that the Iraq government must re-value their currency to give all Iraq citizens purchasing power and a new way of living. The company currently holds 135,000,000 dinar and every $1 upward movement in the price of the Iraqi dinar gives the company a profit of $134,900,000 or roughly an EPS of $2.73 and would make this dividend worth $1 per share cash dividend.
The Company would like to inform all shareholders that Sebastian River Holding's Inc. will be purchasing new Iraqi dinar currency for this dividend. This dividend will not affect the Company's holdings of 135,000,000 Iraqi dinars.
"We are getting the shareholders involved," Sebastian River Holding's President and CEO Daniel Duffy said. "Now all of our shareholders can own a piece of history, by receiving actual Iraq money in the form of the dinar."
The Company feels that the Iraq government must re-value their currency to give all Iraq citizens purchasing power and a new way of living. The company currently holds 135,000,000 dinar and every $1 upward movement in the price of the Iraqi dinar gives the company a profit of $134,900,000 or roughly an EPS of $2.73 and would make this dividend worth $1 per share cash dividend.
The Company would like to inform all shareholders that Sebastian River Holding's Inc. will be purchasing new Iraqi dinar currency for this dividend. This dividend will not affect the Company's holdings of 135,000,000 Iraqi dinars.
Labels: Daniel Duffy, Iraqi dinars, Sebastian River Holding's Inc.
Gunmen establish 'Islamic Emirate' in Doura
Security
(Azzaman) - The district of Doura in Baghdad is under the control of gunmen who have imposed their system of government based on strict interpretation of Islamic jurisdiction or Sharia. Amid the chaos in the area, described as one of Baghdad’s most violent, gunmen of all sorts and hues wreak havoc among the civilians, turning the district into an arena of murder and kidnapping.
The gunmen’s major target is Iraqi Christians in Doura which used to have a sizeable Christian minority, numerous churches and five monasteries. The gunmen have established what they call ‘the Islamic Emirate’ in the area where they apply by force their own interpretation of Islam. Christians who refuse to convert to Islam have either to leave or pay a hefty tax.
“We used to live here in peace, Muslim and Christians. Almost two years ago gunmen occupied Doura’s main street and spread their hegemony over the whole area. “They have forced Christian families to leave. They tell Christians if they do not become Muslims or pay head tax they must go. The area is under the gunmen’s control and I wonder where the government is,” said Jaafar Abdulsattar.
A Christian woman, wearing black and refusing to be named, said she and her family were forced to leave their house in Mekanic, a sub-district of Doura. “Before we were forced to leave, they (gunmen) had kidnapped my husband and taken his car. We still do not know what happened to him. Then they contacted us asking us to convert to Islam along with $10,000. Then they forced us to leave and we don’t know who now lives in our house,” she said.
Alias Toma Rafael, another Christian, said the gunmen kidnapped his son and threatened to kill him if he and his family did not leave. “Fearing their oppression, I left the house and the area,” Rafael said. Susan Boutros also had her husband kidnapped and to have him released the gunmen asked for $10,000. “I have two sons one of them is paralyzed. They took our house and we had to leave the area,” she said.
Isaac George was lucky to leave his house where he had lived for nearly 20 years without any member of his family being kidnapped or killed. Fawzi Abedsadda wonders whether any form of government authority apart from the Green Zone remains in Baghdad. “What are the authorities doing? Why do not they liberate our areas from these armed cliques,” he asked.
The gunmen’s major target is Iraqi Christians in Doura which used to have a sizeable Christian minority, numerous churches and five monasteries. The gunmen have established what they call ‘the Islamic Emirate’ in the area where they apply by force their own interpretation of Islam. Christians who refuse to convert to Islam have either to leave or pay a hefty tax.
“We used to live here in peace, Muslim and Christians. Almost two years ago gunmen occupied Doura’s main street and spread their hegemony over the whole area. “They have forced Christian families to leave. They tell Christians if they do not become Muslims or pay head tax they must go. The area is under the gunmen’s control and I wonder where the government is,” said Jaafar Abdulsattar.
A Christian woman, wearing black and refusing to be named, said she and her family were forced to leave their house in Mekanic, a sub-district of Doura. “Before we were forced to leave, they (gunmen) had kidnapped my husband and taken his car. We still do not know what happened to him. Then they contacted us asking us to convert to Islam along with $10,000. Then they forced us to leave and we don’t know who now lives in our house,” she said.
Alias Toma Rafael, another Christian, said the gunmen kidnapped his son and threatened to kill him if he and his family did not leave. “Fearing their oppression, I left the house and the area,” Rafael said. Susan Boutros also had her husband kidnapped and to have him released the gunmen asked for $10,000. “I have two sons one of them is paralyzed. They took our house and we had to leave the area,” she said.
Isaac George was lucky to leave his house where he had lived for nearly 20 years without any member of his family being kidnapped or killed. Fawzi Abedsadda wonders whether any form of government authority apart from the Green Zone remains in Baghdad. “What are the authorities doing? Why do not they liberate our areas from these armed cliques,” he asked.
Labels: Doura, Iraqi Christians, Sharia, the Islamic Emirate
PKK calls for Maliki to renege on agreement with Turkey
Regional
(Al Jazeera) - Mizkin Amad, a deputy political officer of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), has called on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to renege on an agreement reached with Turkey earlier this week to crack down on PKK fighters hiding in northern Iraq, Al-Jazeera television reported on August 8. "Turkey continues to deny the Kurdish people's rights and tries to involve international powers in its conspiracies against us. Nonetheless, it has not succeeded in breaking our will or our movement," Amad contended.
She added that Turkey "wants to drag neighboring countries into its hostile activities toward the Kurdish people." Amad called on the Iraqi government "to not get caught up in Turkish policies targeting [the PKK]...and withdraw from this agreement and avoid being the cause of a war between the people of the region." Iraq's Kurdistan regional government has not made any public statements regarding the Iraqi-Turkish agreement.
Labels: Kurdistan Workers Party, Mizkin Amad, Nouri Al-Maliki, PKK, Turkey
Nearly 3,000 foreigners held in Iraqi detention centres
Regional
(KUNA) - As many as 2,760 foreigners are currently being held in Iraqi detention centers, the Iraqi delegation to the Damascus meeting announced on August 8, KUNA reported. Eight hundred of those detained are Iranians. The rest are Afghans, Arabs from outside Iraq, and other foreigners. According to the news agency, the numbers were released during a closed session focusing on enhancing security collaboration among Iraq's neighbors.
"Among the detainees are Arabs and others from Afghanistan and Iran. The latter's citizens entered Iraq claiming they would visit religious shrines," an unidentified source who attended the session told KUNA. The source suggested that the number does not include foreigners currently held in U.S.-run detention centers. Representatives from neighboring states have been pressing the Iraqi government to release the names of those in custody.
Labels: detention centres, foreigners in Iraq
U.N. to expand political role in Iraq
U.N.
(Reuters) - The United Nations will see its role in Iraq expanded to include seeking reconciliation between warring factions and dialogue with neighboring countries under a Security Council resolution planned for Friday. A new mandate for the 4-year-old U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, or UNAMI, will add to its past functions of helping with elections and monitoring human rights and require a boost to its modest staffing in Baghdad.
The resolution was drafted by the United States and Britain, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein. Despite deep divisions in the Security Council at the time over the invasion, the new measure is set to pass unopposed. Washington's U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said this week the United Nations was uniquely placed to smooth over conflicts between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds that have bedeviled Iraqi politics and fueled rampant violence.
Some major Iraqi players, such as top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, were willing to talk to the United Nations but not the United States or Britain, said Khalilzad, formerly U.S. envoy to Baghdad. By coincidence the new mandate will come amid a fresh political crisis in Iraq, with nearly half the cabinet having quit, or boycotting meetings.
There are currently only some 50 UNAMI international staff in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic complex, and a ceiling of 65. Security improvements are due to raise that ceiling to 95, U.N. officials say. U.S. and British officials have denied that their aim is to offload Iraq's political problems onto the United Nations, then pull their forces out.
The resolution was drafted by the United States and Britain, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein. Despite deep divisions in the Security Council at the time over the invasion, the new measure is set to pass unopposed. Washington's U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said this week the United Nations was uniquely placed to smooth over conflicts between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds that have bedeviled Iraqi politics and fueled rampant violence.
Some major Iraqi players, such as top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, were willing to talk to the United Nations but not the United States or Britain, said Khalilzad, formerly U.S. envoy to Baghdad. By coincidence the new mandate will come amid a fresh political crisis in Iraq, with nearly half the cabinet having quit, or boycotting meetings.
There are currently only some 50 UNAMI international staff in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic complex, and a ceiling of 65. Security improvements are due to raise that ceiling to 95, U.N. officials say. U.S. and British officials have denied that their aim is to offload Iraq's political problems onto the United Nations, then pull their forces out.
But while Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon endorsed the U.N. role expansion at a meeting last month with U.S. President George W. Bush, some U.N. rank-and-file staff are concerned that safety issues have not been fully addressed. The new resolution was originally slated to be passed on Thursday but was delayed because the text still needed Iraqi government approval, U.N. diplomats said. It must go through on Friday, the day UNAMI's current mandate expires.
The new mandate requires UNAMI to "advise, support and assist" Iraqis on "advancing an inclusive, national dialogue and political reconciliation," reviewing the constitution, fixing internal boundaries and staging a census. The mission would promote dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors on border security, energy and refugees, assist the return of millions who have fled the violence, coordinate reconstruction and aid, and help promote economic reform.
The new mandate requires UNAMI to "advise, support and assist" Iraqis on "advancing an inclusive, national dialogue and political reconciliation," reviewing the constitution, fixing internal boundaries and staging a census. The mission would promote dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors on border security, energy and refugees, assist the return of millions who have fled the violence, coordinate reconstruction and aid, and help promote economic reform.
Labels: Iraq, reconciliation, U.N., UNAMI
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Two studies identify majority of suicide bombers in Iraq to be from Saudi
Insurgency
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Suicide bombers in Iraq are overwhelmingly foreigners bent on destabilizing the government and undermining American interests there, two independent studies have concluded. The studies report that the number of suicide bombings in Iraq has now surpassed those conducted worldwide since the early 1980s. The findings suggest that extremists from throughout the region and around the world are fueling Iraq's violence.
"The war on terrorism — and certainly the war in Iraq — has failed in decreasing the number of suicide attacks and has really radicalized the Muslim world to create this concept of martyrs without borders," said Mohammed Hafez, a visiting professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of one of the two studies.
Hafez, whose new book is "Suicide Bombers in Iraq," has identified the nationalities of 124 bombers who attacked in Iraq. Of those, the largest number — 53 — were Saudis. Eight apiece came from Italy and Syria, seven from Kuwait, four from Jordan and two each from Belgium, France and Spain. Others came from North and East Africa, South Asia and various Middle Eastern and European countries. Only 18 — 15 percent — were Iraqis.
In the second study, Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor who runs the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism, identified the nationalities of 55 suicide bombers in Iraq. Sixteen were Saudis, seven were Syrians and five were Algerians. Kuwait, Morocco and Tunisia each supplied three bombers. Thirteen — 24 percent — were Iraqi Sunni Muslims.
Hafez and Pape said Iraqi Shiite Muslims hadn't carried out suicide attacks so far and instead had restricted their role in the sectarian violence to militia activity. Pinning down the nationalities of suicide bombers can be tricky because they leave few physical remains, and extremist groups often don't claim the attacks until much later. The U.S. military says it does some DNA testing to investigate the bombers' identities.
Both researchers relied on extremist Web sites, "martyr" videos, news reports and statements to compile the data on nationalities. Hafez also gathered some information from online chats and discussion forums. U.S. intelligence estimates based on interviews with detainees and captured documents indicate that most suicide bombers in Iraq are non-Iraqi, said a senior defense official who can't be named because of departmental rules
Suicide attacks more than doubled each year from the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 2005, Pape said. In 2006, he said, they jumped just under a third. The American military has reported more than 1,400 since January 2004. Before the U.S.-led invasion, there had been no suicide bombings in Iraq. Pape attributed the attacks to the presence of some 150,000 American troops in the region. The notion that most of the suicide bombers are foreigners engaged in a global movement is exaggerated, he said, since about 75 percent come from the Arabian Peninsula, which is close to the U.S. forces in Iraq.
"The Arabian Peninsula isn't that big: It's somewhat bigger than Texas," Pape said. "The Americans have all the capability and are right there. That's what allows terrorist leaders to build a sense of urgency." After losing safe havens in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Europe, militant organizations needed a new base for their operations, Hafez said. U.S. intelligence analysts, however, have concluded that al Qaida has built new training camps along the Afghan-Pakistani border, and that the group al Qaida in Iraq operates for the most part independently.
According to Hafez, extremist groups in Iraq conduct suicide bombings against fellow Muslims rather than U.S. troops to destabilize the fledgling government and spark sectarian warfare.
"The war on terrorism — and certainly the war in Iraq — has failed in decreasing the number of suicide attacks and has really radicalized the Muslim world to create this concept of martyrs without borders," said Mohammed Hafez, a visiting professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of one of the two studies.
Hafez, whose new book is "Suicide Bombers in Iraq," has identified the nationalities of 124 bombers who attacked in Iraq. Of those, the largest number — 53 — were Saudis. Eight apiece came from Italy and Syria, seven from Kuwait, four from Jordan and two each from Belgium, France and Spain. Others came from North and East Africa, South Asia and various Middle Eastern and European countries. Only 18 — 15 percent — were Iraqis.
In the second study, Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor who runs the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism, identified the nationalities of 55 suicide bombers in Iraq. Sixteen were Saudis, seven were Syrians and five were Algerians. Kuwait, Morocco and Tunisia each supplied three bombers. Thirteen — 24 percent — were Iraqi Sunni Muslims.
Hafez and Pape said Iraqi Shiite Muslims hadn't carried out suicide attacks so far and instead had restricted their role in the sectarian violence to militia activity. Pinning down the nationalities of suicide bombers can be tricky because they leave few physical remains, and extremist groups often don't claim the attacks until much later. The U.S. military says it does some DNA testing to investigate the bombers' identities.
Both researchers relied on extremist Web sites, "martyr" videos, news reports and statements to compile the data on nationalities. Hafez also gathered some information from online chats and discussion forums. U.S. intelligence estimates based on interviews with detainees and captured documents indicate that most suicide bombers in Iraq are non-Iraqi, said a senior defense official who can't be named because of departmental rules
Suicide attacks more than doubled each year from the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to 2005, Pape said. In 2006, he said, they jumped just under a third. The American military has reported more than 1,400 since January 2004. Before the U.S.-led invasion, there had been no suicide bombings in Iraq. Pape attributed the attacks to the presence of some 150,000 American troops in the region. The notion that most of the suicide bombers are foreigners engaged in a global movement is exaggerated, he said, since about 75 percent come from the Arabian Peninsula, which is close to the U.S. forces in Iraq.
"The Arabian Peninsula isn't that big: It's somewhat bigger than Texas," Pape said. "The Americans have all the capability and are right there. That's what allows terrorist leaders to build a sense of urgency." After losing safe havens in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Europe, militant organizations needed a new base for their operations, Hafez said. U.S. intelligence analysts, however, have concluded that al Qaida has built new training camps along the Afghan-Pakistani border, and that the group al Qaida in Iraq operates for the most part independently.
According to Hafez, extremist groups in Iraq conduct suicide bombings against fellow Muslims rather than U.S. troops to destabilize the fledgling government and spark sectarian warfare.
Labels: Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism, Mohammed Hafez, Robert Pape, Saudi Arabia, Suicide Bombers in Iraq, suicide bombings
Shahristani in Moscow for talks with oil companies
Oil
(The Moscow Times) - Iraq's oil minister arrived in Moscow late Wednesday for talks with Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and senior oil executives and said he would offer new terms for Russian companies seeking to work in the war-torn country. Officials from a consortium of three Russian companies -- LUKoil, Zarubezhneft and Mashinoimport -- are expected to meet on Thursday with Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani in a bid to regain access to the country's oil fields.
In particular, the companies will be hoping to revive a $4 billion deal to develop the 600,000 barrel-per-day West Qurna field, which was scrapped by dictator Saddam Hussein shortly before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. "Iraq will cooperate with those companies that will propose the best conditions for Iraq, regardless of what countries these companies come from," Shahristani said on his arrival in Moscow, RIA-Novosti reported. Shahristani said no country would get preferential treatment in the competition for Iraqi oil assets. "LUKoil will be competing with other firms on equal terms in accordance with the new oil laws." If LUKoil proposes projects that are competitive enough, it will get the contracts, Shahristani said. LUKoil will likely be hoping to make use of its 20 percent U.S. shareholder, ConocoPhillips, to ease its way back into the country. LUKoil has offered Conoco a 17.5 percent stake in the West Qurna project.
In May, the Iraqi government said it was not prepared to accept a Russian offer to forgive $10 billion in Hussein-era debt in exchange for giving Russian companies access to another major oil field, in Rumaila, Reuters reported. The visit comes as the Iraqi government readies a new law governing foreign investment in the country's oil industry, which has struggled to recover from underinvestment under Hussein and disruption by terrorist attacks under the U.S.-led occupation.
Semakov said LUKoil would create some 2,000 jobs for Iraqis in one field at West Qurna alone. The company has invested "tens of millions of dollars" in the project but would plow in much more in the future, he said.As the invasion of Iraq began, the Russian firms had to abandon their projects and evacuate staff.
Labels: ConocoPhillips, Hussain al-Shahristani, LUKoil, Mashinoimport, Rumaila field, Russia, Viktor Khristenko, West Qurna, Zarubezhneft
Total and Chevron to work together in Iraq
Oil
(Times online) - Two of the world’s biggest oil companies have signed an agreement to work together on projects in Iraq in the first clear sign that Western energy companies are preparing to enter the country. Reports yesterday revealed that Total had teamed up with Chevron and that they were putting together plans for Majnoon, the fourth-biggest oilfield in Iraq, with estimated potential reserves of 12 billion barrels.
Elf, now part of Total, negotiated a contract to run Majnoon with Saddam Hussein in the late 1990s. Both Total and Chevron refused to comment, but industry sources said that the two companies had met Iraqi officials to discuss a services agreement to develop the field. While less lucrative than a pro-duction-sharing agreement, where companies discover and sell on the oil, experts said that it would give them a vital foothold for other deals.
Iraq holds an estimated 110 billion barrels of oil, with more than half still to be developed, offering huge opportunities to Western companies desperate for new reserves. So far, companies such as Total, BP, Shell and Exxon have limited themselves to helping the Iraqi Oil Ministry to train junior staff and pull together data recorded under Saddam.
BP, however, is understood to have been asked to look into the potential of Kirkuk in the north. Shell is thought to have studied Rumaila, the country’s biggest oilfield. Muhammad-Ali Zainy, a former oil official in the Iraqi Government, said: “Iraq is the last remaining frontier that offers so much potential. International oil companies will be in Iraq, but in what form it is difficult to tell.”
Iraq is expected to ratify a petroleum law that would allow deals with Western companies to take place next month. However, experts believe that it could take years for companies to feel confident in sending contractors to the unstable country. The Irish-owned Petrel Resources is one of four minnows operating in Iraq under a contract to develop the Subba and Luhais field. Dave Horgan, managing director, said: “The big companies will be chomping at the bit to sign a deal. They will then hope they can delay any work for two or three years until the security scares die down.”
Labels: BP, Chevron, Elf, Kirkuk, Majnoon, Muhammad-Ali Zainy, Petrel Resources, Rumaila field, Shell, Subba and Luhais field, Total
Iraq Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Electricity Summit
Oil
(AME info) - Companies seeking to explore commercial opportunities throughout Iraq's petrochemical sector should look to attend the forthcoming Iraq Oil, Gas, Petrochemical & Electricity Summit, which will take place in Dubai on 2-4 September 2007. The summit will welcome a senior level delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Industry & Minerals, to be led by H.E. Fawzi Al-Hariri, Iraqi Minister of Industry & Minerals, who will be attending the summit with a delegation of senior deputies and including the Director General for Petrochemicals, the Director General for Petrochemical Industries and the Director General for Petrochemical Investments. H.E. Widad Osman, Minister of Industry for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), will also be attending the summit with a ministerial delegation.
These key decision makers will participate at the landmark summit, the first of its kind to bring ministers and other senior officials to establish relationships and enter into contractual negotiations with international energy operators. These high level officials will be outlining requirements for the petrochemical sector, covering issues such as refinery and petrochemical integration, feedstock flexibility and production availability for petrochemical production, as well as focusing on new petrochemical projects.
The officials will also be making themselves available to hold private consultations with senior executives from the pre-eminent energy operators. Only the best-in-breed companies will be represented at board level at the summit, building the relationships that are crucial to the future of Iraq's energy sector. The event has already attracted the leaders in this field including Exxon, Chevron, BP, Basell, ABB, Siemens, BASF and Shell, to name but a few.
Labels: Dubai, Gas, Iraq Oil, Iraq petrochemical sector, Petrochemical and Electricity Summit
U.N. staff pass resolution not to increase members in Iraq
U.N.
(IPS) - The U.N. Staff Council, representing 25,000 staff members, unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling on Secretary General Ban Ki-moon not to deploy any additional staff members to Iraq and to remove those currently serving at the duty station in Baghdad. The resolution cites the "unacceptably high level of risk to the safety and security of U.N. personnel currently serving in Iraq," and stresses that, "the breakdown of law and order in Iraq has created a place where aid workers have become targets and pawns."
"The security situation in Iraq is getting worse every day," Emad Hassanin, first vice president of the Staff Union, told IPS. Against this backdrop, the U.S. and Britain are circulating a draft resolution aimed at expanding the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
"The U.N. needs to play an enhanced role in helping Iraqis at the present time," Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., told reporters here. "This is a very important issue, the issue of Iraq for the region, for the country, and for the world and therefore the U.N. needs to play a bigger role and help Iraqis," Khalilzad said. "One of the advantages of the U.N. is that it can reach out to many groups and some groups that do not want to talk to other external players are willing to talk to the U.N.," Khalilzad said, pointing out that, "Ayatollah Sistani, one of the influential figures of Iraq did not speak to the U.S./UK reps but does engage with the U.N. envoy."
"We are on a very strong effort to increase the numbers of international staff in Iraq," B. Lynne Pascoe, U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, said after briefing the Security Council Tuesday. "The current ceiling is 65. I think by the fall, by October, we'll be up to about 95," he said. Asked about a timetable for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops to go hand in hand with the expansion of the U.N. role, Khalilzad said, "We understand that the issue of the coalition presence is an issue on which Iraqis disagree. But I also know, you all know that I was in Iraq for almost two years, that no community in Iraq would like a precipitous U.S. withdrawal."
"The U.S. has been talking about a 'new and important role' for the U.N. in Iraq, as part of a public relations campaign about how things are getting better, stability is just around the corner, and so on," James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum in New York, told IPS. "But in fact, the security environment is deteriorating there and the U.N. cannot operate safely or effectively."
"The U.N. Security Council is closing its eyes to the reality of the world's most serious security and humanitarian crisis," Paul continued, stressing that, "There is astounding neglect of the real situation in Iraq." Four million Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) have left their homes as sectarian fighting has spread through the country. The U.N. estimates that more than 100,000 people are fleeing Iraq each month. "Iraq is far from being stable," an Asian diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity told IPS. "With the incidence of bombings daily, there is an appalling humanitarian problem," the diplomat stressed.
The Security Council is expected to vote on the UNAMI resolution on Thursday. Some Security Council delegations, including Belgium, France, Indonesia and South Africa, have reportedly raised concerns with the draft which was circulated on Aug. 1, just nine days before the expiration of the current resolution on Aug. 10.
Labels: B. Lynne Pascoe, Emad Hassanin, Global Policy Forum, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Staff Council, UNAMI, UNSC, Zalmay Khalilzad
Iran - U.S. withdrawal will end violence in Iraq
Regional
(Reuters) - An end to violence in Iraq depends on the United States withdrawing its troops, Iran told Iraq's prime minister on Thursday, seeking to deflect the blame for bloodshed that Washington directs at Tehran. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, facing deepening political woes at home and U.S. criticism for lack of progress in bridging sectarian divisions, won pledges of support from Shi'ite Iran during a visit to Tehran.
With Shi'ite Muslims now in power also in Baghdad, ties between the two oil-rich countries have improved since U.S.-led forces in 2003 toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Arab who waged an eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s. But the U.S. military accuses the Islamic Republic of arming and training militias behind some of the violence threatening to tear Iraq apart. Iran rejects the charge and blames the presence of U.S. forces, now numbering about 162,000, for the bloodshed.
Baghdad has urged both countries to negotiate and not fight out their differences on Iraqi soil. "We regard Iraq's security as our own security and that of the region," Iranian First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi told Maliki as he was leaving Tehran, the IRNA news agency said. "Establishment of stability and calm in Iraq depends on ... the withdrawal of the occupying forces and an end to their interferences in Iraq and also on the authority of the government of Mr Maliki," Davoudi said.
With Shi'ite Muslims now in power also in Baghdad, ties between the two oil-rich countries have improved since U.S.-led forces in 2003 toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Arab who waged an eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s. But the U.S. military accuses the Islamic Republic of arming and training militias behind some of the violence threatening to tear Iraq apart. Iran rejects the charge and blames the presence of U.S. forces, now numbering about 162,000, for the bloodshed.
Baghdad has urged both countries to negotiate and not fight out their differences on Iraqi soil. "We regard Iraq's security as our own security and that of the region," Iranian First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi told Maliki as he was leaving Tehran, the IRNA news agency said. "Establishment of stability and calm in Iraq depends on ... the withdrawal of the occupying forces and an end to their interferences in Iraq and also on the authority of the government of Mr Maliki," Davoudi said.
The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals announced on Tuesday that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday with the Iranian Ministry of Industry, according which Iran will grant US$1 billion to develop the ministry's facilities.
Labels: Iran, Iranian Ministry of Industry, Nouri Al-Maliki, Parviz Davoudi, U.S. troop withdrawal
Sunni Imam Assassinated In Western Baghdad
Security
(Asharq Al Awsat Newspaper) - 8 AUG - The Muslim Clerics Board, the largest Sunni authority in the country, said, “Unidentified people have assassinated a Sunni mosque Imam in western Baghdad.” On their website, the Board said, “Yesterday, unidentified people assassinated Sheikh Issa Ahmed Al Mohammadi, the Imam of Al Jabbar Mosque in the Khadra area. His two sons were seriously injured during the attack. Al Mohammadi was killed in front of his house.”
Labels: Al Jabbar Mosque, assassination, Khadra, Muslim Clerics Board, Sheikh Issa Ahmed Al Mohammadi, Sunni Imam
Al-Maliki declines full Turkey terrorism treaty
Regional
(Kurdistan Observer) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki appears to have been ambushed by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his visit to Ankara, when Erdogan suddenly presented him with a thoroughgoing counter-terrorism treaty to sign, pledging the Iraqi government to go after the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party), which it branded a terrorist organization.
Al-Maliki declined to sign that broad document. Instead, he signed a much narrower memorandum of understanding that he would attempt to expel the PKK from Iraq. He is said to have avoided calling the PKK a terrorist organization because his Kurdish allies nixed it. Al-Maliki is not in a position, politically speaking, to crack down hard on the PKK, several thousand of whose fighters are being given safe harbor by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.
Al-Maliki has been deserted by some of his former Shiite allies in parliament, including the Islamic Virtue Party (Fadhila), the Sadr Movement, and the secular Shiites of the Iraqi National List. He has also lost the Sunni Arab bloc, the Iraqi Accord Front. He would be open to failing a vote of no confidence without the backing of the Kurdistan Alliance. Therefore, he has to keep Massoud Barzani happy. He has no choice if he wants to go on being prime minister. And Barzani is the architect of the policy of giving the PKK a haven in Iraq.
The Turkish paper Sabah complained that al-Maliki had freely branded the PKK a terrorist organization when speaking to the press corps on board his plane to Ankara. But when suddenly faced with the prospect of signing a formal commitment that branded them as such, he turned evasive. The real achievement of the trip was probably the understandings reached on energy issues. If security can improve to the point where Iraqi petroleum and gas are exported via Turkey, Turkey can make billions off tolls. At the moment, pipeline sabotage has prevented much in the way of exports from the Kirkuk fields to the Mediterranean via Turkey.
Labels: counterterrorism pact, Nouri Al-Maliki, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
Controversy over destiny of last few remaining Jews in Baghdad
(AP) - They number only eight, but are caretakers of a story stretching back 2,600 years. Now, it's up to the last Jews of Baghdad to decide whether to remain or flee their ancient home. An Anglican clergyman who watches over the remaining Jewish families says they are increasingly desperate to emigrate to the Netherlands, where there is an active Iraqi Jewish community. But Israeli, Dutch and Jewish officials dispute the claims by the Rev. Andrew White that they want to fully abandon a city where Jews accounted for one-third of the population as recently as a century ago.
The attention on Iraq's Jews increased after White's appearance July 25 before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in which he stressed the growing threat to Baghdad's minorities. "In the last three or four months things have deteriorated very considerably," he said, according to a transcript of the proceedings held in Washington. White said he gives the Jews enough money every month to live, funds which they then share with other Iraqis.
"Even though they are very small and they have suffered very greatly, they still want to help those who suffer as well as themselves," said the British priest, who began visiting Iraq regularly in 1998 and was allowed by Saddam Hussein's regime to preach at an Anglican Church. "I personally think they should all leave, because they have no future, no security, no ability to survive at the moment."
He claims that the Jews want to join the Iraqi Jewish community in Holland — and that the Dutch have refused to accept them. The statements, however, were met with surprise by Dutch officials and members of the Dutch Jewish community. "We have had no official request or visa applications," said Rob Dekker, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Michael Jankelowitz, a spokesman for the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem which is responsible for immigration, said none of the eight Jews left in Baghdad has expressed a desire to leave. "They survived under Saddam Hussein, and there is no need for them at their late age to pack up and move to different surroundings," he said. Half of them are over 80 years old.
They live discreetly in a dangerous area of Baghdad, and could not be contacted for comment. The eight Jews, belonging to four families, are all that is left in Iraq from one of the world's oldest Jewish community, dating to the 6th century B.C. when the Babylonians conquered ancient Palestine and exiled many Jews. Over the centuries, Baghdad became a center of Jewish culture and learning.
The attention on Iraq's Jews increased after White's appearance July 25 before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in which he stressed the growing threat to Baghdad's minorities. "In the last three or four months things have deteriorated very considerably," he said, according to a transcript of the proceedings held in Washington. White said he gives the Jews enough money every month to live, funds which they then share with other Iraqis.
"Even though they are very small and they have suffered very greatly, they still want to help those who suffer as well as themselves," said the British priest, who began visiting Iraq regularly in 1998 and was allowed by Saddam Hussein's regime to preach at an Anglican Church. "I personally think they should all leave, because they have no future, no security, no ability to survive at the moment."
He claims that the Jews want to join the Iraqi Jewish community in Holland — and that the Dutch have refused to accept them. The statements, however, were met with surprise by Dutch officials and members of the Dutch Jewish community. "We have had no official request or visa applications," said Rob Dekker, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Michael Jankelowitz, a spokesman for the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem which is responsible for immigration, said none of the eight Jews left in Baghdad has expressed a desire to leave. "They survived under Saddam Hussein, and there is no need for them at their late age to pack up and move to different surroundings," he said. Half of them are over 80 years old.
They live discreetly in a dangerous area of Baghdad, and could not be contacted for comment. The eight Jews, belonging to four families, are all that is left in Iraq from one of the world's oldest Jewish community, dating to the 6th century B.C. when the Babylonians conquered ancient Palestine and exiled many Jews. Over the centuries, Baghdad became a center of Jewish culture and learning.
Labels: Iraq, Jews, Michael Jankelowitz, Netherlands, Rev. Andrew White
AMS urges foreign companies not to make oil deals with KRG
Politics, Oil
(Voices of Iraq) - The Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) urged foreign companies on Tuesday night not to conclude deals with the government of Iraq's Kurdistan region in light of the approved oil and gas law.
"The parliament of the Kurdistan region approved, under pressure from its politicians, a law for oil and gas, allowing the establishment of a national oil company, which gives it the right to conclude oil contracts with other companies," the AMS said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq on Tuesday night. AMS, which stands for a strong central government and opposes loose federalism, is linked to the 1920 Revolution Brigades guerrilla group.
"Kurdish officials have no right to handle Iraqis' oil wealth which belongs to all Iraqi citizens, not just a certain group or faction," the statement added. Iraq's Kurdistan’s parliament passed the draft law on oil and gas involving the northern Iraqi region on Monday, after more than a month of debate.
The draft law is still under debate by the Iraqi national parliament. According to current draft of the law under consideration by the parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the national parliament, and that adopted by the regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi national parliament will take precedence.
The AMS issued last month what it described as an "Islamic fatwa," which considers the Iraqi government's ratification of the draft oil law as an abhorrent measure according to Islamic law, and that voting for it would "harm the interests of Muslim Iraqis." A statement by the association considered the law to be "part of transactions concluded with the occupier by politicians who came with the occupier, which will lead to the plunder of the country's gross national wealth."
The law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law.
The law gives Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up refineries and oil facilities and to invest in them for 50 years, after which they will belong to the Iraqi government. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
"The parliament of the Kurdistan region approved, under pressure from its politicians, a law for oil and gas, allowing the establishment of a national oil company, which gives it the right to conclude oil contracts with other companies," the AMS said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq on Tuesday night. AMS, which stands for a strong central government and opposes loose federalism, is linked to the 1920 Revolution Brigades guerrilla group.
"Kurdish officials have no right to handle Iraqis' oil wealth which belongs to all Iraqi citizens, not just a certain group or faction," the statement added. Iraq's Kurdistan’s parliament passed the draft law on oil and gas involving the northern Iraqi region on Monday, after more than a month of debate.
The draft law is still under debate by the Iraqi national parliament. According to current draft of the law under consideration by the parliament, there should be no contradiction between the oil law, if passed by the national parliament, and that adopted by the regions, otherwise the law adopted by the Iraqi national parliament will take precedence.
The AMS issued last month what it described as an "Islamic fatwa," which considers the Iraqi government's ratification of the draft oil law as an abhorrent measure according to Islamic law, and that voting for it would "harm the interests of Muslim Iraqis." A statement by the association considered the law to be "part of transactions concluded with the occupier by politicians who came with the occupier, which will lead to the plunder of the country's gross national wealth."
The law for the management of oil resources is considered one of the most controversial issues in Iraq, and there are differences among political blocs on the law regarding the equitable distribution of revenue. Most of Iraq's known oil reserves are located in the Shiite-dominated south and the Kurdish north. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves and officials have sought, since last year, to finalize the draft law.
The law gives Iraqi and foreign investors the right to set up refineries and oil facilities and to invest in them for 50 years, after which they will belong to the Iraqi government. The Kurdistan regional government has signed several agreements with foreign companies regarding investments in the oil sector.
Labels: AMS, Association of Muslim Scholars, foreign companies, KRG, Kurdistan, oil law
U.S. company comments on increase in Iraqi dinar value
Finance
(PortAl Iraq) - Sebastian River Holding's Inc. today issued an announcement regarding the Iraqi dinar's increase in value. "All share holders can view this remarkable CNN special on our new website," Sebastian River Holding’s Inc. President and CEO Daniel Duffy said. "The company believes that there will be a re-value of the Iraqi dinar in the near future."
With all the positive financial news from the Iraqi government and the rate of the dinar rising from $1USD = 1450 Iraqi dinars, to a recent high of $1USD = 1238 Iraqi dinars, the company feels that the Iraq government must re-value their currency to give all Iraqi citizens purchasing power and a new way of living. The company currently holds 135,000,000 dinars and every $1 USD upward movement in the price of the Iraqi dinar gives the company a profit of $134,900,000, or roughly an EPS of $2.73.
The minister of finance stated that it is Iraq's goal to see the Iraqi dinar at its original value of 1USD = .312 dinar or $3.20. With the United States help and all the laws that have been passed, the financial situation in Iraq has dramatically improved over the last 12 months. The country of Iraq has made itself one of the few countries to be nearly debt-free, have the third proven oil reserves in the world and to be first in natural gas reserves. With all this and still holding a large amount of gold and $28 billion in the U.S. Federal Reserve, the company feels that Iraq will accomplish its goal. Sebastian River Holding's Inc. currently holds 135,000,000 Iraqi dinars.
With all the positive financial news from the Iraqi government and the rate of the dinar rising from $1USD = 1450 Iraqi dinars, to a recent high of $1USD = 1238 Iraqi dinars, the company feels that the Iraq government must re-value their currency to give all Iraqi citizens purchasing power and a new way of living. The company currently holds 135,000,000 dinars and every $1 USD upward movement in the price of the Iraqi dinar gives the company a profit of $134,900,000, or roughly an EPS of $2.73.
The minister of finance stated that it is Iraq's goal to see the Iraqi dinar at its original value of 1USD = .312 dinar or $3.20. With the United States help and all the laws that have been passed, the financial situation in Iraq has dramatically improved over the last 12 months. The country of Iraq has made itself one of the few countries to be nearly debt-free, have the third proven oil reserves in the world and to be first in natural gas reserves. With all this and still holding a large amount of gold and $28 billion in the U.S. Federal Reserve, the company feels that Iraq will accomplish its goal. Sebastian River Holding's Inc. currently holds 135,000,000 Iraqi dinars.
Labels: Daniel Duffy, Iraqi dinars, Sebastian River Holding's Inc.
U.S. commander - Iranian explosives undermining security in Iraq
Security
(CNN) -- An increasing number of attacks using an Iranian-based explosive is undermining security in Iraq, a senior U.S. military commander said Wednesday. The attacks come amid a diplomatic push by the United States to encourage Iranians to help improve the security situation in Iraq. Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno told CNN that weapons of Iranian origin, such as bombs called explosively formed projectiles, are making their way into Iraq.
There were 99 EFP attacks in Iraq in July -- the most since counting began in December, Odierno said. That type of explosive accounted for one-third of the 79 U.S. troop deaths last month, he said. The military says both parts for the weapons and the weapons themselves are being brought across the border. The United States can't prove that Iran's central government is responsible for providing the weaponry, but officials have been saying for months that such activity is being conducted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force.
Iran officially has denied being involved in promoting insurgent activity, but some U.S. officials think the country's senior leaders must be aware of the activity if the Quds Force is involved. Asked about the EFP numbers, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Wednesday that "we have not yet seen any positive results from the Iranians" and that at future meetings, "we will convey that we have not seen any positive developments."
Odierno said the United States is taking defensive action against the attacks, specifically by targeting Shiite extremist cells in Baghdad. "We continue to go after these EFP networks in Baghdad and all over the country," he said. Additionally, new armored vehicles are being shipped to Iraq. More than 17,000 are needed in Iraq, but right now there are only about 200, the Pentagon says.
Iran -- which says the huge border with Iraq is porous and has acknowledged that smugglers and black marketers do traverse it -- frequently likens the dilemma with problems the United States faces along its vast border with Mexico.
Military officials have said for weeks that they expect as many weapons as possible to be shipped from Iran to Iraq before September, when Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker issue a report about progress there. The thinking is that Iran intends to make it look like the United States is not making any progress.
In addition to the Iranian-based explosives, military elements in Iran are also hurting Iraq's security, Odierno said. Insurgents trained in Iran have been firing rockets and mortars at Baghdad's Green Zone with greater precision, and money from Iran is ending up in the hands of Iraqi insurgents, he said.
All of this comes as a thaw has unfolded between the United States and Iran, which have been meeting in Iraq to discuss security. The ambassadors have met and a subcommittee has been formed to deal with security matters that have popped up. Iraq has spearheaded the effort. Officials have said the United States has made its position about Iranian involvement clear in the meetings, the last of which was Monday. Additionally, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was visiting Iran, where he was discussing security and other matters with officials there.
There were 99 EFP attacks in Iraq in July -- the most since counting began in December, Odierno said. That type of explosive accounted for one-third of the 79 U.S. troop deaths last month, he said. The military says both parts for the weapons and the weapons themselves are being brought across the border. The United States can't prove that Iran's central government is responsible for providing the weaponry, but officials have been saying for months that such activity is being conducted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force.
Iran officially has denied being involved in promoting insurgent activity, but some U.S. officials think the country's senior leaders must be aware of the activity if the Quds Force is involved. Asked about the EFP numbers, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Wednesday that "we have not yet seen any positive results from the Iranians" and that at future meetings, "we will convey that we have not seen any positive developments."
Odierno said the United States is taking defensive action against the attacks, specifically by targeting Shiite extremist cells in Baghdad. "We continue to go after these EFP networks in Baghdad and all over the country," he said. Additionally, new armored vehicles are being shipped to Iraq. More than 17,000 are needed in Iraq, but right now there are only about 200, the Pentagon says.
Iran -- which says the huge border with Iraq is porous and has acknowledged that smugglers and black marketers do traverse it -- frequently likens the dilemma with problems the United States faces along its vast border with Mexico.
Military officials have said for weeks that they expect as many weapons as possible to be shipped from Iran to Iraq before September, when Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker issue a report about progress there. The thinking is that Iran intends to make it look like the United States is not making any progress.
In addition to the Iranian-based explosives, military elements in Iran are also hurting Iraq's security, Odierno said. Insurgents trained in Iran have been firing rockets and mortars at Baghdad's Green Zone with greater precision, and money from Iran is ending up in the hands of Iraqi insurgents, he said.
All of this comes as a thaw has unfolded between the United States and Iran, which have been meeting in Iraq to discuss security. The ambassadors have met and a subcommittee has been formed to deal with security matters that have popped up. Iraq has spearheaded the effort. Officials have said the United States has made its position about Iranian involvement clear in the meetings, the last of which was Monday. Additionally, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was visiting Iran, where he was discussing security and other matters with officials there.
Labels: EFPs, explosively formed projectiles, Green Zone, Iran, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, MRAPS, Quds Force, Revolutionary Guards
Plan to deploy Pesmerga to Kirkuk creates dissention
Security
(AINA) - The Baghdad government plans to send 6,000 Kurdish soldiers -- known as peshmerga -- to help secure oil and electricity installations in the multiethnic region of Kirkuk. Jabbar Yawir, the undersecretary of the autonomous Kurdistan region's Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, says the Kurdish self-rule government and the federal government in Baghdad have agreed to send the troops to protect sensitive sites in the oil-rich Kirkuk Governorate.
Those sites include power facilities and parts of the oil pipeline that leads from Mosul to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey -- the conduit for most oil exports from northern Iraq's oil fields. The forces belong to the government of Kurdish-administered northern Iraq, which is pushing for Kirkuk to be incorporated into the Kurdistan region. The plan to deploy peshmerga troops has therefore provoked controversy among minority groups in Kirkuk Governorate, which is under the control of the Baghdad government and outside the current Kurdish region.
According to Yawir, the deployment can begin as soon as there is a final green light from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. It remains uncertain when that approval might come. But in the meantime, the proposal is being received with mixed opinions in multiethnic Kirkuk Governorate. Jawad al-Janabi, a member of the Kirkuk Governorate Council and a representative of the predominantly Kurdish Kirkuk Brotherhood List, said that if peshmerga forces are deployed to Kirkuk, they will succeed in implementing security plans for the region.
"If we recall when the city of Kirkuk was liberated [with the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003], for six months during the presence of peshmerga forces there, we had a very good security situation, and people were able to come and go, even after midnight," al-Janabi says. "These forces are Iraqi before being Kurdish; they are sons of the Iraqi people," he continues. "They are regular troops, and will provide support for the security forces in the [Kirkuk] governorate."
But leaders of Kirkuk's other two largest ethnic groups, the Turkoman and Arab communities, disagree. Hassan Toran, a representative of the Turkoman group in the Kirkuk Governorate Council, says any deployment of peshmerga forces to Kirkuk should only be carried out with the agreement of all parties, and warned that the details of the planned deployment remain obscure.
"Some say that they are to protect the pipelines and power lines between Kirkuk and Baiji. And some say that they are to protect the Governorate of Kirkuk," Toran says. "I believe that this should be done only with the agreement of all the parties in the Governorate Council. Whether they agree or not, the subject should be open to discussion because it is a matter that concerns more than one ethnic group or one [party] list; it concerns the whole of Kirkuk Governorate."
Muhammad Khail, a member of the Arab group in the Governorate Council, says any protection force should be composed of all the groups that form the governorate's social fabric. "The [Kurdistan] regional government intends to bring 6,000 peshmerga to Kirkuk, but I believe that this will not solve the problem," he says. "There is a sufficient Iraqi Army [presence] in Kirkuk. They can form units. Why are the other units not being given the proper role in defending Kirkuk in a proper way?"
Khail recalls hearing of the formation of security units from other ethnic groups, such as Turkomans or Arabs, but he says he does not believe that such groups can solve Kirkuk's problems. "They need to form a security force for the national defense of Kirkuk. A national force can obtain information prior to an event, and that's what's important," he says.
Kirkuk, which also has communities of Chaldean Assyrians and Christians, is some 250 kilometers north of Baghdad. The city has seen devastating car bomb attacks, mostly aimed at either of the two main Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq, and repeated sabotage of power lines and the oil pipeline. If the peshmerga deploy to the province, it will not be the first time Kurdish forces have been sent to help secure areas outside the three Kurdish-administered provinces of northern Iraq. Three battalions of peshmerga were sent to Baghdad in March to help with security in the capital.
Those sites include power facilities and parts of the oil pipeline that leads from Mosul to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey -- the conduit for most oil exports from northern Iraq's oil fields. The forces belong to the government of Kurdish-administered northern Iraq, which is pushing for Kirkuk to be incorporated into the Kurdistan region. The plan to deploy peshmerga troops has therefore provoked controversy among minority groups in Kirkuk Governorate, which is under the control of the Baghdad government and outside the current Kurdish region.
According to Yawir, the deployment can begin as soon as there is a final green light from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. It remains uncertain when that approval might come. But in the meantime, the proposal is being received with mixed opinions in multiethnic Kirkuk Governorate. Jawad al-Janabi, a member of the Kirkuk Governorate Council and a representative of the predominantly Kurdish Kirkuk Brotherhood List, said that if peshmerga forces are deployed to Kirkuk, they will succeed in implementing security plans for the region.
"If we recall when the city of Kirkuk was liberated [with the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003], for six months during the presence of peshmerga forces there, we had a very good security situation, and people were able to come and go, even after midnight," al-Janabi says. "These forces are Iraqi before being Kurdish; they are sons of the Iraqi people," he continues. "They are regular troops, and will provide support for the security forces in the [Kirkuk] governorate."
But leaders of Kirkuk's other two largest ethnic groups, the Turkoman and Arab communities, disagree. Hassan Toran, a representative of the Turkoman group in the Kirkuk Governorate Council, says any deployment of peshmerga forces to Kirkuk should only be carried out with the agreement of all parties, and warned that the details of the planned deployment remain obscure.
"Some say that they are to protect the pipelines and power lines between Kirkuk and Baiji. And some say that they are to protect the Governorate of Kirkuk," Toran says. "I believe that this should be done only with the agreement of all the parties in the Governorate Council. Whether they agree or not, the subject should be open to discussion because it is a matter that concerns more than one ethnic group or one [party] list; it concerns the whole of Kirkuk Governorate."
Muhammad Khail, a member of the Arab group in the Governorate Council, says any protection force should be composed of all the groups that form the governorate's social fabric. "The [Kurdistan] regional government intends to bring 6,000 peshmerga to Kirkuk, but I believe that this will not solve the problem," he says. "There is a sufficient Iraqi Army [presence] in Kirkuk. They can form units. Why are the other units not being given the proper role in defending Kirkuk in a proper way?"
Khail recalls hearing of the formation of security units from other ethnic groups, such as Turkomans or Arabs, but he says he does not believe that such groups can solve Kirkuk's problems. "They need to form a security force for the national defense of Kirkuk. A national force can obtain information prior to an event, and that's what's important," he says.
Kirkuk, which also has communities of Chaldean Assyrians and Christians, is some 250 kilometers north of Baghdad. The city has seen devastating car bomb attacks, mostly aimed at either of the two main Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq, and repeated sabotage of power lines and the oil pipeline. If the peshmerga deploy to the province, it will not be the first time Kurdish forces have been sent to help secure areas outside the three Kurdish-administered provinces of northern Iraq. Three battalions of peshmerga were sent to Baghdad in March to help with security in the capital.
Labels: Kirkuk, Major General Jabbar Yawir, Peshmerga, Turkomen
Anti-Saudi feeling runs high among pilgrims
Regional
(Christian Science Monitor) - Shiite Iraqis began arriving in Baghdad this week for a mass pilgrimage Thursday to a revered imam's shrine. Much of the city is now locked down, closed off to protect the nearly 1 million faithful expected to pay tribute in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiya. But not only is this march to honor Imam Musa al-Kadhim in a Shiite Muslim rite, it has become a show of newfound power and defiance in the face of hard-line Sunni suicide bombers who continue to wreak havoc in their communities.
This year's pilgrimage also comes amid an unprecedented wave of anger toward Saudi Arabia. Government and religious leaders here charge that the neighboring kingdom is doing little to stem the flow of its nationals to Iraq to wage "holy war" on Shiites. The Saudi backlash is being fueled by Iraqi media reports and Shiite leaders' condemnations of apparent fatwas, religious rulings by Saudi muftis calling for the destruction of Shiite shrines in Iraq.
But some Saudi Arabian analysts say this is a way for Baghdad's pro-Iranian leaders to steer attention away from Tehran's involvement in Iraq and toward its Sunni neighbors. In spite of questions about their authenticity, the fatwas are stirring up much of the Shiite community and is indeed coloring this year's pilgrimage.
"It is going to be the pilgrimage of defiance in the face of these fatwas that desecrate the imams and call for the destruction of their shrines," says Hazem al-Araji, a leader in the movement of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "Every Shiite that venerates the imams must say to the mufti [Sunni cleric] that we will defend the imams with our blood," he says.
As pilgrims began arriving Tuesday, the image of seventh Shiite Imam Musa al-Kadhim in shackles hung on banners over the neighborhood of Kadhimiya. The imam was poisoned about 1,200 years ago. His persecution resonates deeply in Iraq today as Shiites try to hold onto unprecedented political gains while being viewed with suspicion in the Sunni Muslim world, especially in Sunni-led Saudi Arabia where Shiites are seldom allowed to openly practice their religion.
"So far, the Saudi attitude in particular, and the Arab one in general, has been negative toward the political process in Iraq," says Ridha Jawad Taqi, an Iraqi Shiite parliamentarian. "If they want nothing to do with us then we will just look for friends elsewhere." Further fanning the flames of anti-Saudi public sentiment is the outrage expressed over an incident that Mr. Taqi says took place Sunday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, when a group of Iraqi Shiites, including his son, were roughed up by Saudi security forces.
"They noticed they were Shiites because one of them was wearing a black turban so they rounded 12 of them up and beat them up with batons including my son Amir," he says, adding that his son plans to sue Saudi authorities, who have not publicly commented on the incident.
Several Saudi experts who track fatwas online denied the claims of the most recent one regarding Shiite holy sites. Ayed al-Dosari, a contributor to the United Arab Emirates-based Saha bulletin board, known for its extremist Sunni views, posted an article Wednesday calling the Iraqi claims "a lie" to "stoke the flames of discord."
This year's pilgrimage also comes amid an unprecedented wave of anger toward Saudi Arabia. Government and religious leaders here charge that the neighboring kingdom is doing little to stem the flow of its nationals to Iraq to wage "holy war" on Shiites. The Saudi backlash is being fueled by Iraqi media reports and Shiite leaders' condemnations of apparent fatwas, religious rulings by Saudi muftis calling for the destruction of Shiite shrines in Iraq.
But some Saudi Arabian analysts say this is a way for Baghdad's pro-Iranian leaders to steer attention away from Tehran's involvement in Iraq and toward its Sunni neighbors. In spite of questions about their authenticity, the fatwas are stirring up much of the Shiite community and is indeed coloring this year's pilgrimage.
"It is going to be the pilgrimage of defiance in the face of these fatwas that desecrate the imams and call for the destruction of their shrines," says Hazem al-Araji, a leader in the movement of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "Every Shiite that venerates the imams must say to the mufti [Sunni cleric] that we will defend the imams with our blood," he says.
As pilgrims began arriving Tuesday, the image of seventh Shiite Imam Musa al-Kadhim in shackles hung on banners over the neighborhood of Kadhimiya. The imam was poisoned about 1,200 years ago. His persecution resonates deeply in Iraq today as Shiites try to hold onto unprecedented political gains while being viewed with suspicion in the Sunni Muslim world, especially in Sunni-led Saudi Arabia where Shiites are seldom allowed to openly practice their religion.
"So far, the Saudi attitude in particular, and the Arab one in general, has been negative toward the political process in Iraq," says Ridha Jawad Taqi, an Iraqi Shiite parliamentarian. "If they want nothing to do with us then we will just look for friends elsewhere." Further fanning the flames of anti-Saudi public sentiment is the outrage expressed over an incident that Mr. Taqi says took place Sunday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, when a group of Iraqi Shiites, including his son, were roughed up by Saudi security forces.
"They noticed they were Shiites because one of them was wearing a black turban so they rounded 12 of them up and beat them up with batons including my son Amir," he says, adding that his son plans to sue Saudi authorities, who have not publicly commented on the incident.
Several Saudi experts who track fatwas online denied the claims of the most recent one regarding Shiite holy sites. Ayed al-Dosari, a contributor to the United Arab Emirates-based Saha bulletin board, known for its extremist Sunni views, posted an article Wednesday calling the Iraqi claims "a lie" to "stoke the flames of discord."
One Saudi fatwa allegedly called for the destruction of the mausoleum of Imam Hussein in Karbala, south of Baghdad. The violent death of the third Imam and his companions in battle against the caliph's army in 680 AD marked the schism between Sunnis and Shiites. The intensity of the standoff over the centuries tended to track regional political upheaval. And Iraq authorities are taking the threats seriously, especially in light of the bombing of the twin minarets at the Askariya shrine in Samarra north of Baghdad in June that followed an attack on its dome in February 2006.
Labels: fatwas, Hazem al-Araji, Imam Hussein, Imam Musa al-Kadhim, Kadhimiya mosque, Karbala, Saudi Arabia, Saudi muftis, Shiite pilgrims
Jaafari to declare formation of new political front
Politics
(Al-Hayat) - Former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari is set to declare the formation of a new political front that will challenge Prime Minister al-Maliki's position, the London-based "Al-Hayat" reported on August 7. Sources told the daily that the front, which will reportedly be called the National Reform Grouping, will push to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential-parliamentary system similar to the French system, giving greater power to the presidency.
According to "Al-Hayat," al-Ja'fari has refused to acknowledge the results of the Al-Da'wah Party conference in May that elected al-Maliki secretary-general of the party. Since that time, al-Ja'fari has been working to distance his wing of the Al-Da'wah Party from al-Maliki's. Al-Ja'fari's new front will seek to contest upcoming governorate elections separately from the Al-Da'wah Party, the United Iraqi Alliance, and the soon-to-be-announced Moderates Front.
Al-Ja'fari claims that several other parties will be joining his grouping, including the Iraqi Islamic Party, representatives of the Al-Sadr trend, the National Congress Party, Al-Fadilah Party, the Union of Iraq's Turkomans Party, the Turkoman Democratic Party, and the National Democratic Movement. He also boasts of support from Sunni, Shi'ite, and Kurdish tribes and veteran secular political forces, as well as neighboring states, the sources said.
Labels: Dawa party, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Moderates Front, National Reform Grouping, Nouri Al-Maliki, United Iraqi Alliance
Al-Hashimi calls on Maliki to reform Security Ministry
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi called on Prime Minister al-Maliki to reform the State Ministry for National Security Affairs, in a statement posted on the Iraqi Islamic Party's website on August 7. Al-Hashimi claimed the ministry has expanded beyond the size specified when it was created, with branches in every governorate, and is financed by unknown sources. Al-Hashimi contended that according to the Iraqi Constitution, the ministry is to have no more than 17 employees, noting it currently employs 1,400 people.
"I have major reservations about the formation of the units that are in charge of security, and also over how the security file is being run. Many violations are being carried out, and agreements that were reached before the formation of the government are being breached," al-Hashimi said in the statement. He claimed he presented a study on the security file that called for the ministry to be run jointly -- presumably by Sunnis and Shi'a -- but received no response from al-Maliki.
Labels: Iraqi Islamic Party, Nouri Al-Maliki, Security Ministry, Tariq al-Hashimi
Saudi absent from international security meeting on Iraq in Syria
Regional
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi envoys urged their country's neighbors today for genuine support as a regional meeting on deteriorating security in Iraq got under way in Damascus. The two-day meeting reportedly focuses on ways to better control the Syria-Iraq border. The gathering includes representatives from Iraq, the United States, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Britain. But the absence from the gathering of Saudi Arabia, which has poor relations with Syria, casts doubt over how effective the meeting will be.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the U.S. representatives would mainly be "observers." But he noted that the United States has concerns about Syria's role in the Iraqi crisis, which may be addressed at the meeting. "The first and foremost issue that we raise with [Syria] is the fact that they do continue to allow their territory to be used by foreign fighters and by networks trying to transport them into Baghdad," Casey said. He said Washington is pressing the Syrian government to follow through on its promises to help improve security in Iraq and create "good neighborly relations between themselves and the Iraqi government." The United States also accuses Iran of interfering in Iraq by supporting Shi'ite militia fighters.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the U.S. representatives would mainly be "observers." But he noted that the United States has concerns about Syria's role in the Iraqi crisis, which may be addressed at the meeting. "The first and foremost issue that we raise with [Syria] is the fact that they do continue to allow their territory to be used by foreign fighters and by networks trying to transport them into Baghdad," Casey said. He said Washington is pressing the Syrian government to follow through on its promises to help improve security in Iraq and create "good neighborly relations between themselves and the Iraqi government." The United States also accuses Iran of interfering in Iraq by supporting Shi'ite militia fighters.
Labels: Iraq security conference, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tom Casey
Tight security in Baghdad as Shia pilgrims flock to Kadhimiya mosque
Religion
(BBC) - A huge security operation is under way in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, ahead of a pilgrimage that is expected to draw more than a million Shia faithful. Nearly 2,000 police and security agents are guarding the Kadhimiya mosque in northern Baghdad, and all traffic has been banned in the area. Each year many Shias walk to the shrine where the 8th Century saint, Imam Musa al-Kadhim, is said to be buried.
Almost 1,000 pilgrims died in 2005 when rumours of an attack caused a stampede. Many victims, mostly women, children or elderly, were crushed or drowned as panic spread that there were suicide bombers among the pilgrims. More than 1,800 Iraqi police, including hundreds of security agents, have been deployed in and around the mosque, which is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
Almost 1,000 pilgrims died in 2005 when rumours of an attack caused a stampede. Many victims, mostly women, children or elderly, were crushed or drowned as panic spread that there were suicide bombers among the pilgrims. More than 1,800 Iraqi police, including hundreds of security agents, have been deployed in and around the mosque, which is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
New checkpoints have been established in the area to deter possible insurgent attacks, especially in places where large crowds gather. The Iraqi security forces also say they will be using undercover officers to mingle among the pilgrims. American troops are keeping a low profile, staying away from the shrine out of religious sensitivity, the US military say.
The mosque has long been a target of insurgents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad says. Many Shias flog themselves during the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage marks the death in 799 of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered by Shias. On Thursday, more than a million pilgrims are expected to march to the mosque, many flogging themselves with iron chains or cutting their foreheads with swords. These grieving rituals were banned under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But now they are something of a show of power for Shias in Iraq, our correspondent says.
The mosque has long been a target of insurgents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad says. Many Shias flog themselves during the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage marks the death in 799 of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered by Shias. On Thursday, more than a million pilgrims are expected to march to the mosque, many flogging themselves with iron chains or cutting their foreheads with swords. These grieving rituals were banned under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But now they are something of a show of power for Shias in Iraq, our correspondent says.
Labels: Baghdad, Imam Musa al-Kadhim, Kadhimiya mosque, Shiite pilgrims
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Oil Exports Declining And Six Billion Dollars Lost Annually…Terrorists Control An Oil Field north of Baghdad
Insurgency, Oil
(Al Mowaten Newspaper) - 7 AUG - A source said that part of an oil field “east” of Baghdad is controlled by terrorists. The unidentified source said that terrorist groups in the Rashdiya area control the oil wells in this field; and that Well #25 is one of the oil wells under their control. At least four tanker trucks per day are stolen. The source confirmed that this stealing began six months ago and about “15 million dollars” have been lost. The source announced that coalition forces and Iraqi security forces have not taken any action to stop the stealing or to attack the terrorists.
Also, the OPF has not carried out its duty to protect the fields. It is known that the production of this field is between 15,000 to 20,000 barrels per day. This field’s production is used by Dora Refinery and Al Quds Electricity Power Station. The “east” Baghdad field is one of the largest fields in Iraq and is supposed to be further developed so it will produce 35,000 barrels per day.
It is also one of the most geologically complicated fields and needs large investment. The field’s oil reserves are more than seven billion barrels and are about 6% of Iraq’s oil reserves. The oil field reaches from Salah Ad Din to Wasit in southern Iraq. A report from the American accounting office announced that the Iraqi government needs a long period of time before it can meet American demands for Iraqi production. The report published in the Washington Post said that after four years and three billion dollars being spent on the construction program for Iraq, the entire oil industry’s capacity is still low and lower than what the American administration was planning for. The report confirmed that security and corruption are behind hindering the oil sector.
Also, the OPF has not carried out its duty to protect the fields. It is known that the production of this field is between 15,000 to 20,000 barrels per day. This field’s production is used by Dora Refinery and Al Quds Electricity Power Station. The “east” Baghdad field is one of the largest fields in Iraq and is supposed to be further developed so it will produce 35,000 barrels per day.
It is also one of the most geologically complicated fields and needs large investment. The field’s oil reserves are more than seven billion barrels and are about 6% of Iraq’s oil reserves. The oil field reaches from Salah Ad Din to Wasit in southern Iraq. A report from the American accounting office announced that the Iraqi government needs a long period of time before it can meet American demands for Iraqi production. The report published in the Washington Post said that after four years and three billion dollars being spent on the construction program for Iraq, the entire oil industry’s capacity is still low and lower than what the American administration was planning for. The report confirmed that security and corruption are behind hindering the oil sector.
Labels: Dora refinery, insurgents, oil wells, Rashdiya area
Kurdistan Region Would Like Allawi’s Bloc To Join The “Four Party” Front
Politics
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 7 AUG - The Kurdistan region’s President, and KDP leader, Massoud Barzani, met (recently) with Ayad Allawi and they discussed the recent developments in the Iraqi political process, especially, the crisis which confronts the Al Maliki government, since the Accord Front decided to withdraw from this government.
Sources close to the Kurdistan President’s office said, “Barzani discussed the subject of Allawi joining the ‘four party front’.” [He was referring to the new political front which includes the KDP, PUK, SICI, and Dawa parties.] Fouad Hussein, spokesman for the Kurdistan region’s government, said, “The two sides (Allawi and Barzani) discussed the forming of this ‘fourth front’… which will remain open to fronts from all sides of the political process.”
The sources continued, “Kurdistan’s regional command (group) is working to (convince) Allawi to join this ‘fourth front’.” The ‘fourth front’, which is also known as “The Moderate Front”, is a new political bloc which is ‘supposed to’ include: the two main Kurdish parties (KDP and PUK) plus the SICI and Dawa Parties. This (new) Front is open to accepting other groups, into the Front, if those groups believe in the political process.
Yesterday, an Iraqi List source announced: former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the leader of the Iraqi List, has ‘requested’ his List’s five Ministers (in Maliki’s Cabinet) to boycott the meetings of the Ministers’ Council… (This boycott is called for) as a condemnation of the ‘workings of this government’ (the Al Maliki Administration) which Allawi described as “sectarian”.
In related news, on Saturday, US President George Bush phoned (Kurdistan’s) President Barzani…they (the two men) shared their points of view regarding the current situation in Iraq. Barzani confirmed, to Bush, that he (Barzani) is working with Iraq’s leader in order to bring out of its current crisis. Barzani was expected to go to Baghdad, on Sunday, in order to participate in a meeting of ‘top-level’ political leaders.
Sources close to the Kurdistan President’s office said, “Barzani discussed the subject of Allawi joining the ‘four party front’.” [He was referring to the new political front which includes the KDP, PUK, SICI, and Dawa parties.] Fouad Hussein, spokesman for the Kurdistan region’s government, said, “The two sides (Allawi and Barzani) discussed the forming of this ‘fourth front’… which will remain open to fronts from all sides of the political process.”
The sources continued, “Kurdistan’s regional command (group) is working to (convince) Allawi to join this ‘fourth front’.” The ‘fourth front’, which is also known as “The Moderate Front”, is a new political bloc which is ‘supposed to’ include: the two main Kurdish parties (KDP and PUK) plus the SICI and Dawa Parties. This (new) Front is open to accepting other groups, into the Front, if those groups believe in the political process.
Yesterday, an Iraqi List source announced: former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the leader of the Iraqi List, has ‘requested’ his List’s five Ministers (in Maliki’s Cabinet) to boycott the meetings of the Ministers’ Council… (This boycott is called for) as a condemnation of the ‘workings of this government’ (the Al Maliki Administration) which Allawi described as “sectarian”.
In related news, on Saturday, US President George Bush phoned (Kurdistan’s) President Barzani…they (the two men) shared their points of view regarding the current situation in Iraq. Barzani confirmed, to Bush, that he (Barzani) is working with Iraq’s leader in order to bring out of its current crisis. Barzani was expected to go to Baghdad, on Sunday, in order to participate in a meeting of ‘top-level’ political leaders.
Labels: Ayad Allawi, Dawa party, Four party front, Iraqi Accord Front, KDP, Massoud Barzani, PUK, SICI, The Moderate Front
Al Dulaimi Wants To Learn Ramadi Resident’s Opinions About Returning To The Government
Politics
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 7 AUG - Accord Front Chief – Adnan Al Dulaimi has called for Anbar’s residents to submit their “conditions and suggestions” for returning to the government. Yesterday, Al Dulaimi visited Ramadi City and met with a number of citizens, in order to learn their opinions about the Accord Front’s decision to withdraw from the government.
During this meeting, Al Dulaimi said, “The Accord Front calls for you to submit: your suggestions regarding the subject of (the Front’s) returning to the government and your ‘conditions’ which you want the Front to attach to this return. The Prime Minister is working to remove the Accord Front (isolate the front, or remove it from Iraq’s political process). This is what led to the Accord Front’s decision to withdraw from the government. The Front refuses to return to the government, unless we receive our full rights which they (the Al Maliki government) should guarantee.”
This is the first time Al Dulaimi has visited Ramadi since he accepted the position as Chief of the Accord Front. This visit came about due to the Accord Front’s desire to ‘return its people to the Front’ (bring its ‘base’ supporters back into the Accord Front). Ramadi citizens said, “Accord Front has lost many supporters due to the Front joining the political process which resulted in: poor levels of security and public services, increased sectarian problems, and increased displacements.”
During this visit, Al Dulaimi met with: Anbar’s Governor Mahmoun Rashid, (Anbar’s) Police Chief, District Council Members, Tribal Sheikhs, and Anbar Salvation Council Members who are supporting the security forces in the fight against Al Qaeda members in the city (Ramadi). Al Dulaimi visited the cities of Fallujah and Khalidya. He met with a number of former Iraqi Army (Saddam’s Regime) officers. Their meeting included discussions regarding the DeBaathification Law and, how this government has abused/misused this law in order to isolate (Sunni) groups.
During this meeting, Al Dulaimi said, “The Accord Front calls for you to submit: your suggestions regarding the subject of (the Front’s) returning to the government and your ‘conditions’ which you want the Front to attach to this return. The Prime Minister is working to remove the Accord Front (isolate the front, or remove it from Iraq’s political process). This is what led to the Accord Front’s decision to withdraw from the government. The Front refuses to return to the government, unless we receive our full rights which they (the Al Maliki government) should guarantee.”
This is the first time Al Dulaimi has visited Ramadi since he accepted the position as Chief of the Accord Front. This visit came about due to the Accord Front’s desire to ‘return its people to the Front’ (bring its ‘base’ supporters back into the Accord Front). Ramadi citizens said, “Accord Front has lost many supporters due to the Front joining the political process which resulted in: poor levels of security and public services, increased sectarian problems, and increased displacements.”
During this visit, Al Dulaimi met with: Anbar’s Governor Mahmoun Rashid, (Anbar’s) Police Chief, District Council Members, Tribal Sheikhs, and Anbar Salvation Council Members who are supporting the security forces in the fight against Al Qaeda members in the city (Ramadi). Al Dulaimi visited the cities of Fallujah and Khalidya. He met with a number of former Iraqi Army (Saddam’s Regime) officers. Their meeting included discussions regarding the DeBaathification Law and, how this government has abused/misused this law in order to isolate (Sunni) groups.
Labels: Adnan Dulaimi, Al Anbar, Anbar Salvation Council, debaathification, Iraqi Accord Front, Mahmoun Rashid, Ramadi, tribal leaders
Turkey, Iraq sign counterterrorism pact against PKK
Regional
(Washington Post) - Turkey and Iraq agreed Tuesday to work together to halt cross-border attacks being staged by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Turkey has vowed to send its forces into northern Iraq unless Iraq's government or the United States curbs the activities of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party. The group seeks greater autonomy for the mostly Kurdish enclaves in southeastern Turkey. On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed a counterterrorism pact that forces Iraq to commit itself to tackling the rebels.
"We have reached an agreement to spend all efforts to end the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in Iraq," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with Maliki. But Maliki stressed that Iraq's parliament would have the final say on any actions taken to root out the rebels.
"We have reached an agreement to spend all efforts to end the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in Iraq," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with Maliki. But Maliki stressed that Iraq's parliament would have the final say on any actions taken to root out the rebels.
Labels: counterterrorism pact, Iraq, Nouri Al-Maliki, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
Electricity output meets only half of domestic needs
Electricity
(Azzaman) - The Ministry of Electricity has finally acknowledged its inability to meet the country’s needs, blaming the current chronic shortages on lack of fuel. Informed sources at the ministry said current output was less than half what the country needs amid soaring temperatures brushing 50 degrees centigrade. The sources said electrical generation capacity is even worse than in the months before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The ministry blames the present prolonged outages, which may continue non-stop in certain areas for several consecutive days, on fuel shortages. Rows are reported to have broken out at cabinet meetings between Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani and Electricity Minister Kareem Hassan over fuel supplies. Hassan is said to have accused Shahristani of failing to honor commitments to supply power stations with their fuel needs, saying that much of the reduced capacity is due to stoppages caused by lack of fuel.
Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh, who heads the government’s economic commission, has said Shahristani has consistently showed “non-commitment to make available the fuel quantities the Ministry of Electricity needs.” Besides power problems, the country faces severe fuel shortages with refineries running at much below capacity. Iraq currently spends hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel imports from neighboring countries.
Aziz Shammari of the Electricity Ministry said the country had never witnessed “this kind of power crisis” since the 1990s when punitive U.N. trade sanctions were still in placed. “Electricity generation can hardly meet half of the country’s needs. Power output has never been as worse as it is today since 2003,” Shammari said.
The ministry blames the present prolonged outages, which may continue non-stop in certain areas for several consecutive days, on fuel shortages. Rows are reported to have broken out at cabinet meetings between Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani and Electricity Minister Kareem Hassan over fuel supplies. Hassan is said to have accused Shahristani of failing to honor commitments to supply power stations with their fuel needs, saying that much of the reduced capacity is due to stoppages caused by lack of fuel.
Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh, who heads the government’s economic commission, has said Shahristani has consistently showed “non-commitment to make available the fuel quantities the Ministry of Electricity needs.” Besides power problems, the country faces severe fuel shortages with refineries running at much below capacity. Iraq currently spends hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel imports from neighboring countries.
Aziz Shammari of the Electricity Ministry said the country had never witnessed “this kind of power crisis” since the 1990s when punitive U.N. trade sanctions were still in placed. “Electricity generation can hardly meet half of the country’s needs. Power output has never been as worse as it is today since 2003,” Shammari said.
Labels: Dr. Burham Saleh, fuel shortages, Hussain al-Shahristani, Kareem Hassan, Ministry of Electricity
Power stations agreed on in Turkish-Iraqi talks but not security
Regional
(AINA) - Turkey and Iraq were locked in talks on Tuesday to try to resolve their differences over alleged terrorist bases near their joint border. The talks were the centre point of a visit to Ankara by Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, that was dominated by security and trade issues. Turkey has long maintained that militants from the PKK Kurdish separatist organisation hide out in the Kandil mountains in northern Iraq and launch attacks from there into Turkish territory. Ankara has been pressing Baghdad and the US to act against the PKK or face an incursion by Turkish troops.
Relations between Turkey and Iraq, and between Turkey and the US, have been badly strained by the issue, and the Turkish military has been agitating in recent months for permission from the government to launch an attack into Iraq to target the bases. Ankara also fears a resurgence of the latent separatism of Turkey's sizeable Kurdish minority.
Relations between Turkey and Iraq, and between Turkey and the US, have been badly strained by the issue, and the Turkish military has been agitating in recent months for permission from the government to launch an attack into Iraq to target the bases. Ankara also fears a resurgence of the latent separatism of Turkey's sizeable Kurdish minority.
Turkey strongly opposed the Iraq war. In 2003, the Turkish parliament voted against allowing US troops to open a northern front through Turkey during the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein. Since then, anti-US sentiment in Turkey has risen sharply amid dismay at the chaos now gripping Iraq and at what many Turks see as an increased threat of separatism.
The Turkish general staff has deployed about 100,000 troops on the border with Iraq in recent weeks and is restricting the movement of people and goods in parts of three southeastern provinces in its attempt to capture or kill suspected PKK guerrilla fighters. There have been several small-scale incursions into northern Iraq by units of the Turkish armed forces but US opposition and the distractions of a Turkish general election have, thus far, prevented a wider operation.
About 80 members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in PKK attacks this year. The latest casualty came early on Tuesday, when an officer was killed as his vehicle hit a land mine near Yuksekova, not far from the Iraqi border. Southeastern Turkey is predominantly Kurdish and many people in remote areas support the PKK, which has in the past urged Kurds to secede from Turkey.
Mr Maliki said after arriving in Ankara on Tuesday that "security co-operation is one of the most important issues" on the agenda of his meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister. Their talks lasted longer than planned. No statement had been issued by early evening on the security aspects of their talks. However, Hilmi Guler, Turkey's energy minister, said the two governments had reached an agreement to co-operate in building two power stations -- one in Turkey and one in Iraq -- and to work together on upgrading their electricity links and on oil exploration.
The Turkish general staff has deployed about 100,000 troops on the border with Iraq in recent weeks and is restricting the movement of people and goods in parts of three southeastern provinces in its attempt to capture or kill suspected PKK guerrilla fighters. There have been several small-scale incursions into northern Iraq by units of the Turkish armed forces but US opposition and the distractions of a Turkish general election have, thus far, prevented a wider operation.
About 80 members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in PKK attacks this year. The latest casualty came early on Tuesday, when an officer was killed as his vehicle hit a land mine near Yuksekova, not far from the Iraqi border. Southeastern Turkey is predominantly Kurdish and many people in remote areas support the PKK, which has in the past urged Kurds to secede from Turkey.
Mr Maliki said after arriving in Ankara on Tuesday that "security co-operation is one of the most important issues" on the agenda of his meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister. Their talks lasted longer than planned. No statement had been issued by early evening on the security aspects of their talks. However, Hilmi Guler, Turkey's energy minister, said the two governments had reached an agreement to co-operate in building two power stations -- one in Turkey and one in Iraq -- and to work together on upgrading their electricity links and on oil exploration.
Labels: Hilmi Guler, Kandil mountains, Nouri Al-Maliki, PKK, power stations, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
International meeting on Iraq's security in Syria
Regional
(Reuters) -- Syria will host an international security meeting on Iraq on Wednesday although the United States doubts Damascus is willing to play a role in stopping violence in its eastern neighbour. The two-day meeting will be held in a government complex on the outskirts of Damascus. Officials from Iraq, the United States, Britain, Iran, Turkey and Jordan will attend, a Syrian official said.
'Washington is making a gesture towards Syria by attending the meeting in Damascus,' a Syrian official told Reuters. U.S. officials held security talks in Baghdad this week with Syria's ally Iran. After a visit to Damascus last month by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syria said explicitly for the first time it supports the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.
One delegate said the meeting would focus on ways to control the 360-km (225 mile) border between Syria and Iraq and dismantling alleged Iraqi Baathist networks in Syria. 'With all the talk of Syria as a transit route for rebels, it makes sense to hold the meeting here. This is a chance for Damascus to show it can cooperate and talk with U.S. officials. The two sides rarely meet,' the delegate said.
'A mechanism should also emerge for the Iraqis and Syrians to cooperate regularly on controlling the border,' he said. Washington says Syria is allowing fighters and weapons into Iraq. Damascus denies this and says ending instability in Iraq and achieving an 'honourable withdrawal' for U.S. forces is in its national interest.
A diplomat in the Syrian capital said Damascus had kept its policy on Iraq vague in the absence of a U.S. promise to give Syria something in return for its cooperation, such as an easing of American sanctions that were imposed on Syria in 2004, or pressure on Israel to withdraw from the Syrian Golan Heights. 'So far Syria has been playing both hands. It puts out the right statements but does not move substantially on the ground,' the diplomat said.
Syria fiercely opposed the American-led invasion of 2003 that removed Saddam Hussein from power and brought sectarian tensions to the surface. It has since hosted an estimated 1.4 million Iraqi refugees who have fled Iraq. It also hosts a large number of former operatives from Saddam's security forces whom the U.S.-backed Iraqi government accuses of having links with the rebels.
The Damascus meeting is a follow-up to a conference in Egypt in May in which senior U.S. and Syrian officials met each other for the first time in two years. Another follow-up meeting in Amman dealt with the refugee problem.
Although the Damascus meeting will focus on Iraq's security concerns, Turkey is expected to raise the issue of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel separatists who use Iraqi Kurdistan as a base. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Turkey on Tuesday for talks on dealing with the PKK.
'Washington is making a gesture towards Syria by attending the meeting in Damascus,' a Syrian official told Reuters. U.S. officials held security talks in Baghdad this week with Syria's ally Iran. After a visit to Damascus last month by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syria said explicitly for the first time it supports the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.
One delegate said the meeting would focus on ways to control the 360-km (225 mile) border between Syria and Iraq and dismantling alleged Iraqi Baathist networks in Syria. 'With all the talk of Syria as a transit route for rebels, it makes sense to hold the meeting here. This is a chance for Damascus to show it can cooperate and talk with U.S. officials. The two sides rarely meet,' the delegate said.
'A mechanism should also emerge for the Iraqis and Syrians to cooperate regularly on controlling the border,' he said. Washington says Syria is allowing fighters and weapons into Iraq. Damascus denies this and says ending instability in Iraq and achieving an 'honourable withdrawal' for U.S. forces is in its national interest.
A diplomat in the Syrian capital said Damascus had kept its policy on Iraq vague in the absence of a U.S. promise to give Syria something in return for its cooperation, such as an easing of American sanctions that were imposed on Syria in 2004, or pressure on Israel to withdraw from the Syrian Golan Heights. 'So far Syria has been playing both hands. It puts out the right statements but does not move substantially on the ground,' the diplomat said.
Syria fiercely opposed the American-led invasion of 2003 that removed Saddam Hussein from power and brought sectarian tensions to the surface. It has since hosted an estimated 1.4 million Iraqi refugees who have fled Iraq. It also hosts a large number of former operatives from Saddam's security forces whom the U.S.-backed Iraqi government accuses of having links with the rebels.
The Damascus meeting is a follow-up to a conference in Egypt in May in which senior U.S. and Syrian officials met each other for the first time in two years. Another follow-up meeting in Amman dealt with the refugee problem.
Although the Damascus meeting will focus on Iraq's security concerns, Turkey is expected to raise the issue of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel separatists who use Iraqi Kurdistan as a base. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Turkey on Tuesday for talks on dealing with the PKK.
Labels: Baathists, border security, Britian, Golan Heights, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, PKK, security meeting, Syria, Turkey, U.S.
Al-Maliki arrives in Iran
Regional
(AP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Iran on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on bilateral relations and overcoming "terrorism challenges" in his war-torn nation. It was the Iraqi premier's second visit to Tehran in less than a year. Iraq, which like Iran is majority Shiite Muslim, has managed a difficult balancing act between Tehran and Washington since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, trying to maintain good relations with its powerful neighbor while not angering Americans.
The U.S. has accused Iran of providing money and weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq. Tehran denies the charges and argues that the presence of U.S. troops is destabilizing the region. Iran and the U.S. have held three rounds of talks on Iraqi security since May, and al-Maliki said he would push for these talks to continue at an ambassador level.
State television said he was received in Tehran by First Vice-President Parviz Davoodi and would hold talks with other Iranian leaders during his visit, expected to last three days."We are here today to boost commercial and security relations with neighboring countries against the terrorism challenges in the area," al-Maliki told The Associated Press on the plane to Iran.
The premier, who is a Shiite and is deemed a close ally of Iran's Shiite regime, said he would also discuss and sign a number of cooperation memorandums with Tehran. He did not elaborate. In an apparent gesture of welcome, Iran's Payam state radio played Arab-style belly dancing music early Wednesday, a rare event in this conservative Islamic country.
The U.S. has accused Iran of providing money and weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq. Tehran denies the charges and argues that the presence of U.S. troops is destabilizing the region. Iran and the U.S. have held three rounds of talks on Iraqi security since May, and al-Maliki said he would push for these talks to continue at an ambassador level.
State television said he was received in Tehran by First Vice-President Parviz Davoodi and would hold talks with other Iranian leaders during his visit, expected to last three days."We are here today to boost commercial and security relations with neighboring countries against the terrorism challenges in the area," al-Maliki told The Associated Press on the plane to Iran.
The premier, who is a Shiite and is deemed a close ally of Iran's Shiite regime, said he would also discuss and sign a number of cooperation memorandums with Tehran. He did not elaborate. In an apparent gesture of welcome, Iran's Payam state radio played Arab-style belly dancing music early Wednesday, a rare event in this conservative Islamic country.
Labels: cooperation memorandums, Iran, Nouri Al-Maliki, Parviz Davoodi
U.N. expects to raise number of international staff in Iraq
U.N.
(AP) - The United Nations said Tuesday it expects to raise the ceiling for international staff in Iraq from 65 to 95 by October, but the U.N. Staff Council called on the secretary-general to pull all U.N. personnel out of the country until security improves. The flap emerged as Britain and the United States circulated a revised Security Council resolution that would expand the U.N. mandate in Iraq to help promote political reconciliation, settle disputed internal boundaries, and plan for a national census.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been under pressure from the United States to expand the U.N.'s role in Iraq and said in June he would consider it. But he cited deteriorating security in Iraq as an obstacle. The new text puts more focus on human rights, humanitarian issues, protecting civilians, and promoting the safety of humanitarian personnel than the initial document.
Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan had complained that the original draft was completely "silent on the gross human rights abuses taking place on a daily basis in Iraq, and on the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country." Calling the revised draft "balanced," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said, "I believe that we are well on our way to the adoption of the resolution this Thursday."
Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynne Pascoe told reporters after briefing the council Tuesday that the new mandate would enable the U.N. to work on issues "that clearly need to be done out there," especially national reconciliation, humanitarian assistance and dealing with the millions of Iraqis who have fled their homes.
"We are on a very strong effort to increase the numbers" of international staff in Iraq, he said. "The current ceiling is 65. I think by the fall, by October, we'll be up to about 95." But Pascoe stressed that there are two constraints to an expanded U.N. role: Iraqi political leaders must decide what they want the U.N. to do and security conditions must be sufficient for U.N. staffers to work. "We will be looking at the security situation everywhere to decide what level is appropriate," he said.
Soon after Pascoe spoke, the U.N. Staff Council, the executive body of the U.N. Staff Union which represents over 5,000 staff at U.N. headquarters, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the secretary-general "not to deploy any additional staff members to Iraq and to remove those currently serving ... in Baghdad until such time as the security situation and environment improves." The Staff Council's resolution noted "the unacceptably high level of risk to the safety and security" of U.N. personnel.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been under pressure from the United States to expand the U.N.'s role in Iraq and said in June he would consider it. But he cited deteriorating security in Iraq as an obstacle. The new text puts more focus on human rights, humanitarian issues, protecting civilians, and promoting the safety of humanitarian personnel than the initial document.
Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan had complained that the original draft was completely "silent on the gross human rights abuses taking place on a daily basis in Iraq, and on the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country." Calling the revised draft "balanced," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said, "I believe that we are well on our way to the adoption of the resolution this Thursday."
Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynne Pascoe told reporters after briefing the council Tuesday that the new mandate would enable the U.N. to work on issues "that clearly need to be done out there," especially national reconciliation, humanitarian assistance and dealing with the millions of Iraqis who have fled their homes.
"We are on a very strong effort to increase the numbers" of international staff in Iraq, he said. "The current ceiling is 65. I think by the fall, by October, we'll be up to about 95." But Pascoe stressed that there are two constraints to an expanded U.N. role: Iraqi political leaders must decide what they want the U.N. to do and security conditions must be sufficient for U.N. staffers to work. "We will be looking at the security situation everywhere to decide what level is appropriate," he said.
Soon after Pascoe spoke, the U.N. Staff Council, the executive body of the U.N. Staff Union which represents over 5,000 staff at U.N. headquarters, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the secretary-general "not to deploy any additional staff members to Iraq and to remove those currently serving ... in Baghdad until such time as the security situation and environment improves." The Staff Council's resolution noted "the unacceptably high level of risk to the safety and security" of U.N. personnel.
Labels: Iraq, Lynne Pascoe, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, security, U.N., UNSC, Zalmay Khalilzad
40 killed in raid on Sadr City
Security
(CNN) -- Forty people have been killed in a military raid and street fighting across Baghdad's Sadr City, the capital's volatile Shiite slum, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.Iraqi and coalition troops overnight killed 32 militants in Sadr City -- most of them in an airstrike -- in an operation targeting a cell with alleged links to Iran, the U.S. military said. Twelve others were detained in the raid.
Separately, fighting broke out early Wednesday between U.S.-led coalition forces and Mehdi Army militiamen in Sadr City, leaving at least eight people dead and 10 wounded, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The U.S. military denied that civilians were among the casualties in the raid. "There were women and children in the area when we conducted the operation but none were killed in the airstrike," Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said, according to Reuters.
Some critics of al-Maliki, from the Shiite Dawa party, say he has been reluctant to take on other Shiite militants. Al-Maliki says the Iraqi military is targeting all insurgents, no matter what sect they hail from. There is a lot of support for Iran in Sadr City. And the targeted terrorist cell is suspected of bringing weapons and the bombs called an "explosively formed penetrators" from Iran to Iraq and of "bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for terrorist training," the U.S. military said.
The military said the raid was built on "a series of coordinated operations" that commenced with a raid in the southern Iraqi city of Amara in June. Amara is in Maysan province in the Shiite heartland and it borders Iran.
"Coalition forces continue to attack the supply chain of illicit materials being shipped from Iran," the military said.
The military was targeting an individual who "acts as a proxy between Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and an "the Iraqi EFP network." "Reports also indicate that he assists with the facilitation of weapons and EFP shipments into Iraq as well as the transfer of militant extremists to Iran for training."
Separately, fighting broke out early Wednesday between U.S.-led coalition forces and Mehdi Army militiamen in Sadr City, leaving at least eight people dead and 10 wounded, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The U.S. military denied that civilians were among the casualties in the raid. "There were women and children in the area when we conducted the operation but none were killed in the airstrike," Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said, according to Reuters.
Some critics of al-Maliki, from the Shiite Dawa party, say he has been reluctant to take on other Shiite militants. Al-Maliki says the Iraqi military is targeting all insurgents, no matter what sect they hail from. There is a lot of support for Iran in Sadr City. And the targeted terrorist cell is suspected of bringing weapons and the bombs called an "explosively formed penetrators" from Iran to Iraq and of "bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for terrorist training," the U.S. military said.
The military said the raid was built on "a series of coordinated operations" that commenced with a raid in the southern Iraqi city of Amara in June. Amara is in Maysan province in the Shiite heartland and it borders Iran.
"Coalition forces continue to attack the supply chain of illicit materials being shipped from Iran," the military said.
The military was targeting an individual who "acts as a proxy between Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and an "the Iraqi EFP network." "Reports also indicate that he assists with the facilitation of weapons and EFP shipments into Iraq as well as the transfer of militant extremists to Iran for training."
The street fighting between the Mehdi army and the troops lasted about three hours and was fought in various locations. It was not immediately known if those killed and wounded were civilians or members of the Mehdi Army -- the militia of populist anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who enjoys widespread support among Shiites in the eastern section of the capital.
The fighting came as Iraq's government moved up a vehicle ban for Baghdad from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday. The official said the ban, which was imposed 15 hours earlier than expected, surprised residents who were headed to work and told by Iraqi security forces to return home. The ban is part of an effort, the official said, to curtail potential bomb attacks targeting the thousands of Shiite pilgrims who are trekking to a major religious shrine in the northwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiya for an annual religious commemoration Thursday.
The fighting came as Iraq's government moved up a vehicle ban for Baghdad from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday. The official said the ban, which was imposed 15 hours earlier than expected, surprised residents who were headed to work and told by Iraqi security forces to return home. The ban is part of an effort, the official said, to curtail potential bomb attacks targeting the thousands of Shiite pilgrims who are trekking to a major religious shrine in the northwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiya for an annual religious commemoration Thursday.
Labels: Amarah, EFPs, Iran, Lt. Col Chris Garver, Mahdi Army, militants, Quds Force, raid, Sadr City
British govt to review case of Iraqi interpreters
Humanitarian
(BBC) - The government says it will review the cases of Iraqi interpreters who have been told any claim for asylum in the UK will not be given special treatment. The 91 interpreters say they are in fear for their lives, because they are seen as traitors by local militias. The Home Office insists they will have to apply for asylum in the normal way - registering when they arrive in the UK.
Defence Secretary Des Browne told the BBC that the government took its "duty of care very seriously". He said about 20,000 Iraqis had helped British forces since 2003. No 10 said the issue would be kept under review, but previous decisions were unlikely to be overturned. Requests for help from serving or ex-employees were based on their "individual merits", the Ministry of Defence said.
Mr Browne said: "The challenge that we face here is quite complex. "People who do interpreting work believe themselves to be particularly [more] vulnerable than other people do. "That's why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people. "That's in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn."
Mr Browne also said the government would "move at the appropriate pace" to get its policy right in relation to duty of care "to all of those whom we have a responsibility to". He said: "We will do what we can in the meantime, as we continue to do, to keep those people who we think are under immediate threat safe."
Defence Secretary Des Browne told the BBC that the government took its "duty of care very seriously". He said about 20,000 Iraqis had helped British forces since 2003. No 10 said the issue would be kept under review, but previous decisions were unlikely to be overturned. Requests for help from serving or ex-employees were based on their "individual merits", the Ministry of Defence said.
Mr Browne said: "The challenge that we face here is quite complex. "People who do interpreting work believe themselves to be particularly [more] vulnerable than other people do. "That's why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people. "That's in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn."
Mr Browne also said the government would "move at the appropriate pace" to get its policy right in relation to duty of care "to all of those whom we have a responsibility to". He said: "We will do what we can in the meantime, as we continue to do, to keep those people who we think are under immediate threat safe."
Loay Al-Taher worked for the British Army in Basra for three years. He is now in Syria after fleeing Iraq in March this year when he feared being targeted by militia groups. He told the BBC: "I put my whole life in danger. I didn't imagine it was going to be like this. "I didn't imagine the British government is going to abandon me like this." Mr Al-Taher also said he was turned away from the British embassy in Damascus when he went to ask for asylum in the UK.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says interpreters are marked men who "face a horrific death". He said the interpreters face two levels of danger: that experienced while on patrol, and the consequences of being seen as collaborators. "Anybody associated with the coalition, government ministries, and so on, they're all seen as traitors by the militias. "Not just by al-Qaeda in the Sunni areas, but by the Shia militias in the south."
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says interpreters are marked men who "face a horrific death". He said the interpreters face two levels of danger: that experienced while on patrol, and the consequences of being seen as collaborators. "Anybody associated with the coalition, government ministries, and so on, they're all seen as traitors by the militias. "Not just by al-Qaeda in the Sunni areas, but by the Shia militias in the south."
Labels: asylum, Basra, British army, British government, Defense Secretary Des Browne, Home Office, Iraqi interpreters, militias
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Militants use water to extort 'favours'
Humanitarian
(IRIN) - Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps in Iraq are facing shortages of water, especially clean drinking water, and the situation is being exploited by unscrupulous militants, local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say. Some displaced families have said militants have been delivering clean water to their camps by truck and demanding money, goods or "favours" in return.
"They [militants] sometimes ask for money knowing we don't have any, and then start to search our tents to see if there is something useful, while armed men stay near the truck with their guns aimed at us," said Omar Lattif, 45, an IDP at Rahman camp on the outskirts of Missan in southern Iraq. "Sometimes they even ask for fun with 'nice girls'," he said, adding that two men in the community had been killed for confronting militants demanding sex for water.
Fatah Ahmed, a spokesman for the Iraq Aid Association (IAA), said they had informed the local authorities of such cases but had not received a response. A joint report released on 30 July by UK-based charity Oxfam and the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq said around eight million Iraqis were in urgent need of water and sanitation. The report said 70 percent of Iraqis do not have adequate water supplies - up from 50 percent in 2003.
Earlier this month, a report by the world's principal intergovernmental body on migration, the International Organization for Migration, warned that the scale of Iraqi displacement was "fast becoming a regional and ultimately international crisis".
"They [militants] sometimes ask for money knowing we don't have any, and then start to search our tents to see if there is something useful, while armed men stay near the truck with their guns aimed at us," said Omar Lattif, 45, an IDP at Rahman camp on the outskirts of Missan in southern Iraq. "Sometimes they even ask for fun with 'nice girls'," he said, adding that two men in the community had been killed for confronting militants demanding sex for water.
Fatah Ahmed, a spokesman for the Iraq Aid Association (IAA), said they had informed the local authorities of such cases but had not received a response. A joint report released on 30 July by UK-based charity Oxfam and the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq said around eight million Iraqis were in urgent need of water and sanitation. The report said 70 percent of Iraqis do not have adequate water supplies - up from 50 percent in 2003.
Earlier this month, a report by the world's principal intergovernmental body on migration, the International Organization for Migration, warned that the scale of Iraqi displacement was "fast becoming a regional and ultimately international crisis".
Labels: IDPs, International Organization for Migration, Iraq Aid Association, NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq, NGOs, Oxfam, Rahman camp, water
As Brits leave Basra their Iraqi interpreters are left to a grissly fate
Humanitarian
(The Guardian) - Read the letters in full here
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Labels: asylum, Basra, British government, British military, FCO, Human Rights Watch, Iraqi interpreters
Turkish forces cross 1 km. over border into southern Kurdistan
Regional
(PUKmedia) - After we published news of deployment of nearly 300-350 thousands of a special Turkish commando force into Kurdistan Region territories in Zakho district near Turkish frontier, PUKmedia got private information stating that the Turkish force crossed the Iraqi border along 1 km and deployed in Sari Spi area which locates behind the villages of Bitkari and Spindari, north east of Zakho town, towards Jali district of the Turkish province of Hakari.
The sources said that the Turkish commandos force was deploying from time to time in the above-mentioned area during the past years particularly in Summer, stressing that these deployments of those forces are in frame work of the Turkish military concentrations’ on the Kurdistan Region borders and the threats which the Turkish leaders launched about conducting a military operation by the Turkish army.
Worth mentioning the Turkish artillery continuously shells the border areas in Zakho town; their claim is the existence of PKK elements there. Some Media also denied news of the incursion into the Iraqi territories; we reassure that the Turkish forces crossed the international borders by 1 km.
Labels: northern Iraq, PKK, Sari Spi, Turkish forces, Zakho district
Diyala police dept. run by SIIC
Security, Politics
(IPS) - Militia from the Shia organisation Badr have taken over the police force in Diyala province north of Baghdad, residents say. The government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is believed to have backed such infiltration, and this has reportedly led to clashes with U.S. military leaders. The Daily Telegraph in London has reported that Maliki and General David Petraeus, U.S. commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, have clashed over moves by the U.S. general to arm some Sunni groups.
Sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims has grown amidst Iraqi government policies seen as supportive of Shias. Maliki is from the Dawa Party backed by Shia Iran. In Baquba, 50km northeast of the capital, and capital of Diyala, residents say the Shia Badr Organisation, the armed wing of the politically dominant Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), has been dominant in the province since the early months of the occupation. The Badr Organisation managed to fill leadership positions in city and province, while Sunni Iraqis remained largely unrepresented.
In this set-up, many sectarian killings have been carried out by the Badr Organisation, often under cover of the local police, residents told IPS. The SIIC and the Dawa Party of the Prime Minister are politically affiliated. Maliki is secretary-general of the Dawa Party, and spent time in exile in Iran after leading insurgent groups against former president Saddam Hussein. Maliki came to be Prime Minister after political pressure from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former British foreign secretary Jack Straw forced former Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, also from the al-Dawa Party, to resign.
Residents of this violence-plagued city told IPS that it is common for Iraqi police and army forces, most of whom are militiamen with the Badr Organisation, to raid homes of Sunnis during the night, and take away men who are later found dead in the street. As a result, groups have begun to set up blocks to prevent police patrols from entering their districts at night. There have been several clashes in these districts between residents and people wearing police uniforms attempting to enter. "All the attacks on the Iraqi police and army have been a reaction to the sectarian orientation of the police and Iraqi army," Ali Juma'a, a retired Iraqi army officer told IPS. "They (Badr Organisation affiliated Iraqi police) targeted the officers of the previous Iraq army, military pilots who took part in the Iraq-Iran war, members of the Ba'ath party (of Saddam Hussein) and others."
"Police vehicles are often accompanied by civilian cars," a resident said, declining to give his name. "These cars are driven by civilians who are new to the city, we never saw them here in the past." Many residents say they have seen such cars at the police headquarters in Diyala. The IPS correspondent saw one such car near an Iraqi Army checkpoint – the car like others that residents describe, was a 1993-94 Toyota super saloon. In the back seat were two blindfolded civilians with their hands tied behind their backs.
Day after day, trust in the Iraqi government and its security forces diminishes. This is in the face of increasing popular support for the Iraqi resistance. Local support for the resistance, particularly in Sunni areas, has risen as resistance groups began to protect residents from Badr Organisation death squads. The death squads are notorious for using checkpoints to look at identity cards of drivers, who are then disappeared if they are of the 'wrong' sect.
The chief commander of police is from Khirnabat village whose residents are all Shia. The commander was nominated by the SIIC. "Coalition forces received complaints about the checkpoint at Jamhoriya Bridge (in the centre of Baquba, 100 metres from the police headquarters), and later they found a prison in the villages Khirnabat and Huwaider (also a Shia village) and freed all the Sunni prisoners," local resident Hadi Hassan told IPS. IPS spoke with a Sunni man named Ammar al-Samaraee who had been arrested at the checkpoint and sent to Huwaider village. His father is a well-known figure in the community and managed to have Ammar released after paying 15,000 dollars in ransom. Ammar suffered a broken shoulder and bruises up and down his body.
A Sunni man held prisoner inside the central prison for Diyala province spoke with IPS on condition of anonymity. "There were more than 250 prisoners with me in the prison and all of them were Sunni except one man named Hussein, who was Shia, and was charged with killing his nephew." Shia men who were imprisoned would often be freed by a Shia clerk at the prison, he said. "The entire Iraqi police department for Diyala province is run and controlled by the SIIC and not by the government," the former prisoner added. "And 95 percent of the staff are Shia."
Labels: Badr Corps, Baqouba, Dawa party, Diyala, Iraqi Police Force, SIIC
