Monday, August 13, 2007
Security officers arrested carrying explosive belts
Security
(Azzaman) - Two security officers have been arrested in the religious city of Karbala as they were trying to smuggle into the city explosive belts to target holy shrines, Karbala governor said. Aqeel al-Khazaali said preliminary investigations have shown that the two arrested officers were members of the Islamic Army, an armed group fighting U.S. occupation troops as well as the country’s U.S.-sponsored government.
Khazaali said the two, whose have not been identified, have admitted to committing “horrendous crimes” in the province. The arrest was made as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiites began flocking to religious shrines to commemorate the death of one of their saints buried in Baghdad. Security was tight in Baghdad in the few days before the event on Thursday as multitudes of Shiites poured to the shrine of Imam Kadhem, a revered Shiite holy man buried in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces and army blocked the entrances and roads to the shrine and placed bomb and explosive detectors on all major roads leading to it.
Meantime, Brigadier Qassem Atta, a spokesman for the current campaign to secure Baghdad, said the authorities have discovered “a huge weapons depot” at a major Sunni mosque in the city. He said the arms cache include mortars, artillery projectiles, missiles and rocket launchers. Atta said 86 gunmen were killed and 143 captured in the past two weeks in Adhamiya, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. He said 37 kidnapped Iraqis were freed, 914 bombs defused and 13 car bombs dismantled in the same area.
Khazaali said the two, whose have not been identified, have admitted to committing “horrendous crimes” in the province. The arrest was made as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiites began flocking to religious shrines to commemorate the death of one of their saints buried in Baghdad. Security was tight in Baghdad in the few days before the event on Thursday as multitudes of Shiites poured to the shrine of Imam Kadhem, a revered Shiite holy man buried in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces and army blocked the entrances and roads to the shrine and placed bomb and explosive detectors on all major roads leading to it.
Meantime, Brigadier Qassem Atta, a spokesman for the current campaign to secure Baghdad, said the authorities have discovered “a huge weapons depot” at a major Sunni mosque in the city. He said the arms cache include mortars, artillery projectiles, missiles and rocket launchers. Atta said 86 gunmen were killed and 143 captured in the past two weeks in Adhamiya, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. He said 37 kidnapped Iraqis were freed, 914 bombs defused and 13 car bombs dismantled in the same area.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Aqeel al-Khazaali, Brigadier Qassem Atta, explosive belts, Islamic Army in Iraq, Karbala, Sunni mosque, weapons cache
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
Roundup of Violence in Iraq -- Monday, 21 May 2007 - 08:37 AM EDT By Mohammed al Dulaimy, McClatchy Newspapers. In Baghdad, an IED killed three Iraqi soldiers. Twenty-four unidentified bodies were found. In Diyala, gunmen attacked a minibus, killing five, including a 4-year-old child.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1045 GMT on Tuesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
BAGHDAD - At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a popular market in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, police said.
* NEAR BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms at a fake checkpoint killed a family of six, including four children, in a town near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least four college students were killed and 25 wounded in a mortar attack at Ibn al-Haitham college in Adhamiya district in northern Baghdad, police said.
RIYADH - The bodies of two Arbil airport employees were found shot and tortured in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 15 suspected insurgents, including two alleged insurgent cell leaders, during raids around Iraq targeting al-Qaeda, the U.S. military said.
NEAR GARMA - U.S. forces killed nine insurgents in a ground and air attack and freed 12 hostages held near the town of Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
MAHMUDIYA - One person was killed and five wounded, all from the same family, by a mortar round in the town of Mahmudiya, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HAWIJA - A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another near the town of Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a police station, killing one person and wounding three others in Zayouna district in eastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded five people in Mansour district in western Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 24 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two people were killed and 15 wounded by a mortar round in al-Shurta al-Rabiae district in southwestern Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded five in al-Iskan district in western Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BASRA - One British soldier was killed when gunmen attacked a military fuel truck on Monday in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad, the British military said.
* denotes new or updated item.
BAGHDAD - At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a popular market in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, police said.
* NEAR BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms at a fake checkpoint killed a family of six, including four children, in a town near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least four college students were killed and 25 wounded in a mortar attack at Ibn al-Haitham college in Adhamiya district in northern Baghdad, police said.
RIYADH - The bodies of two Arbil airport employees were found shot and tortured in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 15 suspected insurgents, including two alleged insurgent cell leaders, during raids around Iraq targeting al-Qaeda, the U.S. military said.
NEAR GARMA - U.S. forces killed nine insurgents in a ground and air attack and freed 12 hostages held near the town of Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
MAHMUDIYA - One person was killed and five wounded, all from the same family, by a mortar round in the town of Mahmudiya, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HAWIJA - A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another near the town of Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a police station, killing one person and wounding three others in Zayouna district in eastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded five people in Mansour district in western Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 24 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two people were killed and 15 wounded by a mortar round in al-Shurta al-Rabiae district in southwestern Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded five in al-Iskan district in western Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BASRA - One British soldier was killed when gunmen attacked a military fuel truck on Monday in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad, the British military said.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Amil, Baqouba, Basra, car bomb, Garma, gunmen, Hawija, hostages, Mahmoudiya, Mansour, mortar rounds, Riyadh, roadside bombs
Monday, May 14, 2007
Adhamiyah residents vow to destroy security walls
Security
(Azzaman) - The residents of Adhamiya have vowed to destroy the walls U.S. troops are constructing to separate Baghdad neighborhoods on sectarian grounds. “We shall destroy the walls the notorious occupation is constructing and keep our city an integral part of Iraq,” a statement by a newly formed resistance group said.The statement emailed to the newspaper, said the wall separating Adhamiya from the rest of Baghdad “must be brought down” and this will be “achieved through the power and muscles of all the residents of Baghdad.” The group, the Adhamiya National Youth, said U.S. troops have divided their neighborhood into two parts with aim of weakening its resistance.
“Those who constructed the wall realize that the attacks targeting Adhamiya from all sides are being carried out by the death squads which the occupation and Israeli intelligence have set up,” the statement said. In another development, the inhabitants of Kadhimiya, a Shiite-dominated neighborhood have joined forces with the Sunni majority Adhamiya to have the pulled down.
The two neighborhoods are working to demonstrate that the two sects can tolerate each other and live peacefully together. The neighborhoods and their elders are lobbying the parliament which recently passed a resolution demanding the destruction of the wall. They are also mobilizing the inhabitants to stand firmly against U.S. plans to encircle Baghdad neighborhoods with concrete walls, urging the young to dismantle the existing ones.
Labels: Adhamiya National Youth, Adhamiyah, Kadhimiya, wall
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Roundup of violence in Iraq - 8 May 2007
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Hussein Kadhim in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Hussein Kadhim in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1000 GMT on Wednesday:
ARBIL - A suicide truck bomber killed 14 people and wounded 87 when he blew up his payload near the Kurdish regional government's interior ministry in Arbil, north of Baghdad, local officials said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 25 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen attacked workers who were setting up concrete barriers in the Sunni Arab district of Adhamiya in Baghdad, killing one and wounding two others, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb targeting police commandos wounded three policemen in Palestine Street in northeastern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - A hospital received the bodies of five people shot and tortured in the city of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, doctor Bilal Mahmoud said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed a general director in the Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction in northern Baghdad, police said.
MOSUL - Gunmen killed two men from the ancient Yazidi faith in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
SHIRQAT - A roadside bomb killed two people in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed two people and wounded six in Zaafaraniya in southern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
ARBIL - A suicide truck bomber killed 14 people and wounded 87 when he blew up his payload near the Kurdish regional government's interior ministry in Arbil, north of Baghdad, local officials said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 25 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen attacked workers who were setting up concrete barriers in the Sunni Arab district of Adhamiya in Baghdad, killing one and wounding two others, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb targeting police commandos wounded three policemen in Palestine Street in northeastern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - A hospital received the bodies of five people shot and tortured in the city of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, doctor Bilal Mahmoud said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed a general director in the Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction in northern Baghdad, police said.
MOSUL - Gunmen killed two men from the ancient Yazidi faith in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
SHIRQAT - A roadside bomb killed two people in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed two people and wounded six in Zaafaraniya in southern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Arbil, Baghdad, Fallujah, Mosul, roadside bombs, Shirqat, suicide truck bomber, Yazidis, Zaafaraniya
Friday, April 27, 2007
Ministry of Interior says sectarian killings down due to Adhamiya Wall
Security
(Azzaman) - The Ministry of Interior says the construction of the Adhamiya Wall has led to a substantial drop in sectarian killings, a claim which human rights groups and local press dispute. It said the killings dropped to 4-8 per day from 100-120, according to a ministry spokesman. The spokesman’s claim could not be independently confirmed at the time by human rights organizations, including the United Nations say the ministry hides civilian casualty figures.
It is the first time the ministry confirms that more than 100 people were victims of violence every day in Baghdad. The earlier figure was around 30. Simple calculations would put the figure of civilian Iraqis killed through sectarian violence only in Baghdad at more than 3,000 a month. Local press has disputed the spokesman statement that the wall, which has sparked wide criticism in the country, has led to a slash in killings. Journalists who attended the spokesman’s press conference in which he made the remarks wondered whether the ministry was not doctoring the figures again in order to justify the construction of the wall.
It is the first time the ministry confirms that more than 100 people were victims of violence every day in Baghdad. The earlier figure was around 30. Simple calculations would put the figure of civilian Iraqis killed through sectarian violence only in Baghdad at more than 3,000 a month. Local press has disputed the spokesman statement that the wall, which has sparked wide criticism in the country, has led to a slash in killings. Journalists who attended the spokesman’s press conference in which he made the remarks wondered whether the ministry was not doctoring the figures again in order to justify the construction of the wall.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Azamiyah wall, Ministry of Interior, sectarian violence
Iranian military occupy border post to explore for Iraqi oil
Oil, Iran
(Azzaman) - The Iranian military have occupied an Iraqi border post and are planning to explore for oil inside Iraqi territory. The Iranians first ordered Iraqi border guards to leave the post before storming it. The Iranians claim that they have already notified the Iraqi authorities of the move, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The border post is situated west of the southern city of Kut and Iraqi police in the city declined to comment. Meantime, Iraqi politicians and groups have pressed ahead with their harsh criticism of the current U.S.-Iraqi military operation in Baghdad and U.S. troops’ construction of ‘separation walls’ in the city.
The first portion of the wall is to involve the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya in Baghdad. The high concrete slabs, currently encircling part of the neighborhood, are said to be erected to separate more districts. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Alawi said the policy of ‘walls and military operations’ was doomed to failure. “Such measures being implemented by U.S. and Iraqi forces are a recipe for a failed strategy. The only alternative is national reconciliation,” he said.
The border post is situated west of the southern city of Kut and Iraqi police in the city declined to comment. Meantime, Iraqi politicians and groups have pressed ahead with their harsh criticism of the current U.S.-Iraqi military operation in Baghdad and U.S. troops’ construction of ‘separation walls’ in the city.
The first portion of the wall is to involve the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya in Baghdad. The high concrete slabs, currently encircling part of the neighborhood, are said to be erected to separate more districts. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Alawi said the policy of ‘walls and military operations’ was doomed to failure. “Such measures being implemented by U.S. and Iraqi forces are a recipe for a failed strategy. The only alternative is national reconciliation,” he said.
Labels: Adhamiyah, border post, Iran, Iraq Oil, Iyad Allawi, Kut
U.S. military says it will continue to build the Adhimiya wall
Security
(Al Jazeera) - The US military has said that it will continue building a concrete wall around Adhimiya, a mainly-Sunni district of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Colonel Don Farris, of the US army, said that after briefly halting construction of the barrier, the Iraqi government had now ordered the building of the wall to continue.
"We were asked to stop placing the barriers," Farris said on Thursday. "Since then, it has been communicated to me through the chain of command that the prime minister and Iraqi security officials have authorised work to continue." Residents had protested against the wall. Farris said that construction of the barrier would continue in the near future - although he did not specify an exact date.
"We will begin placing the barriers shortly, assisting the Iraqi security forces in placing the barrier along the Adhimiya," he said. The US army and the Iraqi security services said in mid-April they had begun constructing the wall around Adhimiya to stop Sunni car-bombers leaving the area and to stop Shia death squads from getting in.
(Al Jazeera) - The US military has said that it will continue building a concrete wall around Adhimiya, a mainly-Sunni district of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Colonel Don Farris, of the US army, said that after briefly halting construction of the barrier, the Iraqi government had now ordered the building of the wall to continue.
"We were asked to stop placing the barriers," Farris said on Thursday. "Since then, it has been communicated to me through the chain of command that the prime minister and Iraqi security officials have authorised work to continue." Residents had protested against the wall. Farris said that construction of the barrier would continue in the near future - although he did not specify an exact date.
"We will begin placing the barriers shortly, assisting the Iraqi security forces in placing the barrier along the Adhimiya," he said. The US army and the Iraqi security services said in mid-April they had begun constructing the wall around Adhimiya to stop Sunni car-bombers leaving the area and to stop Shia death squads from getting in.
Col Farris said on Thursday that the intention of the wall was still to stop vehicle movement into and out of the area, rather than to prevent the passage of people on foot. The Iraqi government plans to build walls around several Baghdad districts. "It's not a wall - if you will - the intent is that there's no limitation of pedestrian traffic," he said.
After the Iraqi government began building the wall, heavy criticism forced Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, to order a stop to the construction - an order which he has now apparently reversed. The barrier - composed of upright concrete blocks several metres high - is part of a wider effort by the Iraqi government to halt violence in the capital.
After the Iraqi government began building the wall, heavy criticism forced Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, to order a stop to the construction - an order which he has now apparently reversed. The barrier - composed of upright concrete blocks several metres high - is part of a wider effort by the Iraqi government to halt violence in the capital.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Azamiyah wall, Colonel Don Farris, Nuri al-Maliki
Film about Iraqi and foreign fighters wins award
Media
(Al Jazeera) - A film about the lives of Iraqi and foreign fighters in northern Baghdad has won first prize at the Al Jazeera International Documentary festival in the Qatari capital Doha. Meeting Resistance - directed by the UK/US team of Steve Connors and Molly Bingham - won the award, including a 50,000 Riyal ($13,737) prize, for the best long film.
Meeting Resistance focuses on eight fighters based in the northern Baghdad suburb of Adhamiya and details their personal and political reasons for their involvement in attacks on US forces. The fighters come from a range of backgrounds. Most are Iraqi, but one man is a Syrian who says he came to Iraq after an appeal from his local mosque to "join the jihad".
Adhamiya is now reported to be a largely Sunni part of the Iraqi capital but the film - made between June 2003 and May 2004 - depicts the area's mixed nature before months of bloody sectarian conflict began. Three of the fighters are Shia, another is a former Iraqi Republican Guard officer who was married to a Shia woman. Some are motivated by a desire to end the US occupation of Iraq at that time while others draw on their religious beliefs and one is an imam at an Adhamiya mosque. All, however, are united by a desire to drive foreign forces from Iraq.
Meeting Resistance focuses on eight fighters based in the northern Baghdad suburb of Adhamiya and details their personal and political reasons for their involvement in attacks on US forces. The fighters come from a range of backgrounds. Most are Iraqi, but one man is a Syrian who says he came to Iraq after an appeal from his local mosque to "join the jihad".
Adhamiya is now reported to be a largely Sunni part of the Iraqi capital but the film - made between June 2003 and May 2004 - depicts the area's mixed nature before months of bloody sectarian conflict began. Three of the fighters are Shia, another is a former Iraqi Republican Guard officer who was married to a Shia woman. Some are motivated by a desire to end the US occupation of Iraq at that time while others draw on their religious beliefs and one is an imam at an Adhamiya mosque. All, however, are united by a desire to drive foreign forces from Iraq.
The film beat off competition from 32 other features to win the award at the third Al Jazeera documentary festival. First prize in the short film category went to a Chinese film, My Treasure. Another Chinese film, Butterflies, won the Jury's Award and a prize of 25,000 Riyals. Palestinian, Italian and Iranian films also picked up awards in some of the festival's other categories.
Labels: Adhamiyah, award, Doha, film, Iraq, Meeting Resistance, Molly Bingham, Steve Connors
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Al-Sadr calls for demonstrations against Adhamiyah wall
Security, Politics
(AP) - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr strongly condemned construction of a wall around a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad, calling for demonstrations against the plan as a sign of "the evil will" of American "occupiers." The remarks, in a statement read by an aide, were the first by the anti-American cleric since the U.S. military announced last week that it was building a three-mile long 12-foot high concrete wall in Azamiyah, a Sunni stronghold that has been targeted by mortar and rocket attacks by Shiite militiamen.
Many Sunnis also protested the plan, saying they felt like they were being herded into a prison. Protesters in Azamiyah carried banners Monday with slogans such as "No to the sectarian wall" and "Azamiyah children want to see Baghdad without walls." In the statement, al-Sadr said the protests showed that Iraqis reject "the sectarian, racist and unjust wall that seeks to divide" Sunnis and Shiites. "I am confident that such honorable voices will bring down the wall," he said.
Al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army militia was blamed for much of the sectarian killings of Sunnis, has been trying to make overtures to the Sunni minority and draw a difference between ordinary Sunnis and extremists who target Shiites. "This wall shows the evil will of the occupier and its sectarian and terrorist projects against our people," al-Sadr said in the statement. "We the people of Iraq will defend Azamiyah and other neighborhoods that you (Americans) want to segregate from us. We will stand hand in hand with you (Sunnis) to demonstrate and protect our holy land."
The U.S. and Iraqi military said they plan to construct barriers in other neighborhoods too to protect people from sectarian death squads. On Sunday, however, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would not allow "a separation wall," but then he said that the subject would be discussed. He said he would not rule out all barriers, such as barbed wire. Iraq's chief military spokesman indicated that some type of barrier would go up, saying al-Maliki was responding to exaggerated reports about the wall.
An aide to al-Sadr, Sheik Salah al-Obaidi, told reporters in the holy Shiite city of Najaf that they plan two demonstrations in eastern and western Baghdad to condemn the wall. He did not give a date for the demonstrations but said that if the security situation permits, al-Sadr's followers will be happy to join demonstrators in Azamiyah.
The U.S. military has said that al-Sadr is currently in neighboring Iran, a claim that his aides denied in the past week saying he is in Iraq. Al-Obaidi said al-Sadr's disappearance "is for security reasons and ... it is not necessary to know where he is.
Many Sunnis also protested the plan, saying they felt like they were being herded into a prison. Protesters in Azamiyah carried banners Monday with slogans such as "No to the sectarian wall" and "Azamiyah children want to see Baghdad without walls." In the statement, al-Sadr said the protests showed that Iraqis reject "the sectarian, racist and unjust wall that seeks to divide" Sunnis and Shiites. "I am confident that such honorable voices will bring down the wall," he said.
Al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army militia was blamed for much of the sectarian killings of Sunnis, has been trying to make overtures to the Sunni minority and draw a difference between ordinary Sunnis and extremists who target Shiites. "This wall shows the evil will of the occupier and its sectarian and terrorist projects against our people," al-Sadr said in the statement. "We the people of Iraq will defend Azamiyah and other neighborhoods that you (Americans) want to segregate from us. We will stand hand in hand with you (Sunnis) to demonstrate and protect our holy land."
The U.S. and Iraqi military said they plan to construct barriers in other neighborhoods too to protect people from sectarian death squads. On Sunday, however, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would not allow "a separation wall," but then he said that the subject would be discussed. He said he would not rule out all barriers, such as barbed wire. Iraq's chief military spokesman indicated that some type of barrier would go up, saying al-Maliki was responding to exaggerated reports about the wall.
An aide to al-Sadr, Sheik Salah al-Obaidi, told reporters in the holy Shiite city of Najaf that they plan two demonstrations in eastern and western Baghdad to condemn the wall. He did not give a date for the demonstrations but said that if the security situation permits, al-Sadr's followers will be happy to join demonstrators in Azamiyah.
The U.S. military has said that al-Sadr is currently in neighboring Iran, a claim that his aides denied in the past week saying he is in Iraq. Al-Obaidi said al-Sadr's disappearance "is for security reasons and ... it is not necessary to know where he is.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Azamiyah wall, demonstration, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sheik Salah al-Obaidi
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Confusion over Adhamiyah wall
Security
(Gulf News) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki has ordered a halt to the construction of a wall around Al Adhamiyah, a Sunni enclave surrounded by Shiite areas in Baghdad. "I oppose the building of the wall and its construction will stop. There are other methods to protect neighbourhoods," Al Maliki said on Sunday. "I asked yesterday that it be stopped and that alternatives be found to protect the area."
Criticism has mounted over the construction of the wall, which the US military said will protect residents from sectarian violence. Sunni leaders and residents said it will only serve to isolate them and divide Baghdad along sectarian lines. Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar defended the scheme. "The barriers can be modified or removed at any time ... the purpose of these barriers is to provide security," he said. US troops have begun placing six-tonne sections of wall around Adhamiyah. When finished, the wall will be up to 3.5m high with military checkpoints at entrances.
US officials had said the districts of Amiriya, Khadra, and East and West Rashid will also become "gated communities".
Criticism has mounted over the construction of the wall, which the US military said will protect residents from sectarian violence. Sunni leaders and residents said it will only serve to isolate them and divide Baghdad along sectarian lines. Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar defended the scheme. "The barriers can be modified or removed at any time ... the purpose of these barriers is to provide security," he said. US troops have begun placing six-tonne sections of wall around Adhamiyah. When finished, the wall will be up to 3.5m high with military checkpoints at entrances.
US officials had said the districts of Amiriya, Khadra, and East and West Rashid will also become "gated communities".
Labels: Adhamiyah, Azamiyah wall, Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar, Nouri Al-Maliki, security
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The resurgence of death squads
Security
(AINA) - In a new sign of the resurgence of death squads, both Sunni and Shia, despite an ongoing U.S.-Iraqi security operation, several dozen people were found dead across the country Monday. In Baghdad, 25 bodies with signs of torture were found dumped in different areas yesterday, bringing the total over the last three days to 67, the highest number since the start of the U.S.-led Imposing Law security operation. Anecdotal evidence from local sources in Baghdad suggest the numbers are much higher, since many corpses are left on the street for days without being picked up by authorities.
Residents in the Sunni-majority district of Adhamiya reported several bodies in their area, including one in the middle of the commercial Dhubat Street left by insurgents who were described as "Al-Qaeda" by locals. Almost all victims are Sunni, some of them members of rival insurgent groups, local council members, or Islamic Party members and other Sunnis who have participated in the political process, according to residents.
Residents in the Sunni-majority district of Adhamiya reported several bodies in their area, including one in the middle of the commercial Dhubat Street left by insurgents who were described as "Al-Qaeda" by locals. Almost all victims are Sunni, some of them members of rival insurgent groups, local council members, or Islamic Party members and other Sunnis who have participated in the political process, according to residents.
They said anyone who dares even look at the body, let alone touch it or remove it, would risk immediate execution by militants. U.S. and Iraqi forces are just a few hundred meters away at the newly renovated Adhamiya police station, residents said, but they are usually oblivious to what is going on around them behind the concrete blast walls when they are not out on patrol. Similar scenes are described in many parts of western and southern Baghdad.
Labels: Adhamiyah, death squads, sectarian violence
Thursday, April 05, 2007
U.S. military in recruitment drive for Sunnis for Iraqi Army
Security
(AINA) - Hundreds of young Iraqi men stood on the street in their underwear outside a Baghdad army base. The recruiting drive, overseen by the US military, was held for the first time in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiyah. The idea: balance the mostly Shiite makeup of the Iraqi Army, particularly in this area. It was also seen as a way to address the charges that Sunnis are being mistreated by Iraqi security forces.
But only 20 Adhamiyah Sunni natives showed up, of whom only 10 were accepted. The remainder of the 156 who enlisted were mostly Shiites from the impoverished districts of Sadr City and Shaab. They had been tipped off about the recruiting drive by relatives and friends in the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade, which is based in Adhamiyah but is about 80 percent Shiite. Sunday's event underscores the challenges faced by US military trainers in attracting Sunnis to the security forces and keeping sectarianism out of one of the country's most critical institutions.
The effort to recruit Sunnis started at the crack of dawn with prospective soldiers made to line up in the base's outer perimeter and told to strip down to their underwear -- a security measure. Suicide bombers have struck before in the midst of police and Army recruiting drives. Karlo, a US Army German shepherd dog, is on hand to sniff out any potential trouble. The young men carrying their clothes in bundles are let into the base in groups of five.
The Adhamiyah municipal council had promised 1,400 eager recruits. US and Iraqi officials say they are ready to sign up 200 recruits on the spot, the only requirements being that they be between the ages of 18 and 29, weigh less than 330 pounds, be literate, have 22 teeth, and not have any vision or hearing impairments. The local council members had complained to Colonel Johnson that it was too dangerous for them as Sunnis to venture out to the main recruiting center at the Al-Muthana airport. So he decided to come to them. "The intent is to show them that they will be treated fairly," Johnson says.
Adhamiyah is a traditional stronghold for Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party. Soldiers from the US Army's 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, who were sent in August to pacify the area, continue to face fierce resistance and hostility. The unit has already lost 17 soldiers. The center of Adhamiyah resembles a battleground with "Long live the martyr Saddam" graffiti everywhere. Even the local council's head, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, who had pushed the most for Sunnis to be enlisted in the Army and police, was murdered last month. He was the second council official to be killed in three months.
Hussein Qassim says that he heard that conscription in Adhamiyah was free so he came over. He and three friends had paid $1,200 in bribes last month at the Muthana center for slots in the Army but got nothing. Several prospective and current Iraqi soldiers confirm that the standard bribe for conscription is indeed $300. Only those hired when the US military is present seem to be exempt. The starting monthly salary for soldiers is $360.
General Kadhem says they will keep trying, but they will only succeed in hiring Sunnis when the people in the community decide to throw their lot behind the government. He notes the Iraqi Army's success in Ramadi last month. It recruited 2,500 Sunnis, thanks to the Anbar Salvation Front, a group of US-backed tribal sheikhs who are fighting Al Qaeda in the province. He says that 1,500 Anbar Sunnis are now in basic training, while the remainder of the recruits are waiting for training. The general says that currently, about 65 percent of the Iraqi Army are Shiites.
But only 20 Adhamiyah Sunni natives showed up, of whom only 10 were accepted. The remainder of the 156 who enlisted were mostly Shiites from the impoverished districts of Sadr City and Shaab. They had been tipped off about the recruiting drive by relatives and friends in the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade, which is based in Adhamiyah but is about 80 percent Shiite. Sunday's event underscores the challenges faced by US military trainers in attracting Sunnis to the security forces and keeping sectarianism out of one of the country's most critical institutions.
The effort to recruit Sunnis started at the crack of dawn with prospective soldiers made to line up in the base's outer perimeter and told to strip down to their underwear -- a security measure. Suicide bombers have struck before in the midst of police and Army recruiting drives. Karlo, a US Army German shepherd dog, is on hand to sniff out any potential trouble. The young men carrying their clothes in bundles are let into the base in groups of five.
The Adhamiyah municipal council had promised 1,400 eager recruits. US and Iraqi officials say they are ready to sign up 200 recruits on the spot, the only requirements being that they be between the ages of 18 and 29, weigh less than 330 pounds, be literate, have 22 teeth, and not have any vision or hearing impairments. The local council members had complained to Colonel Johnson that it was too dangerous for them as Sunnis to venture out to the main recruiting center at the Al-Muthana airport. So he decided to come to them. "The intent is to show them that they will be treated fairly," Johnson says.
Adhamiyah is a traditional stronghold for Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party. Soldiers from the US Army's 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, who were sent in August to pacify the area, continue to face fierce resistance and hostility. The unit has already lost 17 soldiers. The center of Adhamiyah resembles a battleground with "Long live the martyr Saddam" graffiti everywhere. Even the local council's head, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, who had pushed the most for Sunnis to be enlisted in the Army and police, was murdered last month. He was the second council official to be killed in three months.
Hussein Qassim says that he heard that conscription in Adhamiyah was free so he came over. He and three friends had paid $1,200 in bribes last month at the Muthana center for slots in the Army but got nothing. Several prospective and current Iraqi soldiers confirm that the standard bribe for conscription is indeed $300. Only those hired when the US military is present seem to be exempt. The starting monthly salary for soldiers is $360.
General Kadhem says they will keep trying, but they will only succeed in hiring Sunnis when the people in the community decide to throw their lot behind the government. He notes the Iraqi Army's success in Ramadi last month. It recruited 2,500 Sunnis, thanks to the Anbar Salvation Front, a group of US-backed tribal sheikhs who are fighting Al Qaeda in the province. He says that 1,500 Anbar Sunnis are now in basic training, while the remainder of the recruits are waiting for training. The general says that currently, about 65 percent of the Iraqi Army are Shiites.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Anbar Salvation Council, bribes, Col. Carl Johnson, Iraqi Army, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, Sunnis
