Friday, October 05, 2007
Civilians killed in U.S. air raid near Baqouba
Security
(Al Jazeera) - At least 17 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a US air raid, Iraqi officials and witnesses say. US military officials have yet to respond to the claim, but issued a statement that it had killed 25 Shia fighters in clashes near the city of Baquba, in the same area as the alleged attack on the civilians.
US helicopters attacked the Shia village of al-Jaysani, close to the town of Khalis, at about 2am local time (2300 GMT), witnesses said on Friday. "Seventeen people were killed, 27 were wounded and eight are missing including women and children," an Iraqi defence ministry official, said.
However, Ahmed Mohammed, a witness, said the death toll was higher. "There are 24 bodies on the ground in the village and 25 others wounded in Al-Khalis hospital," he said. At least four houses in the village, which lies 80km north of Baghdad, were destroyed in the US air raid, witnesses said. An Iraqi army official who spoke on condition of anonymity said civilians were killed when they rushed out to help those hurt in the initial bombing.
Oday al-Khadran, Khalis' mayor, said the US military targeted areas built up by local people to protect their neighbourhood against attacks by al-Qaeda fighters. "These places came under attack by American air strikes," he said.
The US military could not be reached for comment on allegations that it had killed civilians during combat operations, but a US military statement said 25 fighters had been killed near Baquba. The statement said US forces came under fire from opposition fighters who were then killed in an ensuing gun battle, adding that two houses were destroyed in the fighting.
The target of the operation was a "commander believed to be associated with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force", the statement said. The statement said that one of the oppostion fighters was carrying what appeared to be an anti-aircraft weapon. The US military said at the weekend it had seized Iranian-made surface-to-air missiles that were being used by opposition fighters in Iraq.
Friday's incident comes amid heightened tension between the US and Iran after US forces detained Mahmudi Farhadi, an Iranian national, in northern Iraq a fortnight ago. Farhadi’s detention led Tehran to close its border with the Kurdish semi-autonomous region. The US military says that Farhadi is an officer in the covert operations arm of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. The secret operations wing has been accused by American commanders of supporting Shia fighters involved in Iraq's continuing sectarian conflict.
US helicopters attacked the Shia village of al-Jaysani, close to the town of Khalis, at about 2am local time (2300 GMT), witnesses said on Friday. "Seventeen people were killed, 27 were wounded and eight are missing including women and children," an Iraqi defence ministry official, said.
However, Ahmed Mohammed, a witness, said the death toll was higher. "There are 24 bodies on the ground in the village and 25 others wounded in Al-Khalis hospital," he said. At least four houses in the village, which lies 80km north of Baghdad, were destroyed in the US air raid, witnesses said. An Iraqi army official who spoke on condition of anonymity said civilians were killed when they rushed out to help those hurt in the initial bombing.
Oday al-Khadran, Khalis' mayor, said the US military targeted areas built up by local people to protect their neighbourhood against attacks by al-Qaeda fighters. "These places came under attack by American air strikes," he said.
The US military could not be reached for comment on allegations that it had killed civilians during combat operations, but a US military statement said 25 fighters had been killed near Baquba. The statement said US forces came under fire from opposition fighters who were then killed in an ensuing gun battle, adding that two houses were destroyed in the fighting.
The target of the operation was a "commander believed to be associated with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force", the statement said. The statement said that one of the oppostion fighters was carrying what appeared to be an anti-aircraft weapon. The US military said at the weekend it had seized Iranian-made surface-to-air missiles that were being used by opposition fighters in Iraq.
Friday's incident comes amid heightened tension between the US and Iran after US forces detained Mahmudi Farhadi, an Iranian national, in northern Iraq a fortnight ago. Farhadi’s detention led Tehran to close its border with the Kurdish semi-autonomous region. The US military says that Farhadi is an officer in the covert operations arm of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. The secret operations wing has been accused by American commanders of supporting Shia fighters involved in Iraq's continuing sectarian conflict.
Labels: air raid, al-Jaysani, Baqouba, Mahmudi Farhadi, Quds Force
Friday, September 07, 2007
14 “Wanted” People, Wearing Women’s Clothing, Arrested In Diyala
(Mashriq Newspaper) - 6 SEP - The Iraqi Police in the Baquba (area) town of Abu Saida announced: yesterday morning, “we arrested 14 “wanted” people (criminals).” The Police noted that these “wanted” people are Al Qaeda members; and, (at the time of their capture) all of them were dressed (disguised) in women’s clothing.
An IP source told the Iraq Voices’ News Agency, “A number of passengers in a Kia minivan were behaving strangely and this caused Policemen at the checkpoint (in Abu Saida) to become suspicious. The IPs searched the passengers and discovered these “wanted” people dressed in women’s clothes.”
The source added, “During the investigation into these terrorists, it appears that they are ‘wanted’ people who were trying to flee from the town of Al Wajihiya, near Muqdadiya (in Diyala Province, north of Baghdad).”
The source continued, “It is interesting that (almost) all of these detainees are between the ages of 15-22 years old…except for two…who are over 30 years old.”
In other news, in Mosul yesterday evening, a suicide car bomber targeted a Mosque in the Ninawa Province city of Mosul, north of Baghdad. The car bomb’s explosion killed a policeman, and wounded 26 others.
The source added, “During the investigation into these terrorists, it appears that they are ‘wanted’ people who were trying to flee from the town of Al Wajihiya, near Muqdadiya (in Diyala Province, north of Baghdad).”
The source continued, “It is interesting that (almost) all of these detainees are between the ages of 15-22 years old…except for two…who are over 30 years old.”
In other news, in Mosul yesterday evening, a suicide car bomber targeted a Mosque in the Ninawa Province city of Mosul, north of Baghdad. The car bomb’s explosion killed a policeman, and wounded 26 others.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Baqouba, Diyala, Iraqi police
Friday, August 17, 2007
Gunmen kidnap 10 civilians at fake checkpoint
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen forced ten civilians at gunpoint to unknown place on Thursday after they positioned a fake checkpoint north of Baghdad, eyewitnesses said. "Unknown gunmen positioned a fake checkpoint, this afternoon, on the road linking Hibhib town and Jidiydat al-Shat district, 55 km north of Baghdad, and forced ten civilians at gunpoint to unknown place," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Another eyewitness said "the gunmen intercepted civilian cars at the fake checkpoint and forced ten civilians out of their cars at gunpoint to unknown destination." Police could not be immediately reached to confirm the incident.
Labels: abduction, Baqouba, fake checkpoint, gunmen
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
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
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunni MPs end parliament boycott
Politics
(AP) - Sunni lawmakers ended their five-week boycott of parliament Thursday, raising hopes the factious assembly can make progress on benchmark legislation demanded by Washington. The U.S. said two American soldiers have been charged with killing an Iraqi. Also Thursday, the U.S. command announced the deaths of five American soldiers. Four soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed Wednesday in a roadside bombing in east Baghdad and one soldier was killed Friday by small arms fire near Rusdi Mulla, just to the southwest of the city.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with other blocs to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior. Al-Mashhadani is expected to gracefully resign after presiding over a number of sessions. Shiite legislator Hassan al-Suneid, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said al-Mashhadani's return came after secret conditions that should not be made public.
However, one official said al-Mashhadani has until Wednesday to step down or parliament will force him out. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. "We all have to work together to rescue Iraq from the catastrophe which has befallen it," Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi told parliament. "This is the first step in solving the Iraqi problem and in stopping the bloodshed."
The Sunnis ended their walkout two days after Shiite lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ended their boycott after officials accepted their demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings. Those two boycotts had paralyzed the 275-member parliament, which is under strong criticism from U.S. critics for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when American and Iraqi troops are dying on the battlefield.
The sensitivities displayed by both the Accordance Front and al-Sadr's allies indicates the depth of suspicion and sectarian rivalry prevalent in Iraq after more than four years of war.
Meanwhile, American and Iraqi forces were continuing operations to clear Sunni extremists from the eastern part of Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. said. U.S. troops killed three al-Qaida suspects Thursday as they tried to slip out of the city, Iraqi security officials said. Clashes occurred during the day as American and Iraqi forces moved through the streets, securing buildings and clearing explosives. One insurgent explosives expert led U.S. and Iraqi troops to a bombs cache hidden in two homes of Shiites who had fled sectarian tension, police said.
The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's session after striking a deal with other blocs to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite-dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior. Al-Mashhadani is expected to gracefully resign after presiding over a number of sessions. Shiite legislator Hassan al-Suneid, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said al-Mashhadani's return came after secret conditions that should not be made public.
However, one official said al-Mashhadani has until Wednesday to step down or parliament will force him out. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. "We all have to work together to rescue Iraq from the catastrophe which has befallen it," Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi told parliament. "This is the first step in solving the Iraqi problem and in stopping the bloodshed."
The Sunnis ended their walkout two days after Shiite lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ended their boycott after officials accepted their demands for rebuilding a Shiite shrine damaged by bombings. Those two boycotts had paralyzed the 275-member parliament, which is under strong criticism from U.S. critics for failing to approve key legislation and for plans to take a month's vacation in August at a time when American and Iraqi troops are dying on the battlefield.
The sensitivities displayed by both the Accordance Front and al-Sadr's allies indicates the depth of suspicion and sectarian rivalry prevalent in Iraq after more than four years of war.
Meanwhile, American and Iraqi forces were continuing operations to clear Sunni extremists from the eastern part of Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. said. U.S. troops killed three al-Qaida suspects Thursday as they tried to slip out of the city, Iraqi security officials said. Clashes occurred during the day as American and Iraqi forces moved through the streets, securing buildings and clearing explosives. One insurgent explosives expert led U.S. and Iraqi troops to a bombs cache hidden in two homes of Shiites who had fled sectarian tension, police said.
U.S. troops regained control of the western half of the city last month and launched operations into the rest of Baqouba on Tuesday. Since last month, the Americans said they have killed at least 67 al-Qaida operatives in Baqouba, arrested 253, seized 63 weapons caches and have destroyed 151 roadside bombs.
In western Iraq, residents said assailants blew up two bridges in Haditha overnight. The bridges connect Haditha with Anah, about 160 miles northwest of the capital. The American forces are blocking the area now looking for those involved in the operation. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for their safety.
In western Iraq, residents said assailants blew up two bridges in Haditha overnight. The bridges connect Haditha with Anah, about 160 miles northwest of the capital. The American forces are blocking the area now looking for those involved in the operation. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for their safety.
Labels: Adnan Dulaimi, Anah, Baqouba, bridges, Haditha, Iraqi Accordance Front, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Sadrist bloc
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Iraqi Islamic Party condemns Diyala operation
Security, Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Sunni-led Iraqi Islamic Party issued a statement on its website on July 1 condemning Operation Arrowhead Ripper, a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation aimed at eliminating Al-Qaeda in Iraq elements in and around the town of Ba'qubah, the capital of Diyala Governorate. The party described what is occurring in Ba'qubah as a " bloody massacre" and "collective punishment," and urged Iraqi and U.S. forces to differentiate between armed fighters and innocent civilians.
"Western Ba'qubah neighborhoods [Al-Mafraq, Al-Mu'allimin, and Al-Qatun] have been exposed to a fierce attack for more than a week," the statement said. "Occupation forces have bombarded those neighborhoods with planes, which resulted in the destruction of more than 150 houses and the killing of more than 350 citizens, whose bodies remain under the rubble of the buildings. They also arrested dozens of citizens."
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Baqouba, Diyala, Iraqi Islamic Party, Operation Arrowhead Ripper
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Truck bomb kills 75 as new offensive launched
Security
(RFE/RL) - A massive truck bomb explosion has killed some 75 people and wounded at least 130 in central Baghdad. The explosion occurred near the Shi'ite Al-Khalani Mosque in the city center. The attack in Baghdad's busy commercial district of Sinak came just hours after thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a new offensive north of Baghdad aimed at clearing the region of Sunni insurgents and Al-Qaeda.
The operation is called Arrowhead Ripper and involves some 10,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Diyala Governorate. The operation began in earnest overnight, with air and ground assaults in and around the provincial capital of Ba'qubah, 60 kilometers north of Baghdad. By daybreak, the U.S. military said 22 militants had been killed. The Diyala operation opens a new front and comes in response to changing insurgent tactics.
The U.S.-led troop surge in Baghdad, and Al-Anbar Governorate to the west, has meant insurgents, who are being pushed out of those areas, are refocusing their activities to other parts of the country. In a report issued on June 13, the Pentagon said the rise in attacks in Diyala and Ninawa governorates were threatening to offset coalition gains in Iraq’s center. In recent months, Diyala Governorate has emerged as a center of the Sunni Arab insurgency, with Al-Qaeda In Mesopotamia and other militant groups turning it into a base of operations.
Shi’ite militias have also been active in the region. Diyala Governorate, a prime agricultural region of date and orange groves has a mixed Sunni and Shi’a population. That makes it explosive as extremists seek to fan sectarian tensions. Thousands of people have already been forced from their homes in fighting between militant groups.
While Diyala Governorate appears to be a current epicenter of insurgent-led violence in Iraq, the Pentagon report also notes a rise in militant attacks in the southern city of Al-Basrah as well as Mosul and Tal Afar in the north, all of which were once touted as islands of relative stability. Operation Arrowhead Ripper comes just days after the U.S. military said it had completed its buildup of forces in Iraq to 160,000 troops.
The operation is called Arrowhead Ripper and involves some 10,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Diyala Governorate. The operation began in earnest overnight, with air and ground assaults in and around the provincial capital of Ba'qubah, 60 kilometers north of Baghdad. By daybreak, the U.S. military said 22 militants had been killed. The Diyala operation opens a new front and comes in response to changing insurgent tactics.
The U.S.-led troop surge in Baghdad, and Al-Anbar Governorate to the west, has meant insurgents, who are being pushed out of those areas, are refocusing their activities to other parts of the country. In a report issued on June 13, the Pentagon said the rise in attacks in Diyala and Ninawa governorates were threatening to offset coalition gains in Iraq’s center. In recent months, Diyala Governorate has emerged as a center of the Sunni Arab insurgency, with Al-Qaeda In Mesopotamia and other militant groups turning it into a base of operations.
Shi’ite militias have also been active in the region. Diyala Governorate, a prime agricultural region of date and orange groves has a mixed Sunni and Shi’a population. That makes it explosive as extremists seek to fan sectarian tensions. Thousands of people have already been forced from their homes in fighting between militant groups.
While Diyala Governorate appears to be a current epicenter of insurgent-led violence in Iraq, the Pentagon report also notes a rise in militant attacks in the southern city of Al-Basrah as well as Mosul and Tal Afar in the north, all of which were once touted as islands of relative stability. Operation Arrowhead Ripper comes just days after the U.S. military said it had completed its buildup of forces in Iraq to 160,000 troops.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al-Khalani Mosque, Arrowhead Ripper, Baqouba, Diyala, Shia militias, Sinak, truck bomb
Monday, June 11, 2007
Thousands flee Baqouba
Security
(Azzaman) - Thousands of families are fleeing the violent-stricken city of Baaquoba ahead of reported military operations by U.S. and Iraqi troops. Baaquoba, the capital of Diyala Province, is among the most violent places in Iraq with insurgent groups fighting U.S. troops and at the same time occasionally battling each other.
Most families either head for relatively quieter areas in the country or leave for Syria. “Hundreds of passenger cars now leave Baaqouba every day,” said a shop owner who declined to give his name. He said the military operation, if started, will be in vain because “most of those wanted by Iraqi security organs have already left.”
Alaa Saadi, a travel agent in the city, said there has been a marked increase in the number of people wanting to travel abroad. “I think my company carried more people in the past month than the whole of last year,” Saadi said.
Most families either head for relatively quieter areas in the country or leave for Syria. “Hundreds of passenger cars now leave Baaqouba every day,” said a shop owner who declined to give his name. He said the military operation, if started, will be in vain because “most of those wanted by Iraqi security organs have already left.”
Alaa Saadi, a travel agent in the city, said there has been a marked increase in the number of people wanting to travel abroad. “I think my company carried more people in the past month than the whole of last year,” Saadi said.
A provincial official, refusing to be named, criticized U.S. and Iraqi-led operations, saying they have “instilled fear in the hearts of innocent people” since they rely on summary arrests. He said the Qaeda-linked groups have been terrorizing the population, committing “horrible crimes” but the way the operations were carried out in the province has alienated the population. Informed sources said most of Qaeda activists and other groups have already left the city to avoid direct contact with U.S. troops.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Baqouba, military operations
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
Labels: abduction, Adila Khatoon mosque, Baqouba, Diyala, Ghailani mosque, gunmen, Iraqi Army, Jibour tribe, Kirkuk, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Shaqraq village, Shimar tribe, Sufra village
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 21, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
British troops and the Mahdi Army fought in Basra province on Sunday over the arrest Saturday of a Mahdi Army official as he was trying to board a flight. Three British soldiers and two militamen were reported wounded and four British tanks were damaged. In Baghdad, 24 bodies were found around the city. Another Iraqi journalist was found dead; he'd been abducted a few hours earlier.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1200 GMT on Monday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAQUBA - Two people were killed and 15 wounded when three mortar rounds landed in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Two mortar rounds landed in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi parliament and U.S. embassy, in central Baghdad, police said. They did not know if there were any casualties.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed two insurgents and detained 69 others in Baghdad during the past 24 hours, the Defence Ministry said. Another 26 insurgents were detained in other parts of Iraq.
* BAGHDAD - Militants kidnapped and killed a journalist from one of Iraq's most popular national newspapers, Azzaman, in southern Baghdad on Sunday, his employers said on Monday.
HIBHIB - Police said three Iraqi soldiers were killed and four wounded in clashes with gunmen who attacked a minibus carrying off-duty soldiers near the town of Hibhib, near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad. A hospital source and Iraqiya state television put the death toll at seven.
KHALIS - Four people were wounded by a car bomb in the town of Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into an Iraqi army checkpoint in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, causing an unknown number of casualties, police said.
BAGHDAD - The office of Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the biggest Sunni group in parliament, said that the Iraqi army had opened fire on his motorcade in Adil district in western Baghdad. There were no casualties.
BAGHDAD - Four Iraqi policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Wazirya district in central Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Four people from al-Ubaidat tribe were killed and five wounded in clashes between them and gunmen in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol, killing three soldiers and wounding two in Adil district of western Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, wounding three policemen in Iskandariya, police said.
SAFRA - Saboteurs set an oil by-products pipeline on fire when they planted bombs beneath it in the village of Safra, 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police and Oil North Company said.
NEAR TAL AFAR - A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, wounding three policemen in the main road between the town of Sinjar and Tal Afar, 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.
TIKRIT - Police said that they arrested Salah Khalil, the head of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq office in Salaheddine Province on Sunday in the city of Tikrit, police said. He was accused of supporting insurgents, a source said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAQUBA - Two people were killed and 15 wounded when three mortar rounds landed in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Two mortar rounds landed in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi parliament and U.S. embassy, in central Baghdad, police said. They did not know if there were any casualties.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed two insurgents and detained 69 others in Baghdad during the past 24 hours, the Defence Ministry said. Another 26 insurgents were detained in other parts of Iraq.
* BAGHDAD - Militants kidnapped and killed a journalist from one of Iraq's most popular national newspapers, Azzaman, in southern Baghdad on Sunday, his employers said on Monday.
HIBHIB - Police said three Iraqi soldiers were killed and four wounded in clashes with gunmen who attacked a minibus carrying off-duty soldiers near the town of Hibhib, near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad. A hospital source and Iraqiya state television put the death toll at seven.
KHALIS - Four people were wounded by a car bomb in the town of Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into an Iraqi army checkpoint in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, causing an unknown number of casualties, police said.
BAGHDAD - The office of Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the biggest Sunni group in parliament, said that the Iraqi army had opened fire on his motorcade in Adil district in western Baghdad. There were no casualties.
BAGHDAD - Four Iraqi policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Wazirya district in central Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Four people from al-Ubaidat tribe were killed and five wounded in clashes between them and gunmen in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol, killing three soldiers and wounding two in Adil district of western Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, wounding three policemen in Iskandariya, police said.
SAFRA - Saboteurs set an oil by-products pipeline on fire when they planted bombs beneath it in the village of Safra, 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police and Oil North Company said.
NEAR TAL AFAR - A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, wounding three policemen in the main road between the town of Sinjar and Tal Afar, 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.
TIKRIT - Police said that they arrested Salah Khalil, the head of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq office in Salaheddine Province on Sunday in the city of Tikrit, police said. He was accused of supporting insurgents, a source said.
Labels: abduction, Adnan Dulaimi, al-Ubaidat tribe, Baqouba, Fallujah, Green Zone, Hibhib, Iskandariyah, Khalis, mortar rounds, Safra, suicide bomber
Friday, May 18, 2007
Coalition base attacked in Baqouba
Security
(AP) - About 50 suspected insurgents attacked a coalition base in the center of a northern Iraqi city Friday, sparking a battle with U.S. soldiers and helicopters that killed at least six militants, the Iraqi army said. The fighting took place in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala, a Sunni insurgent stronghold that has seen a recent spike in violence largely blamed on militants who fled a 3-month-old security crackdown in Baghdad.
Diyala province - with its mixed Shiite and Sunni Muslim population - has been the scene of frequent sectarian violence as well as attacks by anti-U.S. insurgents. The U.S. military has sent 3,000 additional forces to try to tame the violence.
At 7 a.m. Friday, the day of rest in mostly Muslim Iraq, about 50 suspected insurgents opened fire on a U.S.-Iraqi base in downtown Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding two Iraqi soldiers, an Iraqi army officer said. U.S. forces and helicopters responded at 7:30 a.m., killing at least six insurgents, the Iraqi army officer said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Residents said the fighting sent smoke billowing up from neighborhoods in the area. One local, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from militants, said he heard heavy machine gun fire and then men shouting "Allahu Akbar," or God is great in Arabic. Others said they saw U.S. tanks and armored vehicles driving through the street, while aircraft flew overhead.
The base was set up two months ago in a three-story city office building that was abandoned because of the violence in the area, the Iraqi officer said. The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the incident. Baqouba and the rest of the Diyala province have been hit by a string of attacks this week.
Diyala province - with its mixed Shiite and Sunni Muslim population - has been the scene of frequent sectarian violence as well as attacks by anti-U.S. insurgents. The U.S. military has sent 3,000 additional forces to try to tame the violence.
At 7 a.m. Friday, the day of rest in mostly Muslim Iraq, about 50 suspected insurgents opened fire on a U.S.-Iraqi base in downtown Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding two Iraqi soldiers, an Iraqi army officer said. U.S. forces and helicopters responded at 7:30 a.m., killing at least six insurgents, the Iraqi army officer said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Residents said the fighting sent smoke billowing up from neighborhoods in the area. One local, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from militants, said he heard heavy machine gun fire and then men shouting "Allahu Akbar," or God is great in Arabic. Others said they saw U.S. tanks and armored vehicles driving through the street, while aircraft flew overhead.
The base was set up two months ago in a three-story city office building that was abandoned because of the violence in the area, the Iraqi officer said. The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the incident. Baqouba and the rest of the Diyala province have been hit by a string of attacks this week.
Labels: Baqouba, Diyala, insurgents, U.S. base
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Roundup of violence in Iraq - 15 May 2007
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Mohammed Al Dulaimy 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 Mohammed Al Dulaimy 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 1130 GMT on Wednesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* ABU SAYDA - A truck bomb laden with chlorine gas exploded in a market area in the mostly Shi'ite town of Abu Sayda, north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 45 people and wounding 60, police said on Wednesday.
* NASIRIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces killed eight people and wounded 40 in the southern city of Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, hospital and police sources said.
* AL-SHATRA - At least four people were killed and 20 others were wounded after clashes erupted between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in the town of al-Shatra, near Nasiriya, a source in the hospital said.
* DIWANIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces wounded eight civilians, a policeman and an Iraqi soldier, hospital and Iraqi military sources said. A curfew was imposed until further notice.
* FALLUJA - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol in Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
* BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked police Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, the head of the Iraqi-U.S. Joint Coordination Centre of Diyala Province, killing two of his guards and wounding another, police said. Hiyali was not harmed in the attack.
* KIRKUK - The head of the Riyadh city council was killed along with another member in the council when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* LATIFIYA - Gunmen opened fire at a car, killing one person and wounding four others in the town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four people were killed and four others were wounded by a mortar attack in Ur district in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MAHMUDIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a minibus, killing one person and wounding another on Tuesday in the town of Mahmudiya, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* ABU SAYDA - A truck bomb laden with chlorine gas exploded in a market area in the mostly Shi'ite town of Abu Sayda, north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 45 people and wounding 60, police said on Wednesday.
* NASIRIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces killed eight people and wounded 40 in the southern city of Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, hospital and police sources said.
* AL-SHATRA - At least four people were killed and 20 others were wounded after clashes erupted between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in the town of al-Shatra, near Nasiriya, a source in the hospital said.
* DIWANIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces wounded eight civilians, a policeman and an Iraqi soldier, hospital and Iraqi military sources said. A curfew was imposed until further notice.
* FALLUJA - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol in Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
* BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked police Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, the head of the Iraqi-U.S. Joint Coordination Centre of Diyala Province, killing two of his guards and wounding another, police said. Hiyali was not harmed in the attack.
* KIRKUK - The head of the Riyadh city council was killed along with another member in the council when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* LATIFIYA - Gunmen opened fire at a car, killing one person and wounding four others in the town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four people were killed and four others were wounded by a mortar attack in Ur district in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MAHMUDIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a minibus, killing one person and wounding another on Tuesday in the town of Mahmudiya, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Abu Saydah, Al-Shatra, Baqouba, Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, chlorine bombs, Diwaniya, Fallujah, Kirkuk, Latifiyah, Mahdi Army, Nasiriyah, roadside bombs
Monday, May 14, 2007
Al Qaeda controls most of Diyala while parliament makes suggestions on security situation
Security
(Al Mada Newspaper AR.) - 13 MAY - According to eyewitnesses, insurgent groups control most of Baquba’s areas, plus other areas of Diyala Province. And, at the same time, the Iraqi and US forces have not made any progress against the insurgent groups.
An eyewitnesses told Al Mada Newspaper, “This bad security situation, in Diyala Province, began before Baghdad’s new security plan “Operation Enforcing the Law” started… Therefore, we do not agree with the US Army’s statement that the reason behind Diyala’s bad security situation is due to terrorists who ran away from Baghdad and came to Diyala Province.”
The Commander of US forces in Diyala Province said, “Currently, I only have 3,500 US soldiers; in order to restore security in Diyala Province I will need 3,000 more soldiers.” The eyewitnesses said, “We are shocked, because the (Iraqi) government has done nothing for us. Al Qaeda has killed 11,200 of Diyala’s people, displaced 9,500 families, and now we have 8,250 widows and 16,500 orphans… Al Qaeda has also destroyed 66 Shrines.”
[NOTE: The Newspaper noted that these numbers were provided by (displaced) Diyala residents, now living in Karbala Province who have conducted demonstrations about the conditions in Diyala Province. The witnesses also said, “Some clashes have occurred between the insurgents but Al Qaeda now controls many of Diyala’s government facilities." The witnesses added that recently the Shamarri, Tamim, Karkhiya, and Mujamah tribes have established a “coalition.”
In related news: yesterday, Iraq’s Parliament held a session to discuss Diyala’s security situation. A Parliament Committee had visited the displaced Diyala residents in Karbala Province who had protested about Diyala Province’s situation. This Parliament Committee made suggestions (about actions which) the security forces should take, such as:
Secure the main roads which lead to Baquba City, especially, secure the Baquba-Baghdad (Highway) route,
Conduct wide-spread military operations to “clean the terrorists out of” Diyala Province,
Form a (special) court to punish the criminals,
Punish the [corrupt and/or inefficient/incompetent] security officials in Diyala,
Form a committee to compensate the citizens who suffered losses or damages.
[NOTE: The Newspaper noted that these numbers were provided by (displaced) Diyala residents, now living in Karbala Province who have conducted demonstrations about the conditions in Diyala Province. The witnesses also said, “Some clashes have occurred between the insurgents but Al Qaeda now controls many of Diyala’s government facilities." The witnesses added that recently the Shamarri, Tamim, Karkhiya, and Mujamah tribes have established a “coalition.”
In related news: yesterday, Iraq’s Parliament held a session to discuss Diyala’s security situation. A Parliament Committee had visited the displaced Diyala residents in Karbala Province who had protested about Diyala Province’s situation. This Parliament Committee made suggestions (about actions which) the security forces should take, such as:
Secure the main roads which lead to Baquba City, especially, secure the Baquba-Baghdad (Highway) route,
Conduct wide-spread military operations to “clean the terrorists out of” Diyala Province,
Form a (special) court to punish the criminals,
Punish the [corrupt and/or inefficient/incompetent] security officials in Diyala,
Form a committee to compensate the citizens who suffered losses or damages.
Labels: Baqouba, Diyala, insurgents, Iraqi parliament, Karkhiya, Mujamah, Shamarri, Tamim, tribal coalition, violence
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Car bomb kills 25 in Baghdad
Security
(AP) - A car bomb ripped through a commercial district in western Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in recent days. The blast occurred about noon in the mixed Sunni-Shiite Baiyaa neighborhood, the scene of frequent sectarian violence including a bombing and mortar attack last week that killed seven people. The bombing Sunday came amid an 11-week-old crackdown by U.S.-led forces intended to bring stability to Baghdad.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which was part of a wave of violence across Iraq on Sunday that killed at least 37 people. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi troops continued their operations in the city, entering the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City on an early morning raid and searching houses in the area, known as a hotbed of Shiite militant groups. Aircraft flew over the neighborhood during the raid and carried out airstrikes on four houses, reducing one to a pile of bricks and rubble, police and witnesses said. The occupants of the destroyed house had apparently fled before the raid. Several cars were also charred and badly damaged.
In other violence Sunday, insurgents exploded a car bomb outside a police station in the town of Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, killing two police and a bystander, police said. A few minutes later, militants in the town attacked a police checkpoint near the al-Askari shrine, killing another police officer, police said.
A gunbattle between unidentified gunmen and Iraqi forces in a market in the town of Baqouba 35 miles northeast of Baghdad killed two civilians dead, police said. In the town of Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb outside a teacher's house killed three of his children, all of them under the age of 10, police said. The parents were not injured in the attack. Police also found the bullet-riddled bodies of three men, who were blindfolded, handcuffed and dumped in the Tigris River in the town of Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which was part of a wave of violence across Iraq on Sunday that killed at least 37 people. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi troops continued their operations in the city, entering the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City on an early morning raid and searching houses in the area, known as a hotbed of Shiite militant groups. Aircraft flew over the neighborhood during the raid and carried out airstrikes on four houses, reducing one to a pile of bricks and rubble, police and witnesses said. The occupants of the destroyed house had apparently fled before the raid. Several cars were also charred and badly damaged.
In other violence Sunday, insurgents exploded a car bomb outside a police station in the town of Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, killing two police and a bystander, police said. A few minutes later, militants in the town attacked a police checkpoint near the al-Askari shrine, killing another police officer, police said.
A gunbattle between unidentified gunmen and Iraqi forces in a market in the town of Baqouba 35 miles northeast of Baghdad killed two civilians dead, police said. In the town of Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb outside a teacher's house killed three of his children, all of them under the age of 10, police said. The parents were not injured in the attack. Police also found the bullet-riddled bodies of three men, who were blindfolded, handcuffed and dumped in the Tigris River in the town of Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad.
Labels: Baghdad, Baiyaa, Baqouba, car bomb, Kut, Sadr City, Samarra
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 0930 GMT on Tuesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
DIYALA PROVINCE - A suicide car bomber killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20 at a military base north of Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said. One Iraqi civilian was also wounded in the attack.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 10 insurgents and discovered a weapons cache in Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Those detained were suspected of working with al Qaeda in Iraq and facilitating foreign fighters near Falluja.
* NASIRIYA - Three Australian soldiers were injured when an improvised explosive device hit their light armoured vehicle patrol near Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Monday, the Australian military said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms attacked homes in a town near Baquba north of Baghdad, killing six and wounding 15, police said. Six houses were set on fire.
BAGHDAD - Two car bombs exploded in a parking lot in front of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad's Salhiya neighbourhood, a Reuters photographer said. Police said four people were wounded. A total of four car bombs have exploded in the lot in the past 24 hours.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of five people were found shot in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR KERBALA - A roadside bomb targeting a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others near the holy city of Kerbala, 100 km south of Baghdad, on Monday, police said.
MUQDADIYA - A U.S. soldier died on Monday after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Muqdadiya, 90 km northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
HILLA - A car bomb near a restaurant killed three people and wounded eight on Monday in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
DIYALA PROVINCE - A suicide car bomber killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20 at a military base north of Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said. One Iraqi civilian was also wounded in the attack.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 10 insurgents and discovered a weapons cache in Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Those detained were suspected of working with al Qaeda in Iraq and facilitating foreign fighters near Falluja.
* NASIRIYA - Three Australian soldiers were injured when an improvised explosive device hit their light armoured vehicle patrol near Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Monday, the Australian military said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms attacked homes in a town near Baquba north of Baghdad, killing six and wounding 15, police said. Six houses were set on fire.
BAGHDAD - Two car bombs exploded in a parking lot in front of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad's Salhiya neighbourhood, a Reuters photographer said. Police said four people were wounded. A total of four car bombs have exploded in the lot in the past 24 hours.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of five people were found shot in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR KERBALA - A roadside bomb targeting a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others near the holy city of Kerbala, 100 km south of Baghdad, on Monday, police said.
MUQDADIYA - A U.S. soldier died on Monday after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Muqdadiya, 90 km northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
HILLA - A car bomb near a restaurant killed three people and wounded eight on Monday in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, car bomb, Diyala, Hilla, IED, Mosul, Muqdadiya, Nasiriyah, roadside bombs, SVBIED, weapons cache
Monday, April 23, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 1130 GMT on Monday:
* denotes new or updated item.
BAQUBA - A suicide car bomber attacked a gathering of senior police officials in the city of Baquba, killing 10 policemen and wounding 23, police said. Police chief Brigadier-General Safaa al-Timimi was killed in the blast.
NEAR MOSUL - At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the office of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Six people were killed and 14 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in a restaurant near the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded four others in a parking lot across the road from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, police said. The embassy was not damaged.
* MOSUL - Gunmen killed traffic police Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan in the northern city of Mosul, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed seven insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
* NEAR MAHAWEEL - A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car and wounded three people near the town of Mahaweel, 70 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Gunmen opened fire at a U.S. patrol while trying to emplace cement barriers in Ur neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, a Reuters photographer said.
SHIRQAT - The bodies of three police officers were found shot in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said. They were kidnapped on Sunday.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing a policeman and wounded another in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed a man and a girl on Sunday in the town of Iskandariya, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed one person and wounded three others in a random shooting on Sunday in the southern Saidiya district of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police found 11 bodies across Baghdad on Sunday.
* denotes new or updated item.
BAQUBA - A suicide car bomber attacked a gathering of senior police officials in the city of Baquba, killing 10 policemen and wounding 23, police said. Police chief Brigadier-General Safaa al-Timimi was killed in the blast.
NEAR MOSUL - At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the office of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Six people were killed and 14 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in a restaurant near the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded four others in a parking lot across the road from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, police said. The embassy was not damaged.
* MOSUL - Gunmen killed traffic police Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan in the northern city of Mosul, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed seven insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
* NEAR MAHAWEEL - A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car and wounded three people near the town of Mahaweel, 70 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Gunmen opened fire at a U.S. patrol while trying to emplace cement barriers in Ur neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, a Reuters photographer said.
SHIRQAT - The bodies of three police officers were found shot in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said. They were kidnapped on Sunday.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing a policeman and wounded another in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed a man and a girl on Sunday in the town of Iskandariya, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed one person and wounded three others in a random shooting on Sunday in the southern Saidiya district of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police found 11 bodies across Baghdad on Sunday.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan, gunmen, Iskandariyah, KDP, Mosul, policemen, Shirqat, suicide bombings
Suicide bomb attacks across Iraq kill 27
Security
(AP) - Three suicide bombers launched attacks in different parts of Iraq on Monday, killing at least 27 people and wounding nearly 60 on Monday, police and politicians said. A parked car bomb also exploded outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, killing one civilian, and a drive-by shooting wounded two guards at Tunisia's Embassy in the capital, police said.
Monday's first suicide car bomb attack occurred near the northern city of Mosul at 10:10 a.m. when a suicide attacker detonated his car in front of an office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, an official with the group said. At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack in Tal Uskuf, a predominantly Christian town 9 miles north of Mosul, said Abdul-Ghani Ali, a KDP official. A witness said residents were in deep shock because it was the first terrorist attack in their tight-knit community since the Iraq war started.
A suicide car bomber also struck a police station in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, at about 11 a.m., killing at least 10 people and wounding 23, police said. In central Baghdad, a bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in an Iraqi restaurant in the mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhood of Karradah Mariam, killing at least seven people and wounding 16, police said. The attack occurred at about 11 a.m. less than 100 yards outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and British embassies and the Iraqi government's headquarters. At the time, Ryan Crocker, who became the new U.S. ambassador in Iraq about a month ago, was giving a news conference in the Green Zone.
The Iranian Embassy also is located in Karradah Mariam, and a parked car bomb exploded in a parking lot near it at about 12 noon, killing one civilian and wounding another, said Iraqi police. At about 11:30 a.m., drive-by shooters opened fire on guards outside the Tunisian Embassy in the mostly Sunni district of Mansour in western Baghdad, wounding two of them, police said.
Monday's first suicide car bomb attack occurred near the northern city of Mosul at 10:10 a.m. when a suicide attacker detonated his car in front of an office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, an official with the group said. At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack in Tal Uskuf, a predominantly Christian town 9 miles north of Mosul, said Abdul-Ghani Ali, a KDP official. A witness said residents were in deep shock because it was the first terrorist attack in their tight-knit community since the Iraq war started.
A suicide car bomber also struck a police station in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, at about 11 a.m., killing at least 10 people and wounding 23, police said. In central Baghdad, a bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in an Iraqi restaurant in the mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhood of Karradah Mariam, killing at least seven people and wounding 16, police said. The attack occurred at about 11 a.m. less than 100 yards outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and British embassies and the Iraqi government's headquarters. At the time, Ryan Crocker, who became the new U.S. ambassador in Iraq about a month ago, was giving a news conference in the Green Zone.
The Iranian Embassy also is located in Karradah Mariam, and a parked car bomb exploded in a parking lot near it at about 12 noon, killing one civilian and wounding another, said Iraqi police. At about 11:30 a.m., drive-by shooters opened fire on guards outside the Tunisian Embassy in the mostly Sunni district of Mansour in western Baghdad, wounding two of them, police said.
Labels: Abdul-Ghani Ali, Baghdad, Baqouba, Iranian embassy, Iraq, Karradah Mariam, KDP, Mosul, police station, suicide bombings
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Insurgent groups fighting against al-Qaeda in Iraq
Security, Tribal
(AP) - At least two major insurgent groups are battling al-Qaida in provinces outside Baghdad, American military commanders said Friday, an indication of a deepening rift between Sunni guerrilla groups in Iraq. U.S. officers say a growing number of Sunni tribes are turning against al-Qaida, repelled by the terror group's sheer brutality and austere religious extremism. The tribes are competing with al-Qaida for influence and control over diminishing territory in the face of U.S. assaults, the officers say. The influx of Sunni fighters to areas outside the capital in advance of the security crackdown in Baghdad may have further unsettled the region.
Even Sunnis who want to cooperate with the Shiite-led government are becoming more emboldened to speak out against al-Qaida. In Anbar province, more than 200 Sunni sheiks have decided to form a political party to oppose the terror group, participants said Friday. The clashes have erupted over the last two to three months, pitting al-Qaida in Iraq against the nationalist 1920 Revolution Brigades in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces north of Baghdad as well as Anbar to the west, U.S. officers said. In Diyala, another hard-line militant Sunni group, the Ansar al-Sunna Army, is also fighting al-Qaida, they said.
"It's happening daily," Lt. Col. Keith Gogas said Thursday in an interview at an Army base in Muqdadiyah, 60 miles northeast of Baghdad. "Our read on it is that that the more moderate, if you will, Sunni insurgents, are finding that their goals and al-Qaida's goals are at odds." American commanders cite al-Qaida's severe brand of Islam, which is so extreme that in Baqouba, al-Qaida has warned street vendors not to place tomatoes beside cucumbers because the vegetables are different genders, Col. David Sutherland said.
Such radicalism has fueled sectarian violence in Iraq and redrawn the demographics of many mixed Sunni-Shiite towns in Diyala, where tens of thousands of Shiites have been forced to flee large population centers. Previously 55 percent Sunni, 45 percent Shiite, Baqouba, where rival insurgents also have clashed, is today 80 percent Sunni and 20 percent Shiite, Sutherland said. The rift among insurgents has also been sparked by reports that some militants have been negotiating with the government and U.S. officials, who are trying to draw Sunni groups away from al-Qaida. Iraqi police and security forces, not Americans, have been negotiating with 1920 Revolution Brigades fighters, who have said "they want some help against al-Qaida," Baker said.
In a recent interview on Al-Jazeera TV, Ibrahim al-Shimmari, a spokesman for a rival group, Islamic Army in Iraq, said he did not recognize al-Qaida's claim to constitute a state. He said there could be no state "under crusader occupation" and vowed resistance against both American forces and Iran, which has close ties to the Shiite majority in Iraq.
The Islamic Army accuses al-Qaida of killing 30 of its members. Al-Shimmari also accuses al-Qaida of assassinating the leader of the 1920s Revolution Brigades, Harith Dhaher al-Dhari, who died March 27 when gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades on his car outside Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq groups eight Sunni insurgent factions, including al-Qaida. Key Sunni insurgent groups are not part of the coalition, including the Islamic Army of Iraq, the Ansar al-Sunna Army and the 1920 Revolution Brigades.
"As tribe after tribe begins to reject al-Qaida, we are witnessing an escalation in violence by AQI (al-Qaida in Iraq) against the tribes," said Maj. Jeff Pool, military spokesman for Anbar. "East of Fallujah in the Zaidon and Zoba'a districts ... 1920 Revolution Brigades are fighting large-scale battles with AQI across their tribal areas."
Speaking in Baqouba, Mixon said that "less and less of the population, by way of the tribes, is willing to be dominated by these groups because if they are, then the tribe loses its influence in the area." And, "because of pressure we have put on them in certain areas, they have begun vying for control of space and the population," he said.
Even Sunnis who want to cooperate with the Shiite-led government are becoming more emboldened to speak out against al-Qaida. In Anbar province, more than 200 Sunni sheiks have decided to form a political party to oppose the terror group, participants said Friday. The clashes have erupted over the last two to three months, pitting al-Qaida in Iraq against the nationalist 1920 Revolution Brigades in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces north of Baghdad as well as Anbar to the west, U.S. officers said. In Diyala, another hard-line militant Sunni group, the Ansar al-Sunna Army, is also fighting al-Qaida, they said.
"It's happening daily," Lt. Col. Keith Gogas said Thursday in an interview at an Army base in Muqdadiyah, 60 miles northeast of Baghdad. "Our read on it is that that the more moderate, if you will, Sunni insurgents, are finding that their goals and al-Qaida's goals are at odds." American commanders cite al-Qaida's severe brand of Islam, which is so extreme that in Baqouba, al-Qaida has warned street vendors not to place tomatoes beside cucumbers because the vegetables are different genders, Col. David Sutherland said.
Such radicalism has fueled sectarian violence in Iraq and redrawn the demographics of many mixed Sunni-Shiite towns in Diyala, where tens of thousands of Shiites have been forced to flee large population centers. Previously 55 percent Sunni, 45 percent Shiite, Baqouba, where rival insurgents also have clashed, is today 80 percent Sunni and 20 percent Shiite, Sutherland said. The rift among insurgents has also been sparked by reports that some militants have been negotiating with the government and U.S. officials, who are trying to draw Sunni groups away from al-Qaida. Iraqi police and security forces, not Americans, have been negotiating with 1920 Revolution Brigades fighters, who have said "they want some help against al-Qaida," Baker said.
In a recent interview on Al-Jazeera TV, Ibrahim al-Shimmari, a spokesman for a rival group, Islamic Army in Iraq, said he did not recognize al-Qaida's claim to constitute a state. He said there could be no state "under crusader occupation" and vowed resistance against both American forces and Iran, which has close ties to the Shiite majority in Iraq.
The Islamic Army accuses al-Qaida of killing 30 of its members. Al-Shimmari also accuses al-Qaida of assassinating the leader of the 1920s Revolution Brigades, Harith Dhaher al-Dhari, who died March 27 when gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades on his car outside Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq groups eight Sunni insurgent factions, including al-Qaida. Key Sunni insurgent groups are not part of the coalition, including the Islamic Army of Iraq, the Ansar al-Sunna Army and the 1920 Revolution Brigades.
"As tribe after tribe begins to reject al-Qaida, we are witnessing an escalation in violence by AQI (al-Qaida in Iraq) against the tribes," said Maj. Jeff Pool, military spokesman for Anbar. "East of Fallujah in the Zaidon and Zoba'a districts ... 1920 Revolution Brigades are fighting large-scale battles with AQI across their tribal areas."
Speaking in Baqouba, Mixon said that "less and less of the population, by way of the tribes, is willing to be dominated by these groups because if they are, then the tribe loses its influence in the area." And, "because of pressure we have put on them in certain areas, they have begun vying for control of space and the population," he said.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunnah, Baqouba, Diyala, Salahuddin, Sunni guerillas, Sunni tribes, the 1920 Revolution Brigades
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 1030 GMT on Thursday:
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber rammed his car into a fuel tanker, killing 10 people and wounding 21 in the southern Jadriya district of Baghdad, police said.
KIRKUK - Gunmen wounded seven employees working in the North Oil Company when they attacked their vehicle in Kirkuk, police said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding five others in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed 20 insurgents and arrested 84 others during the last 24 hours in operations across Iraq, police said.
SHIRQAT - Police said they found four charred dead bodies inside a car in the town of Shirqat, south of Mosul.
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber rammed his car into a fuel tanker, killing 10 people and wounding 21 in the southern Jadriya district of Baghdad, police said.
KIRKUK - Gunmen wounded seven employees working in the North Oil Company when they attacked their vehicle in Kirkuk, police said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding five others in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed 20 insurgents and arrested 84 others during the last 24 hours in operations across Iraq, police said.
SHIRQAT - Police said they found four charred dead bodies inside a car in the town of Shirqat, south of Mosul.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, car bomb, gunmen, Iraq, Kirkuk, North Oil Company, Shirqat, violence
