Friday, August 10, 2007
Gunmen establish 'Islamic Emirate' in Doura
Security
(Azzaman) - The district of Doura in Baghdad is under the control of gunmen who have imposed their system of government based on strict interpretation of Islamic jurisdiction or Sharia. Amid the chaos in the area, described as one of Baghdad’s most violent, gunmen of all sorts and hues wreak havoc among the civilians, turning the district into an arena of murder and kidnapping.
The gunmen’s major target is Iraqi Christians in Doura which used to have a sizeable Christian minority, numerous churches and five monasteries. The gunmen have established what they call ‘the Islamic Emirate’ in the area where they apply by force their own interpretation of Islam. Christians who refuse to convert to Islam have either to leave or pay a hefty tax.
“We used to live here in peace, Muslim and Christians. Almost two years ago gunmen occupied Doura’s main street and spread their hegemony over the whole area. “They have forced Christian families to leave. They tell Christians if they do not become Muslims or pay head tax they must go. The area is under the gunmen’s control and I wonder where the government is,” said Jaafar Abdulsattar.
A Christian woman, wearing black and refusing to be named, said she and her family were forced to leave their house in Mekanic, a sub-district of Doura. “Before we were forced to leave, they (gunmen) had kidnapped my husband and taken his car. We still do not know what happened to him. Then they contacted us asking us to convert to Islam along with $10,000. Then they forced us to leave and we don’t know who now lives in our house,” she said.
Alias Toma Rafael, another Christian, said the gunmen kidnapped his son and threatened to kill him if he and his family did not leave. “Fearing their oppression, I left the house and the area,” Rafael said. Susan Boutros also had her husband kidnapped and to have him released the gunmen asked for $10,000. “I have two sons one of them is paralyzed. They took our house and we had to leave the area,” she said.
Isaac George was lucky to leave his house where he had lived for nearly 20 years without any member of his family being kidnapped or killed. Fawzi Abedsadda wonders whether any form of government authority apart from the Green Zone remains in Baghdad. “What are the authorities doing? Why do not they liberate our areas from these armed cliques,” he asked.
The gunmen’s major target is Iraqi Christians in Doura which used to have a sizeable Christian minority, numerous churches and five monasteries. The gunmen have established what they call ‘the Islamic Emirate’ in the area where they apply by force their own interpretation of Islam. Christians who refuse to convert to Islam have either to leave or pay a hefty tax.
“We used to live here in peace, Muslim and Christians. Almost two years ago gunmen occupied Doura’s main street and spread their hegemony over the whole area. “They have forced Christian families to leave. They tell Christians if they do not become Muslims or pay head tax they must go. The area is under the gunmen’s control and I wonder where the government is,” said Jaafar Abdulsattar.
A Christian woman, wearing black and refusing to be named, said she and her family were forced to leave their house in Mekanic, a sub-district of Doura. “Before we were forced to leave, they (gunmen) had kidnapped my husband and taken his car. We still do not know what happened to him. Then they contacted us asking us to convert to Islam along with $10,000. Then they forced us to leave and we don’t know who now lives in our house,” she said.
Alias Toma Rafael, another Christian, said the gunmen kidnapped his son and threatened to kill him if he and his family did not leave. “Fearing their oppression, I left the house and the area,” Rafael said. Susan Boutros also had her husband kidnapped and to have him released the gunmen asked for $10,000. “I have two sons one of them is paralyzed. They took our house and we had to leave the area,” she said.
Isaac George was lucky to leave his house where he had lived for nearly 20 years without any member of his family being kidnapped or killed. Fawzi Abedsadda wonders whether any form of government authority apart from the Green Zone remains in Baghdad. “What are the authorities doing? Why do not they liberate our areas from these armed cliques,” he asked.
Labels: Doura, Iraqi Christians, Sharia, the Islamic Emirate
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Al-Qaeda members becoming informants for U.S. military
Insurgency
(The Times) - Fed up with being part of a group that cuts off a person’s face with piano wire to teach others a lesson, dozens of low-level members of al-Qaeda in Iraq are daring to become informants for the US military in a hostile Baghdad neighbourhood. The ground-breaking move in Doura is part of a wider trend that has started in other al-Qaeda hotspots across the country and in which Sunni insurgent groups and tribal sheikhs have stood together with the coalition against the extremist movement.
“They are turning. We are talking to people who we believe have worked for al-Qaeda in Iraq and want to reconcile and have peace,” said Colonel Ricky Gibbs, commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, which oversees the area. The sewage-filled streets of Doura, a Sunni Arab enclave in south Baghdad, provide an ugly setting for what US commanders say is al-Qaeda’s last stronghold in the city. The secretive group, however, appears to be losing its grip as a “surge” of US troops in the neighbourhood – part of the latest effort by President Bush to end the chaos in Iraq – has resulted in scores of fighters being killed, captured or forced to flee.
“Al-Qaeda’s days are numbered and right now he is scrambling,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Michael, who commands a battalion of 700 troops in Doura. A key factor is that local people and members of al-Qaeda itself have become sickened by the violence and are starting to rebel, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael said. “The people have got to deny them sanctuary and that is exactly what is happening.”
Al-Qaeda informants comprise largely members of the Doura network who found themselves either working with the group after the US-led invasion in March 2003, or signed up to earn extra cash because there were no other jobs going. Disgusted at the attacks and intimidation techniques used on friends, neighbours and even relatives, they are now increasingly looking for a way out, US officers say.
“It is only after al-Qaeda has become truly barbaric and done things like, to teach lessons to people, cut their face off with piano wire in front of their family and then murdered everybody except one child who told the tale afterwards . . . that people realise how much of a mess they are in,” Lieutenant James Danly, 31, who works on military intelligence in Doura, said.
It is impossible to corroborate the claims, but he said that scores of junior al-Qaeda in Iraq members there had become informants since May, including one low-level cell leader who gave vital information after his arrest. “He gave us dates, places and names and who did what,” Lieutenant Danly said. When asked why he was being so forthcoming, the man said: “Because I am sick of it and I hate them, and I am done.”
Working with insurgents – even those who claim to have switched sides – is a leap of faith for both sides. Every informant who visits Forward Operating Base Falcon, a vast military camp on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, is blindfolded when brought in and out to avoid gleaning any information about his surroundings.
The risk sometimes pays off. A recent tip-off led to the fatal shooting of Abu Kaldoun, one of three senior al-Qaeda leaders in Doura, during a US raid last week. “He was turned in by one of his own,” Colonel Michael said.
Progress with making contacts and gathering actionable information is slow because al-Qaeda has persuasive methods of keeping people quiet. This month it beheaded two men in the street and pinned a note on to their corpses giving warning that anyone who cooperated with US troops would meet the same fate.
The increased presence of US forces in Doura, however, is encouraging insiders to overcome their fear and divulge what they know. Convoys of US soldiers are working the rubble-strewn streets day and night, knocking on doors, speaking to locals and following up leads on possible insurgent hideouts.
“People in al-Qaeda come to us and give us information,” said Lieutenant Scott Flanigan, as he drove past a line of fruit and vegetable stalls near a shabby shopping street in Doura, where people were buying bread and other groceries. The informants were not seeking an amnesty for crimes that they had committed. “They just do not want to be killed,” Lieutenant Flanigan said.
Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – who was killed in a US raid last year – established the Iraqi al-Qaeda network in 2004, but opinions differ on its compilation, size and capabilities. Some military experts believe that the group is a cell-based network of chapters who are loosely linked to an overall leader by go-between operatives.
Others, however, describe al-Qaeda in Iraq as a sort of franchise, with separate cells around the country that use the brand – made infamous by Osama bin Laden – and cultural ideology but do not work closely with each other or for one overriding leader. Despite the uncertainties one thing seems guaranteed. A hardcore of people calling themselves al-Qaeda in Iraq remains devoted to the extremist cause and is determined to fight on whatever the cost.
“They are turning. We are talking to people who we believe have worked for al-Qaeda in Iraq and want to reconcile and have peace,” said Colonel Ricky Gibbs, commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, which oversees the area. The sewage-filled streets of Doura, a Sunni Arab enclave in south Baghdad, provide an ugly setting for what US commanders say is al-Qaeda’s last stronghold in the city. The secretive group, however, appears to be losing its grip as a “surge” of US troops in the neighbourhood – part of the latest effort by President Bush to end the chaos in Iraq – has resulted in scores of fighters being killed, captured or forced to flee.
“Al-Qaeda’s days are numbered and right now he is scrambling,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Michael, who commands a battalion of 700 troops in Doura. A key factor is that local people and members of al-Qaeda itself have become sickened by the violence and are starting to rebel, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael said. “The people have got to deny them sanctuary and that is exactly what is happening.”
Al-Qaeda informants comprise largely members of the Doura network who found themselves either working with the group after the US-led invasion in March 2003, or signed up to earn extra cash because there were no other jobs going. Disgusted at the attacks and intimidation techniques used on friends, neighbours and even relatives, they are now increasingly looking for a way out, US officers say.
“It is only after al-Qaeda has become truly barbaric and done things like, to teach lessons to people, cut their face off with piano wire in front of their family and then murdered everybody except one child who told the tale afterwards . . . that people realise how much of a mess they are in,” Lieutenant James Danly, 31, who works on military intelligence in Doura, said.
It is impossible to corroborate the claims, but he said that scores of junior al-Qaeda in Iraq members there had become informants since May, including one low-level cell leader who gave vital information after his arrest. “He gave us dates, places and names and who did what,” Lieutenant Danly said. When asked why he was being so forthcoming, the man said: “Because I am sick of it and I hate them, and I am done.”
Working with insurgents – even those who claim to have switched sides – is a leap of faith for both sides. Every informant who visits Forward Operating Base Falcon, a vast military camp on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, is blindfolded when brought in and out to avoid gleaning any information about his surroundings.
The risk sometimes pays off. A recent tip-off led to the fatal shooting of Abu Kaldoun, one of three senior al-Qaeda leaders in Doura, during a US raid last week. “He was turned in by one of his own,” Colonel Michael said.
Progress with making contacts and gathering actionable information is slow because al-Qaeda has persuasive methods of keeping people quiet. This month it beheaded two men in the street and pinned a note on to their corpses giving warning that anyone who cooperated with US troops would meet the same fate.
The increased presence of US forces in Doura, however, is encouraging insiders to overcome their fear and divulge what they know. Convoys of US soldiers are working the rubble-strewn streets day and night, knocking on doors, speaking to locals and following up leads on possible insurgent hideouts.
“People in al-Qaeda come to us and give us information,” said Lieutenant Scott Flanigan, as he drove past a line of fruit and vegetable stalls near a shabby shopping street in Doura, where people were buying bread and other groceries. The informants were not seeking an amnesty for crimes that they had committed. “They just do not want to be killed,” Lieutenant Flanigan said.
Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – who was killed in a US raid last year – established the Iraqi al-Qaeda network in 2004, but opinions differ on its compilation, size and capabilities. Some military experts believe that the group is a cell-based network of chapters who are loosely linked to an overall leader by go-between operatives.
Others, however, describe al-Qaeda in Iraq as a sort of franchise, with separate cells around the country that use the brand – made infamous by Osama bin Laden – and cultural ideology but do not work closely with each other or for one overriding leader. Despite the uncertainties one thing seems guaranteed. A hardcore of people calling themselves al-Qaeda in Iraq remains devoted to the extremist cause and is determined to fight on whatever the cost.
Labels: Abu Kaldoun, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Colonel Ricky Gibbs, Doura, Forward Operating Base Falcon, informants, Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Michael, U.S. military
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Doura besieged by U.S.-Iraqi troops
Security
(Azzaman) - The restive Doura quarter of Baghdad has been under siege for nearly two weeks and residents say they are running out of basic items and amenities. Doura is an anti-U.S. stronghold where armed groups have had the upper hand for years. Repeated U.S. assaults have failed to dislodge the rebels, most of them adhering to the strict rules of Islam.
Most Christians have left the district following threats of kidnapping or killing. Doura’s four churches and three monasteries have been evacuated with U.S. troops turning two of them into barracks. But the remaining residents say U.S. military operations and sieges have turned their quarter into a big prison. They say shops have been closed and people cannot leave their homes with U.S. snipers occupying roofs of high buildings.
Iqbal Abdullah said the military cordon prevents civil servants from going to work and has made it impossible for students to join school. “The Doura area is besieged by U.S. and Iraqi troops. I have not been able to go to work for nearly two weeks. The troops prevent people from walking or moving from one place to another,” she said.
Saad Mohammed, a taxi driver, said he had not been able to drive for all this period. “The Doura area is under complete siege. There are no shops, no pharmacy, and no clinic. There is no electricity or water. We are passing through real tragedy,” he said. Omer Ahmad said the troops would not even allow a person to shop from other areas. “The forces in Doura do not allow residents to even walk in the district. Several people have been either injured or killed by snipers as they tried to leave their homes,” he said.
Doura is one of the most violent quarters of Baghdad. The rebels have imposed strict Islamic jurisprudence on the population which included a sizeable Christian minority.
Most Christians have left the district following threats of kidnapping or killing. Doura’s four churches and three monasteries have been evacuated with U.S. troops turning two of them into barracks. But the remaining residents say U.S. military operations and sieges have turned their quarter into a big prison. They say shops have been closed and people cannot leave their homes with U.S. snipers occupying roofs of high buildings.
Iqbal Abdullah said the military cordon prevents civil servants from going to work and has made it impossible for students to join school. “The Doura area is besieged by U.S. and Iraqi troops. I have not been able to go to work for nearly two weeks. The troops prevent people from walking or moving from one place to another,” she said.
Saad Mohammed, a taxi driver, said he had not been able to drive for all this period. “The Doura area is under complete siege. There are no shops, no pharmacy, and no clinic. There is no electricity or water. We are passing through real tragedy,” he said. Omer Ahmad said the troops would not even allow a person to shop from other areas. “The forces in Doura do not allow residents to even walk in the district. Several people have been either injured or killed by snipers as they tried to leave their homes,” he said.
Doura is one of the most violent quarters of Baghdad. The rebels have imposed strict Islamic jurisprudence on the population which included a sizeable Christian minority.
Labels: Doura, U.S.-Iraqi security forces, violence
Friday, May 11, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
Roundup of Iraq Violence - 10 May 2007
(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. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(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. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1200 GMT on Friday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed and two others were wounded when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, the U.S. military said. One of the wounded soldiers later returned to duty, the military said.
TIKRIT - One U.S. soldier was killed and nine were wounded by an explosion on Thursday during combat operations in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
DIWANIYA - A U.S. soldier was killed on Thursday when his patrol came under small-arms fire in Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small-arms fire on Thursday in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. troops killed four militants suspected of involvement in car bomb networks, including one believed to have links to senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders in a series of raids in and around Baghdad and in the northern city of Mosul over the past two days, the U.S. military. Nine militants were detained.
ZAAFARANIYA - A mortar bomb killed two people and wounded four when it hit a market in Zaafaraniya district in southern Baghdad on Thursday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police said they found 20 bullet-riddled bodies in different districts of Baghdad on Thursday.
MOSUL - Police found six bodies on Thursday in different districts in Mosul, north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two mortar bombs killed two people and wounded one in southern Baghdad's Doura district on Thursday, police said.
DIWANIYA - A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol wounded five policemen and three other people on Thursday in Diwaniya, police said.
KIRKUK - Police said they found an unidentified bullet-riddled body bearing signs of torture on Friday in Hawija, 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Kirkuk.
KIRKUK - Gunmen killed one civilian in a drive-by shooting in Kirkuk, police said.
FALLUJA - U.S. forces killed several insurgents and destroyed three trucks with mounted anti-aircraft weapons on Tuesday near Karmah, a town near the western city of Falluja, the U.S. military said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed the deputy mayor of Falluja's municipal council in a drive-by shooting near his house, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces found a large cache of mortar rounds in western Baghdad on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed and two others were wounded when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, the U.S. military said. One of the wounded soldiers later returned to duty, the military said.
TIKRIT - One U.S. soldier was killed and nine were wounded by an explosion on Thursday during combat operations in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
DIWANIYA - A U.S. soldier was killed on Thursday when his patrol came under small-arms fire in Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small-arms fire on Thursday in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. troops killed four militants suspected of involvement in car bomb networks, including one believed to have links to senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders in a series of raids in and around Baghdad and in the northern city of Mosul over the past two days, the U.S. military. Nine militants were detained.
ZAAFARANIYA - A mortar bomb killed two people and wounded four when it hit a market in Zaafaraniya district in southern Baghdad on Thursday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police said they found 20 bullet-riddled bodies in different districts of Baghdad on Thursday.
MOSUL - Police found six bodies on Thursday in different districts in Mosul, north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two mortar bombs killed two people and wounded one in southern Baghdad's Doura district on Thursday, police said.
DIWANIYA - A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol wounded five policemen and three other people on Thursday in Diwaniya, police said.
KIRKUK - Police said they found an unidentified bullet-riddled body bearing signs of torture on Friday in Hawija, 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Kirkuk.
KIRKUK - Gunmen killed one civilian in a drive-by shooting in Kirkuk, police said.
FALLUJA - U.S. forces killed several insurgents and destroyed three trucks with mounted anti-aircraft weapons on Tuesday near Karmah, a town near the western city of Falluja, the U.S. military said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed the deputy mayor of Falluja's municipal council in a drive-by shooting near his house, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces found a large cache of mortar rounds in western Baghdad on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.
Labels: Baghdad, car bomb networks, Diwaniya, Doura, Fallujah, Hawija, mortar rounds, Mosul, Tikrit, Zaafaraniya
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Iraqi Christians call on the government to protect them
Security, Religion
(AFP) - The leaders of Iraq's Christian minority on Thursday called on the country's beleaguered government to protect their community from attacks by Al Qaeda-inspired Muslim extremists. In a joint statement, Patriarch Mar Dinka IV of the Catholic Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Emmanuel Delly of Babylon said Baghdad's remaining Christians were facing persecution. They blamed the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq", an alliance of Islamist insurgent groups that serves as an Al-Qaeda front, for much of the violence.
"Christians in a number of Iraqi regions, especially those under the control of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq, have faced blackmail, kidnapping and displacement," the statement said.
The churchmen expressed surprise that Al-Qaeda's influence has "reached parts of Baghdad while the government has kept silent and not taken a firm stance to stop their expansion."
Before the US invasion in March 2003 there were estimated to be around 800,000 Christians in Iraq, around three percent of the otherwise largely Muslim population, living mainly in urban centres such as Baghdad.
Although there were some attacks on churches in the immediate aftermath of the fall of
Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Christians were not especially targeted while rival Sunni and Shiite Muslim factions went to war. As a relatively wealthy community, however, many Christians fell prey to kidnap and ransom gangs and many -- probably more than half -- of them have fled the country or moved to the relative safety of Iraqi Kurdistan. Now there are reports that Salafist groups such as Al-Qaeda, fundamentalists who believe Islam can be renewed by returning to the values of the era of the Prophet Mohammed, are targeting Christians on purely sectarian grounds.
In recent weeks a "fatwa" or Muslim religious decree has been issued by extremists ordering Christians to flee Dura, a southern suburb of Baghdad which is a hotbed of Sunni insurgent groups. In addition to calling on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government to protect them, the patriarchs also urged the United Nations to intervene.
"Christians in a number of Iraqi regions, especially those under the control of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq, have faced blackmail, kidnapping and displacement," the statement said.
The churchmen expressed surprise that Al-Qaeda's influence has "reached parts of Baghdad while the government has kept silent and not taken a firm stance to stop their expansion."
Before the US invasion in March 2003 there were estimated to be around 800,000 Christians in Iraq, around three percent of the otherwise largely Muslim population, living mainly in urban centres such as Baghdad.
Although there were some attacks on churches in the immediate aftermath of the fall of
Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Christians were not especially targeted while rival Sunni and Shiite Muslim factions went to war. As a relatively wealthy community, however, many Christians fell prey to kidnap and ransom gangs and many -- probably more than half -- of them have fled the country or moved to the relative safety of Iraqi Kurdistan. Now there are reports that Salafist groups such as Al-Qaeda, fundamentalists who believe Islam can be renewed by returning to the values of the era of the Prophet Mohammed, are targeting Christians on purely sectarian grounds.
In recent weeks a "fatwa" or Muslim religious decree has been issued by extremists ordering Christians to flee Dura, a southern suburb of Baghdad which is a hotbed of Sunni insurgent groups. In addition to calling on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government to protect them, the patriarchs also urged the United Nations to intervene.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Doura, Iraqi Christians, Islamic State of Iraq, of Iraq, Patriarch Emmanuel Delly of Babylon, Patriarch Mar Dinka IV, U.N.
Worse security conditions despite 'surge'
Security
(Azzaman) - Baghdad inhabitants say the presence of armed groups has intensified since the start of U.S. military operations to pacify the city more than two months ago. More and more armed groups are springing up in Baghdad, they say, and restive quarters like Doura and Ghazaliya have turned into major insurgent strongholds.
The Ministry of Interior which plays a big hand in the current operations targeting armed and rebel groups in the city would not comment on reports on the escalation of the number of armed in the city. But a ministry source, refusing to be named, said, “The security forces are striking with a fist of iron all the hatcheries of armed groups in various areas (of Baghdad) and the provinces by capturing many of them every week.”
But Baghdad residents have different stories to tell. Kadhem Abedsada who has been forced to flee al-Ghazaliya district, said security conditions have aggravated since the government began its security plan. “I have never seen such a wide presence of armed groups before. Their hideouts dot al-Ghazaliya and they are breeding like mushrooms. They call themselves resistance but they kill and kidnap on identity cards and ask for massive ransoms,” Abedsada said.
A woman, refusing to be named, said her husband was abducted by armed men who forced their way into their house in the violent neighborhood of Saydiya. “My husband was kidnapped from our home in Saydiya by an unidentified armed group. They entered our house, handcuffed my husband and took away our money and jewelry. “Then they asked for $30,000 as a ransom but later reduced it to $20,000 when I told them they had already taken almost all what we had. “After paying the ransom, they released my husband on condition that we immediately evacuate the neighborhood and so did we,” said the woman, who only spoke on condition of anonymity.
Abu Ahmad from al-Jamia neighborhood said their areas had turned into hideouts for armed groups. “Armed groups operate and act with impunity. They can do whatever they want as there are no Iraqi security forces in most of our neighborhood. “Occasionally, U.S. troops storm certain areas and arrest some people most of whom are innocent,” Abu Ahmad said.
Conditions in Amiriya neighborhood have also worsened since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched their security plan. Hadi Mahmoud said many residents in Amiriya now fear leaving their homes and a trip outside the neighborhood is for many ‘a journey to certain death.’ “We cannot leave our areas and our homes. Our neighborhood looks almost deserted apart from the sight of armed groups brandishing their weapons and wandering freely in the streets,” said Mahmoud.
The Ministry of Interior which plays a big hand in the current operations targeting armed and rebel groups in the city would not comment on reports on the escalation of the number of armed in the city. But a ministry source, refusing to be named, said, “The security forces are striking with a fist of iron all the hatcheries of armed groups in various areas (of Baghdad) and the provinces by capturing many of them every week.”
But Baghdad residents have different stories to tell. Kadhem Abedsada who has been forced to flee al-Ghazaliya district, said security conditions have aggravated since the government began its security plan. “I have never seen such a wide presence of armed groups before. Their hideouts dot al-Ghazaliya and they are breeding like mushrooms. They call themselves resistance but they kill and kidnap on identity cards and ask for massive ransoms,” Abedsada said.
A woman, refusing to be named, said her husband was abducted by armed men who forced their way into their house in the violent neighborhood of Saydiya. “My husband was kidnapped from our home in Saydiya by an unidentified armed group. They entered our house, handcuffed my husband and took away our money and jewelry. “Then they asked for $30,000 as a ransom but later reduced it to $20,000 when I told them they had already taken almost all what we had. “After paying the ransom, they released my husband on condition that we immediately evacuate the neighborhood and so did we,” said the woman, who only spoke on condition of anonymity.
Abu Ahmad from al-Jamia neighborhood said their areas had turned into hideouts for armed groups. “Armed groups operate and act with impunity. They can do whatever they want as there are no Iraqi security forces in most of our neighborhood. “Occasionally, U.S. troops storm certain areas and arrest some people most of whom are innocent,” Abu Ahmad said.
Conditions in Amiriya neighborhood have also worsened since U.S. and Iraqi forces launched their security plan. Hadi Mahmoud said many residents in Amiriya now fear leaving their homes and a trip outside the neighborhood is for many ‘a journey to certain death.’ “We cannot leave our areas and our homes. Our neighborhood looks almost deserted apart from the sight of armed groups brandishing their weapons and wandering freely in the streets,” said Mahmoud.
COMMENT: The Azzaman Arabic Daily is a self declared “independent” newspaper printed in Great Britain and distributed throughout the Arab community. The Editor-in-Chief, Sadi Al Bazzaz is a former employee of the Iraqi Ministry of Information, who fled Iraq in the early 1990’s to Great Britain. Azzaman is widely read throughout Baghdad as a valuable source of information. Azzaman continues to be the most popular printed news source in Baghdad. Azzaman takes more of a center approach in its reporting and editorials, rather than being pro-Coalition. The paper does run anti-Coalition pieces that label the US presence in Iraq as an occupying force. Azzaman Arabic Daily resembles a liberal, non-religious based, western paper; providing local and international news, sports, fashion, arts, a cyber section called “@.” This paper and those like it were not available in Baghdad during the Saddam regime.COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: al-Jamia, Ameriyah, armed groups, Baghdad, Doura, Ghazaliyah, insurgents, Ministry of Interior, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, Saydiya, security
Friday, May 04, 2007
MPs speak up for Iraqi Christians
Religion, Security
(Azzaman) - Iraqi Christians are fleeing their areas particularly in the restive quarters of Baghdad despite the ongoing U.S. and Iraqi military operations to bring stability to the city. In the violent district of Doura, for example, all the remaining Christians have received written warnings signed by armed groups either to leave or covert to Islam.
Doura was a major Christian center with several monasteries, churches and a major Chaldean Catholic seminary. They are all empty now with monks, priests and congregations fearing to attend them. A Christian member of parliament, Abdulahad Mansour, said to stay the Christians are forced to pay a tax of 250,000 dinars for each member of the family, an exorbitant sum which only few can afford in Iraq.
“I urge the government to put an end to these threats and practices and find a solution to the suffering of Christians in Iraq,” said Mansour. Another MP, Romeo Hakari, said large numbers of Christians have fled to the Kurdish north or left the country for Syria or Jordan. “Iraqi Christians have been subjected, following the collapse of the former regime, and especially in Baghdad, to a real crisis for the first time in their history. Many of them have been killed, many of them have been kidnapped; their churches have been destroyed; and thousands made homeless,” Hakari said.
Doura was a major Christian center with several monasteries, churches and a major Chaldean Catholic seminary. They are all empty now with monks, priests and congregations fearing to attend them. A Christian member of parliament, Abdulahad Mansour, said to stay the Christians are forced to pay a tax of 250,000 dinars for each member of the family, an exorbitant sum which only few can afford in Iraq.
“I urge the government to put an end to these threats and practices and find a solution to the suffering of Christians in Iraq,” said Mansour. Another MP, Romeo Hakari, said large numbers of Christians have fled to the Kurdish north or left the country for Syria or Jordan. “Iraqi Christians have been subjected, following the collapse of the former regime, and especially in Baghdad, to a real crisis for the first time in their history. Many of them have been killed, many of them have been kidnapped; their churches have been destroyed; and thousands made homeless,” Hakari said.
Labels: Abdulahad Mansour, Baghdad, Doura, Iraq Christians
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Armed militias resurface in Baghdad
Security
(Azzaman) - Armed militia groups have resurfaced in Baghdad despite the continuing military operations to purge the city of armed gangs and insurgents. Joint Iraqi-U.S. military operations are continuing as more and more U.S. troops arrive in the city. But the heavy presence of troops on the ground does not seem to act as an effective deterrent to scare off militias and other armed groups.
Militias groups, belonging to political factions which are part of the ruling government, now operate openly in major Baghdad neighborhoods such as Suala, Doura, Baghdad Jadida and Kamp Sara. Eyewitnesses say the militias have their patrols and road blocks in these areas and criminal actions like the kidnapping of women and children are taking place in several parts of the city. The eyewitnesses refused to be named for fear of retribution. They said Iraqi troops assigned to control these districts are turning a blind eye to militia activities.
Militias groups, belonging to political factions which are part of the ruling government, now operate openly in major Baghdad neighborhoods such as Suala, Doura, Baghdad Jadida and Kamp Sara. Eyewitnesses say the militias have their patrols and road blocks in these areas and criminal actions like the kidnapping of women and children are taking place in several parts of the city. The eyewitnesses refused to be named for fear of retribution. They said Iraqi troops assigned to control these districts are turning a blind eye to militia activities.
Labels: Baghdad, Baghdad Jadida, Doura, Kamp Sara, militias, Suala
