Sunday, November 11, 2007
Iraq - Iran pipeline may be built
Oil
(UPI) -- Iraq and Iran may be moving ahead on a cross-river oil pipeline, a move the Iraq ministry has talked about but was further down the road. Media reports are carrying the word of a source in Iraq’s South Oil Co. that the pipeline construction has started. The South Oil Co. is a state-owned entity producing and transporting oil from Basra and surrounding areas, where 80 percent of Iraq’s oil reserves are located.
The Kuwait News Agency reports the construction of the pipeline between ports in Basra and the Abaadan port in Iran, crossing the Shatt al-Arab river. The pipeline capacity would be 200,000 barrels per day, and provide another route for Iraq exports and allowing an increase in production, the Al Mashriq newspaper reports.
Iraq produces just over 2 million barrels per day right now, but with 115 billion barrels of proven reserves, it could handle much more. Iraq and Iran had apparently signed a deal on the pipeline, though details are not known. Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani has confirmed it as one of many options to increase production and exports of the oil.
Labels: Abaadan port, Basra, Hussain al-Shahristani, Iran, Iraq, oil pipeline, South Oil Company
Friday, October 12, 2007
SIIC leader returns from Tehran
Politics
(RFE/RL) - Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), met with leading members of his party on October 10, following his return from cancer treatment in Tehran, the party's website reported on October 11. Al-Hakim reportedly addressed a number of issues at the meeting, including the latest political and security developments and the need to consolidate national unity. The report said those in attendance expressed their happiness over their leader's return after making a "full recovery" from cancer.
Labels: Abd Al Aziz Al Hakim, Iran, SIIC
Monday, October 08, 2007
U.S. military says it has detained 3 Iran-linked suspects in kidnapping of Brits
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - The U.S. military in Iraq said on Monday it has detained three Iran-backed Shiite militia fighters believed responsible for the kidnapping of five British security contractors last May. "Coalition Forces from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division detained three terrorists associated with the Iranian-backed Special Groups Militia during a pre-dawn raid in Sadr City on Oct 6," the U.S. army said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The individuals detained during the raid are believed to be members of the Special Groups Militia network known for kidnapping, facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively-formed penetrators from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for military training," it added.
"The three insurgents captured are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of five British contractors in Baghdad on May 29," the statement noted. A group of armed men in police uniforms abducted the five Britons from the Iraqi Finance Ministry in May. Their fate is not known.
"The individuals detained during the raid are believed to be members of the Special Groups Militia network known for kidnapping, facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively-formed penetrators from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for military training," it added.
"The three insurgents captured are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of five British contractors in Baghdad on May 29," the statement noted. A group of armed men in police uniforms abducted the five Britons from the Iraqi Finance Ministry in May. Their fate is not known.
Labels: Iran, kidnapped Brits, Shiite militias, Special Groups Militia network
Iran reopens border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan
Region
(AP) - Iran reopened five border crossing points with Kurdish-run northern Iraq on Monday, closed last month by Tehran to protest the U.S. detention of an Iranian official. The Iranian border points were closed Sept. 24 to protest the U.S. detention of an Iranian official. The U.S. military has said the official was a member of the paramilitary Quds Force, a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that is accused of providing arms and training to Shiite extremists.
The border points were reopened after a Kurdish delegation traveled to Iran to complain the region should not be punished for something the Americans did. Iraqi and Iranian authorities have claimed that the detained Iranian, Mahmoud Farhadi, was in Iraq on official business and demanded his release. A spokesman for the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, Jamal Abdullah, said he hoped the resumed flow of traffic and goods would help rising prices plaguing the region since the closures.
The reopening is in the "economic interests of both countries," Abdullah said, adding that Tehran and Baghdad share the responsibility to "prevent gunmen from having access to either side of the border." U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus claimed this weekend that the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, was a member of the Quds Force.
"The Quds Force controls the policy for Iraq; there should be no confusion about that either," Petraeus told CNN and other reporters during a trip to a military base on the Iranian border. "The ambassador is a Quds Force member. Now he has diplomatic immunity and therefore he is obviously not subject (to an investigation) and he is acting as a diplomat."
Petraeus did not provide details on how he knew that Qomi, who has held talks in Baghdad with U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, belonged to the Quds Force. The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations. "These are not new comments. Similar accusations were raised, formerly. It is baseless and not right," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters in Tehran.
The Iraqis have found themselves caught between two allies as they struggle to balance the interests of the U.S. military, their main sponsor, and Iran, a major regional ally. Iran holds considerable sway in Iraq: Both countries have majority Shiite populations, and many members of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shiite bloc have close ties with Tehran.
The border points were reopened after a Kurdish delegation traveled to Iran to complain the region should not be punished for something the Americans did. Iraqi and Iranian authorities have claimed that the detained Iranian, Mahmoud Farhadi, was in Iraq on official business and demanded his release. A spokesman for the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, Jamal Abdullah, said he hoped the resumed flow of traffic and goods would help rising prices plaguing the region since the closures.
The reopening is in the "economic interests of both countries," Abdullah said, adding that Tehran and Baghdad share the responsibility to "prevent gunmen from having access to either side of the border." U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus claimed this weekend that the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, was a member of the Quds Force.
"The Quds Force controls the policy for Iraq; there should be no confusion about that either," Petraeus told CNN and other reporters during a trip to a military base on the Iranian border. "The ambassador is a Quds Force member. Now he has diplomatic immunity and therefore he is obviously not subject (to an investigation) and he is acting as a diplomat."
Petraeus did not provide details on how he knew that Qomi, who has held talks in Baghdad with U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, belonged to the Quds Force. The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations. "These are not new comments. Similar accusations were raised, formerly. It is baseless and not right," ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters in Tehran.
The Iraqis have found themselves caught between two allies as they struggle to balance the interests of the U.S. military, their main sponsor, and Iran, a major regional ally. Iran holds considerable sway in Iraq: Both countries have majority Shiite populations, and many members of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shiite bloc have close ties with Tehran.
Labels: border, General David Petraeus, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran, Iranian detainee, Kurdistan, Mahmoud Farhadi, Quds Force
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Smuggling rife over Kurdistan - Iran border
Crime
(Kurdish Globe) - Near Haji Omeran town near the Iranian border, northeast of Erbil province, smugglers market alcohol on a spot of ground they call Barzari Mashrubfroshan (Market of Alcohol Sellers).
The small smuggling bazaar is located on a foothill where hundreds of sellers hide inside their tents daily, waiting for Iranian customers while avoiding religious authorities who strictly forbid their contraband. The smugglers carry wine and other types of alcohol as well as cigarettes and other illegal items into Iran on the backs of their mules, while border guards from both countries are within eyesight.
In addition to the possibility of being shot by Iranian border guards, the smugglers take a very narrow, difficult path loaded with mines left behind from decades of regional wars. Already many have died in mine explosions. "Our work is very difficult. When smugglers leave toward the Iranian border, they are not sure that they will arrive safe," said Abdul-Aziz Adhami, a 44-year-old alcohol seller. Adhami has fled Iran because of a rebellious political background. "Till now, several of my friends have been shot to death by Iranian border guards."
The most popular starting points of smuggling at the border of Haji Omran-Iran are Bane, Marivan, and Qela Shin. These are the most crowded of many. Alcohol and foreign cigarettes, including Winston, Easton, Magna, etc., that are smuggled into Iran are strictly prohibited by Iranian authorities. Alcohol sellers and even users may face sentences of whipping or at least a monetary fine. Nevertheless, people, especially youths, buy it.
"Different kinds of cigarettes are smuggled to the other side and a little tax is paid to the government here," said Abdulla Hamad Amin, 26, owner of a cigarette store in that market. Whisky, vodka, and champagne are the most popular alcohol smuggled into Iran. They are sold for twice the original price to Iranian customers, and for cities further away from the border, prices get progressively more expensive. Smuggling is the only source of living for many families in Haji Omeran.
Alcohols and cigarettes mostly are legally imported into Kurdistan from the Ibrahim Khalil-Turkey border, where they are distributed through Kurdistan. However, Iranian border guards are very firm in preventing smugglers from entering their land, smugglers said. Meanwhile, observers in Kurdistan constantly accuse the Iranian government of not controlling its borders with Kurdistan, where drugs flow easily into the region.
According to smugglers, they easily cross the border into Kurdistan while carrying drugs. "Many smugglers sometimes pay bribes to Iranian checkpoint guards and import opium into Kurdistan," concluded Adhami.
The small smuggling bazaar is located on a foothill where hundreds of sellers hide inside their tents daily, waiting for Iranian customers while avoiding religious authorities who strictly forbid their contraband. The smugglers carry wine and other types of alcohol as well as cigarettes and other illegal items into Iran on the backs of their mules, while border guards from both countries are within eyesight.
In addition to the possibility of being shot by Iranian border guards, the smugglers take a very narrow, difficult path loaded with mines left behind from decades of regional wars. Already many have died in mine explosions. "Our work is very difficult. When smugglers leave toward the Iranian border, they are not sure that they will arrive safe," said Abdul-Aziz Adhami, a 44-year-old alcohol seller. Adhami has fled Iran because of a rebellious political background. "Till now, several of my friends have been shot to death by Iranian border guards."
The most popular starting points of smuggling at the border of Haji Omran-Iran are Bane, Marivan, and Qela Shin. These are the most crowded of many. Alcohol and foreign cigarettes, including Winston, Easton, Magna, etc., that are smuggled into Iran are strictly prohibited by Iranian authorities. Alcohol sellers and even users may face sentences of whipping or at least a monetary fine. Nevertheless, people, especially youths, buy it.
"Different kinds of cigarettes are smuggled to the other side and a little tax is paid to the government here," said Abdulla Hamad Amin, 26, owner of a cigarette store in that market. Whisky, vodka, and champagne are the most popular alcohol smuggled into Iran. They are sold for twice the original price to Iranian customers, and for cities further away from the border, prices get progressively more expensive. Smuggling is the only source of living for many families in Haji Omeran.
Alcohols and cigarettes mostly are legally imported into Kurdistan from the Ibrahim Khalil-Turkey border, where they are distributed through Kurdistan. However, Iranian border guards are very firm in preventing smugglers from entering their land, smugglers said. Meanwhile, observers in Kurdistan constantly accuse the Iranian government of not controlling its borders with Kurdistan, where drugs flow easily into the region.
According to smugglers, they easily cross the border into Kurdistan while carrying drugs. "Many smugglers sometimes pay bribes to Iranian checkpoint guards and import opium into Kurdistan," concluded Adhami.
Labels: alcohol, Barzari Mashrubfroshan, cigarettes, drugs, Haji Omeran, Iran, Kurdistan, smuggling
Friday, September 14, 2007
Iraqi interior minister - Iraq 'unaware' of security barriers to be erected by neighbours
Region
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it has no information on the security barriers erected by neighbors Iran and Saudi Arabia along their borders with Iraq, describing such a move as "positive". "The erection of such security barriers would help prevent the infiltration of persons and trafficking of cars and vehicles that carry arms and explosives into Iraq," General Abdul Karim Khalaf, director of National Command Centre, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Khalaf who denied having any information on these security barriers said "this move, if carried out, will have positive effects on Iraq and neighbors." Earlier on Thursday, a source from Basra police said that Iran had accomplished a large part of a security barrier along its borders with the southern Iraqi city of Basra. "The Iranians are building a barrier along the Iraqi-Iranian borders in Basra city," a source from al-Shalamja police told VOI. The source, who asked not to be named, added "the barrier is seven meters high and a large part of it has already been erected."
Meanwhile, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper said the Saudi government will continue building a security fence on the borders with Iraq, with its first stage finished by the end of 2009, to stop infiltration operations. The newspaper quoted General Mansour al-Turki as saying on Thursday, "The first stage envisages the northern borders. The project was announced with a tender and several qualified companies presented their bids to win the project."
The Kingdom invited five companies to bid for the contract to build a 560 mile-long security fence along its border with Iraq at a cost of up to 4 billion Riyals (USD 1.07 billion), officials from the competing companies said on Wednesday. "The winning company will be announced this year," he also said.
The contract calls for a double-lined, razor wire fence along the Kingdom's frontier with its northern neighbor, complete with thermal imaging and radar equipment. Saudi Interior Minister Naief Bin Abdul Aziz said last November that the fence has became very important for protecting the country's security.
Khalaf who denied having any information on these security barriers said "this move, if carried out, will have positive effects on Iraq and neighbors." Earlier on Thursday, a source from Basra police said that Iran had accomplished a large part of a security barrier along its borders with the southern Iraqi city of Basra. "The Iranians are building a barrier along the Iraqi-Iranian borders in Basra city," a source from al-Shalamja police told VOI. The source, who asked not to be named, added "the barrier is seven meters high and a large part of it has already been erected."
Meanwhile, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper said the Saudi government will continue building a security fence on the borders with Iraq, with its first stage finished by the end of 2009, to stop infiltration operations. The newspaper quoted General Mansour al-Turki as saying on Thursday, "The first stage envisages the northern borders. The project was announced with a tender and several qualified companies presented their bids to win the project."
The Kingdom invited five companies to bid for the contract to build a 560 mile-long security fence along its border with Iraq at a cost of up to 4 billion Riyals (USD 1.07 billion), officials from the competing companies said on Wednesday. "The winning company will be announced this year," he also said.
The contract calls for a double-lined, razor wire fence along the Kingdom's frontier with its northern neighbor, complete with thermal imaging and radar equipment. Saudi Interior Minister Naief Bin Abdul Aziz said last November that the fence has became very important for protecting the country's security.
Labels: General Abdul Karim Khalaf, Interior Ministry, Iran, Saudi Arabia, security fence
Thursday, September 13, 2007
U.S. general - Iranian supplied rocket used in attack on military base
Security
(AFP) -- A US general in Iraq on Thursday pointed the finger of blame at Shiite militiamen using what he said was an Iranian-supplied rocket for a fatal attack two days ago on a military base near Baghdad. Major General Kevin Bergner said the rocket was launched from the Rasheed area of west Baghdad which he said was a stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The military said one person was killed and 12 injured in an "indirect fire" attack on Tuesday on Camp Victory, a sprawling military base near Baghdad international airport. Bergner, spokesman for US forces in Iraq, told a press conference the rocket was similar to those supplied in the past by "Iranian sources" to Mahdi Army fighters.
He acknowledged however that there was no direct evidence to prove that Mahdi Army fighters were behind Tuesday's attack nor that the weapon had definitely been supplied by Iranian forces. "It was consistent with rockets supplied in the past by Iranian sources to Jaysh al-Mahdi," he said, using the US military's term for the Mahdi Army.
Sadr has called on his militia to halt armed activities for six months, but attacks are continuing. "We do see some elements obeying Sadr's pledge," said Bergner. "But we also see some members who are disobeying his pledge."
The military said one person was killed and 12 injured in an "indirect fire" attack on Tuesday on Camp Victory, a sprawling military base near Baghdad international airport. Bergner, spokesman for US forces in Iraq, told a press conference the rocket was similar to those supplied in the past by "Iranian sources" to Mahdi Army fighters.
He acknowledged however that there was no direct evidence to prove that Mahdi Army fighters were behind Tuesday's attack nor that the weapon had definitely been supplied by Iranian forces. "It was consistent with rockets supplied in the past by Iranian sources to Jaysh al-Mahdi," he said, using the US military's term for the Mahdi Army.
Sadr has called on his militia to halt armed activities for six months, but attacks are continuing. "We do see some elements obeying Sadr's pledge," said Bergner. "But we also see some members who are disobeying his pledge."
Labels: Baghdad, Camp Victory, Iran, Mahdi Army, Major General Kevin Bergner
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Iran to build border wall to keep PKK out
Region
(AKI) - Iran has begun the construction of a wall along the border with war-torn Iraq, to prevent militants of the Kurdistan's Workers Party (PKK) out of the country. According to government sources in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, work on the first four kilometer long section of the wall are underway in the area of the Haj Omran border crossing, near the Qandil mountains.
The area is just six-kilometers from where US-troops stationed in Southern Kurdistan are building a new military base. The Pentagon has also announced the construction of armored military checkpoints, on all roads that lead from Iran to Iraq. The US military says the checkpoints aim to help curb the flow of weapons from Iran and destined for Iraqi insurgents.
Labels: Haj Omran, Iran, Iraq, PKK, Qandil mountains
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Iran to provide Iraq with fuel and electricity
Region
(Voices of Iraq) - The Iranian government will supply Iraq with fuel and electricity during the coming seven months and allocate $1 million to rebuild Iraqi infrastructure, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Rida Baqeri said. During a news conference held following the second Iraq's Neighbors' Conference on Sunday, Baqeri indicated that his government will provide Iraq with up to 1,250 megawatts of electricity during the coming few months.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday inaugurated the 2nd conference of Iraq's neighbors in Baghdad with the participation of more than 22 states, regional and international organizations. The conference aimed to assess progress achieved on the recommendations from the first neighbor's conference and the Sharm al-Sheikh conference held in May 2007.
Describing the conference's deliberations as "good and positive," Baqeri noted that the talks demonstrated the Iraqi government's ability to surmount all challenges, and a significant improvement in the security situation.
Baqeri also revealed his plan to discuss with Iraqi officials ways to boost mutual relations between the two countries.
In response to a question about recent developments in U.S.-Iranian talks, Baqeri said, "We accepted to sit down and talk with our enemies (in reference to the U.S. side) for Iraq's sake. If the Iraqi government asks us to sit down and talk with them again, we will consider its request."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday inaugurated the 2nd conference of Iraq's neighbors in Baghdad with the participation of more than 22 states, regional and international organizations. The conference aimed to assess progress achieved on the recommendations from the first neighbor's conference and the Sharm al-Sheikh conference held in May 2007.
Describing the conference's deliberations as "good and positive," Baqeri noted that the talks demonstrated the Iraqi government's ability to surmount all challenges, and a significant improvement in the security situation.
Baqeri also revealed his plan to discuss with Iraqi officials ways to boost mutual relations between the two countries.
In response to a question about recent developments in U.S.-Iranian talks, Baqeri said, "We accepted to sit down and talk with our enemies (in reference to the U.S. side) for Iraq's sake. If the Iraqi government asks us to sit down and talk with them again, we will consider its request."
Labels: electricity, fuel, Iran, Iraq, Mohammad Rida Baqeri, regional conference
Kurdish guerillas launch secret war in Iran
Region
(Daily Telegraph) - Kurdish guerrillas have launched a clandestine war in northwestern Iran, ambushing troops as they seek Western backing to secure an ethnic homeland. In retaliation, the Iranian army has carried out a series of counterattacks in the mountains, which span the border with Iraq. Murat Karayilan, a Kurdish guerrilla commander, told the Daily Telegraph that Tehran had originally tried to recruit the outlawed groups to fight coalition troops in Iraq.
"The U.S. and Britain came to Iraq to establish a democratic system, but this scared the Iranians, so they negotiated with us and offered many things to attack the coalition," he said under a canopy of trees near his headquarters on Iraqi territory in the Qandil Mountains. Iranian newspapers have reported the deaths of seven soldiers in recent clashes with Kurdish guerrillas. Last month, the rebels claimed responsibility for shooting down an Iranian helicopter.
A loose alliance of guerrillas, styling itself the Kurdistan Democratic Federation, is fighting for an independent state which would cover the Kurdish-majority areas of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Mr. Karayilan, who is from the PKK guerrilla group, said Iran and Turkey were acting in tandem to repress their Kurdish regions. But, he added, the Kurds have been inspired by the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, which has been relatively secure since Saddam Hussein's downfall in 2003. "The regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan has increased the national feeling of Kurds everywhere," he said.
Iran believes that the U.S. and Britain are now arming and training the Kurdish guerrillas to strike its territory from bases inside Iraq. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, accused America of supporting terrorism inside the Islamic Republic. " America wants to carry out actions such as blowing up the country's oil pipelines by supporting bandits and small groups of Kurdish rebels," he told the Iranian press.
"The U.S. and Britain came to Iraq to establish a democratic system, but this scared the Iranians, so they negotiated with us and offered many things to attack the coalition," he said under a canopy of trees near his headquarters on Iraqi territory in the Qandil Mountains. Iranian newspapers have reported the deaths of seven soldiers in recent clashes with Kurdish guerrillas. Last month, the rebels claimed responsibility for shooting down an Iranian helicopter.
A loose alliance of guerrillas, styling itself the Kurdistan Democratic Federation, is fighting for an independent state which would cover the Kurdish-majority areas of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Mr. Karayilan, who is from the PKK guerrilla group, said Iran and Turkey were acting in tandem to repress their Kurdish regions. But, he added, the Kurds have been inspired by the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, which has been relatively secure since Saddam Hussein's downfall in 2003. "The regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan has increased the national feeling of Kurds everywhere," he said.
Iran believes that the U.S. and Britain are now arming and training the Kurdish guerrillas to strike its territory from bases inside Iraq. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, accused America of supporting terrorism inside the Islamic Republic. " America wants to carry out actions such as blowing up the country's oil pipelines by supporting bandits and small groups of Kurdish rebels," he told the Iranian press.
Labels: Iran, Kurdistan Democratic Federation, Murat Karayilan, PKK, Qandil mountains
Monday, September 10, 2007
Iranian diplomat hints at military intervention in Iraq
Region
(New York Times) - In a sharp escalation of a dispute over border fighting, an official Iranian delegation at a diplomatic conference here warned Sunday that if the Iraqi government could not stop militants from crossing into Iran and carrying out attacks, the Iranian authorities would respond militarily. The Iranian delegation, led by a deputy foreign minister, Mohammad R. Baqiri, also charged that the United States was supporting groups believed to be mounting attacks from Iraqi territory in the Kurdish north.
Mr. Baqiri did not specifically say that Iran would enter Iraq militarily, but his statements, couched in diplomatic terms, raised the clear possibility that Iranian forces could cross the border in pursuit of the militants. But however carefully phrased his statements, many of those distinctions are likely to be lost on hundreds of families on the Iraqi side who have been driven from their villages by weeks of intermittent shelling from Iran.
Hundreds of Kurds demonstrated Sunday against the shelling in the northern provincial capital of Erbil. They gathered outside the Kurdish Parliament building and asked that the northern government and the United Nations intervene. Senior Iranian officials have privately acknowledged to their Iraqi counterparts that the shelling is taking place in response to guerrilla attacks by a group opposed to the Iranian government that has bases on the Iraqi side of the border. At the conference on Sunday, at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Mr. Baqiri did not directly address the shelling, but he told officials from 16 nations, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference and the United Nations that it was time for Iraq to take action.
“Supporting military and political actions by terrorist elements in Iraq against neighboring countries is considered dangerous behavior that we cannot tolerate, and a major factor in the chaotic security situation and instability in the region,” Mr. Baqiri told the assembled delegates, according to an Arabic translation of his remarks, which were made in Persian. “We are waiting for the Iraqi government to do what it takes to resolve this issue.”
Later, asked at a briefing about the shelling, Mr. Baqiri said that in dealing with “terrorists who want to enter Iranian soil,” the Iranian government “will confront them and stop them.” “We have a long history in standing against terrorist groups,” Mr. Baqiri said. “We have made many sacrifices because of this, and we know how to confront these groups.”
Mr. Baqiri’s comments are likely to raise tensions against the bloody backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, which lasted throughout much of the 1980s and began with a border dispute in the south. Perhaps by design, his words seemed especially jarring because they were delivered during a conference organized to promote harmony in the region.
That conference was organized by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, led by Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who fought Saddam Hussein’s government as a guerrilla commander, often operating essentially as an ally of Iran. But in a diplomatic meeting in Tehran last week, Mr. Zebari called the shelling indiscriminate and far out of proportion to the threat to Iran. On Sunday, Mr. Zebari acknowledged that the cross-border attacks were taking place, but described them as infrequent and more of a nuisance than a real threat. Still, Mr. Zebari agreed that it fell to the Iraqi government to rein in the groups.
“But at the same time we want this shelling to stop or end because it’s causing a great deal of unease, and we don’t want to see the atmosphere of confidence to be compromised by these continuing acts,” Mr. Zebari said.
The group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks, called Pezak or Pejak for its acronym, is believed to be made up mainly of Iranian Kurds seeking autonomy for Kurds in Iran. Asked specifically about that group, Mr. Baqiri stated publicly what Iranian officials have been claiming privately for months: that the United States supports the group.
This support, Mr. Baqiri said, amounted to a “double standard” in American policy, given that the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of exporting deadly roadside bombs to Iraq and supporting armed groups here. Those weapons and support, American officials believe, have led directly to the deaths of American and Iraqi troops and other security forces. Told late Sunday of Mr. Baqiri’s accusations, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, said, “I am not aware of any support being provided” to Pejak.
Mr. Baqiri did not specifically say that Iran would enter Iraq militarily, but his statements, couched in diplomatic terms, raised the clear possibility that Iranian forces could cross the border in pursuit of the militants. But however carefully phrased his statements, many of those distinctions are likely to be lost on hundreds of families on the Iraqi side who have been driven from their villages by weeks of intermittent shelling from Iran.
Hundreds of Kurds demonstrated Sunday against the shelling in the northern provincial capital of Erbil. They gathered outside the Kurdish Parliament building and asked that the northern government and the United Nations intervene. Senior Iranian officials have privately acknowledged to their Iraqi counterparts that the shelling is taking place in response to guerrilla attacks by a group opposed to the Iranian government that has bases on the Iraqi side of the border. At the conference on Sunday, at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Mr. Baqiri did not directly address the shelling, but he told officials from 16 nations, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference and the United Nations that it was time for Iraq to take action.
“Supporting military and political actions by terrorist elements in Iraq against neighboring countries is considered dangerous behavior that we cannot tolerate, and a major factor in the chaotic security situation and instability in the region,” Mr. Baqiri told the assembled delegates, according to an Arabic translation of his remarks, which were made in Persian. “We are waiting for the Iraqi government to do what it takes to resolve this issue.”
Later, asked at a briefing about the shelling, Mr. Baqiri said that in dealing with “terrorists who want to enter Iranian soil,” the Iranian government “will confront them and stop them.” “We have a long history in standing against terrorist groups,” Mr. Baqiri said. “We have made many sacrifices because of this, and we know how to confront these groups.”
Mr. Baqiri’s comments are likely to raise tensions against the bloody backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, which lasted throughout much of the 1980s and began with a border dispute in the south. Perhaps by design, his words seemed especially jarring because they were delivered during a conference organized to promote harmony in the region.
That conference was organized by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, led by Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who fought Saddam Hussein’s government as a guerrilla commander, often operating essentially as an ally of Iran. But in a diplomatic meeting in Tehran last week, Mr. Zebari called the shelling indiscriminate and far out of proportion to the threat to Iran. On Sunday, Mr. Zebari acknowledged that the cross-border attacks were taking place, but described them as infrequent and more of a nuisance than a real threat. Still, Mr. Zebari agreed that it fell to the Iraqi government to rein in the groups.
“But at the same time we want this shelling to stop or end because it’s causing a great deal of unease, and we don’t want to see the atmosphere of confidence to be compromised by these continuing acts,” Mr. Zebari said.
The group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks, called Pezak or Pejak for its acronym, is believed to be made up mainly of Iranian Kurds seeking autonomy for Kurds in Iran. Asked specifically about that group, Mr. Baqiri stated publicly what Iranian officials have been claiming privately for months: that the United States supports the group.
This support, Mr. Baqiri said, amounted to a “double standard” in American policy, given that the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of exporting deadly roadside bombs to Iraq and supporting armed groups here. Those weapons and support, American officials believe, have led directly to the deaths of American and Iraqi troops and other security forces. Told late Sunday of Mr. Baqiri’s accusations, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, said, “I am not aware of any support being provided” to Pejak.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Kurdistan, Mohammad R. Baqiri, Pejak, U.S.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Iraqi FM calls for immediate halt of Iranian shelling
Region
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari called for an immediate halt of the Iranian shelling operations on northern Iraq as they causing severe damage to the civilians' property in these regions.
"Zibari asserted during his meeting with the Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday afternoon in Tehran that Iraq was ready to set up a joint technical committee to discuss all details related to this subject and to agree on suitable solutions," read a foreign ministry statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The minister met with Mottaki in Tehran, during which they probed issues of mutual interest as well as the meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries, Egypt, Bahrain, in addition to the U.N. Security Council's five permanent countries and the G8, due in Baghdad," the statement also said. The statement pointed out that the two sides discussed the Iranian shelling of the border regions in Sulaimaniya and Arbil, adding no more details.
"Zibari asserted during his meeting with the Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday afternoon in Tehran that Iraq was ready to set up a joint technical committee to discuss all details related to this subject and to agree on suitable solutions," read a foreign ministry statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The minister met with Mottaki in Tehran, during which they probed issues of mutual interest as well as the meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries, Egypt, Bahrain, in addition to the U.N. Security Council's five permanent countries and the G8, due in Baghdad," the statement also said. The statement pointed out that the two sides discussed the Iranian shelling of the border regions in Sulaimaniya and Arbil, adding no more details.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Kurdistan, Manouchehr Mottaki
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Iranian minister denies shelling northern Iraq
Region
(RFE/RL) - Iran on Monday denied Iraqi accusations that it is shelling Kurdish separatist targets in northern Iraq. The Kurdish regional parliament in Iraq has accused both Iran and Turkey of bombing Kurdish territory in Iraq, and has called on the Iraqi government, the UN, and U.S.-led coalition forces to pressure those countries to stop the shelling.
In Tehran today, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi said Tehran "vehemently denies shelling northern Iraq." But he said Iran does "face problems with armed groups who act against the interest of the Iranian, Turkish, and Iraqi nations." Iranian security forces regularly clash with Kurdish rebels in West Azerbaijan Province, bordering Turkey.
In Tehran today, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi said Tehran "vehemently denies shelling northern Iraq." But he said Iran does "face problems with armed groups who act against the interest of the Iranian, Turkish, and Iraqi nations." Iranian security forces regularly clash with Kurdish rebels in West Azerbaijan Province, bordering Turkey.
Labels: Iran, Kurdistan, Mehdi Mostafavi, Pejak
Monday, September 03, 2007
Iranian bombing displaces hundreds in Kurdistan
Humanitarian
(AP) -- Iranian troops have been accused of bombing border areas for weeks against suspected positions of the Free Life Party, or PEJAK, a breakaway faction of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party. Iran says PEJAK -- which seeks autonomy for Kurds in Iran -- launches attacks inside Iran from bases in Iraq.
Shelling of border areas resumed Saturday after a brief lull with Iranian shells hitting the Iraqi side of the border and causing some fires. Associated Press Television News showed white smoke billowing from mountainous areas as well as Kurdish shepherds carrying carcasses of several sheep killed by the shelling.
The Iranian shelling has been criticized by Iraqi officials and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned it could have negative effects on the crucial relations between Iran and Iraq's Shiite-led government. Ari Yashir, a PEJAK member, took a reporter in a tour around several deserted villages and claimed the Iranian attacks only serve to harm civilians. "The bombing is only targeting villages where we have no bases," he said. "After three weeks of Iranian shelling none of our positions was hit and not a single member of our party was wounded."
Most of the people who fled their homes have gathered in an area known as Shewe Hasow, a valley with water springs in the Qandil Mountain area that borders Iran and Turkey. Many of them stay in tents or under covers mostly supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross. "We are here because the refugees are in need," said ICRC member Patrick Youssef, standing by a truck with canned food and bottled water. "We are helping them with needed stuff because most of them left their homes leaving their things behind."
The Kurdish region's interior minister, Othman Haji Mahmoud, told the Kurdish regional parliament Tuesday that the Iranian shelling led to the displacement of some 450 families in 20 villages adding that several people were wounded in addition to material damages. He said the latest wave of shelling began Aug. 14.
Zebari said in Baghdad Tuesday that the main areas struck are in the northern provinces of Irbil and Sulaimaniyah. Iranian shelling "has been ongoing and unfortunately has become a daily or a routine practice. Recently, we summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed him a note of protest."
"PEJAK sometimes moves in border area, but this does not permit all this continuous, daily and intensive shelling," said Zebari, a Kurd, who noted that Iraq was prepared to hold negotiations with Iran on the disputes over Kurdish rebel groups. "We hope that these attacks will stop immediately."
To some Kurds in the region, they have been living the war for decades, including widespread atrocities blamed on Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1980s. "We are the victims of a continuous struggle. My house was destroyed five times and I rebuilt it. Let this be the sixth time," said Abdullah Wasou Ibrahim, who fled to the refugee camp with 10 family members.
Shelling of border areas resumed Saturday after a brief lull with Iranian shells hitting the Iraqi side of the border and causing some fires. Associated Press Television News showed white smoke billowing from mountainous areas as well as Kurdish shepherds carrying carcasses of several sheep killed by the shelling.
The Iranian shelling has been criticized by Iraqi officials and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned it could have negative effects on the crucial relations between Iran and Iraq's Shiite-led government. Ari Yashir, a PEJAK member, took a reporter in a tour around several deserted villages and claimed the Iranian attacks only serve to harm civilians. "The bombing is only targeting villages where we have no bases," he said. "After three weeks of Iranian shelling none of our positions was hit and not a single member of our party was wounded."
Most of the people who fled their homes have gathered in an area known as Shewe Hasow, a valley with water springs in the Qandil Mountain area that borders Iran and Turkey. Many of them stay in tents or under covers mostly supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross. "We are here because the refugees are in need," said ICRC member Patrick Youssef, standing by a truck with canned food and bottled water. "We are helping them with needed stuff because most of them left their homes leaving their things behind."
The Kurdish region's interior minister, Othman Haji Mahmoud, told the Kurdish regional parliament Tuesday that the Iranian shelling led to the displacement of some 450 families in 20 villages adding that several people were wounded in addition to material damages. He said the latest wave of shelling began Aug. 14.
Zebari said in Baghdad Tuesday that the main areas struck are in the northern provinces of Irbil and Sulaimaniyah. Iranian shelling "has been ongoing and unfortunately has become a daily or a routine practice. Recently, we summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed him a note of protest."
"PEJAK sometimes moves in border area, but this does not permit all this continuous, daily and intensive shelling," said Zebari, a Kurd, who noted that Iraq was prepared to hold negotiations with Iran on the disputes over Kurdish rebel groups. "We hope that these attacks will stop immediately."
To some Kurds in the region, they have been living the war for decades, including widespread atrocities blamed on Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1980s. "We are the victims of a continuous struggle. My house was destroyed five times and I rebuilt it. Let this be the sixth time," said Abdullah Wasou Ibrahim, who fled to the refugee camp with 10 family members.
Labels: International Committee of the Red Cross, Iran, Pejak, Qandil mountains, Shewe Hasow
British troops withdraw from Basra
Security
(AP) - Iraqi soldiers hoisted the nation's flag over the Basra palace compound Monday after British troops withdrew from their last garrison in the city, a move that will hand control to an Iraqi force riddled with Shiite militiamen. A British statement said the operation began at 10 p.m. Sunday "with all British troops arriving at the airport by midday" Monday.
"There were no clashes or attacks on British forces during the operation. The formal handing-over of the Palaces will happen in the near future," British spokesman Maj. Matthew Bird said. The departure of most of the remaining 500-member British force from the palace left the nation's second largest city without any multinational presence for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
"We told those (militias) who were fighting the British troops that the Iraqi forces are now in the palaces," Lt. Gen. Mohan al-Fireji, the Iraqi commander in the area. He said the last of the British force left about 4:30 a.m.
British vehicles rumbled out of the gates of the sprawling compound after dark Sunday headed for the Basra international airport, about 12 miles away. It is Britain's last remaining base in southern Iraq.
U.S. officials have raised concerns about the prospect of British troops leaving the city, which has seen rival armed militia groups, some linked to Iran, battling for control. The city controls a key land supply line from Kuwait to Baghdad and farther north, and is also near important oil fields. In London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown disputed claims that the redeployment marks a British "defeat" and said the move to the airport had been planned and organized.
The Basra palace had come under near daily rocket and mortar fire from Shiite militias until the British released about 30 gunmen a few months ago and spread the word that they would soon leave. Over the past years, Britain's ability to control events in Basra waned as the militias rose in power. People on the streets of Basra cheered the departure of the British.
Following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule, Britain controlled security across southern Iraq, but has since handed over most of the territory to Iraqi forces. Britain's Ministry of Defense said it hoped to hand security responsibility for Basra, the last remaining province, over to Iraqi forces sometime this autumn.
Brown has consistently refused to set a timetable for the overall withdrawal of British troops from the country, but the long anticipated pullout from the downtown palace will give the British government the option to pull out more than 500 soldiers immediately.
Ex-leader Tony Blair's decision to cut troops numbers in Iraq from 7,000 to 5,500 in February included an option of pulling out the soldiers based in the Basra palace once it was handed back to the Iraqis. Britain's Defense Ministry said in a statement that U.S. officials had been consulted over the plan, and offered assurances that there was still a large enough British presence in the area to provide security. "The decision is an Iraqi-led initiative and is part of a coalition-endorsed process," the ministry said.
British forces will operate from Basra Air Station, but "retain security responsibility for Basra until we hand over to provincial Iraqi control, which we anticipate in the autumn," the statement said.
"There were no clashes or attacks on British forces during the operation. The formal handing-over of the Palaces will happen in the near future," British spokesman Maj. Matthew Bird said. The departure of most of the remaining 500-member British force from the palace left the nation's second largest city without any multinational presence for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
"We told those (militias) who were fighting the British troops that the Iraqi forces are now in the palaces," Lt. Gen. Mohan al-Fireji, the Iraqi commander in the area. He said the last of the British force left about 4:30 a.m.
British vehicles rumbled out of the gates of the sprawling compound after dark Sunday headed for the Basra international airport, about 12 miles away. It is Britain's last remaining base in southern Iraq.
U.S. officials have raised concerns about the prospect of British troops leaving the city, which has seen rival armed militia groups, some linked to Iran, battling for control. The city controls a key land supply line from Kuwait to Baghdad and farther north, and is also near important oil fields. In London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown disputed claims that the redeployment marks a British "defeat" and said the move to the airport had been planned and organized.
The Basra palace had come under near daily rocket and mortar fire from Shiite militias until the British released about 30 gunmen a few months ago and spread the word that they would soon leave. Over the past years, Britain's ability to control events in Basra waned as the militias rose in power. People on the streets of Basra cheered the departure of the British.
Following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule, Britain controlled security across southern Iraq, but has since handed over most of the territory to Iraqi forces. Britain's Ministry of Defense said it hoped to hand security responsibility for Basra, the last remaining province, over to Iraqi forces sometime this autumn.
Brown has consistently refused to set a timetable for the overall withdrawal of British troops from the country, but the long anticipated pullout from the downtown palace will give the British government the option to pull out more than 500 soldiers immediately.
Ex-leader Tony Blair's decision to cut troops numbers in Iraq from 7,000 to 5,500 in February included an option of pulling out the soldiers based in the Basra palace once it was handed back to the Iraqis. Britain's Defense Ministry said in a statement that U.S. officials had been consulted over the plan, and offered assurances that there was still a large enough British presence in the area to provide security. "The decision is an Iraqi-led initiative and is part of a coalition-endorsed process," the ministry said.
British forces will operate from Basra Air Station, but "retain security responsibility for Basra until we hand over to provincial Iraqi control, which we anticipate in the autumn," the statement said.
Labels: Basra, Basra Air Station, British troop withdrawal, Gordon Brown, Iran, Lt. Gen. Mohan al-Fireji, Maj. Matthew Bird, militias
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Death squad leader named in abduction of Brits
Security
(The Times) - Iraq’s most infamous Shia death squad commander was accused yesterday of masterminding the kidnapping of five British citizens who have not been heard from since their abduction in Baghdad three months ago. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, told The Times that a group led by Abu Dera, a legendary figure with strong Iranian connections who is renowned for his brutality, was behind the abduction of the five Britons from the Iraqi Finance Ministry on May 29.
Mr Zebari said there was a striking similiarity between their abduction and that of Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister by Abu Dera’s supporters on August 14. In both instances well-organised forces broke into heavily protected compounds.
The minister and five colleagues were seized by gunmen dressed in security force uniforms who forced their way into the offices of Iraq’s crude oil marketing agency. The Britons were seized by armed men dressed as Iraqi policemen who broke into the Finance Ministry. “I believe the same group who did this did the Ministry of Finance [raid],” Mr Zebari said in an interview in which he also cautioned of “catastrophic consequences” if
Mr Zebari said there was a striking similiarity between their abduction and that of Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister by Abu Dera’s supporters on August 14. In both instances well-organised forces broke into heavily protected compounds.
The minister and five colleagues were seized by gunmen dressed in security force uniforms who forced their way into the offices of Iraq’s crude oil marketing agency. The Britons were seized by armed men dressed as Iraqi policemen who broke into the Finance Ministry. “I believe the same group who did this did the Ministry of Finance [raid],” Mr Zebari said in an interview in which he also cautioned of “catastrophic consequences” if
Abdel Jabber al-Wagaa, the Deputy Oil Minister, and his colleagues were released unharmed on Tuesday after what Mr Zebari described as “tough” negotiations with the kidnappers.
These talks enabled the Iraqi authorities to establish who the kidnappers were. However, Mr Zebari said he was unaware of any contact with the kidnappers of the Britons – a computer consultant and four security guards – and could not say for certain that they were still alive. “People say that since there’s not been any announcements or videos they may have been killed, but I really don’t know,” he said.
Britain has consistently refused to discuss its efforts to rescue the hostages, or even to name them, and an embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad declined to comment on Abu Dera’s alleged involvement yesterday. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with the families of the five hostages and has advised them all not to speak publicly.
The al-Mahdi Army is said to have splintered in recent months, with breakaway factions backed by Iran being blamed for some of the worst violence. Abu Dera is believed to lead one of those. He is an elusive figure who is spoken of with awe in the Shia slums of Sadr City, where he was raised.
After the US invasion of 2003 he is thought to have been a leading member of the al-Mahdi Army and to have led attacks on American troops. And when Sunni extremists bombed the Shia shrine in Samarra in 2006 he is said to have led the Shia death squads that killed thousands of innocent Sunnis in revenge. Locals say the Iraqi police allowed him free passage.
Stories of his barbarity are legion. A profile published by the Jamestown Foundation reports that he once commandeered several ambulances, drove them into a Sunni neighbourhood and announced on loudspeakers that Shias were slaughtering Sunnis. The young Sunnis who rushed to help were killed.
He allegedly offers his victims the choice of being executed through suffocation, shooting or being smashed to death with cinder blocks. There is a video recording of a man believed to be Abu Dera kidnapping Saddam Hussein’s lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi, parading him through the streets of Sadr City, and then shooting him three times in the head.
Abu Dera, whose real name is Ismail al-Zerjawi, is thought to be in his late thirties, married with two sons. His daring raids into Sunni communities have made him a hero to many poor young Shias. To others he is known as the “Shiite Zarqawi” – a reference to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader in al-Qaeda in Iraq who exhorted Sunnis to kill Shias.
Britain has consistently refused to discuss its efforts to rescue the hostages, or even to name them, and an embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad declined to comment on Abu Dera’s alleged involvement yesterday. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with the families of the five hostages and has advised them all not to speak publicly.
The al-Mahdi Army is said to have splintered in recent months, with breakaway factions backed by Iran being blamed for some of the worst violence. Abu Dera is believed to lead one of those. He is an elusive figure who is spoken of with awe in the Shia slums of Sadr City, where he was raised.
After the US invasion of 2003 he is thought to have been a leading member of the al-Mahdi Army and to have led attacks on American troops. And when Sunni extremists bombed the Shia shrine in Samarra in 2006 he is said to have led the Shia death squads that killed thousands of innocent Sunnis in revenge. Locals say the Iraqi police allowed him free passage.
Stories of his barbarity are legion. A profile published by the Jamestown Foundation reports that he once commandeered several ambulances, drove them into a Sunni neighbourhood and announced on loudspeakers that Shias were slaughtering Sunnis. The young Sunnis who rushed to help were killed.
He allegedly offers his victims the choice of being executed through suffocation, shooting or being smashed to death with cinder blocks. There is a video recording of a man believed to be Abu Dera kidnapping Saddam Hussein’s lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi, parading him through the streets of Sadr City, and then shooting him three times in the head.
Abu Dera, whose real name is Ismail al-Zerjawi, is thought to be in his late thirties, married with two sons. His daring raids into Sunni communities have made him a hero to many poor young Shias. To others he is known as the “Shiite Zarqawi” – a reference to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader in al-Qaeda in Iraq who exhorted Sunnis to kill Shias.
Labels: Abdel Jabber al-Wagaa, Abu Dera, British hostages, Finance Ministry, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Iran, Ismail al-Zerjawi, Mahdi Army, Shiite Zarqawi
Iraq dismayed by Ahmadinejad's comments
Region
(Al-Sharqiyah television) - Two parliamentarians told Al-Sharqiyah television in August 28 interviews that they are dismayed by Iranian President Ahmadinejad's comments that Iran is ready to fill a power vacuum in Iraq. Ahmadinejad told reporters in Tehran on August 28: "I truly declare that the political power of the occupiers is on the decline, and the region will witness the emergence of a big power. We are ready to help restore security in the region through collective cooperation with our regional friends and Saudi Arabia," IRNA reported the same day.
Hasan al-Sunayd, a parliamentarian aligned with the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, told Al-Sharqiyah that Iraq should not be used as a playground to settle scores between the United States and Iran. "Iraqi forces should achieve the required standard to fill the security vacuum.... We do not want Iranian or Saudi forces or any Arab, Islamic, or international forces to replace the U.S. forces. Iraqi forces will fill the security vacuum," he said.
Parliamentarian Usamah al-Nujayfi, a representative of the Iraqis List, told Al-Sharqiyah that he is convinced Iran began interfering in Iraq four years ago "and has infiltrated power circles and has a lot of leverage over the political and social situation in Iraq." He said Ahmadinejad's remarks are tantamount to an admission that Iran is interfering in Iraq.
Labels: Dawa party, Hasan al-Sunayd, Iran, Iraq, Iraqi List, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Usamah al-Nujayfi
Iraqi govt demands Iran stops shelling northern Iraq
Region
(Reuters) -- Iraq's government on Tuesday demanded Iran stop shelling Kurdish areas inside Iraq's northeastern border, warning that relations would be hurt, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said. Iraqi Kurdish officials have complained about cross-border shelling from neighbouring Iran since the middle of the month.
Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous northern region of Kurdistan. Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday to protest about the shelling, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The deputy foreign minister demanded the Iranian side immediately cease these attacks," the statement said.
"The affair would affect negatively the good neighbourly relationship between the two countries." The government in Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region said on Tuesday that 450 families from 20 villages along the border had been evacuated because of shelling.
The Iraqi side of the border area is believed to be home to Kurdish PJAK militants seeking autonomy for Kurdish regions of Iran. There has been no official comment from Tehran about the shelling.
Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous northern region of Kurdistan. Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday to protest about the shelling, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The deputy foreign minister demanded the Iranian side immediately cease these attacks," the statement said.
"The affair would affect negatively the good neighbourly relationship between the two countries." The government in Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region said on Tuesday that 450 families from 20 villages along the border had been evacuated because of shelling.
The Iraqi side of the border area is believed to be home to Kurdish PJAK militants seeking autonomy for Kurdish regions of Iran. There has been no official comment from Tehran about the shelling.
Labels: Iran, Iraqi government, Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud, northern Iraq, PJAK
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Bigger rockets being used in southern Iraq
Insurgency
(Newsweek) - Roadside bombs and suicide attackers may be the biggest killers in Iraq. But in many ways rockets are equally vexing and disruptive weapons—and new missiles are being added to the arsenal. Since January 1, 2004, the American military has counted about 26,000 rocket and mortar salvos (including up to 60,000 separate impacts), the vast majority launched against U.S. or coalition targets. The strikes have killed 149 coalition soldiers and wounded about 2,600, along with many other (often unreported) Iraqis and foreigners working on U.S. bases. Missiles are less precise and lethal than car bombs, but the sheer volume of attacks is a constant stress on life for Americans in Iraq. U.S. embassy staff in the Green Zone have long grown weary of the late-night sirens that announce, “Incoming, take cover,” rousting them from their beds into concrete bunkers.
Recent weeks have seen a drop in mortar and rocket attacks countrywide. But the size of incoming rounds is growing. Particularly in southern Iraq, recent attacks have featured 240mm rockets, which are about as big around as oxygen tanks. They have at least twice the explosive power of most other rockets in the field. “It’s concerning as hell. They’re very lethal,” says Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. commander in central Iraq.
The 240mm rockets carry about 110 pounds of explosives, instead of the approximately 40 pounds used in the next largest common variety of missile. About 100 have been fired—in 40 separate assaults—since they started showing up about 13 months ago, and there was a flurry in the late spring, according to a military intelligence officer who spoke to Newsweek on condition he not be identified. He called the rocket “the most significant new [air] weapon in the last year.”
American officials say they believe the missiles are imported from Iran and say markings indicate they were manufactured there—as they have been claiming for a range of weapons being used by Shiites against U.S. troops. About 80 percent of the 240mm rockets have been fired against British bases in the Shiite city of Basra, near the Iranian border. (None, as of mid-August, had landed in the Green Zone.) So far the 240mm rockets have killed four coalition soldiers and wounded 61. That’s a higher kill rate than with smaller rockets—about 4 percent per impact, compared to less than half of one percent.
The emergence of this new weapon coincides with a shift in the nature of the enemy. In July, for the first time, there were roughly as many attacks on the U.S.-led coalition by Shiite militants as there were by Sunni insurgents, who had dominated the numbers for years. (When asked about the breakdown by Newsweek, a U.S. military official would only give percentages—about 50 percent each, Sunni and Shiite—not the baseline figures.) Sunni insurgents generally favor mortars, and such attacks have been decreasing as more and more Sunni tribal groups sign deals with the coalition. It’s Shiites who fire the rockets. So the sect becoming the most active in the insurgency also has the greater firepower.
Insurgent rockets are hard to stop and very public. A foreign diplomat familiar with an attack on one base pointed out that the rockets were launched during the morning rush hour, making a trail across the sky that could be intended to impress residents with the militants’ strength. They can be fired from home-made frames that are little more than crude iron racks. Most important, they can be fired on timers. By the time they ascend through the radar U.S. forces use to track “points of origin,” the rocket men are long gone. Attempts to fire back with artillery or air strikes will miss them but possibly kill civilians—which counts as a win for the insurgents.
The intelligence officer says that so far the 240mm rockets have the same range—about five miles—as other rockets in use, so they won’t revolutionize the battle. The bigger missiles are also harder to hide and move around. American troops have caught some rocket teams off tips from Iraqis or by tracking them with drones. The 11 Iraqis suspected in the attack on Kalsu, for instance, are now in detention, and launches in the area have decreased. But insurgents have proved skilled at adapting to coalition tactics thus far, and there’s no reason to think the air war will be any different.
Recent weeks have seen a drop in mortar and rocket attacks countrywide. But the size of incoming rounds is growing. Particularly in southern Iraq, recent attacks have featured 240mm rockets, which are about as big around as oxygen tanks. They have at least twice the explosive power of most other rockets in the field. “It’s concerning as hell. They’re very lethal,” says Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. commander in central Iraq.
The 240mm rockets carry about 110 pounds of explosives, instead of the approximately 40 pounds used in the next largest common variety of missile. About 100 have been fired—in 40 separate assaults—since they started showing up about 13 months ago, and there was a flurry in the late spring, according to a military intelligence officer who spoke to Newsweek on condition he not be identified. He called the rocket “the most significant new [air] weapon in the last year.”
American officials say they believe the missiles are imported from Iran and say markings indicate they were manufactured there—as they have been claiming for a range of weapons being used by Shiites against U.S. troops. About 80 percent of the 240mm rockets have been fired against British bases in the Shiite city of Basra, near the Iranian border. (None, as of mid-August, had landed in the Green Zone.) So far the 240mm rockets have killed four coalition soldiers and wounded 61. That’s a higher kill rate than with smaller rockets—about 4 percent per impact, compared to less than half of one percent.
The emergence of this new weapon coincides with a shift in the nature of the enemy. In July, for the first time, there were roughly as many attacks on the U.S.-led coalition by Shiite militants as there were by Sunni insurgents, who had dominated the numbers for years. (When asked about the breakdown by Newsweek, a U.S. military official would only give percentages—about 50 percent each, Sunni and Shiite—not the baseline figures.) Sunni insurgents generally favor mortars, and such attacks have been decreasing as more and more Sunni tribal groups sign deals with the coalition. It’s Shiites who fire the rockets. So the sect becoming the most active in the insurgency also has the greater firepower.
Insurgent rockets are hard to stop and very public. A foreign diplomat familiar with an attack on one base pointed out that the rockets were launched during the morning rush hour, making a trail across the sky that could be intended to impress residents with the militants’ strength. They can be fired from home-made frames that are little more than crude iron racks. Most important, they can be fired on timers. By the time they ascend through the radar U.S. forces use to track “points of origin,” the rocket men are long gone. Attempts to fire back with artillery or air strikes will miss them but possibly kill civilians—which counts as a win for the insurgents.
The intelligence officer says that so far the 240mm rockets have the same range—about five miles—as other rockets in use, so they won’t revolutionize the battle. The bigger missiles are also harder to hide and move around. American troops have caught some rocket teams off tips from Iraqis or by tracking them with drones. The 11 Iraqis suspected in the attack on Kalsu, for instance, are now in detention, and launches in the area have decreased. But insurgents have proved skilled at adapting to coalition tactics thus far, and there’s no reason to think the air war will be any different.
Labels: 240mm rockets, Iran, rockets, southern Iraq
Iranian acts force Kurds to flee homes as the Iraqi govt is blamed for not taking action
Security, Kurdistan
(Voices of Iraq) - Hundreds of panicky Kurdish families inhabiting border areas with neighboring Iran had to flee their homes after Iranian shelling targeted villages at the foot of Mount Qandeel in Sulaimaniya province, 364 km northeast of Baghdad. The families are now living in groups in tents near rivers and wells, waiting for the government's helping hand that is never outstretched.
Iran has been shelling border areas in Qalaat Daza, 135 km northewest of Sulaimaniya; Haj Omran, 147 km northeast of Arbil; and Banjwin district, 96 km northeast of Sulaimaniya for two weeks now under the pretext of tracking down PJAK fighters. Turkey, also, was shelling border areas in the northern Iraqi province of Duhuk under the pretext of fighting members of imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Kurdish sources said the shelling caused damage to property and fires in Kurdish forests.
Iran has been shelling border areas in Qalaat Daza, 135 km northewest of Sulaimaniya; Haj Omran, 147 km northeast of Arbil; and Banjwin district, 96 km northeast of Sulaimaniya for two weeks now under the pretext of tracking down PJAK fighters. Turkey, also, was shelling border areas in the northern Iraqi province of Duhuk under the pretext of fighting members of imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Kurdish sources said the shelling caused damage to property and fires in Kurdish forests.
PJAK (Partiya Jiyana Azada Kurdistanê in Kurdish or Kurdistan Free Life Party) is a Kurdish military opposition group founded in 2004, said to be linked to the PKK. PJAK, although a newly established organization, continuously launches militant operations against Iranian army forces, so that in 2005, in less than 6 months, it killed 120 Iranian police and wounded tens more.
Homeless families complain of a lack of humanitarian relief from any organization, in light of immense material losses, as the shelling sets their lands on fire. Each of the villages of Maradawa, Arka, Aki, Sirw, Sora Kola, Spilka, Eleih and Rash have received more than 50 Iranian artillery shells. Hundreds of acres of orchards were burnt. The attacks caused no casualties.
In the village of Sora Kola, life seems to have come to a standstill. Only seven houses were still standing and all were vacant except one, where the men of the village gathered together. Their families had fled scores of kilometers away. "We hold (Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri) al-Maliki responsible for the burnt orchards and gardens. These incidents took place only after his (recent) visits to Syria, Iran and Turkey," 56-year-old Hamad Hassan told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) while leaning on his pillow and sadly looking at the burnt fields.
A spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdistan region's security force (Peshmerga) had held the central government in Baghdad responsible for any decision representing "a reply to Iranian shelling." "The problem is occurring on international borders. It is Baghdad's responsibility," the Peshmerga spokesman Jabbar Yawir, said.
In one of the PJAK strongholds Amir Kerimi, a member of the Kurdish group's administrative body, said "Iran's attacks began right after Maliki visited Syria, Turkey and Iran and made agreements with those countries." On concerns that Mount Qandeel might turn into a haven for al-Qaeda Organization in Iraq if the PJAK and PKK fighters withdraw, Kerimi replied "No force can ever take Mount Qandeel from us."
PJAK is a splinter group of the PKK. It separated from it after PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was imprisoned in Turkish jails. The nearly 3,000 PJAK fighters then started their armed struggle against the Iranian authorities, with the aim of "building federalism for Iran's Kurdistan."
Homeless families complain of a lack of humanitarian relief from any organization, in light of immense material losses, as the shelling sets their lands on fire. Each of the villages of Maradawa, Arka, Aki, Sirw, Sora Kola, Spilka, Eleih and Rash have received more than 50 Iranian artillery shells. Hundreds of acres of orchards were burnt. The attacks caused no casualties.
In the village of Sora Kola, life seems to have come to a standstill. Only seven houses were still standing and all were vacant except one, where the men of the village gathered together. Their families had fled scores of kilometers away. "We hold (Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri) al-Maliki responsible for the burnt orchards and gardens. These incidents took place only after his (recent) visits to Syria, Iran and Turkey," 56-year-old Hamad Hassan told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) while leaning on his pillow and sadly looking at the burnt fields.
A spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdistan region's security force (Peshmerga) had held the central government in Baghdad responsible for any decision representing "a reply to Iranian shelling." "The problem is occurring on international borders. It is Baghdad's responsibility," the Peshmerga spokesman Jabbar Yawir, said.
In one of the PJAK strongholds Amir Kerimi, a member of the Kurdish group's administrative body, said "Iran's attacks began right after Maliki visited Syria, Turkey and Iran and made agreements with those countries." On concerns that Mount Qandeel might turn into a haven for al-Qaeda Organization in Iraq if the PJAK and PKK fighters withdraw, Kerimi replied "No force can ever take Mount Qandeel from us."
PJAK is a splinter group of the PKK. It separated from it after PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was imprisoned in Turkish jails. The nearly 3,000 PJAK fighters then started their armed struggle against the Iranian authorities, with the aim of "building federalism for Iran's Kurdistan."
Labels: Duhuk, Iran, Mount Qandeel, Nouri Al-Maliki, Peshmerga, PJAK, PKK, Sulaimaniya province, Turkey
