Friday, May 18, 2007
Fadila party leader intervenes in Nasiriyah clashes
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Eleven were killed and seventy others wounded in the clashes that flared up between police forces and fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in al-Nassiriyah city, a medical source from Thi-Qar province said on Thursday. Eyewitnesses affirmed that calm had prevailed in the city today after the clashes were over and the regular rhythm of life had returned to the government's departments.
"The final death toll from the clashes is 11 dead, including six policemen, and seventy wounded," Dr. Hadi Badr al-Riyahi, director of Thi-Qar Health Department, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Fierce clashes broke out on early Wednesday between elements of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sard's al-Mahdi army and police forces in different parts of the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah.
Media spokesman for the Thi-Qar police department Radi Abul Heel denied, in statements to (VOI), the killing of chief of the anti-riot forces, Jawad Abdil Kadhem. The man was wounded and is being treated, he said. The clashes flared up after the arrest of one of al-Mahdi army's elements in al-Shatra district in northern Thi-Qar, who was believed to have been involved in attacks against the Multi-National Forces in the province," a security source, who asked not to be named, told (VOI) on Wednesday.
"Armed groups from al-Mahdi army attacked the house of the police chief who was believed to be responsible for arresting the man and the matter flared the clashes," the source also said. Clerics, tribal chiefs and political figures in the Shiite city initiated efforts to contain the crisis, the head of the Shiite Fadhila (Virtue) party in Nassiriyah said yesterday.
"The crisis between Mahdi army fighters and police forces has been contained as Shiite cleric Ayatollah al-Yaqubi intervened in person to settle the dispute," Numan Amber Hwirif, head of Fadhila party in Nassiriyah, told (VOI). Ayatollah al-Yaqubi is the spiritual leader of the Fadhila party.
Hwirif added, "a truce was worked out and it provided that the police forces are the only body responsible for security in the city, in return for police withdraw from the Sadr's office in Nassiriyah. The truce also agreed to end all armed appearances in the city and that no armed militiamen should be out in the city streets," head of Nassiriyah Fadhila party said. Nassiriyah, capital city of Thi-Qar province, is 420 km south of Baghdad.
"The final death toll from the clashes is 11 dead, including six policemen, and seventy wounded," Dr. Hadi Badr al-Riyahi, director of Thi-Qar Health Department, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Fierce clashes broke out on early Wednesday between elements of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sard's al-Mahdi army and police forces in different parts of the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah.
Media spokesman for the Thi-Qar police department Radi Abul Heel denied, in statements to (VOI), the killing of chief of the anti-riot forces, Jawad Abdil Kadhem. The man was wounded and is being treated, he said. The clashes flared up after the arrest of one of al-Mahdi army's elements in al-Shatra district in northern Thi-Qar, who was believed to have been involved in attacks against the Multi-National Forces in the province," a security source, who asked not to be named, told (VOI) on Wednesday.
"Armed groups from al-Mahdi army attacked the house of the police chief who was believed to be responsible for arresting the man and the matter flared the clashes," the source also said. Clerics, tribal chiefs and political figures in the Shiite city initiated efforts to contain the crisis, the head of the Shiite Fadhila (Virtue) party in Nassiriyah said yesterday.
"The crisis between Mahdi army fighters and police forces has been contained as Shiite cleric Ayatollah al-Yaqubi intervened in person to settle the dispute," Numan Amber Hwirif, head of Fadhila party in Nassiriyah, told (VOI). Ayatollah al-Yaqubi is the spiritual leader of the Fadhila party.
Hwirif added, "a truce was worked out and it provided that the police forces are the only body responsible for security in the city, in return for police withdraw from the Sadr's office in Nassiriyah. The truce also agreed to end all armed appearances in the city and that no armed militiamen should be out in the city streets," head of Nassiriyah Fadhila party said. Nassiriyah, capital city of Thi-Qar province, is 420 km south of Baghdad.
Labels: Ayatollah al-Yaqubi, clashes, Fadhela party, Mahdi Army, Nasiriyah
Maliki pledges to clamp down on clashes in Nasiriyah
Politics, Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraqi Prime Minister pledged to act strictly with any violation of law, referring to the clashes erupted on Wednesday in the city of Nassiriyah in southern Iraq, the presidential office said. This came during al-Maliki's meeting with the Political Council for National Security, chaired by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani.
"The council held on Wednesday night a meeting headed by President Talabani in the presence of Premier Nouri al-Maliki, Head of the Unified Iraqi Coalition, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the two Vice Presidents Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashemi and the House Speaker Mahmud al-Mashhadani," Talabani's office said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on Thursday.
"President Talabani also posted the meeting with the outcome of his recent visit to Britain and his meeting with the outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair," the statement added. The meeting was also attended by a number of senior Iraqi officials and lawmakers. On Wednesday, fierce clashes erupted between Iraqi police forces and militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah that left scores of casualties.
The Political Council for National Security was established in mid 2006 after forming the current Iraqi government under Nouri al-Maliki. It consists of the Iraq's president and the premier and speaker of the parliament, the two vice presidents, the premier's two deputies, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, head of the supreme court and heads of the parliamentarian blocs. The council, a consultative body, tackles the political and security developments in the country.
"The council held on Wednesday night a meeting headed by President Talabani in the presence of Premier Nouri al-Maliki, Head of the Unified Iraqi Coalition, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the two Vice Presidents Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashemi and the House Speaker Mahmud al-Mashhadani," Talabani's office said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on Thursday.
"President Talabani also posted the meeting with the outcome of his recent visit to Britain and his meeting with the outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair," the statement added. The meeting was also attended by a number of senior Iraqi officials and lawmakers. On Wednesday, fierce clashes erupted between Iraqi police forces and militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriyah that left scores of casualties.
The Political Council for National Security was established in mid 2006 after forming the current Iraqi government under Nouri al-Maliki. It consists of the Iraq's president and the premier and speaker of the parliament, the two vice presidents, the premier's two deputies, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, head of the supreme court and heads of the parliamentarian blocs. The council, a consultative body, tackles the political and security developments in the country.
Labels: Iraqi Army, Mahdi Army, Nasiriyah, Nouri Al-Maliki, Political Council for National Security
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Roundup of violence in Iraq - 15 May 2007
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Mohammed Al Dulaimy in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Mohammed Al Dulaimy in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1130 GMT on Wednesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* ABU SAYDA - A truck bomb laden with chlorine gas exploded in a market area in the mostly Shi'ite town of Abu Sayda, north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 45 people and wounding 60, police said on Wednesday.
* NASIRIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces killed eight people and wounded 40 in the southern city of Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, hospital and police sources said.
* AL-SHATRA - At least four people were killed and 20 others were wounded after clashes erupted between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in the town of al-Shatra, near Nasiriya, a source in the hospital said.
* DIWANIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces wounded eight civilians, a policeman and an Iraqi soldier, hospital and Iraqi military sources said. A curfew was imposed until further notice.
* FALLUJA - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol in Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
* BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked police Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, the head of the Iraqi-U.S. Joint Coordination Centre of Diyala Province, killing two of his guards and wounding another, police said. Hiyali was not harmed in the attack.
* KIRKUK - The head of the Riyadh city council was killed along with another member in the council when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* LATIFIYA - Gunmen opened fire at a car, killing one person and wounding four others in the town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four people were killed and four others were wounded by a mortar attack in Ur district in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MAHMUDIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a minibus, killing one person and wounding another on Tuesday in the town of Mahmudiya, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* ABU SAYDA - A truck bomb laden with chlorine gas exploded in a market area in the mostly Shi'ite town of Abu Sayda, north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 45 people and wounding 60, police said on Wednesday.
* NASIRIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces killed eight people and wounded 40 in the southern city of Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, hospital and police sources said.
* AL-SHATRA - At least four people were killed and 20 others were wounded after clashes erupted between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and police in the town of al-Shatra, near Nasiriya, a source in the hospital said.
* DIWANIYA - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces wounded eight civilians, a policeman and an Iraqi soldier, hospital and Iraqi military sources said. A curfew was imposed until further notice.
* FALLUJA - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol in Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
* BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked police Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, the head of the Iraqi-U.S. Joint Coordination Centre of Diyala Province, killing two of his guards and wounding another, police said. Hiyali was not harmed in the attack.
* KIRKUK - The head of the Riyadh city council was killed along with another member in the council when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* LATIFIYA - Gunmen opened fire at a car, killing one person and wounding four others in the town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four people were killed and four others were wounded by a mortar attack in Ur district in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
MAHMUDIYA - A roadside bomb exploded near a minibus, killing one person and wounding another on Tuesday in the town of Mahmudiya, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Abu Saydah, Al-Shatra, Baqouba, Brigadier-General Najib al-Hiyali, chlorine bombs, Diwaniya, Fallujah, Kirkuk, Latifiyah, Mahdi Army, Nasiriyah, roadside bombs
Mahdi Army clashes with Iraqi Army in Nasiriyah
Security
(Reuters) - Clashes between militias loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces killed eight people and wounded 40 in the southern city of Nasiriya on Wednesday, hospital and police sources said. Saadi al-Majad, director of the Nasiriya hospital, said three Iraqi soldiers were among the dead. A city official who did not want to be identified put the death toll at 10.
A police lieutenant said Mehdi Army militias clashed with Iraqi forces after police arrested two militiamen on Tuesday on suspicion they were members of a team planting roadside bombs. Witnesses in Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) south of Baghdad, said the fighting erupted before dawn. Fighting eased by noon after the militias withdrew from the city's centre. Iraq's Shi'ite south has seen less violence than in Baghdad and other areas, but fighting between rival Shi'ite factions and security forces erupts from time to time.
Sadr, an influential cleric and political figure, commands the Mehdi Army militia, which has strongholds in Baghdad's Shi'ite areas and in the south."They burned all the vehicles in front of one of the provincial government buildings in the centre of the city, but the governor was in another building next to it," said Colonel Rahim Ali of the Iraqi police. Police moved quickly to close off roads leading into and out of Nasiriyah and declared a city-wide curfew as they moved to quell the violence.
When the sun rose on Wednesday the parking lot in front of one of the main local administration buildings was filled with the charred shells of scores of vehicles, according to police. Although the Shiite south of the country has seen less fighting than the areas in and around the capital, street fights often break out among rival political parties, many of which have infiltrated the security forces.
A police lieutenant said Mehdi Army militias clashed with Iraqi forces after police arrested two militiamen on Tuesday on suspicion they were members of a team planting roadside bombs. Witnesses in Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) south of Baghdad, said the fighting erupted before dawn. Fighting eased by noon after the militias withdrew from the city's centre. Iraq's Shi'ite south has seen less violence than in Baghdad and other areas, but fighting between rival Shi'ite factions and security forces erupts from time to time.
Sadr, an influential cleric and political figure, commands the Mehdi Army militia, which has strongholds in Baghdad's Shi'ite areas and in the south."They burned all the vehicles in front of one of the provincial government buildings in the centre of the city, but the governor was in another building next to it," said Colonel Rahim Ali of the Iraqi police. Police moved quickly to close off roads leading into and out of Nasiriyah and declared a city-wide curfew as they moved to quell the violence.
When the sun rose on Wednesday the parking lot in front of one of the main local administration buildings was filled with the charred shells of scores of vehicles, according to police. Although the Shiite south of the country has seen less fighting than the areas in and around the capital, street fights often break out among rival political parties, many of which have infiltrated the security forces.
Labels: Iraqi Army, Mahdi Army, Nasiriyah
Monday, May 07, 2007
Iraqi government asks Qatar to rein in Al Jazeera
Media
(Azzaman) - The Iraqi government has asked its Qatari counterpart to interfere with the Arabic Aljazeera satellite channel to halt what it described as its anti-Iraqi rhetoric. A statement by the Foreign Ministry said the channel, the Arab world’s most influential broadcaster, hosted “terrorist leaders” and “insulted the national Iraqi symbols in its programs and news bulletins.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Labels: Al Jazeera, demonstration, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq, Najaf, Nasiriyah, Qatar
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 0930 GMT on Tuesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
DIYALA PROVINCE - A suicide car bomber killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20 at a military base north of Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said. One Iraqi civilian was also wounded in the attack.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 10 insurgents and discovered a weapons cache in Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Those detained were suspected of working with al Qaeda in Iraq and facilitating foreign fighters near Falluja.
* NASIRIYA - Three Australian soldiers were injured when an improvised explosive device hit their light armoured vehicle patrol near Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Monday, the Australian military said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms attacked homes in a town near Baquba north of Baghdad, killing six and wounding 15, police said. Six houses were set on fire.
BAGHDAD - Two car bombs exploded in a parking lot in front of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad's Salhiya neighbourhood, a Reuters photographer said. Police said four people were wounded. A total of four car bombs have exploded in the lot in the past 24 hours.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of five people were found shot in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR KERBALA - A roadside bomb targeting a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others near the holy city of Kerbala, 100 km south of Baghdad, on Monday, police said.
MUQDADIYA - A U.S. soldier died on Monday after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Muqdadiya, 90 km northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
HILLA - A car bomb near a restaurant killed three people and wounded eight on Monday in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
DIYALA PROVINCE - A suicide car bomber killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20 at a military base north of Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said. One Iraqi civilian was also wounded in the attack.
* BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 10 insurgents and discovered a weapons cache in Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Those detained were suspected of working with al Qaeda in Iraq and facilitating foreign fighters near Falluja.
* NASIRIYA - Three Australian soldiers were injured when an improvised explosive device hit their light armoured vehicle patrol near Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Monday, the Australian military said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms attacked homes in a town near Baquba north of Baghdad, killing six and wounding 15, police said. Six houses were set on fire.
BAGHDAD - Two car bombs exploded in a parking lot in front of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad's Salhiya neighbourhood, a Reuters photographer said. Police said four people were wounded. A total of four car bombs have exploded in the lot in the past 24 hours.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of five people were found shot in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR KERBALA - A roadside bomb targeting a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others near the holy city of Kerbala, 100 km south of Baghdad, on Monday, police said.
MUQDADIYA - A U.S. soldier died on Monday after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Muqdadiya, 90 km northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
HILLA - A car bomb near a restaurant killed three people and wounded eight on Monday in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, car bomb, Diyala, Hilla, IED, Mosul, Muqdadiya, Nasiriyah, roadside bombs, SVBIED, weapons cache
Monday, April 23, 2007
Hundreds of Fadhila supporters demonstrate against Sadrists
Security, Politics
(International Herald Tribune) - For the second time this week, a demonstration was held in southern Iraq on Saturday underlying the fierce rivalry between two Shiite groups vying for influence as Britain prepares to reduce its forces in the region. Hundreds of supporters of the Shiite Fadhila party gathered in the southern city of Nasiriyah to protest a demonstration that 3,000 Iraqis believed to be followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had held earlier this week in Basra to demand the resignation of its provincial governor because of poor city services and alleged corruption in that southern city, Iraq's second largest.
Fighters allied with al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Fadhila party often clash with one another in mostly Shiite southern Iraq, and last month a dozen people were wounded in such fighting. Saturday's Fadhila protesters issued a statement defending Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waili, a Fadhila member, and warning his opponents to back down. "We will hold demonstrations, sit-ins and confrontations, if needed," the statement said.
Al-Waili has said he fears that demonstrators plan to storm his office and kill him, then take control of government banks and a state-run oil company in the oil-rich Basra region. On Tuesday, Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Shiite Hassan Kazemi Qomi, went to the holy Shiite city of Najaf in southern Iraq and met with Grand Ayatollah Mohammed al-Yaqoubi, the spiritual leader of the Fadhila party, in an apparent effort to reduce tensions in the Basra area.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani also have urged Shiite religious and political leaders in southern Iraq to ban demonstrations in an effort to keep the area calm as it passes through a difficult period of transition.
Fighters allied with al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Fadhila party often clash with one another in mostly Shiite southern Iraq, and last month a dozen people were wounded in such fighting. Saturday's Fadhila protesters issued a statement defending Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waili, a Fadhila member, and warning his opponents to back down. "We will hold demonstrations, sit-ins and confrontations, if needed," the statement said.
Al-Waili has said he fears that demonstrators plan to storm his office and kill him, then take control of government banks and a state-run oil company in the oil-rich Basra region. On Tuesday, Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Shiite Hassan Kazemi Qomi, went to the holy Shiite city of Najaf in southern Iraq and met with Grand Ayatollah Mohammed al-Yaqoubi, the spiritual leader of the Fadhila party, in an apparent effort to reduce tensions in the Basra area.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani also have urged Shiite religious and political leaders in southern Iraq to ban demonstrations in an effort to keep the area calm as it passes through a difficult period of transition.
Labels: Fadhela party, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed al-Yaqoubi, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Mahdi Army, Mohammed al-Waili, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Najaf, Nasiriyah
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Turkish company provides electricity in Nasiriyah
Electricity
(Iraq Directory) - A Turkish company started the implementation of a conducting line for electric power linking the electricity station in Nasiriyah with the secondary one at Shatrah. A source in the province of Thi Qar said the Turkish company executing the project has already installed a number of high-pressure columns in the areas of Al- Gharaf, pointing out that the completion of this project will break the bottleneck in the electricity network in Nasiriyah.
Labels: electricity, Nasiriyah, Shatrah, Turkish company
