Wednesday, October 17, 2007
U.S. commanders to begin drawdown of troops in Diyala
Security
(AP) -- Commanders in Iraq have decided to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in volatile Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press has learned. Instead of replacing the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is returning to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas, in December, soldiers from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility, several officials said Tuesday.
In this way, the number of Army ground combat brigades in Iraq will fall from 20 to 19. This reflects President Bush's bid to begin reducing the American military force and shifting its role away from fighting the insurgency toward more support functions like training and advising Iraqi security forces.
The December move, which has not yet been announced by the Pentagon, was described to the AP by Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry, in a telephone interview Tuesday. It was confirmed by three other officials in Iraq, including Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, chief spokesman for the commanding general of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon.
The idea is to avoid vacating a contested area, like Diyala, which is northeast of Baghdad, while beginning Bush's announced reduction of at least 21,500 troops, of which 17,000 were sent to the Baghdad area last spring. The shift in Diyala in December could be a model for follow-on reductions next year, with a redrawing of the U.S. lines of responsibility so that a departing brigade has its battle space consumed by a remaining brigade. At the same time, Iraqi security forces would assume greater responsibility.
Diyala province is a battered landscape of warring tribes, fertile valleys and pockets of al-Qaida fighters. The sectarian and tribal chasms are wide. Commanders cited signs of substantial progress in the months since thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed the provincial capital of Baqouba in June.
The unit leaving in December, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, has been in Iraq since October 2006. When it leaves, the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, now in Salahuddin province, will add Diyala to its area of responsibility.Donnelly said that even though the number of combat brigades in Iraq will drop by one with the departure of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, the total number of soldiers in northern Iraq will remain almost constant. That is because later in December a unit arriving from Fort Hood - the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment - has substantially more soldiers than the unit it will replace.
In this way, the number of Army ground combat brigades in Iraq will fall from 20 to 19. This reflects President Bush's bid to begin reducing the American military force and shifting its role away from fighting the insurgency toward more support functions like training and advising Iraqi security forces.
The December move, which has not yet been announced by the Pentagon, was described to the AP by Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry, in a telephone interview Tuesday. It was confirmed by three other officials in Iraq, including Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, chief spokesman for the commanding general of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon.
The idea is to avoid vacating a contested area, like Diyala, which is northeast of Baghdad, while beginning Bush's announced reduction of at least 21,500 troops, of which 17,000 were sent to the Baghdad area last spring. The shift in Diyala in December could be a model for follow-on reductions next year, with a redrawing of the U.S. lines of responsibility so that a departing brigade has its battle space consumed by a remaining brigade. At the same time, Iraqi security forces would assume greater responsibility.
Diyala province is a battered landscape of warring tribes, fertile valleys and pockets of al-Qaida fighters. The sectarian and tribal chasms are wide. Commanders cited signs of substantial progress in the months since thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed the provincial capital of Baqouba in June.
The unit leaving in December, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, has been in Iraq since October 2006. When it leaves, the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, now in Salahuddin province, will add Diyala to its area of responsibility.Donnelly said that even though the number of combat brigades in Iraq will drop by one with the departure of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, the total number of soldiers in northern Iraq will remain almost constant. That is because later in December a unit arriving from Fort Hood - the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment - has substantially more soldiers than the unit it will replace.
Labels: Col. Stephen Twitty, Diyala, Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, Salahuddin, U.S. military
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Salah Ad Din Official: Iranian Intelligence Behind Explosion At Shrines And We Have Evidence
(Dar Al Salam Newspaper) - 19 JUN - Salah Ad Din’s Deputy Governor, Abdullah Hussein Jabara, has accused Iranian Intelligence of being behind the recent shrine explosions in Iraq. He claims Iranian intelligence uses Al Qaeda to conduct criminal activities and he has evidence to support the claim.
Yesterday, Al Jabara said, “Al Qaeda in Iraq is carrying out an Iranian agenda based on spreading sectarianism between the Iraqi people to create massive chaos which will increase problems for the US in Iraq. Therefore, the US will not attack Iran because of the Iranian nuclear program.”
He added, “Iran wants to control Iraq through the political process in order to maintain Iranian interests in Iraq for a long time.” Jabara also stated, “Since May 27th, 2007, Iraqi forces that belong to the Minister’s Council have been responsible for protecting the shrine.”
Labels: Abdullah Hussein Jabara, Iran, Salahuddin, shrine explosions
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
Labels: abduction, Adila Khatoon mosque, Baqouba, Diyala, Ghailani mosque, gunmen, Iraqi Army, Jibour tribe, Kirkuk, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Shaqraq village, Shimar tribe, Sufra village
Friday, May 25, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Gunmen killed 11 people insider a minibus in Baghdad, then booby trapped the vehicle with explosives, which killed two more people who responded to the first attack. In Fallujah, a suicide bomber killed 20 people at a funeral. Two incidents of Americans killing Iraqi civilians were reported, one in Baghdad, the other in Salah ad Din province.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1130 GMT on Friday:
BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in western Baghdad on Thursday, the military said. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province near Tikrit on Thursday, the military said.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad province near Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
SALAHADDIN - One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded by a roadside bomb in Salahaddin province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire in Diyala province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Insurgents bombed a bridge linking the Sunni districts of al-Khadra and al-Jamiaa in western Baghdad, police said. The bridge over a major road was still standing but was badly damaged. No casualties were reported.
BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 20 suspected insurgents in raids targeting al Qaeda in Baghdad and Mosul on Friday, the military said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 22 people were found shot in various districts of Baghdad on Thursday, police said. Nineteen of them were found in the predominantly Sunni Arab western Karkh side of Baghdad.
BAGHDAD - One civilian was killed and three wounded in a mortar attack on a residential area of Abu Dshir in southern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a sheikh from the Abu Alwan tribe in his car in eastern Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.
LATIFIYA - Police found the bodies of two men handcuffed and shot in Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in western Baghdad on Thursday, the military said. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province near Tikrit on Thursday, the military said.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad province near Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
SALAHADDIN - One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded by a roadside bomb in Salahaddin province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire in Diyala province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Insurgents bombed a bridge linking the Sunni districts of al-Khadra and al-Jamiaa in western Baghdad, police said. The bridge over a major road was still standing but was badly damaged. No casualties were reported.
BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 20 suspected insurgents in raids targeting al Qaeda in Baghdad and Mosul on Friday, the military said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 22 people were found shot in various districts of Baghdad on Thursday, police said. Nineteen of them were found in the predominantly Sunni Arab western Karkh side of Baghdad.
BAGHDAD - One civilian was killed and three wounded in a mortar attack on a residential area of Abu Dshir in southern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a sheikh from the Abu Alwan tribe in his car in eastern Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.
LATIFIYA - Police found the bodies of two men handcuffed and shot in Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Abu Alwan tribe, al-Jamiaa, al-Khadra, bridge, Fallujah, gunmen, Latifiyah, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Tikrit
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Insurgent groups fighting against al-Qaeda in Iraq
Security, Tribal
(AP) - At least two major insurgent groups are battling al-Qaida in provinces outside Baghdad, American military commanders said Friday, an indication of a deepening rift between Sunni guerrilla groups in Iraq. U.S. officers say a growing number of Sunni tribes are turning against al-Qaida, repelled by the terror group's sheer brutality and austere religious extremism. The tribes are competing with al-Qaida for influence and control over diminishing territory in the face of U.S. assaults, the officers say. The influx of Sunni fighters to areas outside the capital in advance of the security crackdown in Baghdad may have further unsettled the region.
Even Sunnis who want to cooperate with the Shiite-led government are becoming more emboldened to speak out against al-Qaida. In Anbar province, more than 200 Sunni sheiks have decided to form a political party to oppose the terror group, participants said Friday. The clashes have erupted over the last two to three months, pitting al-Qaida in Iraq against the nationalist 1920 Revolution Brigades in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces north of Baghdad as well as Anbar to the west, U.S. officers said. In Diyala, another hard-line militant Sunni group, the Ansar al-Sunna Army, is also fighting al-Qaida, they said.
"It's happening daily," Lt. Col. Keith Gogas said Thursday in an interview at an Army base in Muqdadiyah, 60 miles northeast of Baghdad. "Our read on it is that that the more moderate, if you will, Sunni insurgents, are finding that their goals and al-Qaida's goals are at odds." American commanders cite al-Qaida's severe brand of Islam, which is so extreme that in Baqouba, al-Qaida has warned street vendors not to place tomatoes beside cucumbers because the vegetables are different genders, Col. David Sutherland said.
Such radicalism has fueled sectarian violence in Iraq and redrawn the demographics of many mixed Sunni-Shiite towns in Diyala, where tens of thousands of Shiites have been forced to flee large population centers. Previously 55 percent Sunni, 45 percent Shiite, Baqouba, where rival insurgents also have clashed, is today 80 percent Sunni and 20 percent Shiite, Sutherland said. The rift among insurgents has also been sparked by reports that some militants have been negotiating with the government and U.S. officials, who are trying to draw Sunni groups away from al-Qaida. Iraqi police and security forces, not Americans, have been negotiating with 1920 Revolution Brigades fighters, who have said "they want some help against al-Qaida," Baker said.
In a recent interview on Al-Jazeera TV, Ibrahim al-Shimmari, a spokesman for a rival group, Islamic Army in Iraq, said he did not recognize al-Qaida's claim to constitute a state. He said there could be no state "under crusader occupation" and vowed resistance against both American forces and Iran, which has close ties to the Shiite majority in Iraq.
The Islamic Army accuses al-Qaida of killing 30 of its members. Al-Shimmari also accuses al-Qaida of assassinating the leader of the 1920s Revolution Brigades, Harith Dhaher al-Dhari, who died March 27 when gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades on his car outside Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq groups eight Sunni insurgent factions, including al-Qaida. Key Sunni insurgent groups are not part of the coalition, including the Islamic Army of Iraq, the Ansar al-Sunna Army and the 1920 Revolution Brigades.
"As tribe after tribe begins to reject al-Qaida, we are witnessing an escalation in violence by AQI (al-Qaida in Iraq) against the tribes," said Maj. Jeff Pool, military spokesman for Anbar. "East of Fallujah in the Zaidon and Zoba'a districts ... 1920 Revolution Brigades are fighting large-scale battles with AQI across their tribal areas."
Speaking in Baqouba, Mixon said that "less and less of the population, by way of the tribes, is willing to be dominated by these groups because if they are, then the tribe loses its influence in the area." And, "because of pressure we have put on them in certain areas, they have begun vying for control of space and the population," he said.
Even Sunnis who want to cooperate with the Shiite-led government are becoming more emboldened to speak out against al-Qaida. In Anbar province, more than 200 Sunni sheiks have decided to form a political party to oppose the terror group, participants said Friday. The clashes have erupted over the last two to three months, pitting al-Qaida in Iraq against the nationalist 1920 Revolution Brigades in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces north of Baghdad as well as Anbar to the west, U.S. officers said. In Diyala, another hard-line militant Sunni group, the Ansar al-Sunna Army, is also fighting al-Qaida, they said.
"It's happening daily," Lt. Col. Keith Gogas said Thursday in an interview at an Army base in Muqdadiyah, 60 miles northeast of Baghdad. "Our read on it is that that the more moderate, if you will, Sunni insurgents, are finding that their goals and al-Qaida's goals are at odds." American commanders cite al-Qaida's severe brand of Islam, which is so extreme that in Baqouba, al-Qaida has warned street vendors not to place tomatoes beside cucumbers because the vegetables are different genders, Col. David Sutherland said.
Such radicalism has fueled sectarian violence in Iraq and redrawn the demographics of many mixed Sunni-Shiite towns in Diyala, where tens of thousands of Shiites have been forced to flee large population centers. Previously 55 percent Sunni, 45 percent Shiite, Baqouba, where rival insurgents also have clashed, is today 80 percent Sunni and 20 percent Shiite, Sutherland said. The rift among insurgents has also been sparked by reports that some militants have been negotiating with the government and U.S. officials, who are trying to draw Sunni groups away from al-Qaida. Iraqi police and security forces, not Americans, have been negotiating with 1920 Revolution Brigades fighters, who have said "they want some help against al-Qaida," Baker said.
In a recent interview on Al-Jazeera TV, Ibrahim al-Shimmari, a spokesman for a rival group, Islamic Army in Iraq, said he did not recognize al-Qaida's claim to constitute a state. He said there could be no state "under crusader occupation" and vowed resistance against both American forces and Iran, which has close ties to the Shiite majority in Iraq.
The Islamic Army accuses al-Qaida of killing 30 of its members. Al-Shimmari also accuses al-Qaida of assassinating the leader of the 1920s Revolution Brigades, Harith Dhaher al-Dhari, who died March 27 when gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades on his car outside Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq groups eight Sunni insurgent factions, including al-Qaida. Key Sunni insurgent groups are not part of the coalition, including the Islamic Army of Iraq, the Ansar al-Sunna Army and the 1920 Revolution Brigades.
"As tribe after tribe begins to reject al-Qaida, we are witnessing an escalation in violence by AQI (al-Qaida in Iraq) against the tribes," said Maj. Jeff Pool, military spokesman for Anbar. "East of Fallujah in the Zaidon and Zoba'a districts ... 1920 Revolution Brigades are fighting large-scale battles with AQI across their tribal areas."
Speaking in Baqouba, Mixon said that "less and less of the population, by way of the tribes, is willing to be dominated by these groups because if they are, then the tribe loses its influence in the area." And, "because of pressure we have put on them in certain areas, they have begun vying for control of space and the population," he said.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunnah, Baqouba, Diyala, Salahuddin, Sunni guerillas, Sunni tribes, the 1920 Revolution Brigades
