Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Two Sunni mosques blown up in Baghdad
Security
(AP) - Gunmen blew up two Sunni mosques Wednesday south of Baghdad, causing heavy damage but no casualties, police said, in an apparent retaliatory attack a day after a suicide truck bombing devastated a revered Shiite mosque in the heart of the capital, killing at least 87 people.
Sectarian violence persisted to the south, with suspected Shiite militiamen detonating a bomb inside a Sunni mosque in Haswa, 30 miles south of Baghdad, at about 1 a.m., then in another mosque near Hillah, about 60 miles south of the capital, about six hours later, local police officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. The attackers near Hillah also targeted the imam's house near the mosque, but the cleric fled when he saw them coming, according to the police.
Battles also continued south of Baghdad between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Four soldiers were killed and a Humvee was burned in nearly two hours of clashes in the Shiite town of Numaniyah, 77 miles southeast of Baghdad, police said. The fighting erupted hours after five other Iraqi soldiers were killed and three were wounded by a roadside bomb in the mainly Sunni town of Madain, on the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad.
Further south, the U.S. military said three militants had been killed, including a senior leader of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, and 45 detained after two days of clashes in Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. Iraqi police and hospital officials put the casualty toll at 35 killed and 150 wounded. In all, 142 people were killed or found dead in sectarian violence Tuesday, a toll reflecting carnage associated with the months before the U.S. security crackdown in the capital began Feb. 14.
Sectarian violence persisted to the south, with suspected Shiite militiamen detonating a bomb inside a Sunni mosque in Haswa, 30 miles south of Baghdad, at about 1 a.m., then in another mosque near Hillah, about 60 miles south of the capital, about six hours later, local police officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. The attackers near Hillah also targeted the imam's house near the mosque, but the cleric fled when he saw them coming, according to the police.
Battles also continued south of Baghdad between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Four soldiers were killed and a Humvee was burned in nearly two hours of clashes in the Shiite town of Numaniyah, 77 miles southeast of Baghdad, police said. The fighting erupted hours after five other Iraqi soldiers were killed and three were wounded by a roadside bomb in the mainly Sunni town of Madain, on the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad.
Further south, the U.S. military said three militants had been killed, including a senior leader of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, and 45 detained after two days of clashes in Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. Iraqi police and hospital officials put the casualty toll at 35 killed and 150 wounded. In all, 142 people were killed or found dead in sectarian violence Tuesday, a toll reflecting carnage associated with the months before the U.S. security crackdown in the capital began Feb. 14.
Labels: Haswa, Hillah, Mahdi Army, Numaniyah, Sunni mosques
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq at 1500 GMT on Sunday (follow link for full list).
* denotes new or updated item.
* MOSUL - Two suicide truck bombs killed two people and wounded 17 when they exploded at an Iraqi army base east of the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (242 miles) north of Baghdad, on Sunday, police said. Police said the two dead were civilians while most of the wounded were soldiers.
* BAGHDAD - Omar al-Jubouri, a member of the Sunni Islamic Party and a parliament member, escaped a roadside bomb attack in the Yarmouk district in western Baghdad. No one in his motorcade was hurt, the office of the Islamic Party said. Police said two of his guards were wounded.
* denotes new or updated item.
* MOSUL - Two suicide truck bombs killed two people and wounded 17 when they exploded at an Iraqi army base east of the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (242 miles) north of Baghdad, on Sunday, police said. Police said the two dead were civilians while most of the wounded were soldiers.
* BAGHDAD - Omar al-Jubouri, a member of the Sunni Islamic Party and a parliament member, escaped a roadside bomb attack in the Yarmouk district in western Baghdad. No one in his motorcade was hurt, the office of the Islamic Party said. Police said two of his guards were wounded.
JIBLA - Gunmen killed an official in the office of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the town of Jibla, near the southern city of Hilla, on Saturday, police said. Gunmen also killed the guard of a Sunni mosque and set the mosque on fire in Jibla, police said.
Labels: Iraqi Army base, Iraqi Islamic Party, Jibla, Mosul, Omar al-Jubouri, suicide truck bomber, Sunni mosques
Monday, March 26, 2007
Four Sunni mosques burned down in retaliation attack
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) In retaliation for Saturday's bombing in the mixed city of Haswa (50 Km south of Baghdad) gunmen burned 4 Sunni mosques and attacked the Iraqi Islamic party (IIP) headquarters in the city. Around 1 p.m. and during the funeral of Saturday's bombing victims, Shiite gunmen attacked and burned two mosques, Abdullah Al Jubouri and Hiteen mosques. The gunmen set a bomb in Usama bin Zaid mosque and burned it.
The fourth mosque, Al Anwar mosque, gunmen bombed the Minaret and burned the mosque after no resistance was noticed. Almost at the same time the gunmen attacked the IIP headquarter in the city and a clash started between the guards and the attackers till around 4:30 p.m. The three hours continues clashes and sectarian violence stopped after the arrival of the American and Iraqi troops. Police said 2 men were injured only but sources of the IIP said 15 of the attackers were killed.
The fourth mosque, Al Anwar mosque, gunmen bombed the Minaret and burned the mosque after no resistance was noticed. Almost at the same time the gunmen attacked the IIP headquarter in the city and a clash started between the guards and the attackers till around 4:30 p.m. The three hours continues clashes and sectarian violence stopped after the arrival of the American and Iraqi troops. Police said 2 men were injured only but sources of the IIP said 15 of the attackers were killed.
Labels: Haswa, Iraqi Islamic Party, Sunni mosques
