Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Strategic bridge north of Baghdad blown up
Security
(AP) - A suicide truck bomber struck a strategic bridge north of Baghdad on Tuesday, sending cars plunging into the river and killing at least 10 people, police said. The attack occurred about noon on the Thiraa Dijla bridge in Taji, a town near a U.S. air base some 12 miles north of the capital, police said, giving the casualty toll. The bridge lies on the main highway that links Baghdad with the northern city of Mosul.
Labels: suicide truck bomber, Taji, Thiraa Dijla bridge
Monday, July 23, 2007
Five Sunni tribal leaders killed in attack
Security, Tribal
(Al Jazeera) - Five Sunni tribal leaders opposed to al-Qaeda have been killed after a suicide bomber drove a minivan packed with explosives into a house north of Baghdad. The men were meeting in Jurf al-Milih, near Taji, about 20km north of the Iraqi capital, to discuss joining US and Iraqi forces in fighting al-Qaeda.
A police source said another 12 people were wounded in Sunday's attack and the death toll could rise. An Iraqi army source said the tribal chiefs were meeting after talks with local Shia leaders were held in Taji on Friday under the protection of US forces.
US military commanders have been trying to expand their plan, first used in the violent western province of Anbar, of recruiting local Sunnis who are tired of al-Qaeda violence into special provincial police units. Al-Qaeda is blamed for stoking sectarian hatred and violence between majority Shias and minority Sunni Arabs who were dominant under Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader.
The US military began a security crackdown in Baghdad five months ago which initially helped bring down the number of sectarian murders but which also pushed al-Qaeda fighters out of the capital and into surrounding areas. US and Iraqi forces later launched another big operation in the middle of June coinciding with the arrival of the last of 28,000 extra US troops in Iraq.
A police source said another 12 people were wounded in Sunday's attack and the death toll could rise. An Iraqi army source said the tribal chiefs were meeting after talks with local Shia leaders were held in Taji on Friday under the protection of US forces.
US military commanders have been trying to expand their plan, first used in the violent western province of Anbar, of recruiting local Sunnis who are tired of al-Qaeda violence into special provincial police units. Al-Qaeda is blamed for stoking sectarian hatred and violence between majority Shias and minority Sunni Arabs who were dominant under Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader.
The US military began a security crackdown in Baghdad five months ago which initially helped bring down the number of sectarian murders but which also pushed al-Qaeda fighters out of the capital and into surrounding areas. US and Iraqi forces later launched another big operation in the middle of June coinciding with the arrival of the last of 28,000 extra US troops in Iraq.
Labels: Jurf al-Milih, Sunni tribal leaders, Taji
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Insurgents destroy helicopter, damage nine others
Security
(Middle East Online) - Insurgents destroyed a US military helicopter and damaged nine others in a mortar attack on a US airfield north of Baghdad, a US defense official said Wednesday. The attack, which occurred Sunday at a US air base at al-Taji but was not disclosed by the US military command in Baghdad, also wounded four US servicemembers, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"One helicopter was destroyed and nine were damaged," said the official, who said that six of the damaged helicopters have been repaired and are "fully mission capable." Insurgents appeared to have targeted the aircraft rather than have struck them with random fire, the official said. "There was some counter-battery fire," the official said. Attacks have damaged aircraft in the past but the military has rarely, if ever, reported so many helicopters being hit in a single insurgent attack. At least two types of helicopter were damaged in the attack but the official would not say what they were.
"One helicopter was destroyed and nine were damaged," said the official, who said that six of the damaged helicopters have been repaired and are "fully mission capable." Insurgents appeared to have targeted the aircraft rather than have struck them with random fire, the official said. "There was some counter-battery fire," the official said. Attacks have damaged aircraft in the past but the military has rarely, if ever, reported so many helicopters being hit in a single insurgent attack. At least two types of helicopter were damaged in the attack but the official would not say what they were.
Labels: helicopters, insurgents, mortar attacks, Taji
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Vital Baghdad bridges struck by suicide truck bombers
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Suicide truck bombs have struck three vital bridges near Baghdad, killing 26 people and wounding 60 others, in an apparent attempt by fighters to paralyse road links into the Iraqi capital. Describing Friday's attacks, an Iraqi army source said a truck bomb hit a bridge near the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, on the main highway connecting the capital with cities in the north.
He said it was quickly followed by a car bomb that killed four soldiers there. The US military said the bridge was impassable for northbound traffic. A police source said eight policemen were among the dead in the attacks on the bridges south of Baghdad, but it was unclear how many casualties were caused by each blast.
Police said the first bomber damaged the old Diyala bridge.
Minutes later, a few kilometres away, another attacker detonated a truck bomb on the new Diyala bridge. The two bridges over the Diyala river, a tributary of the Tigris, are commonly used by Shia pilgrims on their way to holy Shia cities to the south. Last month, a truck bomb destroyed the Sarafiya bridge in Baghdad.
On Friday, Major-General Benjamin R Mixon told Pentagon reporters by video conference from Iraq: "I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala to get that security situation moving. "We have plans to put additional forces in that region." Mixon commands the area that includes Diyala. He said he has already received extra troops, but violence in Diyala is on the rise both because more fighters have moved in and because multinational forces are taking the offensive.
"We have made progress ... we have taken terrain back from the enemy. "We are sure there are elements of both Sunni extremists and Shia extremists that have moved out of Baghdad and relocated into not only Diyala province, but also into Salah ad Din province."
He said it was quickly followed by a car bomb that killed four soldiers there. The US military said the bridge was impassable for northbound traffic. A police source said eight policemen were among the dead in the attacks on the bridges south of Baghdad, but it was unclear how many casualties were caused by each blast.
Police said the first bomber damaged the old Diyala bridge.
Minutes later, a few kilometres away, another attacker detonated a truck bomb on the new Diyala bridge. The two bridges over the Diyala river, a tributary of the Tigris, are commonly used by Shia pilgrims on their way to holy Shia cities to the south. Last month, a truck bomb destroyed the Sarafiya bridge in Baghdad.
On Friday, Major-General Benjamin R Mixon told Pentagon reporters by video conference from Iraq: "I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala to get that security situation moving. "We have plans to put additional forces in that region." Mixon commands the area that includes Diyala. He said he has already received extra troops, but violence in Diyala is on the rise both because more fighters have moved in and because multinational forces are taking the offensive.
"We have made progress ... we have taken terrain back from the enemy. "We are sure there are elements of both Sunni extremists and Shia extremists that have moved out of Baghdad and relocated into not only Diyala province, but also into Salah ad Din province."
Labels: Baghdad, bridges, Major-General Benjamin R Mixon, new Diyala bridge, old Diyala bridge, suicide truck bomber, Taji
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq at 1315 GMT on Thursday:
* denotes new or updated item.
KHALIS - Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed and 15 wounded, including civilians, when a suicide bomber rammed his car into an Iraqi army checkpoint in the town of Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb blast near Baghdad University and the Al-Hamra Hotel in the Jadriya district of southern Baghdad, police and Interior Ministry sources said.
TIKRIT - Gunmen killed the sister-in-law and niece of Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's cousin who was dubbed "Chemical Ali", in Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR MOSUL - At least three people were killed and 59 wounded in three separate blasts in a town near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a local official. Two truck bombs and a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt targeted local offices for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 18 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen in Hurriya, car bombs in Bayaa, mortar rounds in Abu Dshir, a roadside bomb near the Shorja market killed several and wounded many.
* denotes new or updated item.
KHALIS - Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed and 15 wounded, including civilians, when a suicide bomber rammed his car into an Iraqi army checkpoint in the town of Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb blast near Baghdad University and the Al-Hamra Hotel in the Jadriya district of southern Baghdad, police and Interior Ministry sources said.
TIKRIT - Gunmen killed the sister-in-law and niece of Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's cousin who was dubbed "Chemical Ali", in Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR MOSUL - At least three people were killed and 59 wounded in three separate blasts in a town near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a local official. Two truck bombs and a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt targeted local offices for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 18 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen in Hurriya, car bombs in Bayaa, mortar rounds in Abu Dshir, a roadside bomb near the Shorja market killed several and wounded many.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces said they killed three insurgents in an operation in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Residents said three people were killed, including a pregnant woman and a 70 year-old man, and seven wounded during the operation.
NEAR TAJI - U.S. forces killed four insurgents in an air strike during an operation targeting al Qaeda in Iraq west of Taji, the U.S. military said. It said that two women and two children were also believed to have been killed.
BASRA - Yousif al-Moussawi, the general-secretary of the Shi'ite Tharallah Islamic Party in Basra, said he had escaped unhurt from a grenade attack on his house in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, on Wednesday. One of his guards was seriously wounded.
NEAR TAJI - U.S. forces killed four insurgents in an air strike during an operation targeting al Qaeda in Iraq west of Taji, the U.S. military said. It said that two women and two children were also believed to have been killed.
BASRA - Yousif al-Moussawi, the general-secretary of the Shi'ite Tharallah Islamic Party in Basra, said he had escaped unhurt from a grenade attack on his house in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, on Wednesday. One of his guards was seriously wounded.
Labels: Baghdad, Basra, car bomb, KDP, Khalis, Kirkuk, Mosul, suicide bomber, Taji
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 1200 GMT on Wednesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 20 people and wounded 31 others near an intersection in the Shi'ite district of Sadr city in northeastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 10 people and wounded 15 in the predominantly Shi'ite district of Karrada in central Baghdad, police said.
BAGDHAD - A bomb inside a minibus killed two people and wounded five near al-Shurja in central Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomb targeting a police patrol killed two policemen and wounded four, including two civilians, near Baghdad, police said.
TAJI - One insurgent was killed and eight others were detained during two raids near Taji, 20 km north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers discovered a cache of nitric acid during a raid on a warehouse in eastern Baghdad on April 12, the U.S. military said. The nitric acid, which can used in manufacturing explosives, was stored in 600 five-gallon containers. Three people were detained in the raid.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 25 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
GARMA - U.S. forces killed five insurgents, wounded four and detained 26 more during an operation near Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi soldiers killed six insurgents and arrested 126 during the past 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
TAL AFAR - Gunmen attacked Iraqi army and police checkpoints in two different districts, police said. A policeman and a soldier were wounded in Tal Afar, about 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed Ismail Kadhim, a police major who was also a security guard for the Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, in southern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four policemen were wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 20 people and wounded 31 others near an intersection in the Shi'ite district of Sadr city in northeastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 10 people and wounded 15 in the predominantly Shi'ite district of Karrada in central Baghdad, police said.
BAGDHAD - A bomb inside a minibus killed two people and wounded five near al-Shurja in central Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomb targeting a police patrol killed two policemen and wounded four, including two civilians, near Baghdad, police said.
TAJI - One insurgent was killed and eight others were detained during two raids near Taji, 20 km north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers discovered a cache of nitric acid during a raid on a warehouse in eastern Baghdad on April 12, the U.S. military said. The nitric acid, which can used in manufacturing explosives, was stored in 600 five-gallon containers. Three people were detained in the raid.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 25 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
GARMA - U.S. forces killed five insurgents, wounded four and detained 26 more during an operation near Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi soldiers killed six insurgents and arrested 126 during the past 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
TAL AFAR - Gunmen attacked Iraqi army and police checkpoints in two different districts, police said. A policeman and a soldier were wounded in Tal Afar, about 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed Ismail Kadhim, a police major who was also a security guard for the Speaker of the Iraqi parliament, in southern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Four policemen were wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
Labels: Baghdad, Garma, Iraq violence, Taji, Tal Afar
Monday, April 16, 2007
Shias targeted in bomb attacks as British helicopters collide
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Bomb attacks killed at least 26 people in Baghdad, while two British helicopters crashed after an apparent mid-air collision that killed two crew members. Five other people were injured when the Puma transport helicopters crashed on Sunday near a large US air base in Taji, 20km from Baghdad. It appeared the helicopters may have collided in mid-air, the US military said. Earlier, two car bombs killed 18 people and wounded 50 more in the al-Shurta al-Rabeia neighbourhood in southwest Baghdad.
The first was detonated in a market, followed seconds later by another at a nearby intersection, police said. Mortar rounds also landed in the area as part of an apparently co-ordinated attack, they added. In the district of al-Utaifiya, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a minibus, killing six people and wounding 10.
In Karrada, near the centre of the capital, a car bomb aimed at a police patrol killed five people and wounded another 10 in a blast that rattled windows hundreds of metres away, police said. Meanwhile, in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, four Iraqi soldiers were killed when two oil trucks driven by suicide bombers exploded outside an Iraqi military base, police said. "We have seen a rise in the number of car bomb attacks. We have been very diligent in taking down these people who build these car bombs. We are taking one cell at a time," Rear Admiral Mark Fox, US military spokesman, said on Sunday.
The helicopter crash brought the British death toll in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 to 142. Eight have been killed this month alone. Puma helicopters normally have a three-person crew and can carry up to 16 troops. Fighters shot down eight helicopters during a month-long period earlier this year, killing 28 people, mainly American soldiers. Six of those aircraft were US military helicopters and the other two belonged to a private American security company.
The first was detonated in a market, followed seconds later by another at a nearby intersection, police said. Mortar rounds also landed in the area as part of an apparently co-ordinated attack, they added. In the district of al-Utaifiya, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a minibus, killing six people and wounding 10.
In Karrada, near the centre of the capital, a car bomb aimed at a police patrol killed five people and wounded another 10 in a blast that rattled windows hundreds of metres away, police said. Meanwhile, in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, four Iraqi soldiers were killed when two oil trucks driven by suicide bombers exploded outside an Iraqi military base, police said. "We have seen a rise in the number of car bomb attacks. We have been very diligent in taking down these people who build these car bombs. We are taking one cell at a time," Rear Admiral Mark Fox, US military spokesman, said on Sunday.
The helicopter crash brought the British death toll in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 to 142. Eight have been killed this month alone. Puma helicopters normally have a three-person crew and can carry up to 16 troops. Fighters shot down eight helicopters during a month-long period earlier this year, killing 28 people, mainly American soldiers. Six of those aircraft were US military helicopters and the other two belonged to a private American security company.
Labels: al-Shurta al-Rabeia, al-Utaifiya, British helicopters, Iraqi Army base, Mosul, Puma transport helicopter, suicide bombings, Taji
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 0900 GMT on Tuesday:
* denotes a new or updated item. Click on link for further information.
* BAQUBA - Police found the bodies of seven people shot in different districts of the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
* TAL AFAR - Four al Qaeda militants were killed and 21 detained, including two leaders, in clashes with Iraqi security forces in the town of Tal Afar, about 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police Brigadier Ibrahim al-Jouburi said.
* TAJI - Police discovered the body of an 11-year-old boy with his throat slit in Sab al Bor, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. A local al Qaeda cell was suspected.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 14 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
KIRKUK - A U.S. soldier was killed and two were wounded when a large truck bomb exploded at a police station in Kirkuk on Monday, the U.S. military said. The blast killed two Iraqi police officers and 10 civilians and wounded 17 policemen and 180 civilians. Kirkuk is 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad.
KIRKUK - Gunmen killed a policeman in Kirkuk, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of three people were found shot on Monday in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
ISHAQI - A roadside bomb exploded near the motorcade of Aamir Abdul-Hadi, the mayor of Balad, on Monday, wounding him along with five guards near the town of Ishaqi, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
* BAQUBA - Police found the bodies of seven people shot in different districts of the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
* TAL AFAR - Four al Qaeda militants were killed and 21 detained, including two leaders, in clashes with Iraqi security forces in the town of Tal Afar, about 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police Brigadier Ibrahim al-Jouburi said.
* TAJI - Police discovered the body of an 11-year-old boy with his throat slit in Sab al Bor, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. A local al Qaeda cell was suspected.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 14 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
KIRKUK - A U.S. soldier was killed and two were wounded when a large truck bomb exploded at a police station in Kirkuk on Monday, the U.S. military said. The blast killed two Iraqi police officers and 10 civilians and wounded 17 policemen and 180 civilians. Kirkuk is 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad.
KIRKUK - Gunmen killed a policeman in Kirkuk, police said.
MOSUL - The bodies of three people were found shot on Monday in different districts of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
ISHAQI - A roadside bomb exploded near the motorcade of Aamir Abdul-Hadi, the mayor of Balad, on Monday, wounding him along with five guards near the town of Ishaqi, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Aamir Abdul-Hadi, Baghdad, Baqouba, Ishaqi, Kirkuk, Mosul, roadside bombs, suicide truck bomber, Taji
