Monday, August 06, 2007
Tripartite security talks to begin in Baghdad
Regional
(RFE/RL) - Experts from Iraq, the United States, and Iran will reportedly meet today in Baghdad to follow up on two previous senior-level meetings concerning security in Iraq. AFP quoted an unnamed U.S. Embassy official as suggesting it is an "Iraqi-led" meeting of "experts" at which "only security will be discussed." The Iranian news agency ISNA quoted Tehran's ambassador to Iraq, Hasan Kazemi-Qomi, as saying talks today will focus on the composition and mandate of a tripartite security committee.
Meanwhile today, at least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar when a suicide truck bomber struck a crowded Shi'ite neighborhood. A complete curfew was imposed on the city after the attack, which also destroyed nearby homes. In a southern suburb of Baghdad, a roadside bomb reportedly killed nine Iraqis and wounded others at a minibus stop. Both bombings hit during morning rush hour.
Labels: Iran, suicide truck bomber, Tal Afar, tripartite security committee, U.S.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Curfew imposed on Tal Afar
Security
(Reuters) - Authorities in the volatile Iraqi town of Tal Afar have imposed an indefinite curfew after militants distributed leaflets threatening to carry out chemical attacks, local officials said on Friday. Dozens of families have fled the religiously mixed town in northwestern Iraq in recent days after militants urged Sunni Muslim residents to leave the area.
Suspected Sunni al Qaeda militants killed 152 people with a truck bomb in Tal Afar last month -- the deadliest single insurgent attack in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. That attack sparked reprisal killings by Shi'ite gunmen and Iraqi police in a Sunni district that left 47 dead. Most of Tal Afar's residents are Shi'ite and Sunni ethnic Turkmen.
"We have imposed a total curfew from April 19th ... to calm people because these statements are not serious. We do not think that these groups have the capability to launch attacks using chemical weapons," said Najim al Jibouri, Tal Afar's mayor. "These groups only want to scare people," he said.
Insurgents across Iraq have recently turned to car and truck bombs that spew out poisonous chlorine gas. When an explosion turns chlorine from solid or liquid form into gas, it causes severe burns when inhaled and can be lethal. Lieutenant Colonel Ali Hadi said most of the families who have fled Tal Afar are Sunnis. Those who have left since the reprisal killings last month have taken shelter in a camp set up for refugees in the nearby city of Mosul.
Suspected Sunni al Qaeda militants killed 152 people with a truck bomb in Tal Afar last month -- the deadliest single insurgent attack in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. That attack sparked reprisal killings by Shi'ite gunmen and Iraqi police in a Sunni district that left 47 dead. Most of Tal Afar's residents are Shi'ite and Sunni ethnic Turkmen.
"We have imposed a total curfew from April 19th ... to calm people because these statements are not serious. We do not think that these groups have the capability to launch attacks using chemical weapons," said Najim al Jibouri, Tal Afar's mayor. "These groups only want to scare people," he said.
Insurgents across Iraq have recently turned to car and truck bombs that spew out poisonous chlorine gas. When an explosion turns chlorine from solid or liquid form into gas, it causes severe burns when inhaled and can be lethal. Lieutenant Colonel Ali Hadi said most of the families who have fled Tal Afar are Sunnis. Those who have left since the reprisal killings last month have taken shelter in a camp set up for refugees in the nearby city of Mosul.
Labels: chemical attacks, curfew, Tal Afar
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
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 0845 GMT on Saturday. Follow link for further information.
KERBALA - A suicide car bomber killed up to 50 people and wounded more than 70 at a bus station next to a crowded market in the Iraqi holy city of Kerbala, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed 10 civilians and wounded 15 when it exploded on southern Baghdad's Jadriyah Bridge, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen attacked the deputy industry minister's convoy and wounded three of his bodyguards in Baghdad's southwestern Jihad neighbourhood, police said. Deputy Minister Mohammed Abdullah was present but unhurt from the attack.
TAL AFAR - A sniper shot dead a civilian woman in the religiously mixed town of Tal Afar on Friday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Five bodies were found in different parts of Baghdad on Friday, police said.
Labels: assassination attempt, Baghdad, car bombs, Deputy Minister Mohammed Abdullah, Kerbala, sniper, Tal Afar
Saturday, April 07, 2007
246 families escape from Tal Afar to Mosul
Humanitarian
(VOI) – A total of 246 families from Talafar, whose houses were destroyed in the March 27 bombing incidents, arrived in the city of Mosul, Iraq's Red Crescent Society said on Friday."The society provided shelters for the families, composed of 1250 people, at a camp set up next to Ninawa's eastern wall and more families will follow," Shamil Muwaffaq, the Society's official in charge of security in Mosul, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
He said the camp has got all the humanitarian needs: water, foodstuffs, medicine and blanket.Talafar was the scene of bloody incidents last week when several car bombs blew up in areas inhabited by a Shiite majority, followed by nighttime armed militias' raids on houses of Sunnis, who were led outdoors and executed.
Labels: Iraqi Red Crescent Society, IRCS, Mosul, Tal Afar
Friday, April 06, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 0600 GMT on Friday:
* denotes a new or updated item.
* HILLA - Sheikh Karim Omran al-Shafi, a tribal leader, was seriously wounded when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle in the Shi'ite city of Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Eleven bodies were found in different parts of the city, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A sniper killed two people in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said.
* TAL AFAR - Four bodies, including that of a child, were found in Tal Afar, about 420 km (260) miles northwest of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes a new or updated item.
* HILLA - Sheikh Karim Omran al-Shafi, a tribal leader, was seriously wounded when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle in the Shi'ite city of Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Eleven bodies were found in different parts of the city, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A sniper killed two people in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said.
* TAL AFAR - Four bodies, including that of a child, were found in Tal Afar, about 420 km (260) miles northwest of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Baghdad, Hilla, Sheikh Karim Omran al-Shafi, Tal Afar
Monday, April 02, 2007
Talabani - Mahdi Army has stopped activities
Security
BBC - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says the Shia militia known as the Mehdi Army has stopped its activities on the orders of its leader, Moqtada Sadr. The president described this as a positive response to the six-week-old Iraqi-US security push in Baghdad. Many of the bombings in the country are blamed on Sunni insurgents.
Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about the number of people who were killed in two suicide truck bomb attacks in the northern town of Tal Afar on Tuesday. The interior ministry said 152 people died, making it the deadliest single attack of the insurgency. But the figure was disputed by the mayor of the town, and dismissed by the US, which said the official count was 83 dead. Iraqi spokesman Brig Abdul Kareem Khalaf explained the delay in raising the death toll, saying 100 homes had been destroyed in the main blast.
Analysts say the bombing campaign has continued largely unabated since the Baghdad security crackdown began. Reprisals by Shia militias on Sunnis, however, have reportedly fallen.
The Mehdi Army is one of the groups blamed for such attacks. It has been described by the US as the greatest threat to security in Iraq. "People now are co-operating with government forces against terrorism as part of the security plan," Mr Talabani said. "Not to mention the fact that the Mehdi Army has become inactive. "Apparently the instructions of brother Moqtada Sadr have been effective, whereby there are no longer complaints by brother Sunni Arabs about attacks against them like before."
Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about the number of people who were killed in two suicide truck bomb attacks in the northern town of Tal Afar on Tuesday. The interior ministry said 152 people died, making it the deadliest single attack of the insurgency. But the figure was disputed by the mayor of the town, and dismissed by the US, which said the official count was 83 dead. Iraqi spokesman Brig Abdul Kareem Khalaf explained the delay in raising the death toll, saying 100 homes had been destroyed in the main blast.
Analysts say the bombing campaign has continued largely unabated since the Baghdad security crackdown began. Reprisals by Shia militias on Sunnis, however, have reportedly fallen.
The Mehdi Army is one of the groups blamed for such attacks. It has been described by the US as the greatest threat to security in Iraq. "People now are co-operating with government forces against terrorism as part of the security plan," Mr Talabani said. "Not to mention the fact that the Mehdi Army has become inactive. "Apparently the instructions of brother Moqtada Sadr have been effective, whereby there are no longer complaints by brother Sunni Arabs about attacks against them like before."
Labels: Jalal Talabani, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Tal Afar
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Tal Afar victims families want policemen arrested
(Azzaman) - The carnage of Telafar is now seen is the deadliest single incident since the 2003 U.S. invasion with at least 150 Iraqis killed by car bombings or executed in retaliation. Telafar to the west of the northern city of Mosul was hit by several bombings late last month targeting a densely populated district in the mixed town. Telafar has always been a hotbed of anti-U.S. rebellion but also a stronghold breeding ground for al-Qaeda operatives believed to be behind most of the deadly attacks on civilians.
Iraqi politicians and clergy across the country, whether Shiites or Sunnis, Kurds or Arabs, strongly denounce attacks targeting civilians whether mounted by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda or foreign and Iraqi troops fighting it. But amid rising sectarian strife, the confusion that resulted from U.S. invasion and the division of the country’s institutions along sectarian lines, anything happening in Iraq is being interpreted within a sectarian or ethnic context.
Immediately after the bombings in Telafar, Iraqi police, who are supposed to protect the civilian population, in apparent reprisal, killed in cold blood 70 people, mainly young men before the eyes of their families. The government initially arrested a few policemen but they were released shortly after.
The families of the victims are pressing the authorities in the province of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital and Telafar a major town, to arrest the policemen involved in the summary executions. Tensions in Telafar have been rising and the town has seen no effective authority to restore law and order despite two massive U.S. attacks to subdue it.
Iraqi politicians and clergy across the country, whether Shiites or Sunnis, Kurds or Arabs, strongly denounce attacks targeting civilians whether mounted by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda or foreign and Iraqi troops fighting it. But amid rising sectarian strife, the confusion that resulted from U.S. invasion and the division of the country’s institutions along sectarian lines, anything happening in Iraq is being interpreted within a sectarian or ethnic context.
Immediately after the bombings in Telafar, Iraqi police, who are supposed to protect the civilian population, in apparent reprisal, killed in cold blood 70 people, mainly young men before the eyes of their families. The government initially arrested a few policemen but they were released shortly after.
The families of the victims are pressing the authorities in the province of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital and Telafar a major town, to arrest the policemen involved in the summary executions. Tensions in Telafar have been rising and the town has seen no effective authority to restore law and order despite two massive U.S. attacks to subdue it.
Labels: executions, police, Tal Afar
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tal Afar police 're-arrested'
Security
(Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have re -arrested 18 policemen who had been detained but then freed over the reprisal killing of up to 70 Sunni Arab men in the northern town of Tal Afar this week, police said on Friday. The governor of Nineveh province, which includes Tal Afar, had said on Thursday that policemen who took part in the shootings were released to prevent unrest.
Shi'ite gunmen including police went on the killing spree hours after truck bomb attacks in Tal Afar killed 85 people in a Shi'ite area on Tuesday. Police in the nearby city of Mosul said the 18 policemen had been re-arrested. It was unclear where they were being held.
Nineveh provincial governor Durad Kashmula had said the culprits would be brought to justice in due course.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, has ordered an inquiry into the involvement of police in the killings. Tal Afar was held up by U.S. President George W. Bush only a year ago as an example of progress towards peace in Iraq. Militia infiltration of security forces has long been a problem in restoring stability to Iraq, with many Sunni Arabs complaining they are unfairly targeted by police and army.
Shi'ite gunmen including police went on the killing spree hours after truck bomb attacks in Tal Afar killed 85 people in a Shi'ite area on Tuesday. Police in the nearby city of Mosul said the 18 policemen had been re-arrested. It was unclear where they were being held.
Nineveh provincial governor Durad Kashmula had said the culprits would be brought to justice in due course.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, has ordered an inquiry into the involvement of police in the killings. Tal Afar was held up by U.S. President George W. Bush only a year ago as an example of progress towards peace in Iraq. Militia infiltration of security forces has long been a problem in restoring stability to Iraq, with many Sunni Arabs complaining they are unfairly targeted by police and army.
Labels: arrest, Durad Kashmula, Nouri Al-Maliki, police, Tal Afar
Petraeus blames Al-Qaeda for instigating Tal Afar violence
Security
(AP) - A U.S. commander said Thursday that revenge-seeking police apparently were behind retribution killings in northwestern Iraq, but he blamed al-Qaida for starting the carnage with a bombing in its bid to foil a security sweep in Baghdad by stoking sectarian violence elsewhere. Gen. David Petraeus also said the surge in attacks in Tal Afar and other cities was posing a challenge to bringing long-term stability to Iraq, but he expressed confidence in the U.S.-Iraqi crackdown on violence, now in its seventh week.
He said al-Qaida fighters had failed to incite sectarian violence despite increased attacks in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, Anbar to the west, and the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. "They did succeed in Tal Afar in killing a number of innocent civilians in a predominantly Shia marketplace that touched off ... we're still trying to get the exact details of what happened but it appears that there clearly were some kind of retribution killings by police," Petraeus told The Associated Press and another news agency in a brief interview.
His comments were the first military confirmation that Shiite-dominated police forces were among the militants who went on a shooting rampage against Sunnis Wednesday in the religiously mixed Turkomen city, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad. Iraqi officials said as many as 70 men were killed execution-style. Representatives from the government's security ministries had traveled to the city to investigate the events, Petraeus said, calling it "a horrific situation and a real tragedy for a community that has generally stayed together pretty much."
He said al-Qaida fighters had failed to incite sectarian violence despite increased attacks in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, Anbar to the west, and the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. "They did succeed in Tal Afar in killing a number of innocent civilians in a predominantly Shia marketplace that touched off ... we're still trying to get the exact details of what happened but it appears that there clearly were some kind of retribution killings by police," Petraeus told The Associated Press and another news agency in a brief interview.
His comments were the first military confirmation that Shiite-dominated police forces were among the militants who went on a shooting rampage against Sunnis Wednesday in the religiously mixed Turkomen city, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad. Iraqi officials said as many as 70 men were killed execution-style. Representatives from the government's security ministries had traveled to the city to investigate the events, Petraeus said, calling it "a horrific situation and a real tragedy for a community that has generally stayed together pretty much."
Labels: Al-Qaeda, General David Petraeus, police, Tal Afar
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Al-Maliki orders investigation into Tal Afar sectarian violence
Security
(VOI) – The Iraqi Prime Minister has ordered an investigation committee to be formed to punish elements believed to have been involved in attacks on citizens after the recent bomb attacks in the city, the state-run al-Iraqiya satellite channel said on Wednesday. Demonstrations were staged earlier in Talafar streets, during which the protesters called for the city’s mayor and chief of police to be dismissed.
A total of sixty executed bodies arrived at the Talafar public hospital on Wednesday, the director of the hospital said. Dr. Saleh al-Qdou told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), “The victims are men, women and children who were executed late Tuesday." Meanwhile, eyewitnesses confirmed that armed militiamen with police wearing civilian clothes had gone to the streets and carried out executions.
For his part, Turkuman front official in Ninewa province Ali al-Talafari confirmed the news, asserting that the irresponsible acts by some police elements were contained while 18 policemen were arrested. The police did not comment on the incident. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also strongly criticized the bombing attacks in Talafar that left 51 dead and 183 wounded. He vowed to track down the perpetrators.
Sectarian violence continued Thursday, when five mortar shells hit a Shiite district, wounding three people, according to police Brig. Abdul-Karim al-Jibouri. The city was under curfew Thursday for the second successive day, said al-Jibouri. Husham al-Hamdani, head of the provincial government's security committee in nearby Mosul, said local authorities planned a reconciliation meeting between the city's Sunni and Shiite leaders. He also announced that policemen arrested Wednesday on suspicion of taking part in the revenge killings have been freed. He declined to give a reason.
Labels: Ali al-Talafari, Brig. Abdul-Karim al-Jibouri, sectarian violence, Tal Afar
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Shiite gunmen go on killing rampage in Tal Afar
Security
(Reuters) - Gunmen rampaged through a Sunni district in the northwestern Iraqi town of Tal Afar overnight, killing more than 50 people in apparent reprisal for bombings in a Shi'ite area, Iraqi officials said on Wednesday. The attack was on the Sunni district of al-Wahda in Tal Afar, where tensions have been rising between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, who are mostly Turkish-speaking ethnic Turkmen.
"Shi'ite armed groups killed Sunni men inside their homes. More than 50 were killed," said Brigadier Najim al-Jubouri, mayor of Tal Afar, which is close to the Syrian border and the regional capital of Mosul. He said 18 people had been detained. A security source who declined to be named said many of the suspects were policemen. A curfew was imposed as Iraqi soldiers took control of the city.
The killings came after the U.S. Senate on Tuesday endorsed a March 31, 2008, target date for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq. The White House threatened a veto, moving Congress a step closer to a showdown with Bush over the war.
Gunmen raided the Tal Afar neighborhood shortly after twin truck bombings on Tuesday that police said killed 55 people and wounded 180. One suicide bomber lured victims to buy wheat loaded on his truck in a Shi'ite neighborhood. A second truck bomb exploded in a used car lot in a religiously mixed area.
"Shi'ite armed groups killed Sunni men inside their homes. More than 50 were killed," said Brigadier Najim al-Jubouri, mayor of Tal Afar, which is close to the Syrian border and the regional capital of Mosul. He said 18 people had been detained. A security source who declined to be named said many of the suspects were policemen. A curfew was imposed as Iraqi soldiers took control of the city.
The killings came after the U.S. Senate on Tuesday endorsed a March 31, 2008, target date for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq. The White House threatened a veto, moving Congress a step closer to a showdown with Bush over the war.
Gunmen raided the Tal Afar neighborhood shortly after twin truck bombings on Tuesday that police said killed 55 people and wounded 180. One suicide bomber lured victims to buy wheat loaded on his truck in a Shi'ite neighborhood. A second truck bomb exploded in a used car lot in a religiously mixed area.
Violence has seen Shi'ites and Sunnis flee previously mixed neighborhoods, which are now largely segregated along sectarian lines. Some Sunnis in Tal Afar have complained that the arrival of Shi'ite-dominated security forces has led to oppression. Police, who are seen as allied to Shi'ites, are frequently targeted in car and roadside bombings in the town. Two policemen were among 10 people killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a market in the town on Saturday.
(VOI) - Unidentified gunmen blocked the way of vehicles carrying medical assistance from Mosul to Talafar, west of Mosul, to aid victims of three bombing attacks that rattled the city earlier, an official in Ninawa province said on Tuesday."A group of unidentified armed men blocked the way that links Mosul with Talafar to prevent ambulances and other vehicles from entering the city," the Head of Security and Defense Committee in Ninawa provincial council Hesham al-Hamadani told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone.At least 50 people were killed and 120 others were wounded on Tuesday in three bombing attacks in Talafar, Talafar mayor had said earlier.
Labels: Brigadier Najim al-Jubouri, Shiite militias, Tal Afar, Turkomen
