Sunday, November 11, 2007
Iraq, the Surge, Partition, and the War: Public Opinion by City and Region
Center for Strategic & International Studies
The attached report was prepared with the aid of Gary Langer and the ABC polling unit. It provides a detailed analysis of a recent poll of Iraqi public opinion on the war, sectarian cleansing, the Iraqi government, US forces and the surge, and many of the other issues that show the state of Iraq hearts and minds. It also shows the differences in such public opinion by sect, ethnicity, governorate, and major city where the sample of public opinion was large enough to provide a valid picture that could be broken out into such detail.
The results should be reviewed in detail. Polls do not provide some simply punch line insights, they rather provide a mosaic of the various attitudes Iraqis have towards key issues. Unless they are reviewed in detail, picking out one trend or result can be more misleading than helpful. This is particularly true of the results in this analysis. Some are consistent with the results of previous polls over a period of several years. Some reflect the initial impact of changes in US strategy and the surge at a time when the degree of added security in Baghdad and the impact of the tribal awakening in Anbar was less apparent to most Iraqis than it is today.The reader should also remember that the results in this report do reflect “hearts and minds” on a broad level. Decision makers often act on their own, very different perceptions. Violence and extremism are also generally driven by the views and actions of small minorities. Broad popular support for violence is rare, but this can have limited impact in a nation where minorities are willing to kill and use extreme violence with or without popular support.
That said, the results do provide important insights in several areas. They make it clear that Iraqis do not support breaking up the country, or separation and strong federalism at the expensive of national unity. They show that perceptions of violence are not eased by sectarian and ethnic divisions and are high in most areas with a dominant Arab Sunni or Arab Shi’ite population and leadership. They also indicate that Iraqis will tolerate a US and Coalition presence only as long as it is necessary to put an end to violence and until Iraqi forces are ready to take over the job. At the same time, they show a sharp decline in popular confidence in both the national and local governments, and the perception that violence and sectarian cleansing continue to rise. This is a warning that Iraq patience in the central government’s failures to move forward in accommodation and providing effective services is wearing thin, and that the Iraqi “clock” in demanding much more rapid progress may not be all that different from the American one.
The results should be reviewed in detail. Polls do not provide some simply punch line insights, they rather provide a mosaic of the various attitudes Iraqis have towards key issues. Unless they are reviewed in detail, picking out one trend or result can be more misleading than helpful. This is particularly true of the results in this analysis. Some are consistent with the results of previous polls over a period of several years. Some reflect the initial impact of changes in US strategy and the surge at a time when the degree of added security in Baghdad and the impact of the tribal awakening in Anbar was less apparent to most Iraqis than it is today.The reader should also remember that the results in this report do reflect “hearts and minds” on a broad level. Decision makers often act on their own, very different perceptions. Violence and extremism are also generally driven by the views and actions of small minorities. Broad popular support for violence is rare, but this can have limited impact in a nation where minorities are willing to kill and use extreme violence with or without popular support.
That said, the results do provide important insights in several areas. They make it clear that Iraqis do not support breaking up the country, or separation and strong federalism at the expensive of national unity. They show that perceptions of violence are not eased by sectarian and ethnic divisions and are high in most areas with a dominant Arab Sunni or Arab Shi’ite population and leadership. They also indicate that Iraqis will tolerate a US and Coalition presence only as long as it is necessary to put an end to violence and until Iraqi forces are ready to take over the job. At the same time, they show a sharp decline in popular confidence in both the national and local governments, and the perception that violence and sectarian cleansing continue to rise. This is a warning that Iraq patience in the central government’s failures to move forward in accommodation and providing effective services is wearing thin, and that the Iraqi “clock” in demanding much more rapid progress may not be all that different from the American one.
Labels: CSIS, Iraqi government, Iraqi public opinion, sectarian cleansing, U.S. forces
Thursday, September 20, 2007
U.S. forces arrest Iranian in Kurdistan
Region
(AFP) - US forces arrested an Iranian businessman on Thursday at a hotel in Sulaimaniyah, a majority Kurdish city in northern Iraq, a regional government official told AFP. He is the latest Iranian national to be detained in Iraq by the US military, which accuses Iran of helping fund and arm Shiite militia groups in the country's bloody sectarian conflict.
The businessman, identified only as Farhadi, was detained at around 4.00 am (midnight GMT) after US troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel, said a spokesman for government of the largely autonomous region of Kurdistan. The businessman was a member of an Iranian commercial delegation visiting Sulaimaniyah, said the spokesman, Jamal Abdullah.
"American troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel early in the morning and arrested a man known as Farhadi. He was a member of a commercial delegation from the Iranian province of Kermanshah," Abdullah said. US military spokesman Major Winfield Danielson said he could not immediately comment on the reported detention.
There was no immediate comment frm Tehran. Late last month, US forces briefly detained a group of Iranians, including two diplomats, from a Baghdad hotel in what the military later said was a "regrettable incident." Tehran issued a protest over what it called the "unjustifiable" detention of the Iranians, who were taken by US troops from a hotel in blindfolds and handcuffs after their convoy was stopped at a nearby checkpoint.
Thursday's arrest is the third such action by US troops since January, when five Iranians working in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil were seized for allegedly aiding the anti-American insurgency. They are still in US military custody. It comes amid mounting tension between the United States and Iran, with Washington accusing Tehran of stoking tensions in Iraq and of covertly developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies both charges, saying the presence of US troops is the main cause of violence in Iraq and that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Amid a mounting war of words, Iran angered Washington further when it warned on Wednesday that it could bomb Israel if it was attacked by the Jewish state. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is travelling to New York on Sunday and will give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the same day that US President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak.
The businessman, identified only as Farhadi, was detained at around 4.00 am (midnight GMT) after US troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel, said a spokesman for government of the largely autonomous region of Kurdistan. The businessman was a member of an Iranian commercial delegation visiting Sulaimaniyah, said the spokesman, Jamal Abdullah.
"American troops raided the Sulaimaniyah Palace hotel early in the morning and arrested a man known as Farhadi. He was a member of a commercial delegation from the Iranian province of Kermanshah," Abdullah said. US military spokesman Major Winfield Danielson said he could not immediately comment on the reported detention.
There was no immediate comment frm Tehran. Late last month, US forces briefly detained a group of Iranians, including two diplomats, from a Baghdad hotel in what the military later said was a "regrettable incident." Tehran issued a protest over what it called the "unjustifiable" detention of the Iranians, who were taken by US troops from a hotel in blindfolds and handcuffs after their convoy was stopped at a nearby checkpoint.
Thursday's arrest is the third such action by US troops since January, when five Iranians working in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil were seized for allegedly aiding the anti-American insurgency. They are still in US military custody. It comes amid mounting tension between the United States and Iran, with Washington accusing Tehran of stoking tensions in Iraq and of covertly developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies both charges, saying the presence of US troops is the main cause of violence in Iraq and that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Amid a mounting war of words, Iran angered Washington further when it warned on Wednesday that it could bomb Israel if it was attacked by the Jewish state. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is travelling to New York on Sunday and will give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the same day that US President George W. Bush is scheduled to speak.
Labels: commercial delegation, Farhadi, Iranian, Kermanshah, Sulaimaniyah, U.S. forces
Monday, September 10, 2007
Basrah’s Sadr Office Official Warns Americans: Do Not Enter Basrah
Security, Politics
(Addustour Newspaper) - 9 SEP - An official in Basrah’s Sadr Office warned, “US forces, do not enter Basrah…and try to take the place of the British forces.” Abd Al Razaq Al Nidawi delivered a speech in the Martyr Abu Qadr’s Square, located in western Basrah’s Hussein area. This speech was made at the end of a procession/parade of cars full of Sadr Movement followers who had driven through Basrah’s streets in celebration of the withdrawal of British forces from Basrah’s Presidential Palaces.
In this speech Al Nidawi said, “We congratulate Basrah’s residents because, we have defeated the British forces! We warn the US forces, not to take the place of the defeated British forces!” He added, “Although we were patient for a long time while defeating the British forces we will not be patient at all with the American forces if they attempt to enter Basrah!”
Al Nidawi continued, “The goal of the events in Karbala was to cause the spread of sectarian sedition. Sayid Muqtada Al Sadr has made a wise decision about ‘freezing’ the Mahdi Army in order to confront sedition. He (Al Sadr) wants to restructure the (Mahdi) Army in order to prevent anyone from infiltrating it or (falsely) using its’ name.” Al Nidawi went on, “The Occupation is not included in this decision (about the Mahdi Army). Resisting the Occupation is a legal (legitimate) action; we will not stop resisting them.”
Al Nidawi continued, “The goal of the events in Karbala was to cause the spread of sectarian sedition. Sayid Muqtada Al Sadr has made a wise decision about ‘freezing’ the Mahdi Army in order to confront sedition. He (Al Sadr) wants to restructure the (Mahdi) Army in order to prevent anyone from infiltrating it or (falsely) using its’ name.” Al Nidawi went on, “The Occupation is not included in this decision (about the Mahdi Army). Resisting the Occupation is a legal (legitimate) action; we will not stop resisting them.”
On Wednesday, the ceremony for the official signing of the memorandum which handed over responsibility for Basrah’s Presidential Palaces from the British forces, to the Iraqi government was completed.
Labels: Abd Al Razaq Al Nidawi, Basrah, British forces, Sadr movement, U.S. forces
Thursday, September 06, 2007
26,000 U.S. and Iraq forces go on offensive in n. Iraq
Security
(CNN) -- About 26,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces are taking part in an offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said on Thursday. Iraqis gather at the site of a U.S. airstrike on Baghdad Thursday. Residents said people were killed in their sleep. The operation, Lightning Hammer II, is an extension of an earlier operation in Diyala province.
About 14,000 Iraqi security forces stationed throughout Nineveh province and 12,000 U.S. soldiers are conducting the operation, which started Wednesday evening. The military said the operation "follows Lightning Hammer I ... to deny al Qaeda safe haven in the provinces" of Salaheddin, Nineveh, Diyala, and Kirkuk.
The military said the original Operation Lightning Hammer -- August 13 to September 1 -- ousted militants from the Diyala River valley, northeast of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province. "Al Qaeda cells were driven from Baquba in Diyala due to Operation Arrowhead Ripper in June and July and then pursued in the Diyala River valley during Operation Lighting Hammer in August," Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Task Force Lightning and Multinational Division-North.
About 14,000 Iraqi security forces stationed throughout Nineveh province and 12,000 U.S. soldiers are conducting the operation, which started Wednesday evening. The military said the operation "follows Lightning Hammer I ... to deny al Qaeda safe haven in the provinces" of Salaheddin, Nineveh, Diyala, and Kirkuk.
The military said the original Operation Lightning Hammer -- August 13 to September 1 -- ousted militants from the Diyala River valley, northeast of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province. "Al Qaeda cells were driven from Baquba in Diyala due to Operation Arrowhead Ripper in June and July and then pursued in the Diyala River valley during Operation Lighting Hammer in August," Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Task Force Lightning and Multinational Division-North.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iraqi forces, Lightning Hammer II, northern Iraq, U.S. forces
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
U.S. troops have detained over 22,000 Iraqis in prison camps
Security
(Azzaman) - U.S. invasion troops detain more than 22,000 Iraqis in their prisoner camps across the country, senior government officials say. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said many of those languishing in U.S. jails are innocent and have been incarcerated for long periods without trial or charges. Most of the prisoners come from central Iraq where an anti-U.S. rebellion is raging. The region is predominantly Sunni.
Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi is leading the campaign to free the prisoners and see to it that U.S. prisoner camps meet international standards and that the jailers respect prisoner rights. Hashemi is determined to have all the innocent Iraqis in U.S. jails freed as quickly as possible, one official said. The officials said there are currently more jails in Iraq than under former leader Saddam Hussein.
Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi is leading the campaign to free the prisoners and see to it that U.S. prisoner camps meet international standards and that the jailers respect prisoner rights. Hashemi is determined to have all the innocent Iraqis in U.S. jails freed as quickly as possible, one official said. The officials said there are currently more jails in Iraq than under former leader Saddam Hussein.
The Iraqi government has no jurisdiction over U.S.-administered jails and has no say in U.S. troops’ military operations which normally result in arbitrary and summary arrests. The U.S. has agreed to release 50 Iraqi prisoners a day during the holy month of Ramadan. But the number falls short of Hashemi’s expectations who wanted to see most of the prisoners released.
Hashemi is said to have demanded U.S. troops pay reparations to prisoners arrested without charges. Hashemi’s adviser, Omer al-Jibouri, said the government has reached what he called ‘a working paper’ with U.S. occupation troops under which U.S. jailers violating human rights will be persecuted. Jibouri did not say how the government will punish U.S. troops at a time they are immune from prosecution and trial by Iraqi courts.
Hashemi is said to have demanded U.S. troops pay reparations to prisoners arrested without charges. Hashemi’s adviser, Omer al-Jibouri, said the government has reached what he called ‘a working paper’ with U.S. occupation troops under which U.S. jailers violating human rights will be persecuted. Jibouri did not say how the government will punish U.S. troops at a time they are immune from prosecution and trial by Iraqi courts.
Labels: detainees, Iraq, Tariq al-Hashemi, U.S. forces
U.S. forces claim cature of 'Iran agent' in Iraq
Security
(CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition forces say they have captured a "highly sought" individual in Iraq with alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. The raid took place early Wednesday south of Baghdad in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Karbala, a U.S. military statement said.
According to the military, the detainee was suspected of coordinating with high-level Quds force officers, whose goal it was to transport Iraqis into Iran for terrorist training. Although the coalition is still assessing the individual's connection with the Quds force, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver described the arrest as an "integral part of dismantling terror networks that seek to kill innocent Iraqis and security forces."
For months U.S. officials have stated Iranian agents from the Quds force have been helping train and equip militants in Iraq and have been supplying insurgents with the high-tech, armor-piercing explosively formed penetrators. Iran has denied these assertions.
Last month U.S. soldiers arrested -- and later released -- eight members of an Iranian government delegation at a hotel in Baghdad for allegedly carrying weapons without permits. The Iranian foreign ministry described the detentions as an "interventionist act."
According to the military, the detainee was suspected of coordinating with high-level Quds force officers, whose goal it was to transport Iraqis into Iran for terrorist training. Although the coalition is still assessing the individual's connection with the Quds force, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver described the arrest as an "integral part of dismantling terror networks that seek to kill innocent Iraqis and security forces."
For months U.S. officials have stated Iranian agents from the Quds force have been helping train and equip militants in Iraq and have been supplying insurgents with the high-tech, armor-piercing explosively formed penetrators. Iran has denied these assertions.
Last month U.S. soldiers arrested -- and later released -- eight members of an Iranian government delegation at a hotel in Baghdad for allegedly carrying weapons without permits. The Iranian foreign ministry described the detentions as an "interventionist act."
Labels: Karbala, Lt. Col Chris Garver, Quds Force, U.S. forces
Monday, August 20, 2007
U.S. Army clashes with Mahdi Army in Kut
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Kut local council goes on open-ended strike in protest against a raid by an Iraqi security force working with U.S. forces, the council chief said. Hamid Khuzaim an Iraqi security force "acting upon orders from the U.S. forces unjustifiably raided the municipal council building and the Kut mayorship on Thursday." "There was no search warrant issued by a government body, which makes us protest such an act and demand a probe into this raid that provoked members of the council and caused panic," said Khuzaim.
Clashes broke out between fighters of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militias and U.S. forces in Kut during the early hours of Saturday, eyewitnesses from the city said. "A U.S. force backed by warplanes tried to enter the neighborhood of al-Jihad but was resisted by Mahdi Army militiamen's light arms fire and forced the attacking troops back," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The witness could not specify whether there were casualties on either side and security sources could not be reached for information. Jihad neighborhood, located in the suburb of southwestern Kut near the U.S. Delta base, is constantly raided by U.S. forces that conduct random detention of residents who mostly belong to the Sadrist current, or Iraqis loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.
In July 2007 the neighborhood was pounded by fighter planes and helicopters, resulting in the destruction of a number of houses and killing and wounding of scores of residents. Kut, capital of Wassit, is 180 km southeast of Baghdad.
On Friday the U.S. army said in a statement that a joint Iraqi-U.S. force arrested a leading member of Mahdi Army on Tuesday. "Soldiers from the 8th Iraqi Army, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, conducted a raid in eastern Najaf Aug. 14 and detained a former battalion commander of the rogue Jaysh al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) militia who is currently suspected of leading an independent Shi’a extremist group," read the U.S. army statement received by VOI. The statement added that the cell is "also believed to have taken part in the August 2006 battle in Diwaniyah, fighting against Coalition Forces."
No Iraqi or Coalition members were harmed during the operation, according to the statement which did not name the arrested Mahdi Army member. The U.S. army has been launching a campaign targeting Mahdi members and leaders allegedly involved in acts of violence in several areas in Iraq.
The witness could not specify whether there were casualties on either side and security sources could not be reached for information. Jihad neighborhood, located in the suburb of southwestern Kut near the U.S. Delta base, is constantly raided by U.S. forces that conduct random detention of residents who mostly belong to the Sadrist current, or Iraqis loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.
In July 2007 the neighborhood was pounded by fighter planes and helicopters, resulting in the destruction of a number of houses and killing and wounding of scores of residents. Kut, capital of Wassit, is 180 km southeast of Baghdad.
On Friday the U.S. army said in a statement that a joint Iraqi-U.S. force arrested a leading member of Mahdi Army on Tuesday. "Soldiers from the 8th Iraqi Army, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, conducted a raid in eastern Najaf Aug. 14 and detained a former battalion commander of the rogue Jaysh al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) militia who is currently suspected of leading an independent Shi’a extremist group," read the U.S. army statement received by VOI. The statement added that the cell is "also believed to have taken part in the August 2006 battle in Diwaniyah, fighting against Coalition Forces."
No Iraqi or Coalition members were harmed during the operation, according to the statement which did not name the arrested Mahdi Army member. The U.S. army has been launching a campaign targeting Mahdi members and leaders allegedly involved in acts of violence in several areas in Iraq.
Labels: al-Jihad, clashes, Diwaniyah, Kut, Mahdi Army, U.S. forces
Thursday, August 16, 2007
U.S. forces launch air assault south of Baghdad
Military
(Reuters) - U.S. forces launched an airborne assault on a desert compound south of Baghdad on Thursday, the first air strike in a major new offensive. A company of airborne infantry struck villas in search of Sunni Arab militants. The assault was a first part of operation Marne Husky, itself part of a countrywide push announced this week against both Sunni Arab and Shi'ite militants.
Major-General Rick Lynch, commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad, told Reuters on Wednesday that about 4,000 of his men would be involved in the operation and would use air strikes and air-mobile infantry units to attack insurgents in the Tigris River valley south of the Iraqi capital.Pointing on a map to the palm groves south of Baghdad in an area known as Arab Jabour, he said his troops had already pushed out many Sunni Arab militants in the past month and now planned to strike those who escaped southwards.
Washington sent an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq this year and has pushed them from big bases into neighborhood outposts in an effort to reduce sectarian violence and defeat both Sunni Arab insurgents and hostile Shi'ite militia. Operation Marne Husky involves sending infantry into territory where U.S. forces had not had a presence in the past, in an area south of Baghdad U.S. troops call the "Triangle of Death."
"Tonight it's going to be the first time in about a year they've seen coalition forces. They've had aircraft flying overhead. But they can't hide from infantry kicking down the doors," Lynch said. The U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is due to report to Congress next month on the success of his strategy. This week U.S. forces announced the launch of a countrywide offensive, operation Phantom Strike.
On Tuesday they announced the first part of Phantom Strike, known as operation Lightning Hammer, which began with an airborne assault on the Diyala River valley north of the capital. A spokesman for the unit said the soldiers were airlifted out before dawn having captured five suspected militants, destroyed homemade explosives and uncovered a cache of weapons.
Major-General Rick Lynch, commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad, told Reuters on Wednesday that about 4,000 of his men would be involved in the operation and would use air strikes and air-mobile infantry units to attack insurgents in the Tigris River valley south of the Iraqi capital.Pointing on a map to the palm groves south of Baghdad in an area known as Arab Jabour, he said his troops had already pushed out many Sunni Arab militants in the past month and now planned to strike those who escaped southwards.
Washington sent an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq this year and has pushed them from big bases into neighborhood outposts in an effort to reduce sectarian violence and defeat both Sunni Arab insurgents and hostile Shi'ite militia. Operation Marne Husky involves sending infantry into territory where U.S. forces had not had a presence in the past, in an area south of Baghdad U.S. troops call the "Triangle of Death."
"Tonight it's going to be the first time in about a year they've seen coalition forces. They've had aircraft flying overhead. But they can't hide from infantry kicking down the doors," Lynch said. The U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is due to report to Congress next month on the success of his strategy. This week U.S. forces announced the launch of a countrywide offensive, operation Phantom Strike.
On Tuesday they announced the first part of Phantom Strike, known as operation Lightning Hammer, which began with an airborne assault on the Diyala River valley north of the capital. A spokesman for the unit said the soldiers were airlifted out before dawn having captured five suspected militants, destroyed homemade explosives and uncovered a cache of weapons.
Labels: air assault, Arab Jabour, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Marne Husky, Operation Lightning Hammer, Operation Phantom Strike, Shiite militias, Sunni militants, U.S. forces
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
U.S. launches new offensive in Iraq
Security
(Reuters) -- U.S. forces launched a big offensive in Iraq with an overnight airborne assault targeting al Qaeda guerrillas on Tuesday, part of a major new countrywide push. The Americans also raided Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City targeting militants they said are linked to Iran. Relatives said a 5-year-old girl was among four killed in the raid.
The military said 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops were involved in Operation Lightning Hammer against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda militants in the fertile crescent of the Diyala River which flows from the north into the Tigris near Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers started the operation with a late-night air assault. Its focus was militants who fled an earlier crackdown in the provincial capital Baquba.
"Our main goal with Lightning Hammer is to eliminate the terrorist organisations ... and show them that they truly have no safe haven -- especially in Diyala," Major-General Benjamin Mixon, U.S. commander in northern Iraq, said in a statement. The operation was described as part of a larger countrywide Operation Phantom Strike, which U.S. forces announced on Monday.
They have so far given few details of Phantom Strike. But U.S. military offensives over recent months have been under way in the Tigris and Diyala valleys north of Baghdad and in the Euphrates valley south of the capital. Diyala province is a sectarian patchwork and has seen some of Iraq's worst violence. Police in the Diyala town of Khalis said they found 15 corpses identified as Sunni Arabs, executed by gun shots and dumped on the highway linking Baghdad and Kirkuk.
The United States has sent an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq this year and moved them from large bases into small neighbourhood outposts in an effort to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and surrounding provinces. U.S. forces say they have had success, especially against Sunni Arab militants who were their main enemies for the first three years after the fall of President Saddam Hussein in 2003. But they have faced increasing violence from Shi'ite militia, who they say have ties to Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim neighbour Iran.
The military said 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops were involved in Operation Lightning Hammer against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda militants in the fertile crescent of the Diyala River which flows from the north into the Tigris near Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers started the operation with a late-night air assault. Its focus was militants who fled an earlier crackdown in the provincial capital Baquba.
"Our main goal with Lightning Hammer is to eliminate the terrorist organisations ... and show them that they truly have no safe haven -- especially in Diyala," Major-General Benjamin Mixon, U.S. commander in northern Iraq, said in a statement. The operation was described as part of a larger countrywide Operation Phantom Strike, which U.S. forces announced on Monday.
They have so far given few details of Phantom Strike. But U.S. military offensives over recent months have been under way in the Tigris and Diyala valleys north of Baghdad and in the Euphrates valley south of the capital. Diyala province is a sectarian patchwork and has seen some of Iraq's worst violence. Police in the Diyala town of Khalis said they found 15 corpses identified as Sunni Arabs, executed by gun shots and dumped on the highway linking Baghdad and Kirkuk.
The United States has sent an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq this year and moved them from large bases into small neighbourhood outposts in an effort to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and surrounding provinces. U.S. forces say they have had success, especially against Sunni Arab militants who were their main enemies for the first three years after the fall of President Saddam Hussein in 2003. But they have faced increasing violence from Shi'ite militia, who they say have ties to Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim neighbour Iran.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Diyala, Iraq, Major-General Benjamin Mixon, offensive, Operation Lightning Hammer, Operation Phantom Strike, Shiite militias, U.S. forces
Monday, August 06, 2007
Samarra mosque attack mastermind killed
Security
(McCltachy newspapers) - U.S. military officials said Sunday that coalition forces had killed the al Qaida mastermind of an attack in February 2006 that obliterated the golden dome of a sacred Shiite mosque in Samarra and fueled sectarian killings that left thousands dead.
Haitham al Badri, also accused of plotting the destruction of the same mosque's two towering minarets in June, was killed Thursday after he and three other insurgents emerged from buildings that military forces had been monitoring, U.S. officials said. The four men were about to stage an ambush on troops when coalition units attacked them, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesman for the U.S.-led forces. Only later did the military realize it had killed a high-profile target.
After bombers blew up the famed golden dome of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra, about 65 miles north of Baghdad, Shiites took to the streets, and thousands of Sunnis and Shiites died in the ensuring violence. Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffak al Rubaie said recently that during the February 2006 attack, al Badri and five others rounded up the mosque guards, bound them and spent hours planting explosives in the mosque's gold dome, which was shattered by the bombing.
Also Sunday, men wearing Iraqi military uniforms tried to gun down one of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr's top aides, raising questions about whether the powerful Mahdi Army controlled by Sadr may be turning on its own, using tactics typically linked to the Mahdi Army itself. Sadr officials said that Sadr's top aide, Hazem al Araji, was in a convoy in the northwest Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiyah when armed men wearing Iraqi National Guard uniforms opened fire on him, injuring five of his bodyguards.
Sadr, an influential cleric, leads the Mahdi Army, which has infiltrated Iraqi security forces and is often accused of posing in Iraqi military uniforms to carry out its attacks. It is unclear whether the would-be assassins were actual Iraqi soldiers or possibly other backers of Sadr, whose movement has become splintered in recent months.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi military could not be reached for comment Sunday. Recently, al Araji was reported to have lost clout in the Sadr movement and some of his control over the Mahdi Army in Kadhimiyah. Qahtan al Sudani, a spokesman for Araji who leads the Sadr office in Kadhimiyah, blamed the attack on Sunnis. "We accuse the Baathist takfiris," al Sudani said referring to both Saddam Hussein's secular party and Sunni extremists.
Haitham al Badri, also accused of plotting the destruction of the same mosque's two towering minarets in June, was killed Thursday after he and three other insurgents emerged from buildings that military forces had been monitoring, U.S. officials said. The four men were about to stage an ambush on troops when coalition units attacked them, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesman for the U.S.-led forces. Only later did the military realize it had killed a high-profile target.
After bombers blew up the famed golden dome of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra, about 65 miles north of Baghdad, Shiites took to the streets, and thousands of Sunnis and Shiites died in the ensuring violence. Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffak al Rubaie said recently that during the February 2006 attack, al Badri and five others rounded up the mosque guards, bound them and spent hours planting explosives in the mosque's gold dome, which was shattered by the bombing.
Also Sunday, men wearing Iraqi military uniforms tried to gun down one of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr's top aides, raising questions about whether the powerful Mahdi Army controlled by Sadr may be turning on its own, using tactics typically linked to the Mahdi Army itself. Sadr officials said that Sadr's top aide, Hazem al Araji, was in a convoy in the northwest Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiyah when armed men wearing Iraqi National Guard uniforms opened fire on him, injuring five of his bodyguards.
Sadr, an influential cleric, leads the Mahdi Army, which has infiltrated Iraqi security forces and is often accused of posing in Iraqi military uniforms to carry out its attacks. It is unclear whether the would-be assassins were actual Iraqi soldiers or possibly other backers of Sadr, whose movement has become splintered in recent months.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi military could not be reached for comment Sunday. Recently, al Araji was reported to have lost clout in the Sadr movement and some of his control over the Mahdi Army in Kadhimiyah. Qahtan al Sudani, a spokesman for Araji who leads the Sadr office in Kadhimiyah, blamed the attack on Sunnis. "We accuse the Baathist takfiris," al Sudani said referring to both Saddam Hussein's secular party and Sunni extremists.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Askariya shrine, Haitham al Badri, Lt. Col Chris Garver, Samarra, U.S. forces
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
U.S. siege on al-Azamiyah lifted
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - U.S. forces lifted a five-day siege from al-Aazamiya, northern Baghdad, local residents said on Tuesday. "U.S. forces removed barricades from the outlets to the neighborhood and allowed residents to go to work after a siege that lasted for five days following Thursday's bombing of a U.S. vehicle and an attack on an Iraqi army checkpoint," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Another eyewitness told VOI, "technicians and workers started fixing water pipes damaged in the bombings and clashes last week and now the electricity is back." U.S. forces had asked residents of al-Aazamiya via microphone to report any armed groups in the area and were allowing only pedestrians in or out.
Another eyewitness told VOI, "technicians and workers started fixing water pipes damaged in the bombings and clashes last week and now the electricity is back." U.S. forces had asked residents of al-Aazamiya via microphone to report any armed groups in the area and were allowing only pedestrians in or out.
Labels: Azamiyah, siege, U.S. forces
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Al Sadr Threatens Armed Uprising And Accuses Americans Of Attempting To Assassinate Him
Politics, Security
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 4 JUN - Muqtada Al Sadr refuses to open a direct dialogue with the American forces and accused the US of attempting to assassinate him. During an interview with the Independent Newspaper on Sunday, Sadr said, “The Americans tried to kill me but they failed and I am sure that they still want to eliminate me. I am a free Muslim Iraqi and I want to help the Iraqi people and for this reason the Americans hate me."
"The Americans want me to have a direct dialogue with them but there is nothing to negotiate about because the Americans are occupiers and thieves, and they should have a withdrawal schedule to leave this country. We need to know when they will do this. We are fighting an enemy stronger than us but we are on the right side even if this means that we will die because Islam encourages us to die with dignity instead of in shame.”
Al Sadr warned, “There will be a new armed uprising” in response to the Iraqi / British / American operations against the Sadr Movement and Mahdi Army. He said, “The occupiers keep attempting to provoke us but I have issued orders to start an armed resistance. We are patient and wise but we will fight the occupation and the killing. I am confirming that my movement will be like Hezbollah in Lebanon and I believe that Hezbollah and the Mahdi Army are two faces on one coin fighting on one front against the devil.”
About the recent clashes between Mahdi Army and the Badr organization, Muqtada said, “It was a misunderstanding, we have had discussions and communicated with the other side to prevent any more clashes.” About Iran, Muqtada confirmed he rejects any Iranian interference in Iraqi issues and he is against the Iranian / American negotiations about Iraq. Also, he confirmed that Iraqi issues will be solved by Iraqis.”
About the recent clashes between Mahdi Army and the Badr organization, Muqtada said, “It was a misunderstanding, we have had discussions and communicated with the other side to prevent any more clashes.” About Iran, Muqtada confirmed he rejects any Iranian interference in Iraqi issues and he is against the Iranian / American negotiations about Iraq. Also, he confirmed that Iraqi issues will be solved by Iraqis.”
Labels: assassination, Hezbollah, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, U.S. forces, uprising
Monday, June 04, 2007
Security plan only able to protect 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighbourhoods despite troop surge
Security
(AP) - U.S.-led forces have control of fewer than one-third of Baghdad's neighborhoods despite thousands of extra troops nearly four months into a security crackdown, a newspaper reported Monday, an assessment that came as the U.S. casualty toll soared. But military officials said they have warned all along that the fight would not be easy.
Iraqi police also said at least six people were killed and 14 were wounded in three separate bombings Monday in Baghdad. The New York Times said an American assessment of the security plan through late May found that American and Iraqi forces were able to "protect the population" and "maintain physical influence over" only 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighborhoods.
Troops have either not begun operations aimed at rooting out insurgents or still face "resistance" in the remaining 311 neighborhoods, according to the report, which cited a one-page assessment along with summaries from brigade and battalion commanders in Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi military officials played down the report.
"We have stated all along that this was going to be harder before it gets easier," military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said. "It's going to be a tough fight over the summer and the plan is just in its beginning stages."
It appeared to be the first comprehensive analysis of the progress of the operation that began Feb. 14. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is due to report in September on whether the current troop increase is working amid a fierce debate in Washington over whether President Bush should begin withdrawing American forces.
The U.S. military announced Sunday that 14 American soldiers had been killed over a three-day period in a deadly start for June and raising to at least 3,493 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. May was the third bloodiest month since the war began, with 127 troop deaths reported.
Following initial optimism over the operation to quell sectarian violence, unrelenting bombings staged by suspected Sunni insurgents have killed hundreds of Iraqis. U.S. commanders have cited a drop in the numbers of execution-style killings usually blamed on Shiite militias but those numbers also have seen a recent spike.
U.S. military leaders in charge of the Baghdad drive, now nearing the end of its fourth month, have repeatedly complained that both the Iraqi army and police units that were sent to Baghdad for the operation are often at only 60 percent full strength, if that.
He acknowledged some challenges with the Iraqi troops, including concerns that some were biased in their loyalties to one side or another, apparently referring to the sectarian bent of predominantly Shiite forces. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said Baghdad has 184 neighborhoods and "we are controlling more than 50 percent of them." The U.S. and Iraqi military frequently differ over details and designations of neighborhoods.
The police are deeply infiltrated by Shiite militiamen who use their membership in the force more for sectarian purposes against Sunni Muslims than in conducting police operations on behalf of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Iraqi police also said at least six people were killed and 14 were wounded in three separate bombings Monday in Baghdad. The New York Times said an American assessment of the security plan through late May found that American and Iraqi forces were able to "protect the population" and "maintain physical influence over" only 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighborhoods.
Troops have either not begun operations aimed at rooting out insurgents or still face "resistance" in the remaining 311 neighborhoods, according to the report, which cited a one-page assessment along with summaries from brigade and battalion commanders in Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi military officials played down the report.
"We have stated all along that this was going to be harder before it gets easier," military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said. "It's going to be a tough fight over the summer and the plan is just in its beginning stages."
It appeared to be the first comprehensive analysis of the progress of the operation that began Feb. 14. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is due to report in September on whether the current troop increase is working amid a fierce debate in Washington over whether President Bush should begin withdrawing American forces.
The U.S. military announced Sunday that 14 American soldiers had been killed over a three-day period in a deadly start for June and raising to at least 3,493 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. May was the third bloodiest month since the war began, with 127 troop deaths reported.
Following initial optimism over the operation to quell sectarian violence, unrelenting bombings staged by suspected Sunni insurgents have killed hundreds of Iraqis. U.S. commanders have cited a drop in the numbers of execution-style killings usually blamed on Shiite militias but those numbers also have seen a recent spike.
U.S. military leaders in charge of the Baghdad drive, now nearing the end of its fourth month, have repeatedly complained that both the Iraqi army and police units that were sent to Baghdad for the operation are often at only 60 percent full strength, if that.
He acknowledged some challenges with the Iraqi troops, including concerns that some were biased in their loyalties to one side or another, apparently referring to the sectarian bent of predominantly Shiite forces. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said Baghdad has 184 neighborhoods and "we are controlling more than 50 percent of them." The U.S. and Iraqi military frequently differ over details and designations of neighborhoods.
The police are deeply infiltrated by Shiite militiamen who use their membership in the force more for sectarian purposes against Sunni Muslims than in conducting police operations on behalf of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Labels: Baghdad, troop surge, U.S. forces
Sunday, May 27, 2007
U.S. forces rescue 41 civilians from Al-Qaeda hide-out
Security
(AP) - U.S. forces rescued 41 Iraqi civilians Sunday from an al-Qaida hide-out northeast of Baghdad, including some who showed signs of torture and broken bones, a senior U.S. official said. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said it was the largest number of detained Iraqis ever found in a single al-Qaida hide-out. Some among the 41 had been held as long as four months, he said.
Details were incomplete, but Caldwell said some of the freed Iraqis were being transported to medical facilities for treatment of their injuries. There were no indications that Americans had been held at the hide-out, he said. It was not immediately clear whether any al-Qaida figures were captured. The discovery was unrelated to a search south of Baghdad for two missing U.S. soldiers.
U.S. forces previously have found a number of houses used by al-Qaida for detention, including some where prisoners showed signs of torture. But the hide-out raided Sunday in Diyala province was the largest, Caldwell said in a telephone interview. He declined to be more specific about the location, citing security reasons.
Caldwell said a tip to U.S. forces from Iraqis in Diyala led to the rescue operation. "The people in Diyala are speaking up against al-Qaida," he said. Caldwell said U.S. troops have been engaging more directly with Iraqi civilians in Diyala in recent weeks since an additional 3,000 U.S. troops entered the province.
Details were incomplete, but Caldwell said some of the freed Iraqis were being transported to medical facilities for treatment of their injuries. There were no indications that Americans had been held at the hide-out, he said. It was not immediately clear whether any al-Qaida figures were captured. The discovery was unrelated to a search south of Baghdad for two missing U.S. soldiers.
U.S. forces previously have found a number of houses used by al-Qaida for detention, including some where prisoners showed signs of torture. But the hide-out raided Sunday in Diyala province was the largest, Caldwell said in a telephone interview. He declined to be more specific about the location, citing security reasons.
Caldwell said a tip to U.S. forces from Iraqis in Diyala led to the rescue operation. "The people in Diyala are speaking up against al-Qaida," he said. Caldwell said U.S. troops have been engaging more directly with Iraqi civilians in Diyala in recent weeks since an additional 3,000 U.S. troops entered the province.
Labels: Al-Qaeda, Diyala, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, U.S. forces
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Clashes with Mahdi Army in Kut and Basrah
Security
(Azzaman Newspaper) - 21 MAY - Yesterday, Wasit Police enforced a curfew in Kut city. The curfew started at 5pm and lasted until this morning. Wasit Police enacted the curfew because of clashes which occurred between the Mahdi Army and US forces in southwestern Kut. A source said, “Yesterday afternoon, violent clashes occurred between the Mahdi Army and US forces with the assistance of the Iraqi Police in southwest Kut.” The security source also said, “These clashes occurred after an IED exploded on a US Patrol. The IED explosion destroyed one Humvee.”
In related news, security sources said, “On Saturday, violent clashes occurred between unidentified gunmen and MOI Special Forces in the Saydia area. The clashes killed one civilian and wounded one person.” The source clarified, “Unidentified gunmen fought with the MOI Special Forces in the Saydia area and the gunmen escaped to an unknown location.”
In Basrah, the Mahdi Army also clashed with British Forces. The clashes destroyed a number of British vehicles and wounded a number of British soldiers. The clashes occurred a few hours after the British Prime Minister left Basrah. The clashes occurred because British forces arrested four people and later, the British camps came under attack.
The violent clashes occurred in the Maqal, Jamiyat Al Munkini, and the Hay Al Bidan areas. Eyewitnesses said, “The gunmen used light and heavy machine guns, as well as RPGs in the clashes that destroyed some British vehicles and wounded many on both sides.” Eyewitnesses confirmed, “Three British soldiers were wounded, two gunmen were also wounded, and two British vehicles were destroyed. In addition, cars and stores were burned and Isama Mosque was destroyed.
In related news, security sources said, “On Saturday, violent clashes occurred between unidentified gunmen and MOI Special Forces in the Saydia area. The clashes killed one civilian and wounded one person.” The source clarified, “Unidentified gunmen fought with the MOI Special Forces in the Saydia area and the gunmen escaped to an unknown location.”
In Basrah, the Mahdi Army also clashed with British Forces. The clashes destroyed a number of British vehicles and wounded a number of British soldiers. The clashes occurred a few hours after the British Prime Minister left Basrah. The clashes occurred because British forces arrested four people and later, the British camps came under attack.
The violent clashes occurred in the Maqal, Jamiyat Al Munkini, and the Hay Al Bidan areas. Eyewitnesses said, “The gunmen used light and heavy machine guns, as well as RPGs in the clashes that destroyed some British vehicles and wounded many on both sides.” Eyewitnesses confirmed, “Three British soldiers were wounded, two gunmen were also wounded, and two British vehicles were destroyed. In addition, cars and stores were burned and Isama Mosque was destroyed.
Labels: British forces, clashes, curfew, Kut, Mahdi Army, U.S. forces, Wasit
Friday, May 11, 2007
Muslim Scholars Association condemns U.S. Samarra siege
Politics, Security
(RFE/RL) - The Sunni-led Muslim Scholars Association issued a statement on its website on May 9 condemning the nearly weeklong siege of Samarra by U.S. forces and describing it as collective punishment. "These forces carried out raid-and-arrest campaigns against the sons of the city without leveling any charges against them," the statement said.
"While condemning these inhuman acts, the Muslim Scholars Association calls on the international community to shoulder its responsibility and stand in the face of the occupation forces and the current government." Samarra has been sealed off and under curfew since leaflets by the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq warning of attacks against the Iraqi military and police were distributed in the city. On May 6, a suicide car bomb struck a police station in Samarra, killing 12 police officers.
COMMENT: The Hayat Al-Ulama Al-Muslimin [Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS] is also known as the Ulema Council. Ulema is the community of legal scholars of Islam and the Sharia. The Muslim Ulema Council is the highest Sunni authority in Iraq. It has many activities on the political, social, economic, and religious levels. They as of yet have not joined the newly formed government and remain as opposition group due to the fact that they believe joining the process whilst iraq is under occupation is unjust. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Islamic State of Iraq, Muslim Scholars Association, Samarra, U.S. forces
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
35,000 U.S. troops may head to Iraq this autumn
Military
(AP) Highlights of the Pentagon announcement more than 35,000 Army soldiers for possible deployments to Iraq this fall:
- The combat brigades would deploy for up to 15 months.
- The 10 brigades are: the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Germany; the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga.; the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky.; the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas; the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored from Germany; 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Polk, La.; 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii and the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood.
- Close to 1,000 additional support troops from the Army Reserves would also deploy in August. Those would come from two units, an engineer battalion from Fort Thomas, Ky., and a signal battalion from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
- The combat brigades would deploy for up to 15 months.
- The 10 brigades are: the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Germany; the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga.; the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky.; the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas; the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored from Germany; 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Polk, La.; 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii and the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood.
- Close to 1,000 additional support troops from the Army Reserves would also deploy in August. Those would come from two units, an engineer battalion from Fort Thomas, Ky., and a signal battalion from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Labels: Iraq, U.S. forces
Sunday, May 06, 2007
U.S. forces arrest Shiites accused of smuggling bombs from Iran
Security
(AP) - U.S.-led forces on Friday arrested suspected Shiite militants accused of smuggling powerful bomb components from Iran, and clashes between Shiite factions broke out in two major cities. The U.S. announced the deaths of five American soldiers - three of them in bombings. The arrests occurred during a raid early Friday in Baghdad's teeming Shiite district of Sadr City, stronghold of the notorious Mahdi Army militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
A U.S. military statement did not identify them as Mahdi Army members but said they were part of a "secret cell" that smuggles powerful bombs known as "explosively formed penetrators," or EFPs, from Iran and sends Shiite fighters from Iraq for training in Iran. U.S. and some Iraqi officials suspect the Iranians may be stoking a growing power struggle among Shiite factions and political parties - despite the Tehran government's insistence that it is working to help bring stability to its neighbor Iraq.
Clashes broke out Friday in Baghdad and in the Shiite shrine city of Najaf when police said Mahdi Army gunmen attacked offices of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Republic in Iraq, or SCIRI, a key member of the U.S.-backed Iraqi government but with strong ties to Tehran. Four people were injured in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, prompting local authorities to impose a curfew. The clash in Baghdad occurred when Mahdi gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at a SCIRI office in the Habibiya district, injuring two guards, police said.
In Diwaniyah, a Shiite city 80 miles south of Baghdad, suspected Shiite gunmen attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol late Friday, killing one Iraqi soldier and wounding four civilians, police said. It was unclear what provoked the attacks, but they appeared to be part of an escalating power struggle brewing throughout the dominant Shiite community, which intensified after Britain announced plans to draw down its troops in the mostly Shiite south.
Shiite parties are trying to oust the Shiite governor of oil-rich Basra province, and violence has broken out recently in Kut and other Shiite cities. Some Mahdi Army members in Sadr City have said a pro-Iranian faction has been sending fighters to Iran for training. The members spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for their own safety.
In another sign of unrest, hundreds of angry Shiites poured onto the streets of Najaf and Basra to protest what they considered insults by Al-Jazeera television against Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The protesters were angered by an Al-Jazeera talk show this week in which the host, Egyptian Ahmed Mansour, questioned al-Sistani's leadership credentials and whether he authored his own religious edicts.
Unrest in Shiite areas adds a new and dangerous dimension to the challenge facing U.S. forces as they try to restore order in the capital during the 11-week Baghdad security operation.
Attacks using EFPs, the signature weapon of Shiite militias, are on the rise. The increase in attacks using EFPs, which the U.S. says come from Iran, suggest that the Shiite extremists may be shifting tactics, reducing their slaughter of Sunni civilians but focusing more on U.S. and Iraqi forces.
A U.S. military statement did not identify them as Mahdi Army members but said they were part of a "secret cell" that smuggles powerful bombs known as "explosively formed penetrators," or EFPs, from Iran and sends Shiite fighters from Iraq for training in Iran. U.S. and some Iraqi officials suspect the Iranians may be stoking a growing power struggle among Shiite factions and political parties - despite the Tehran government's insistence that it is working to help bring stability to its neighbor Iraq.
Clashes broke out Friday in Baghdad and in the Shiite shrine city of Najaf when police said Mahdi Army gunmen attacked offices of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Republic in Iraq, or SCIRI, a key member of the U.S.-backed Iraqi government but with strong ties to Tehran. Four people were injured in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, prompting local authorities to impose a curfew. The clash in Baghdad occurred when Mahdi gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at a SCIRI office in the Habibiya district, injuring two guards, police said.
In Diwaniyah, a Shiite city 80 miles south of Baghdad, suspected Shiite gunmen attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol late Friday, killing one Iraqi soldier and wounding four civilians, police said. It was unclear what provoked the attacks, but they appeared to be part of an escalating power struggle brewing throughout the dominant Shiite community, which intensified after Britain announced plans to draw down its troops in the mostly Shiite south.
Shiite parties are trying to oust the Shiite governor of oil-rich Basra province, and violence has broken out recently in Kut and other Shiite cities. Some Mahdi Army members in Sadr City have said a pro-Iranian faction has been sending fighters to Iran for training. The members spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for their own safety.
In another sign of unrest, hundreds of angry Shiites poured onto the streets of Najaf and Basra to protest what they considered insults by Al-Jazeera television against Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The protesters were angered by an Al-Jazeera talk show this week in which the host, Egyptian Ahmed Mansour, questioned al-Sistani's leadership credentials and whether he authored his own religious edicts.
Unrest in Shiite areas adds a new and dangerous dimension to the challenge facing U.S. forces as they try to restore order in the capital during the 11-week Baghdad security operation.
Attacks using EFPs, the signature weapon of Shiite militias, are on the rise. The increase in attacks using EFPs, which the U.S. says come from Iran, suggest that the Shiite extremists may be shifting tactics, reducing their slaughter of Sunni civilians but focusing more on U.S. and Iraqi forces.
Labels: EFPs, explosively formed projectiles, Iran, Mahdi Army, Najaf, Sadr City, SCIRI, Shiite militants, Sistani, U.S. forces
Monday, April 30, 2007
U.S. forces clash with Mahdi Army in Baghdad
Security
(New York Times) - Militiamen loyal to the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr clashed with American forces in northern Baghdad on Sunday, an Interior Ministry official said, the latest in a series of indications that the militia might be emerging from two months of self-imposed dormancy.
On the orders of Mr. Sadr, the militia, known as the Mahdi Army, has remained largely underground since the intensified security plan for Baghdad took effect in mid-February. But a steady increase in the number of corpses recovered from the streets in recent weeks, and sporadic clashes between Mahdi fighters and government forces, have suggested a possible resurgence of the militia.
Its return could significantly complicate the American-led effort to tame violence in the capital because it would split the attention of American and Iraqi forces, already struggling to subdue the Sunni Arab insurgency and interrupt its campaign of vehicle bombings against Shiite targets. The circumstances of the latest fighting remained unclear late Sunday.
The Interior Ministry official said American soldiers and Mahdi militiamen exchanged heavy gunfire near a prominent Shiite shrine in the Shiite neighborhood of Kadhimiya, and that two American Humvees had burst into flames. The ministry official offered no explanation for the clashes.
Sheik Khalid al-Kadhumy, an official in Mr. Sadr’s organization, said that American forces surrounded the Sadr offices in the Kadhimiya neighborhood in the evening. Something prompted the Americans to open fire on the office and surrounding buildings, he said, resulting in casualties among local residents, though he did not know how many.
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said that he had no comment on reports of the fighting but that the military was working on a statement about the clashes. Some members of the Shiite community have been agitating for a return of the Mahdi Army in recent weeks, as spectacular car bombings against Shiite communities in Baghdad killed hundreds of people. The militia is regarded by many Shiites as a bulwark against militant Sunni Arabs.
Three weeks ago, American forces fought Mahdi cells in the southern city of Diwaniya. And late last month, Mahdi fighters battled Iraqi Army soldiers in southwestern Baghdad. But military officials hoped those were localized clashes.
On the orders of Mr. Sadr, the militia, known as the Mahdi Army, has remained largely underground since the intensified security plan for Baghdad took effect in mid-February. But a steady increase in the number of corpses recovered from the streets in recent weeks, and sporadic clashes between Mahdi fighters and government forces, have suggested a possible resurgence of the militia.
Its return could significantly complicate the American-led effort to tame violence in the capital because it would split the attention of American and Iraqi forces, already struggling to subdue the Sunni Arab insurgency and interrupt its campaign of vehicle bombings against Shiite targets. The circumstances of the latest fighting remained unclear late Sunday.
The Interior Ministry official said American soldiers and Mahdi militiamen exchanged heavy gunfire near a prominent Shiite shrine in the Shiite neighborhood of Kadhimiya, and that two American Humvees had burst into flames. The ministry official offered no explanation for the clashes.
Sheik Khalid al-Kadhumy, an official in Mr. Sadr’s organization, said that American forces surrounded the Sadr offices in the Kadhimiya neighborhood in the evening. Something prompted the Americans to open fire on the office and surrounding buildings, he said, resulting in casualties among local residents, though he did not know how many.
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said that he had no comment on reports of the fighting but that the military was working on a statement about the clashes. Some members of the Shiite community have been agitating for a return of the Mahdi Army in recent weeks, as spectacular car bombings against Shiite communities in Baghdad killed hundreds of people. The militia is regarded by many Shiites as a bulwark against militant Sunni Arabs.
Three weeks ago, American forces fought Mahdi cells in the southern city of Diwaniya. And late last month, Mahdi fighters battled Iraqi Army soldiers in southwestern Baghdad. But military officials hoped those were localized clashes.
Labels: Baghdad, Kadhimiya, Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, Mahdi Army, Ministry of Interior, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sheik Khalid al-Kadhumy, U.S. forces
Thursday, April 26, 2007
U.S. forces issue special ID cards to Ramadi residents
Security
(VOI) – U.S forces started issuing special identification cards to residents of Ramadi, 110 km west of Baghdad, a security source in Anbar province said on Wednesday."U.S. forces started this morning issuing identification cards to residents of Ramadi city after taking local residents’ finger prints and making cornea scans to isolate wanted persons and to prevent anyone from entering the city without an ID," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by phone. "U.S. marines established centres in the city with special equipment to issue these IDs, which will be given only to Ramadi's residents," he added. Anbar is a province with a large area. It stretches just west of Baghdad to the borders with Jordan. It is a Sunni province. Its main cities are Falluja, Ramadi, Haditha, Hit, Aana, and Rutbah.
Labels: ID cards, Ramadi, U.S. forces
