Thursday, October 04, 2007
Gunmen in uniform kidnap civilians in Diyala
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniform kidnapped 13 civilians on Wednesday afternoon at a fake checkpoint in Diala, central Iraq, a police source said. "Unknown gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms positioned a fake checkpoint on the main road linking Baaquba and Khalis, and forced 13 civilians at gunpoint to an unknown location," the source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source, who provided no further details, said "among the captives were women and children." Diala is 57 km northeast of Baghdad.
Labels: abduction, captives, Diyala, gunmen
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Deputy sciences and technology minister kidnapped
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen kidnapped the undersecretary of the sciences and technology ministry on Sunday night while on his way back home in central Baghdad, a source from the ministry said. "Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Dr. Sameer Saleem al-Attar, undersecretary of sciences and technology ministry, and his driver while on his way back home in Arasat al-Hindiya region in central Baghdad and took him to an unknown place," the Director of the ministry's information department Abdul Amir Finjan told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The kidnappers phoned his family later and told them about the incident without demanding any ransom," he added. Al-Attar has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Baghdad University and he has been in his current post for more than two years. The man is married and has two children. No word was available from security authorities or the Iraqi government on the incident.
"The kidnappers phoned his family later and told them about the incident without demanding any ransom," he added. Al-Attar has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Baghdad University and he has been in his current post for more than two years. The man is married and has two children. No word was available from security authorities or the Iraqi government on the incident.
Labels: 10th Iraqi Army division, abduction, Arasat al-Hindiya, Baghdad, gunmen, r. Sameer Saleem al-Attar, sciences and technology ministry
Friday, August 17, 2007
Gunmen kidnap 10 civilians at fake checkpoint
Security
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen forced ten civilians at gunpoint to unknown place on Thursday after they positioned a fake checkpoint north of Baghdad, eyewitnesses said. "Unknown gunmen positioned a fake checkpoint, this afternoon, on the road linking Hibhib town and Jidiydat al-Shat district, 55 km north of Baghdad, and forced ten civilians at gunpoint to unknown place," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Another eyewitness said "the gunmen intercepted civilian cars at the fake checkpoint and forced ten civilians out of their cars at gunpoint to unknown destination." Police could not be immediately reached to confirm the incident.
Labels: abduction, Baqouba, fake checkpoint, gunmen
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
BAGHDAD
- Around mid-day on Monday, police were ambushed responding to a call telling them that two mini buses had been taken by gunmen from Bab Al-Muadham to Fadhil area( east Baghdad). In the ensuing clash three policemen were killed and seven injured.
- At 2pm, a car bomb exploded near the Ghailani mosque, one of the loliest shrines for Sunni in Baghdad. At least 22 people were killed and 30 injured.
- Around 3 pm, a roadside bomb exploded near the Adila Khatoon mosque killing two and injuring five.
DIYALA ( 66 km north of Baghdad)
- Early in the day, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol at Ameen neighborhood north of Baquba, killing a police officer.
- Before mid-day, a squad of the fifth division of the Iraqi army raided a site in Shaqraq village north of Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east of Baghdad) killing four terrorists. They seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
- After mid-day, police patrol found two dead bodies in Doura neighborhood north Baquba. The corpses had bullet wounds in their heads and chests and signs of torture.
- Around 1 pm, gunmen killed one civilian and injured three when they opened fire on them at Saisabana village on the Baquba-Balad Rouz highway east of Baghdad.
- Around mid-day, an armed group opened fire randomly at Barawana village in Muqdadiya ( 45 km north east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring three.
SALAHUDDIN (175 km north of Baghdad)
- Sunday night, gunmen kidnapped 40 people on the Baghdad-Tikrit highway south of Samara (110 km north of Baghdad). All were from the Jibour and Shimar tribes whose members have formed a council of tribes to drive out terrorists.
KIRKUK ( 255 km north of Baghdad)
- Around 9 pm Sunday, a roadside bomb exploded when a police patrol passed through Awashra village on the main road of Hawija –Fatha ( west of Kirkuk). Three policemen were injured.
- At 5 am Monday, joint forces raided Sufra village near Kirkuk–Biji route (west Kirkuk) and took four into custody.
Labels: abduction, Adila Khatoon mosque, Baqouba, Diyala, Ghailani mosque, gunmen, Iraqi Army, Jibour tribe, Kirkuk, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Shaqraq village, Shimar tribe, Sufra village
Friday, May 25, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Gunmen killed 11 people insider a minibus in Baghdad, then booby trapped the vehicle with explosives, which killed two more people who responded to the first attack. In Fallujah, a suicide bomber killed 20 people at a funeral. Two incidents of Americans killing Iraqi civilians were reported, one in Baghdad, the other in Salah ad Din province.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1130 GMT on Friday:
BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in western Baghdad on Thursday, the military said. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province near Tikrit on Thursday, the military said.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad province near Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
SALAHADDIN - One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded by a roadside bomb in Salahaddin province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire in Diyala province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Insurgents bombed a bridge linking the Sunni districts of al-Khadra and al-Jamiaa in western Baghdad, police said. The bridge over a major road was still standing but was badly damaged. No casualties were reported.
BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 20 suspected insurgents in raids targeting al Qaeda in Baghdad and Mosul on Friday, the military said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 22 people were found shot in various districts of Baghdad on Thursday, police said. Nineteen of them were found in the predominantly Sunni Arab western Karkh side of Baghdad.
BAGHDAD - One civilian was killed and three wounded in a mortar attack on a residential area of Abu Dshir in southern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a sheikh from the Abu Alwan tribe in his car in eastern Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.
LATIFIYA - Police found the bodies of two men handcuffed and shot in Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a roadside bomb attack on their patrol in western Baghdad on Thursday, the military said. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province near Tikrit on Thursday, the military said.
TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad province near Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
SALAHADDIN - One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded by a roadside bomb in Salahaddin province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire in Diyala province on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Insurgents bombed a bridge linking the Sunni districts of al-Khadra and al-Jamiaa in western Baghdad, police said. The bridge over a major road was still standing but was badly damaged. No casualties were reported.
BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 20 suspected insurgents in raids targeting al Qaeda in Baghdad and Mosul on Friday, the military said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 22 people were found shot in various districts of Baghdad on Thursday, police said. Nineteen of them were found in the predominantly Sunni Arab western Karkh side of Baghdad.
BAGHDAD - One civilian was killed and three wounded in a mortar attack on a residential area of Abu Dshir in southern Baghdad, police said.
FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a sheikh from the Abu Alwan tribe in his car in eastern Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.
LATIFIYA - Police found the bodies of two men handcuffed and shot in Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Abu Alwan tribe, al-Jamiaa, al-Khadra, bridge, Fallujah, gunmen, Latifiyah, roadside bombs, Salahuddin, Tikrit
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
Roundup of Violence in Iraq -- Monday, 21 May 2007 - 08:37 AM EDT By Mohammed al Dulaimy, McClatchy Newspapers. In Baghdad, an IED killed three Iraqi soldiers. Twenty-four unidentified bodies were found. In Diyala, gunmen attacked a minibus, killing five, including a 4-year-old child.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1045 GMT on Tuesday:
* denotes new or updated item.
BAGHDAD - At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a popular market in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, police said.
* NEAR BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms at a fake checkpoint killed a family of six, including four children, in a town near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least four college students were killed and 25 wounded in a mortar attack at Ibn al-Haitham college in Adhamiya district in northern Baghdad, police said.
RIYADH - The bodies of two Arbil airport employees were found shot and tortured in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 15 suspected insurgents, including two alleged insurgent cell leaders, during raids around Iraq targeting al-Qaeda, the U.S. military said.
NEAR GARMA - U.S. forces killed nine insurgents in a ground and air attack and freed 12 hostages held near the town of Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
MAHMUDIYA - One person was killed and five wounded, all from the same family, by a mortar round in the town of Mahmudiya, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HAWIJA - A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another near the town of Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a police station, killing one person and wounding three others in Zayouna district in eastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded five people in Mansour district in western Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 24 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two people were killed and 15 wounded by a mortar round in al-Shurta al-Rabiae district in southwestern Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded five in al-Iskan district in western Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BASRA - One British soldier was killed when gunmen attacked a military fuel truck on Monday in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad, the British military said.
* denotes new or updated item.
BAGHDAD - At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a popular market in the Amil district in southwestern Baghdad, police said.
* NEAR BAQUBA - Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms at a fake checkpoint killed a family of six, including four children, in a town near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - At least four college students were killed and 25 wounded in a mortar attack at Ibn al-Haitham college in Adhamiya district in northern Baghdad, police said.
RIYADH - The bodies of two Arbil airport employees were found shot and tortured in the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained 15 suspected insurgents, including two alleged insurgent cell leaders, during raids around Iraq targeting al-Qaeda, the U.S. military said.
NEAR GARMA - U.S. forces killed nine insurgents in a ground and air attack and freed 12 hostages held near the town of Garma, about 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
MAHMUDIYA - One person was killed and five wounded, all from the same family, by a mortar round in the town of Mahmudiya, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HAWIJA - A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another near the town of Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a police station, killing one person and wounding three others in Zayouna district in eastern Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded five people in Mansour district in western Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 24 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two people were killed and 15 wounded by a mortar round in al-Shurta al-Rabiae district in southwestern Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded five in al-Iskan district in western Baghdad on Monday, police said.
BASRA - One British soldier was killed when gunmen attacked a military fuel truck on Monday in Basra, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad, the British military said.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Amil, Baqouba, Basra, car bomb, Garma, gunmen, Hawija, hostages, Mahmoudiya, Mansour, mortar rounds, Riyadh, roadside bombs
Monday, May 21, 2007
16 Kurds killed by gunmen in Iraqi military uniform
Security
(AINA) - 16 Kurds have been killed by gunmen wearing Iraqi military uniforms who stormed a village near the Iranian border with Iraq. Brigadier General Nadhim Sharif, the commander of Iraqi border forces in Diyala Province, said the gang stormed the village of Qara Lus, about 100 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, in the early hours of the morning.
Officials said the gunmen went house to house, masquerading as security forces on a legitimate mission. The commander blamed the attack on the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq', an alliance of Sunni militant groups that serves as a front for al-Qaeda in Iraq and has a strong presence in the war-torn province of Diyala where the village is located. Qara Lus is a small community of Failis, or Kurdish Shiites, a minority group that has been targeted in the past by Sunni extremists.
Officials said the gunmen went house to house, masquerading as security forces on a legitimate mission. The commander blamed the attack on the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq', an alliance of Sunni militant groups that serves as a front for al-Qaeda in Iraq and has a strong presence in the war-torn province of Diyala where the village is located. Qara Lus is a small community of Failis, or Kurdish Shiites, a minority group that has been targeted in the past by Sunni extremists.
Labels: Brigadier General Nadhim Sharif, Failis, gunmen, Islamic State of Iraq, Kurds, Qara Lus
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Roundup of violence in Iraq - Wednesday 16 May 2007
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1100 GMT on Thursday:
* Indicates a new or updated entry
* DIWANIYA - At least three civilians were killed, including a woman, and four others wounded in clashes between militiamen and security forces in the Shi'ite city of Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two civilians were killed and five wounded by a roadside bomb in the Diyala bridge area in southeastern Baghdad, police said.
* ISKANDARIYA - A roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded three others in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HILLA - A policeman was killed and three of his family were wounded when a militant hurled a hand grenade at his home in Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BASRA - Gunmen killed a police major along with his son in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra, police said.
* DIWANIYA - Gunmen killed a civil servant in a drive-by shooting in Diwaniya, police said. It was not clear why he was targeted.
* LATIFIYA - Police found two bodies bearing signs of torture and bullet wounds in the small town of Latifiya 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* KIRKUK - Police found a bullet-riddled body in the ethnically mixed northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed six insurgents in different parts of Iraq over the last 24 hours, the Iraqi army said in a statement.
* Indicates a new or updated entry
* DIWANIYA - At least three civilians were killed, including a woman, and four others wounded in clashes between militiamen and security forces in the Shi'ite city of Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Two civilians were killed and five wounded by a roadside bomb in the Diyala bridge area in southeastern Baghdad, police said.
* ISKANDARIYA - A roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded three others in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
HILLA - A policeman was killed and three of his family were wounded when a militant hurled a hand grenade at his home in Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BASRA - Gunmen killed a police major along with his son in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra, police said.
* DIWANIYA - Gunmen killed a civil servant in a drive-by shooting in Diwaniya, police said. It was not clear why he was targeted.
* LATIFIYA - Police found two bodies bearing signs of torture and bullet wounds in the small town of Latifiya 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* KIRKUK - Police found a bullet-riddled body in the ethnically mixed northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
* BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army killed six insurgents in different parts of Iraq over the last 24 hours, the Iraqi army said in a statement.
Labels: Basra, Diwaniya, grenade, gunmen, Hilla, Iraqi Army, Iskandariyah, Kirkuk, Latifiyah, militias, roadside bombs
Gunmen blow up Mosul - Arbil bridge, Badoush bridge
Security, Kurdistan
(Voices of Iraq) - Unknown gunmen on Wednesday evening blew up a bridging linking the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to Kurdistan Arbil, a police source said. "Unknown gunmen this evening blew up bridge Aski to the east of Mosul," Brigadier Said Ahmed, Ninewa police media spokesman, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The bridge connects Mosul city to Arbil. Earlier, a police source said unknown gunmen detonated two car bombs on both sides of Badoush bridge in northern Iraq bringing down the bridge with no casualties. "Unknown gunmen blew up Badoush bridge this afternoon after they placed and remotely detonated two car bombs near both sides of the bridge," Brigadier Abul-Karim al-Juburi, head of Ninewa police operations room, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Badoush bridge connects Mosul, capital city of Ninewa province, to districts of Talafar and Rabia near the Iraqi borders with Syria in western Ninewa. Al-Juburi said "the attack left no casualties." The northern Iraqi city of Mosul was placed under curfew on Wednesday after clashes erupted in the Sunni city between armed groups and Iraqi security forces, a police source said.
"Armed clashes broke out this afternoon in a number of Mosul neighborhoods between armed groups and forces from Iraqi army and police," Brigadier Abdul-Karim al-Juburi, head of Ninewa police operations room, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Following the clashes, the local government decided to impose a curfew on the city until further notice, Brigadier al-Juburi said.
Al-Jaburu gave no further details. Local residents told VOI on the phone that today afternoon Mosul had been a scene of clashes between gunmen and security forces while U.S. choppers were flying in the sky of the city as non-stop fire exchange was still heard all over Mosul. Mosul is 402 km north of Baghdad.
The bridge connects Mosul city to Arbil. Earlier, a police source said unknown gunmen detonated two car bombs on both sides of Badoush bridge in northern Iraq bringing down the bridge with no casualties. "Unknown gunmen blew up Badoush bridge this afternoon after they placed and remotely detonated two car bombs near both sides of the bridge," Brigadier Abul-Karim al-Juburi, head of Ninewa police operations room, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Badoush bridge connects Mosul, capital city of Ninewa province, to districts of Talafar and Rabia near the Iraqi borders with Syria in western Ninewa. Al-Juburi said "the attack left no casualties." The northern Iraqi city of Mosul was placed under curfew on Wednesday after clashes erupted in the Sunni city between armed groups and Iraqi security forces, a police source said.
"Armed clashes broke out this afternoon in a number of Mosul neighborhoods between armed groups and forces from Iraqi army and police," Brigadier Abdul-Karim al-Juburi, head of Ninewa police operations room, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Following the clashes, the local government decided to impose a curfew on the city until further notice, Brigadier al-Juburi said.
Al-Jaburu gave no further details. Local residents told VOI on the phone that today afternoon Mosul had been a scene of clashes between gunmen and security forces while U.S. choppers were flying in the sky of the city as non-stop fire exchange was still heard all over Mosul. Mosul is 402 km north of Baghdad.
Al-Bawaba provides further details: An apparently co-ordinated attack by five suicide car bombers and scores of gunmen backed by mortars and bombs killed four policemen in the northern Iraqi city Mosul on Wednesday night and injured 30 other people, including 14 police officers, police said.
The attacks started after 7 p.m., when two suicide bombers detonated car bombs near the police station in Mosul, 360 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. Another two suicide car bombers blew up near the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan in another area of town, said Wathiq al-Hamdani, provincial chief of police.
Another suicide car bomber targeting police was shot by guards before he could reach his target, al-Hamdani said. The series of attacks killed four police and wounded 30 other people, police said. Police fought back, killing 15 gunmen, al-Hamdani said.
The attacks started after 7 p.m., when two suicide bombers detonated car bombs near the police station in Mosul, 360 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. Another two suicide car bombers blew up near the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan in another area of town, said Wathiq al-Hamdani, provincial chief of police.
Another suicide car bomber targeting police was shot by guards before he could reach his target, al-Hamdani said. The series of attacks killed four police and wounded 30 other people, police said. Police fought back, killing 15 gunmen, al-Hamdani said.
Labels: Arbil, Badoush bridge, bridge Aski, Brigadier Abdul-Karim al-Juburi, car bomb, clashes, curfew, gunmen, Iraqi Army, Mosul
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
Baghdad
- Around 8 am , a suicide truck (Hino) driver led his car near a petrol station at Al-Meda'en, but the police commandos of the checkpoint in the neighborhood exploded the truck with the suicide driver inside who was killed at the explosion . No casualties recorded.
- Around 9 am, a roadside bomb exploded at Amiriya neighborhood without casualties.
- Around 11 am, a roadside bomb exploded when an American patrol passed by at the commercial street in Saidiya neighborhood without any casualties.
- Around 12 pm, a roadside bomb exploded at Baladiyat neighborhood when an American patrol passed in the area without casualties recorded. Salahuddin
- Early morning, gunmen bombed Asad's brother's house , the chairman of Samara municipality , after forcing the whole family to evacuate the house which is in Hay Al-Sikak south Samara (North of Baghdad). Basrah
- At dawn, a roadside bomb exploded when a British vehicle passed through Timimiya neighborhood(near Ashar) in the downtown of Basra ( south of Iraq) having some damage to the vehicle with no casualties recorded.
- Around this day, a British patrol had found a trench filled with ammunitions north of Zubair (35 km west of Basra) including 20 mortar bombs ,30 cannon bombs and two grenades .
Baghdad
- Around 8 am , a suicide truck (Hino) driver led his car near a petrol station at Al-Meda'en, but the police commandos of the checkpoint in the neighborhood exploded the truck with the suicide driver inside who was killed at the explosion . No casualties recorded.
- Around 9 am, a roadside bomb exploded at Amiriya neighborhood without casualties.
- Around 11 am, a roadside bomb exploded when an American patrol passed by at the commercial street in Saidiya neighborhood without any casualties.
- Around 12 pm, a roadside bomb exploded at Baladiyat neighborhood when an American patrol passed in the area without casualties recorded. Salahuddin
- Early morning, gunmen bombed Asad's brother's house , the chairman of Samara municipality , after forcing the whole family to evacuate the house which is in Hay Al-Sikak south Samara (North of Baghdad). Basrah
- At dawn, a roadside bomb exploded when a British vehicle passed through Timimiya neighborhood(near Ashar) in the downtown of Basra ( south of Iraq) having some damage to the vehicle with no casualties recorded.
- Around this day, a British patrol had found a trench filled with ammunitions north of Zubair (35 km west of Basra) including 20 mortar bombs ,30 cannon bombs and two grenades .
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1245 GMT on Saturday:
* denotes new or updated item.
* NEAR MAHMUDIYA - Insurgents attacked a team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter south of Baghdad, killing five soldiers while three others were missing, the U.S. military said in a statement.
* NEAR LATIFIYA - Three bodies were found shot dead near the small town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained three suspects and destroyed a car bomb during a raid in the Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City aimed at breaking a network suspected of procuring sophisticated explosives from Iran, the U.S. military said. It said the three were believed to have ties to a secret network that smuggles so-called EFPs and sends Iraqi militants for training to Iran.
* DIWANIYA - Gunmen killed a policeman in front of his home in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniya, police said.
* FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a man who was an army colonel under Saddam Hussein in Falluja, west of Baghdad, police said.
* denotes new or updated item.
* NEAR MAHMUDIYA - Insurgents attacked a team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter south of Baghdad, killing five soldiers while three others were missing, the U.S. military said in a statement.
* NEAR LATIFIYA - Three bodies were found shot dead near the small town of Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained three suspects and destroyed a car bomb during a raid in the Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City aimed at breaking a network suspected of procuring sophisticated explosives from Iran, the U.S. military said. It said the three were believed to have ties to a secret network that smuggles so-called EFPs and sends Iraqi militants for training to Iran.
* DIWANIYA - Gunmen killed a policeman in front of his home in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniya, police said.
* FALLUJA - Gunmen killed a man who was an army colonel under Saddam Hussein in Falluja, west of Baghdad, police said.
Labels: Diwaniya, EFPs, Fallujah, gunmen, insurgents, Latifiyah, Mahmudiya, Sadr City
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Security worse in Mosul
Security
(Azzaman) - The security situation has aggravated in Mosul with gunmen roaming the streets and the authorities losing grip on most parts of the northern city. Mosul has been a major anti-U.S. rebel stronghold and armed groups have apparently intensified their operations in the city of nearly two million people.
The rebels’ influence spreads beyond Mosul and recently carried deadly attacks in outlying towns and districts, targeting mainly Kurdish peshmergas or militias. U.S. troops are camped outside the city but have so far opted not to interfere despite the recent upsurge in violence and attacks.
Unidentified gunmen have killed another university professor – Nidhal al-Assdi. Armed men drive freely in the city totting their guns and threatening to kill anyone not obeying their orders. The worsening conditions have prompted the authorities to impose a curfew on the city but government police and security forces still dread moving to restive areas and at night they withdraw to their barracks. Communications between the city and the rest of the country has been disrupted by the rebels to hinder military operations by government troops.
The rebels’ influence spreads beyond Mosul and recently carried deadly attacks in outlying towns and districts, targeting mainly Kurdish peshmergas or militias. U.S. troops are camped outside the city but have so far opted not to interfere despite the recent upsurge in violence and attacks.
Unidentified gunmen have killed another university professor – Nidhal al-Assdi. Armed men drive freely in the city totting their guns and threatening to kill anyone not obeying their orders. The worsening conditions have prompted the authorities to impose a curfew on the city but government police and security forces still dread moving to restive areas and at night they withdraw to their barracks. Communications between the city and the rest of the country has been disrupted by the rebels to hinder military operations by government troops.
Labels: gunmen, Mosul, Nidhal al-Assdi, security
Friday, May 04, 2007
Sunni radio station attacked
Media, Security
(AP) - Gunmen stormed the offices of an independent radio station in a predominantly Sunni area of Baghdad on Thursday, killing two employees and wounding five before bombing the building and knocking the station off the air, police said. It was the third attack in five months against the private Dijlah radio station in the Jami'a neighborhood.
Karim Youssef, the station's deputy director, said gunmen also tried to kidnap four employees as they were riding to work, but the driver managed to get away. He said the two-story building then came under attack with rockets, rifles and hand grenades about 2:30 p.m. "Our guards and the staff resisted the attackers for 30 minutes before evacuating the building," Youssef said, adding the attackers then detonated a bomb on the first floor that destroyed all the equipment, including the transmitter.
"Now the radio is not operating," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "We are an independent radio station ... They are targeting us because we are independent and we have no sectarian policy. Our news is balanced and we have employees from all sects and ethnic groups."
Radio Dijlah, named after the Arabic word for the Tigris River, was created in 2004 as Iraq's first independent talk radio station. Gunmen also abducted a radio newscaster, Karim Manhal, and his driver while releasing a female staffer who was with them near the station's headquarters on March 17. Nabil Ibrahim al-Dulaimi, a 36-year-old Sunni news editor with the private station was gunned down as he drove to work on Dec. 4.
Journalists and media outlets have been frequent targets of militants and sometimes security forces in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003. The Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded at least 100 journalists and 37 media support workers killed - not including Thursday's attack - and at least 48 journalists abducted.
Karim Youssef, the station's deputy director, said gunmen also tried to kidnap four employees as they were riding to work, but the driver managed to get away. He said the two-story building then came under attack with rockets, rifles and hand grenades about 2:30 p.m. "Our guards and the staff resisted the attackers for 30 minutes before evacuating the building," Youssef said, adding the attackers then detonated a bomb on the first floor that destroyed all the equipment, including the transmitter.
"Now the radio is not operating," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "We are an independent radio station ... They are targeting us because we are independent and we have no sectarian policy. Our news is balanced and we have employees from all sects and ethnic groups."
Radio Dijlah, named after the Arabic word for the Tigris River, was created in 2004 as Iraq's first independent talk radio station. Gunmen also abducted a radio newscaster, Karim Manhal, and his driver while releasing a female staffer who was with them near the station's headquarters on March 17. Nabil Ibrahim al-Dulaimi, a 36-year-old Sunni news editor with the private station was gunned down as he drove to work on Dec. 4.
Journalists and media outlets have been frequent targets of militants and sometimes security forces in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003. The Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded at least 100 journalists and 37 media support workers killed - not including Thursday's attack - and at least 48 journalists abducted.
Labels: gunmen, Jami'a, Karim Youssef, Radio Dijlah, radio station
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 0600 GMT on Wednesday:
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
ANBAR PROVINCE - U.S. forces detained 10 suspected insurgents in Anbar province and two others in Baghdad during overnight raids targeting al Qaeda senior leaders and roadside bomb networks.
BAGHDAD - At least three people were killed and 15 wounded when several mortar rounds landed in three different districts in south and southwestern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed a person and wounded two others in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
UDHAIM - Gunmen killed two employees working in a cell phone company on Tuesday in the town of Udhaim, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The bodies of 15 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
ANBAR PROVINCE - U.S. forces detained 10 suspected insurgents in Anbar province and two others in Baghdad during overnight raids targeting al Qaeda senior leaders and roadside bomb networks.
BAGHDAD - At least three people were killed and 15 wounded when several mortar rounds landed in three different districts in south and southwestern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed a person and wounded two others in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
UDHAIM - Gunmen killed two employees working in a cell phone company on Tuesday in the town of Udhaim, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Roundup of violence in Iraq - 1 May 2007
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Mohammed Al Dulaimy in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
(McClatchy Newspapers) - The daily Iraq violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondent Mohammed Al Dulaimy in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Baghdad, gunmen, mortar rounds, roadside bombs, Udhaim
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
14 killed in ambush, IZ badges found in terrorist stronghold
Security
(AP) - Gunmen ambushed travelers on a highway leading from Baghdad to Shiite areas to the south on Tuesday, killing 14 people, while mortar rounds slammed into an area near the Iraqi prime minister's office in the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in the capital, a government official said. The attacks against the travelers began at 6:45 a.m., when gunmen took aim at a minibus, killing 11 Shiites and wounding three, as it passed near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad in a predominantly Sunni area dubbed the "Triangle of Death" because of frequent insurgent violence.
About 45 minutes later, a group of gunmen standing on the highway opened fire at civilian cars, killing three people and wounding five near Latifiyah and about 6 miles north of the site of the initial attack. The attacks occurred on the main highway linking the capital to predominantly Shiite southern provinces. Farmers often use the road to transport goods and Shiite pilgrims use it for treks to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, but they have to go through the dangerous areas closer to Baghdad.
No casualties were reported in the mortar attack — the second strike against the sprawling complex in about 12 hours — but it underscored heightened concerns about security in an area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops, as well as the Iraqi government headquarters. The Pentagon also said Monday that documents captured in recent fighting in Baghdad included two identity cards for access to the Green Zone and an ID card for access to the U.S. Embassy.
About 45 minutes later, a group of gunmen standing on the highway opened fire at civilian cars, killing three people and wounding five near Latifiyah and about 6 miles north of the site of the initial attack. The attacks occurred on the main highway linking the capital to predominantly Shiite southern provinces. Farmers often use the road to transport goods and Shiite pilgrims use it for treks to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, but they have to go through the dangerous areas closer to Baghdad.
No casualties were reported in the mortar attack — the second strike against the sprawling complex in about 12 hours — but it underscored heightened concerns about security in an area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops, as well as the Iraqi government headquarters. The Pentagon also said Monday that documents captured in recent fighting in Baghdad included two identity cards for access to the Green Zone and an ID card for access to the U.S. Embassy.
Labels: Green Zone, gunmen, Iskandariyah, Latifiyah, MNFI badges, mortar rounds
Monday, April 30, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
April 30 (Reuters) - Key security developments in Iraq at 1500 GMT on Monday, follow the link for further information:
* denotes new or updated item.
* KHALIS - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 32 people when he blew himself up among mourners at a Shi'ite funeral in the town of Khalis, north of Baghdad. The attack took place inside a crowded mourning tent. More than 52 people had been wounded, police said.
RAMADI - A tanker laden with chlorine gas exploded near a restaurant west of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, killing up to six people and wounding 10, police and hospital sources said.
BAGHDAD - Mortar rounds killed one civilian and wounded six when they landed on a residential area of northern Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite district, police said.
SUWAYRA - The bodies of six people were retrieved from two rivers in Suwayra, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army arrested 138 insurgents in the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
BAGHDAD - At least two people were killed and 15 wounded when a bus bomb exploded in a tunnel, police said. The explosion badly damaged the tunnel, on a main artery in western Baghdad.
SAMARRA - U.S. forces detained 11 suspected insurgents during raids in Baghdad and in the city of Samarra targeting al Qaeda in Iraq, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Eight gunmen were killed in a U.S.-Iraqi operation in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military said, in what some witnesses described as a clash with the Mehdi Army militia loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. military said one Iraqi soldier was killed in the incident in the Shi'ite Kadhimiya district.
MOSUL - Six gunmen were killed and two wounded when they attacked a police station in the northern city of Mosul, police said. A car bomb exploded near the police station targeting a patrol heading to the scene of the attack, killing a policeman and wounded two others, the source added.
* denotes new or updated item.
* KHALIS - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 32 people when he blew himself up among mourners at a Shi'ite funeral in the town of Khalis, north of Baghdad. The attack took place inside a crowded mourning tent. More than 52 people had been wounded, police said.
RAMADI - A tanker laden with chlorine gas exploded near a restaurant west of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, killing up to six people and wounding 10, police and hospital sources said.
BAGHDAD - Mortar rounds killed one civilian and wounded six when they landed on a residential area of northern Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite district, police said.
SUWAYRA - The bodies of six people were retrieved from two rivers in Suwayra, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi army arrested 138 insurgents in the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
BAGHDAD - At least two people were killed and 15 wounded when a bus bomb exploded in a tunnel, police said. The explosion badly damaged the tunnel, on a main artery in western Baghdad.
SAMARRA - U.S. forces detained 11 suspected insurgents during raids in Baghdad and in the city of Samarra targeting al Qaeda in Iraq, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Eight gunmen were killed in a U.S.-Iraqi operation in Baghdad on Sunday, the U.S. military said, in what some witnesses described as a clash with the Mehdi Army militia loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. military said one Iraqi soldier was killed in the incident in the Shi'ite Kadhimiya district.
MOSUL - Six gunmen were killed and two wounded when they attacked a police station in the northern city of Mosul, police said. A car bomb exploded near the police station targeting a patrol heading to the scene of the attack, killing a policeman and wounded two others, the source added.
Labels: Baghdad, chlorine gas truck, gunmen, Khalis, mortar rounds, Mosul, Ramadi, suicide bomber, Suwayra
Monday, April 23, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 1130 GMT on Monday:
* denotes new or updated item.
BAQUBA - A suicide car bomber attacked a gathering of senior police officials in the city of Baquba, killing 10 policemen and wounding 23, police said. Police chief Brigadier-General Safaa al-Timimi was killed in the blast.
NEAR MOSUL - At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the office of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Six people were killed and 14 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in a restaurant near the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded four others in a parking lot across the road from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, police said. The embassy was not damaged.
* MOSUL - Gunmen killed traffic police Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan in the northern city of Mosul, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed seven insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
* NEAR MAHAWEEL - A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car and wounded three people near the town of Mahaweel, 70 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Gunmen opened fire at a U.S. patrol while trying to emplace cement barriers in Ur neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, a Reuters photographer said.
SHIRQAT - The bodies of three police officers were found shot in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said. They were kidnapped on Sunday.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing a policeman and wounded another in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed a man and a girl on Sunday in the town of Iskandariya, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed one person and wounded three others in a random shooting on Sunday in the southern Saidiya district of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police found 11 bodies across Baghdad on Sunday.
* denotes new or updated item.
BAQUBA - A suicide car bomber attacked a gathering of senior police officials in the city of Baquba, killing 10 policemen and wounding 23, police said. Police chief Brigadier-General Safaa al-Timimi was killed in the blast.
NEAR MOSUL - At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the office of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Six people were killed and 14 wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in a restaurant near the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices, police said.
* BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed one person and wounded four others in a parking lot across the road from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, police said. The embassy was not damaged.
* MOSUL - Gunmen killed traffic police Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan in the northern city of Mosul, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed seven insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said.
* NEAR MAHAWEEL - A roadside bomb exploded near a civilian car and wounded three people near the town of Mahaweel, 70 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
* BAGHDAD - Gunmen opened fire at a U.S. patrol while trying to emplace cement barriers in Ur neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, a Reuters photographer said.
SHIRQAT - The bodies of three police officers were found shot in the town of Shirqat, 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, police said. They were kidnapped on Sunday.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing a policeman and wounded another in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
ISKANDARIYA - Gunmen killed a man and a girl on Sunday in the town of Iskandariya, police said.
BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed one person and wounded three others in a random shooting on Sunday in the southern Saidiya district of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Police found 11 bodies across Baghdad on Sunday.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, Colonel Abdul Muhsin Hassan, gunmen, Iskandariyah, KDP, Mosul, policemen, Shirqat, suicide bombings
23 Yazidis kidnapped and executed
Security
(AINA) - AP) -- Gunmen in northern Iraq stopped a bus filled with Christians and Yezidis, separating out the groups and taking 23 of the passengers away to be shot. Armed men in several cars stopped the bus Sunday afternoon as it was carrying workers from the Mosul Textile Factory to their hometown of Bashika, which has a mixed population of Christians and Yazidis -- a primarily Kurdish sect that worships an angel considered to be the devil by some Muslims and Christians.
The gunmen checked passengers' identification cards, then asked all Christians to get off the bus, said police Brig. Mohammed al-Wagga. With the Yazidis still inside, the gunmen drove them to eastern Mosul, where they were lined up along a wall and shot to death, al-Wagga said. Yazidis are concentrated mostly around the northern city of Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.
After the killings, hundreds of Yazidis took to the streets of Bashika. Shops were shuttered and many Muslim residents closed themselves in their homes, fearing reprisal attacks. Police set up additional checkpoints across the city.
The gunmen checked passengers' identification cards, then asked all Christians to get off the bus, said police Brig. Mohammed al-Wagga. With the Yazidis still inside, the gunmen drove them to eastern Mosul, where they were lined up along a wall and shot to death, al-Wagga said. Yazidis are concentrated mostly around the northern city of Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.
After the killings, hundreds of Yazidis took to the streets of Bashika. Shops were shuttered and many Muslim residents closed themselves in their homes, fearing reprisal attacks. Police set up additional checkpoints across the city.
COMMENT: Police and residents of Bashiqa, where most of the victims lived, linked the attack to the stoning death there this month of a Yazidi woman. She was slain by fellow Yazidis angry over her conversion to Islam and love affair with a Sunni man. In February, Yazidis in Bashiqa went into hiding after mobs of Sunni Kurds attacked businesses and homes there in anger over a Muslim woman's association with two Yazidi men.
The Yezidi Faith: Yezidis worship one God but no prophets. They recognize and respect both Jesus and Mohammed, but as men of faith, not prophets. Yezidi beliefs are a complicated mixture of Islamic and Zoroastrian beliefs, with Gnostic, Jewish, and Shamanistic elements. Worship centers around seven Angels (Malek is from the Arabic word for 'angel'), the most important of which is named Melek Taus, or the "Peacock Angel," also known as Lucifer.
Lucifer plays a different role in Yezidism, where he is considered the chief Archangel, and the creator of the material world. In Yezidi belief, Lucifer is not a fallen angel, or the enemy of God. They are forbidden from referring to him as Satan. The Yezidi have long been accused of "Devil worship" due to misunderstandings of their religious doctrine. In the Yezidi religion, Lucifer is a beneficient deity, long since reconciled with the Creator.
In this religion, God created Adam, but no Eve, and therefore all men came from Adam alone. The Yezidis were first born among all men, and consider themselves to be “the chosen people.” The Yezidis are strictly forbidden to marry outside the Yezidi, and must marry within their caste. While Kurds say the Yezidis are Kurds, the Yezidis claim to be neither Arab nor Kurd, simply Yezidis or, perhaps, Yezidi first and Kurd second.
The designation “Yezidi” applies to both a set of religious beliefs and a genetic or tribal identity. Because Yezidis keep to themselves, it is easy for others to misunderstand, or deliberately mis-project, the Yezidi religion. This can have dire consequences.
One must now be born Yezidi, and converts are not accepted. There is no specific Yezidi Holy text, but important information about Yezidi practices is contained in the Mes'haf i Resh, or "black book", and the Jilwa, or "book of revelation." The Yezidi religion places taboos on the eating of fish or the meat of gazelles; the wearing of blue clothing is forbidden.
COMMENT ENDS.
One must now be born Yezidi, and converts are not accepted. There is no specific Yezidi Holy text, but important information about Yezidi practices is contained in the Mes'haf i Resh, or "black book", and the Jilwa, or "book of revelation." The Yezidi religion places taboos on the eating of fish or the meat of gazelles; the wearing of blue clothing is forbidden.
COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: abduction, Bashika, Christians, execution, gunmen, Iraq, Mosul, Yezidis
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1100 GMT on Saturday:
* denotes new or updated items
* MUSSAYAB - Mussayab mayor Mehdi Abdul Hussein al-Najem and two of his bodyguards were killed in an ambush, police said. A roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicles in the attack at Mussayab, 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, and gunmen then opened fire.
BAGHDAD - One soldier was killed and two others were wounded when they were hit by a roadside bomb during a patrol southwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military said
KHALIS - The bodies of eight people were found in Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a police source said. All showed signs of torture and four had been beheaded.
BAGHDAD - A bomb planted in a minibus in Baghdad's Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City killed up to two people and wounded about five others, police said. Another bus next to it was also hit by the blast.
KIRKUK - Gunmen stormed a house and killed four members of the same family -- a wife, husband and their two children -- in the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad.
DIWANIYA - One Polish soldier was killed and four more were wounded in a roadside bomb attack near Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, on Friday, Poland's Ministry of Defence said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb attack on a U.S. military patrol wounded two soldiers at Baladiat, east of Baghdad, Iraqi police said.
MUSSAYAB - An Iraqi civilian was found shot dead in Mussayab, police said.
* denotes new or updated items
* MUSSAYAB - Mussayab mayor Mehdi Abdul Hussein al-Najem and two of his bodyguards were killed in an ambush, police said. A roadside bomb exploded next to their vehicles in the attack at Mussayab, 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, and gunmen then opened fire.
BAGHDAD - One soldier was killed and two others were wounded when they were hit by a roadside bomb during a patrol southwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military said
KHALIS - The bodies of eight people were found in Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a police source said. All showed signs of torture and four had been beheaded.
BAGHDAD - A bomb planted in a minibus in Baghdad's Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City killed up to two people and wounded about five others, police said. Another bus next to it was also hit by the blast.
KIRKUK - Gunmen stormed a house and killed four members of the same family -- a wife, husband and their two children -- in the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad.
DIWANIYA - One Polish soldier was killed and four more were wounded in a roadside bomb attack near Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, on Friday, Poland's Ministry of Defence said.
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb attack on a U.S. military patrol wounded two soldiers at Baladiat, east of Baghdad, Iraqi police said.
MUSSAYAB - An Iraqi civilian was found shot dead in Mussayab, police said.
Labels: ambush, Baghdad, bomb, Diwaniya, gunmen, Khalis, Kirkuk, Mehdi Abdul Hussein al-Najem, Mussayab, roadside bombs
Friday, April 20, 2007
Al-Hakim's son attacked
Politics, Security
(AFP) - The son of prominent Iraqi Shiite leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim came under attack in a town south of Baghdad in which six of his security personnel were wounded, officials said Friday. Ammar al-Hakim, himself a well-known cleric and politician, was on his way to Baghdad from the Shiite holy city of Najaf when gunmen fired on his convoy as it passed the town of Latifiyah, Najaf provincial spokesman Ahmed Duaibl said.
"The convoy came under attack in Latifiyah. It was fired at from a distance," he told AFP, adding that it may have been an opportunistic attack on an official-looking motorcade rather than a planned assassination bid. An official from Hakim's office said four police escorts and two of his personal bodyguards were wounded in the attack. Hakim escaped unhurt, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Latifiyah, located in a region south of Baghdad dubbed the triangle of death, is notorious for such attacks as armed gangs randomly fire on passing convoys. Hakim senior heads the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shiite former rebel group that is one of the leading factions in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's governing coalition. The Shiite faithful consider both men to be sayyids, or descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. Their party was founded in exile in Iran and retains links to the Tehran government.
In February, US troops detained Ammar al-Hakim for several hours after his convoy crossed back into Iraq from Iran, accusing him and his guards of behaving suspiciously during a search of their vehicles. The arrest triggered SCIRI-sponsored street protests and he was released.
"The convoy came under attack in Latifiyah. It was fired at from a distance," he told AFP, adding that it may have been an opportunistic attack on an official-looking motorcade rather than a planned assassination bid. An official from Hakim's office said four police escorts and two of his personal bodyguards were wounded in the attack. Hakim escaped unhurt, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Latifiyah, located in a region south of Baghdad dubbed the triangle of death, is notorious for such attacks as armed gangs randomly fire on passing convoys. Hakim senior heads the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shiite former rebel group that is one of the leading factions in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's governing coalition. The Shiite faithful consider both men to be sayyids, or descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. Their party was founded in exile in Iran and retains links to the Tehran government.
In February, US troops detained Ammar al-Hakim for several hours after his convoy crossed back into Iraq from Iran, accusing him and his guards of behaving suspiciously during a search of their vehicles. The arrest triggered SCIRI-sponsored street protests and he was released.
Labels: Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, Ammar al-Hakim, gunmen, Latifiyah
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Round-up of violence across Iraq
Security
(Reuters) - Security developments in Iraq as of 1030 GMT on Thursday:
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber rammed his car into a fuel tanker, killing 10 people and wounding 21 in the southern Jadriya district of Baghdad, police said.
KIRKUK - Gunmen wounded seven employees working in the North Oil Company when they attacked their vehicle in Kirkuk, police said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding five others in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed 20 insurgents and arrested 84 others during the last 24 hours in operations across Iraq, police said.
SHIRQAT - Police said they found four charred dead bodies inside a car in the town of Shirqat, south of Mosul.
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber rammed his car into a fuel tanker, killing 10 people and wounding 21 in the southern Jadriya district of Baghdad, police said.
KIRKUK - Gunmen wounded seven employees working in the North Oil Company when they attacked their vehicle in Kirkuk, police said.
BAQUBA - Gunmen attacked a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding five others in the religiously mixed city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi army killed 20 insurgents and arrested 84 others during the last 24 hours in operations across Iraq, police said.
SHIRQAT - Police said they found four charred dead bodies inside a car in the town of Shirqat, south of Mosul.
Labels: Baghdad, Baqouba, car bomb, gunmen, Iraq, Kirkuk, North Oil Company, Shirqat, violence
