Tomb Attack Stokes Sectarian Conflicts

[imported_RUDO]

Carnage in Iraqi Mosque Escalates Tension

Carnage in Iraqi Mosque Escalates Tension
By Cihan News Agency, Bagdat (Baghdad)
Published: Tuesday, March 28, 2006
zaman.com


Tensions raged in Iraq after 37 Muslims were killed at a Shiite mosque in Bagdat (Baghdad) during a US operation.

Iraqi State Minister for National Security Abdelkerim Enzi said: "The people in Mustafa Mosque were unarmed. No one opened fired on the soldiers. The US soldiers entered the mosque; they tied the people up and then murdered them. Everyone was killed."

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani announced Iraq will set a joint commission with the US to investigate the incident.

Iran also harshly criticized the attack. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi termed the operation as "a barbaric and terrorist attack."

In a crescendo of violence in the country, at least 40 people lost their lives in a suicide attack targeting Iraqi and US military bases in Telafer (Tal-Afar), west of Musul (Mosul).

Baghdad Governor Hussein Al-Tahan asserted the Iraqi Defense Ministry and the US Embassy in the capital should participate in the investigation commission, and that the US military should be excluded.

Admitting 16 insurgents were killed and 15 were arrested, the US military denied any responsibility for the attack.

While the Iranian administration condemned the mosque attack, the ruling Shiite alliance in Iraq asked the American forces to leave all security matters to the government in Iraq immediately.

The Alliance spokesman, during his speech at the funeral for the massacred, cited:

"Nobody is protecting us. If it wasn’t for the Mahdi army, we would be slaughtered in our homes.”

Another Alliance official, Hudair Al-Huzariye, termed the killing at the Shiite mosque, "cold blooded murder."

Forty people were murdered in a suicide attack against the US and Iraqi military bases in the northern region of Tal-Afar.

The US army announced no US soldiers were killed.

US President George W. Bush, in his latest speech, referred to the operations in Tal-Afar as "an example of victory."

[imported_RUDO]

Dozens die as explosion rips US-Iraq base

Dozens die as explosion rips US-Iraq base

The Associated Press / Baghdad



A suicide bomber attacked an army recruiting station near a U.S.-Iraqi military base in northern Iraq Monday, killing 40 people and wounding 30 others, the Iraqi defense ministry said. At least 21 more corpses were found - many with nooses around their neck - and mortar and bomb attacks killed at least four in Baghdad and surrounding towns.

No American troops were hurt in the bombing about 18 miles
east of the ancient city of Tal Afar, said the U.S. military, which confirmed the attack but reported 30 deaths rather than 40.

The bomber struck shortly after noon at the station, killing both civilians and military personnel gathered among "a crowd of recruits who were attempting to join the Iraqi Army," the defense ministry said in a statement.

President Bush singled out Tal Afar in a recent speech as a success story for American and Iraqi forces in the drive to quell the insurgency.

U.S. soldiers helped secure the area after the attack and treat the wounded, the U.S. military said.

Iraqi army Lt. Akram Eid told The Associated Press that many of the wounded were taken to the Sykes U.S. Army base on the outskirts of Tal Afar, which is about 40 miles west of Mosul, Iraq's third largest city.

Details of a joint U.S.-Iraqi Special Operations attack in northeast Baghdad late Sunday continued to filter out. The military, in an updated reported, said the joint operation "killed 16 insurgents and wounded three others during a house-to-house search on an objective with multiple structures.

"They also detained 18 other individuals, discovered a significant weapons cache and secured the release of an Iraqi being held hostage," the statement said.

Iraq's Interior Minister, however, reacted angrily, denouncing the operation and rejecting the U.S. account.

"Entering the Mustafa Shiite Mosque and killing worshippers was unjustified and a horrible violation from my point of view," Bayan Jabr said on the Al-Arabiya TV news network. "Innocent people inside the mosque offering prayer at sunset were killed."

Iraq police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammadawi said 17 people were killed. Seven were members of the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militant, three were members of the Islamic Dawa Party-Iraq
organization that had an office in the mosque complex and seven were civilians with no affiliation.

Also Monday, Baghdad Gov. Hussein Tahan told reporters the local government had cut ties to the U.S. military and diplomatic mission.

"The Baghdad provincial council has decided to stop dealings in regards to services and politics with the coalition forces and the U.S. Embassy because of the cowardly attack on the al-Moustafa mosque," he said without elaboration.

"Harsher measures will be taken in the future to preserve the dignity of the Iraqi citizens," Tahan said.

Jawad al-Maliki, a lawmaker from the United Iraqi Alliance, told a news conference that the Shiite bloc had canceled Monday's session of negotiations to form a new government.

"We suspended today's meetings to discuss the formation of the government because of what happened at the al-Moustafa mosque." He said the alliance was expected to decide on Tuesday when to resume the talks.

Associated Press reporters who visited the scene Monday morning said the site of the attack was clearly a neighborhood Shiite mosque complex, although the American military insisted, "no mosques were entered or damaged during this operation."

Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman, said the operation was only launched after observation of the site convinced the military it was being used as a kidnapping cell.

"In our observation of the place and the activities that were going on, it's difficult for us to consider this a place of prayer," Johnson said. "It was not identified by us as a mosque, though we certainly recognized it as a community gathering center. I think this is frankly a matter of perception."

Baghdad police said at least 22 were killed in the attack after gunmen fired on the joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol from a position in the neighborhood but not from the mosque. Police and representatives of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who holds great sway among poor Shiites in the eastern section of Baghdad, said all those killed were in the complex for evening prayers and none was a gunmen.

Associated Press videotape shot Monday showed crumbling walls and disarray in a compound used as a gathering place for prayer. It was filled with religious posters and strung with banners denouncing the attack. Mourners were gathering for funerals for the dead.

[imported_RUDO]

Gunmen kill eight Iraqis in raid

Gunmen kill eight Iraqis in raid

Gunmen dressed in police uniforms have attacked a trading company in Baghdad, killing at least eight Iraqi employees.
The gunmen stormed the al-Ibtikar Trade Contracting Co in the capital's western Mansour district at 0815 (0515 GMT) and opened fire, police said.

The motive of the attack was not clear, as the gunmen did not take any money.

There have been a series of robberies and attacks on shops and businesses in Baghdad in the past week.

On Tuesday, nine people working at a foreign exchange and an electronics shop were kidnapped.

Sixteen employees of another trading company in Mansour were abducted the day before.


bbcnews

[imported_RUDO]

US Forces Launch Operation in Baiji, Iraq

US Forces Launch Operation in Baiji, Iraq
By Cihan News Agency (aa), Kerkuk (Kirkuk)
Published: Thursday, March 30, 2006
zaman.com


American forces in Iraq have launched an operation in the town of Baiji, Tikrit.

Iraqi troops supported the American military units in the offensive late last night. Roundups were staged early this morning. Heavy weapon fire was heard in the town.

According to local sources, the US-Iraqi military operation in cooperation with local forces in Baiji, north of Bagdat (Baghdad), will continue today to search for insurgents.

Many streets will be closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Some hospital sources are also saying they admitted wounded.

The Iraqi national forces in Kerkuk (Kirkuk) are also reportedly involved in the operation as well.

[imported_RUDO]

40 Bodies Found in Bagdat

40 Bodies Found in Bagdat
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Bagdat (Bahgdad)
Published: Sunday, April 02, 2006
zaman.com


About 40 bodies were discovered in various districts of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.

Some 40 bodies were found in the Baghdad districts of Sadr, Dora, Emiriye and Obeydi, among others, said the police.


Believed to have fallen victim to sectarian conflicts between the Shiites and the Sunnis, the victims were found handcuffed, with shots to their heads or chests, said a police officer.


In an attack from some armed men, a small Shiite mosque was demolished in the city of Bakuba, 55 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.


There were no reports of causalities in the explosion, though the mosque was completely razed to the ground, the police said.

[imported_RUDO]

Shiite Alliance Calls Jaafari to Resign

Shiite Alliance Calls Jaafari to Resign
By Cihan News Agency, Bagdad (Baghdad)
Published: Sunday, April 02, 2006
zaman.com


Qasim Davud, a member of the Shiite Alliance which showed Ibrahim Jaafari as the candidate for prime ministry for the coalition studies, said he calls Jaafari to take a brave step and resign.

Reportedly, four groups out of seven will want Jaafari to withdraw his candidacy if Kurds and Sunnis are not persuaded. Cevad Maliki, who is from Jafaari’s Dawa Party, said the prime minister will not resign and they will maintain their insistence on this topic. It is reported that the Kurdish and Sunni opposition is influential in the call for resignation. This is the first explanation about the call to Jaafari to resign and it is still unknown who will be the candidate for prime ministry after Jaafari resigns.

[imported_RUDO]

Saddam to be Tried and Sentenced on All Charges

Saddam to be Tried and Sentenced on All Charges
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Published: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
zaman.com


The court trying ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and seven other co-defendants announced that the former leader will officially stand accused of genocide.

On Tuesday, the office of the public prosecutor received the documents of charges Saddam faces for the Kurdish genocide in the1980s.


Among these accusations is the 1988 Halabaja massacre in which 5,000 civilians were killed using poisonous gas.


Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as “Chemical Ali,” Saddam’s cousin, is also accused of instigating the Anfal Operation which involved violence against Kurds in the 1980s.


Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Saddam’s punishment will be determined after he is tried one all the charges.


At a press conference, the president said the court is working on a plan by which Saddam can be tried on all of the charges before the court makes its final ruling and passes sentence.


Saddam and his seven former aides are currently being tried for their role in the Dujail massacre in which 148 Shiite were killed in 1982.

[imported_RUDO]

Iraqi PM Opponents Unable to Find Replacement

Iraqi PM Opponents Unable to Find Replacement
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Published: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
zaman.com


The political crisis emerged after the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, the election winners, nominated Ibrahim Al-Jafaari as the leader again is deepening.

The Iraqi Sunni, Kurdish and secular wing have continued their opposition to al-Jafaari's leadership and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a surprise visit to the region yesterday, pressuring for the acceleration of the process.

If al-Jafaari steps down, it is unknown who will be nominated as the next prime minister.

The Shiite Alliance is unable to agree on an alternative candidate to al-Jafaari because of the numerous parties in its body.

The Sunni, Kurdish and secular wings, suspending the coalition talks because of al-Jafaari's candidacy, called on the Shiite Alliance to solve the problem.

Though 3.5 months have passed since the general elections, the crisis over who take the post of prime minister has failed to be overcome.

The Sunni, Kurdish and secular groups do not accept the candidacy of al-Jafaari, and the election winner’s, the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, are unable to determine any other candidate due to its divided structure.

Reportedly, even the groups within the Shiite Alliance pressuring al-Jafaari to withdraw do not have a definite alternative prime ministerial candidate.

"There are particular names, but each one faces objections by groups within the alliance," said an alliance official speaking to Reuters.

Deputy President Adil Abdelmehdi, who lost the election within the alliance by one vote to al-Jafaari, is opposed by Shiite leader Moqteda Al-Sadr, who has an important place within al-Jafaari's Dawa Party and within the alliance.

Hussein Shehristani, one of the candidates supported by the Iraqi Shiites spiritual leader, Ali Sistani, does not possess the necessary charisma to rule the country where deep divisions prevail, it is said. In the case of Kasim Dawud, who made the first declaration against al-Jafaari within the alliance, supports Sistani. He may become the new prime ministerial candidate within the party, it was added. However, Dawud, who was in the interim government led by Iyad Allawi, poses a problem for himself, also noted.

While the criticisms against the Shiite leader’s candidacy for prime minister continue in Iraq, Sunni and Kurdish parties "warned" the Shiites to end the crisis.

"It is now up to the United Iraqi Alliance. They must take the decision to solve this problem," Rasim Adawi from former Prime Minister Allawi's party said.

British newspaper, The Independent, in the article headlined, "Undermining Democracy," termed the British Foreign Secretary and the US Secretary of State's visits to Bagdat (Baghdad) an intervention in the political process, adding it can damage the democracy that had wanted to established in Iraq.

In the article, it is said US President George W. Bush wants al-Jafaari to quit his post, and the Rice-Straw duo reiterated this view to the Iraqi officials during their contacts.

[imported_RUDO]

Death Toll in Today's Attacks Rises to 18 in Iraq

Death Toll in Today's Attacks Rises to 18 in Iraq
By Cihan News Agency, Bagdat (Baghdad)
Published: Thursday, April 06, 2006
zaman.com


The holy Shiite city of Necef (Najaf) in southern Iraq was shaken by a series of car bomb attacks earlier today, killing 13 people and injuring about 40.

Eyewitnesses say more than 10 vehicles were destroyed in the attacks and a curfew was declared shortly after.

The attack was plotted just a few hundred meters from the holy Imam Ali Tomb.

In a shoot out at a police station 160 kilometers south of capital Bagdat (Baghdad) again today, five civilians lost their lives, and two were wounded.

In Ramada, a roadside bomb exploded as an American military vehicle passed, no information was released regarding the number of dead or injured.

In Kerkuk (Kirkuk), 250 kilometers north of Baghdad, a Kurdish captain was severely injured in a firearm attack.

[imported_RUDO]

At Least 40 Dead in Bagdat Mosque Blast

At Least 40 Dead in Bagdat Mosque Blast
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Bagdat (Baghdad)
Published: Friday, April 07, 2006
zaman.com


A bomb attack that rocked a Shiite mosque in the Iraqi capital Bagdat (Baghdad) earlier today has at left at least 40 people dead, according to news reports.

Police said the attack was perpetrated by two suicide bombers. Eyewitnesses said three blasts were heard at the mosque; attacks in which 45 people were wounded.

Interior Ministry officials had earlier warned locals to avoid lingering in crowded places such as market and mosques due to bomb threats.