"Zarqawi" group claims murder of police colonel in Baghdad: :
The group of Al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for an attack Thursday in which a police colonel was gunned down in Baghdad, in a statement posted on the Internet.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=41950
http://snipurl.com/euff
Full Version: Just News - Iraq Volume 4
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Foreign Policy and National Defense > Foreign Policy & National Defense Issues Archive
Explosion effectively finishes off squad:
In 96 hours of fighting and ambushes in far western Iraq, the squad had just ceased to be. Every member of the unit -- one of three squads that make up the 1st Platoon of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment -- had been killed or wounded, Marines here said.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8817.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufg
In 96 hours of fighting and ambushes in far western Iraq, the squad had just ceased to be. Every member of the unit -- one of three squads that make up the 1st Platoon of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment -- had been killed or wounded, Marines here said.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8817.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufg
Leaks plague battle against Iraqi "insurgents":
"It's tough to get the people, it's very hard to keep the word from getting out. Everybody knows each other," he said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAR222206.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufh
"It's tough to get the people, it's very hard to keep the word from getting out. Everybody knows each other," he said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAR222206.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufh
People flee al-Qaim as fighting continues:
"More people are desperately trying to leave the town and according to our information US troops have closed all exit points
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/I...5878c779adf.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufi
"More people are desperately trying to leave the town and according to our information US troops have closed all exit points
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/I...5878c779adf.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufi
Iraqi Families Take Refuge in the Desert:
On the first day of a major U.S. offensive, two shells landed in Um Mazin's house. Grabbing what she could, she fled with four other
women and 21 children. "We ran away from the American bombings," said Um Mazin, as the wind picked up, sending sand swirling
around her. "The Americans do not hit the gunmen, they hit the houses of civilians."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050512/...a/iraq_refugees
http://snipurl.com/eufk
On the first day of a major U.S. offensive, two shells landed in Um Mazin's house. Grabbing what she could, she fled with four other
women and 21 children. "We ran away from the American bombings," said Um Mazin, as the wind picked up, sending sand swirling
around her. "The Americans do not hit the gunmen, they hit the houses of civilians."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050512/...a/iraq_refugees
http://snipurl.com/eufk
Lawless Iraq is 'key drug route' :
Drug smugglers exploiting internal chaos in Iraq have turned the country into a transit route for Afghan heroin, an influential drug agency says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4541387.stm
http://snipurl.com/eufl
Drug smugglers exploiting internal chaos in Iraq have turned the country into a transit route for Afghan heroin, an influential drug agency says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4541387.stm
http://snipurl.com/eufl
Sailor Who Refused Deployment Convicted:
A sailor who demonstrated his opposition to the war in Iraq by refusing to board the USS Bonhomme Richard as it deployed from San Diego in December and could be sentenced to a year of confinement and a bad conduct discharge.
http://www.10news.com/news/4481258/detail.html
A sailor who demonstrated his opposition to the war in Iraq by refusing to board the USS Bonhomme Richard as it deployed from San Diego in December and could be sentenced to a year of confinement and a bad conduct discharge.
http://www.10news.com/news/4481258/detail.html
Indignation Grows in U.S. Over British Prewar Documents:
Critics of Bush call them proof that he and Blair never saw diplomacy as an option with Hussein.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8822.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufo
Critics of Bush call them proof that he and Blair never saw diplomacy as an option with Hussein.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8822.htm
http://snipurl.com/eufo
Bush Asked to Explain UK War Memo:
Eighty-nine Democratic members of the U.S. Congress last week sent President George W. Bush a letter asking for explanation of a secret British memo that said "intelligence and facts were being fixed" to support the Iraq war in mid-2002.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3335541
Eighty-nine Democratic members of the U.S. Congress last week sent President George W. Bush a letter asking for explanation of a secret British memo that said "intelligence and facts were being fixed" to support the Iraq war in mid-2002.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3335541
US soldier pleads not guilty to wiring Iraqi:
She is accused of posing before a pyramid of naked Iraqi prisoners, photographing them as they were forced to masturbate and placing wires on an Iraqi detainee and telling him he would be electrocuted if he stepped off a box
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12276675.htm
http://snipurl.com/euft
She is accused of posing before a pyramid of naked Iraqi prisoners, photographing them as they were forced to masturbate and placing wires on an Iraqi detainee and telling him he would be electrocuted if he stepped off a box
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12276675.htm
http://snipurl.com/euft
Iraq's ministries struggle to serve
Amid a wave of attacks in Baghdad, the health ministry, like others,
grapples with shortages and corruption. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0513/p06s01-woiq.html?s=hns
Amid a wave of attacks in Baghdad, the health ministry, like others,
grapples with shortages and corruption. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0513/p06s01-woiq.html?s=hns
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/politics...059&partner=AOL
US Presses Iraqi Government to Broaden the Role of Sunnis
US Presses Iraqi Government to Broaden the Role of Sunnis
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/132/world/...e_betwee:.shtml
Syrians watch as battle between Marines and insurgents rages on their border
Syrians watch as battle between Marines and insurgents rages on their border
Stability in Iraq seems as far away as ever. Whether it suits US interests to see a Shiite dominated government there lacking in much political experience with the more politically mature Sunnis pushed to the margins remains an open question. Nonetheless the logic of elections is that the elected majority should be given the opportunity to govern. As the following indicates, the US appears to be conflicted about how to manage this process.
How the U.S. Prevents the Shiites from Consolidating Power
Gareth Porter
Even as the Bush administration was hailing the heroism of the Shiite majority for going to the polls last January 30, it was secretly preventing the new Shiite government from having full control over its own intelligence services and an elite counterinsurgency force. The reason, it has now been revealed, is that administration fears that the Shiites will be too friendly with Iran.
A Knight Ridder report from Baghdad and Washington confirms that the CIA has refused to hand over control of Iraq’s intelligence services to the newly-elected government, because of worries that the new government’s ties to Iran would be so close that intelligence secrets would be leaked to Tehran. According to Iraqi officials quoted in the report, immediately after the election, U.S. put sensitive intelligence files in U.S. military headquarters to keep them out of the hands of the newly-elected Shiite-led government. The concern about a Shiite-led government’s relations with Iran was confirmed by an administration official working on Iraq.
The U.S. effort to check Shiite power over the Iraqi security structure began even before the handing over of limited authority to an interim government last summer, but after the Bush administration knew it faced the prospect of a militant Shiite ticket winning the national elections. The CIA set up intelligence agencies in both the Defense and Interior ministries, according to the Knight-Ridder report, each led by Kurdish officials considered politically reliable. These officers reported directly to the CIA’s favorite Iraqi political figure, Allawi.
The most important move before the handover of power, however, was the formation by the CIA of a secret police organization (“mukhbarat”) under a Sunni general who had collaborated with the CIA in a coup attempt in mid-1990s and staffed it primarily with Sunnis. This secret police force is still funded entirely by the CIA and reports directly to the CIA, not to any Iraqi government agency or official.
The intelligence agencies are not the only card that Washington has to play against the Shiites, however. The New York Times Magazine recently revealed the existence of a counterinsurgency force of “special police commandos” with 5,000 elite troops under a former Baathist Sunni general . The parallel with right-wing paramilitary forces supported by the United States in El Salvador has been noted. What has passed unnoticed, however, is that this force was created by the CIA advisers to the Ministry of Interior, which was the stronghold of Allawi and the former Baathist generals.
The commandoes are only a counterinsurgency force, of course, but yet another means of countering the power of the Shiites within the government. The elected Shiite leaders are understandably extremely suspicious of the U.S. nurturing of a force that they doubt will have any loyalty to the new government. This behind-the-scenes struggle between the Bush administration and the Shiites helps to explain the extraordinary public warnings from Donald Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials to the new government last month not to purge Sunnis from the government’s security services. Although the ostensible reason for the U.S. insistence that former Baathists must not be ousted from positions in these agencies is that their competence must not be lost, the administration was also sees these actually seeking to use them as a check on Shiite power.
Even the nearly three-month delay in naming a new cabinet after the Shiite electoral victory cannot be separated from the fierce maneuvering over a security structure that certainly been intertwined with the this effort by the Bush administration to retain a check on the Shiites. What one Western official called a “filibuster” by Kurds and by the followers of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has been responsible for the delay. These are the very forces, of course, that had been working closely with the CIA for several months to build intelligence and paramilitary forces that could be used in the future as a form of pressure against the Shiites.
The Bush administration’s effort to prevent the Shiites from coming to power in Iraq precedes the U.S. occupation of the country. In planning its post-war administration, the last thing the neocons wanted was an Iraqi government controlled by the major Shiite exile organizations, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and its close Shiite ally, the Dawa Party. They knew that SCIRI was not only founded with Iranian patronage but that its military wing, the Badr Brigade, was created with the assistance and training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
After Bush included Iran in his “axis of evil” in mid-2002, SCIRI had begun opposing a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq. Tensions between the SCIRI and the Bush administration surfaced at the London conference of opposition groups in December 2002. Bush’s envoy to the conference, Zalmay Khalizad, expressed reservations about giving a strong voice to an exile forum that the administration considered to be “too influenced by Iran.”
A few weeks after the occupation began, Gen. Jay Garner, the first U.S. proconsul in Iraq, organized has own conferences for exiles and hand-picked the participants. SCIRI and Dawa boycotted it, and organized 20,000 Shiite supporters protested outside the conference, chanting “Yes to freedom, Yes to Islam, No to America, No to Saddam.”
Garner decided to hold local elections in the Shiite stronghold of Najaf. Three weeks later, however, Paul Bremer arrived from Washington with orders to reverse Garner’s decision and effectively to replace Garner. As Bremer explained to the Washington Post, “In a postwar situation like this, if you start holding elections, the people who are rejectionists tend to win.” Bremer and other officials mad it clear that they were particularly concerned about Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim, the SCIRI founder-leader.
That was the beginning of the U.S. effort to avoid democratic elections in Iraq, in order to deny the Shiites political power. First they proposed “partial election,” with candidates to be limited to figures hand-picked by the Americans. Then Bremer tried to impose his solution on the Governing Council of handpicked Iraqis. Bremer accepted democratic elections only in January 1994, after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani gave the orders for a demonstration by as many as 100,000 Shiites in Baghdad, shouting “Yes, yes to elections! No, no to occupation!”
Iraq is the natural counterweight to Iran in the Middle East. For the Bush administration, the idea of a Shiite-controlled Iraqi government that is chummy with Iran is an intolerable threat to U.S. strategy in the region. But the Iraqi Shiite leaders are insisting on their right to have warm relations with Iran. Hadi al-Amerim the commander of the Badr Brigade, the former military wing of the SCIRI and a member of the new parliament, told Knight Ridder that it was high time for the Bush administration to accept the longstanding friendship between the leaders of the new Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Iranian mullahs.
As the Shiites continue their determined march to consolidate political power in Iraq, another showdown with the Bush administration seems almost certain. We should not be surprised if the Shiites ultimately take their cause to the streets, as they did in deciding the last showdown with Washington over democratic elections.
Gareth Porter is a historian and analyst specializing on U.S. foreign policy. His latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, is being published this month by the University of California Press.
How the U.S. Prevents the Shiites from Consolidating Power
Gareth Porter
Even as the Bush administration was hailing the heroism of the Shiite majority for going to the polls last January 30, it was secretly preventing the new Shiite government from having full control over its own intelligence services and an elite counterinsurgency force. The reason, it has now been revealed, is that administration fears that the Shiites will be too friendly with Iran.
A Knight Ridder report from Baghdad and Washington confirms that the CIA has refused to hand over control of Iraq’s intelligence services to the newly-elected government, because of worries that the new government’s ties to Iran would be so close that intelligence secrets would be leaked to Tehran. According to Iraqi officials quoted in the report, immediately after the election, U.S. put sensitive intelligence files in U.S. military headquarters to keep them out of the hands of the newly-elected Shiite-led government. The concern about a Shiite-led government’s relations with Iran was confirmed by an administration official working on Iraq.
The U.S. effort to check Shiite power over the Iraqi security structure began even before the handing over of limited authority to an interim government last summer, but after the Bush administration knew it faced the prospect of a militant Shiite ticket winning the national elections. The CIA set up intelligence agencies in both the Defense and Interior ministries, according to the Knight-Ridder report, each led by Kurdish officials considered politically reliable. These officers reported directly to the CIA’s favorite Iraqi political figure, Allawi.
The most important move before the handover of power, however, was the formation by the CIA of a secret police organization (“mukhbarat”) under a Sunni general who had collaborated with the CIA in a coup attempt in mid-1990s and staffed it primarily with Sunnis. This secret police force is still funded entirely by the CIA and reports directly to the CIA, not to any Iraqi government agency or official.
The intelligence agencies are not the only card that Washington has to play against the Shiites, however. The New York Times Magazine recently revealed the existence of a counterinsurgency force of “special police commandos” with 5,000 elite troops under a former Baathist Sunni general . The parallel with right-wing paramilitary forces supported by the United States in El Salvador has been noted. What has passed unnoticed, however, is that this force was created by the CIA advisers to the Ministry of Interior, which was the stronghold of Allawi and the former Baathist generals.
The commandoes are only a counterinsurgency force, of course, but yet another means of countering the power of the Shiites within the government. The elected Shiite leaders are understandably extremely suspicious of the U.S. nurturing of a force that they doubt will have any loyalty to the new government. This behind-the-scenes struggle between the Bush administration and the Shiites helps to explain the extraordinary public warnings from Donald Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials to the new government last month not to purge Sunnis from the government’s security services. Although the ostensible reason for the U.S. insistence that former Baathists must not be ousted from positions in these agencies is that their competence must not be lost, the administration was also sees these actually seeking to use them as a check on Shiite power.
Even the nearly three-month delay in naming a new cabinet after the Shiite electoral victory cannot be separated from the fierce maneuvering over a security structure that certainly been intertwined with the this effort by the Bush administration to retain a check on the Shiites. What one Western official called a “filibuster” by Kurds and by the followers of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has been responsible for the delay. These are the very forces, of course, that had been working closely with the CIA for several months to build intelligence and paramilitary forces that could be used in the future as a form of pressure against the Shiites.
The Bush administration’s effort to prevent the Shiites from coming to power in Iraq precedes the U.S. occupation of the country. In planning its post-war administration, the last thing the neocons wanted was an Iraqi government controlled by the major Shiite exile organizations, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and its close Shiite ally, the Dawa Party. They knew that SCIRI was not only founded with Iranian patronage but that its military wing, the Badr Brigade, was created with the assistance and training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
After Bush included Iran in his “axis of evil” in mid-2002, SCIRI had begun opposing a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq. Tensions between the SCIRI and the Bush administration surfaced at the London conference of opposition groups in December 2002. Bush’s envoy to the conference, Zalmay Khalizad, expressed reservations about giving a strong voice to an exile forum that the administration considered to be “too influenced by Iran.”
A few weeks after the occupation began, Gen. Jay Garner, the first U.S. proconsul in Iraq, organized has own conferences for exiles and hand-picked the participants. SCIRI and Dawa boycotted it, and organized 20,000 Shiite supporters protested outside the conference, chanting “Yes to freedom, Yes to Islam, No to America, No to Saddam.”
Garner decided to hold local elections in the Shiite stronghold of Najaf. Three weeks later, however, Paul Bremer arrived from Washington with orders to reverse Garner’s decision and effectively to replace Garner. As Bremer explained to the Washington Post, “In a postwar situation like this, if you start holding elections, the people who are rejectionists tend to win.” Bremer and other officials mad it clear that they were particularly concerned about Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim, the SCIRI founder-leader.
That was the beginning of the U.S. effort to avoid democratic elections in Iraq, in order to deny the Shiites political power. First they proposed “partial election,” with candidates to be limited to figures hand-picked by the Americans. Then Bremer tried to impose his solution on the Governing Council of handpicked Iraqis. Bremer accepted democratic elections only in January 1994, after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani gave the orders for a demonstration by as many as 100,000 Shiites in Baghdad, shouting “Yes, yes to elections! No, no to occupation!”
Iraq is the natural counterweight to Iran in the Middle East. For the Bush administration, the idea of a Shiite-controlled Iraqi government that is chummy with Iran is an intolerable threat to U.S. strategy in the region. But the Iraqi Shiite leaders are insisting on their right to have warm relations with Iran. Hadi al-Amerim the commander of the Badr Brigade, the former military wing of the SCIRI and a member of the new parliament, told Knight Ridder that it was high time for the Bush administration to accept the longstanding friendship between the leaders of the new Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Iranian mullahs.
As the Shiites continue their determined march to consolidate political power in Iraq, another showdown with the Bush administration seems almost certain. We should not be surprised if the Shiites ultimately take their cause to the streets, as they did in deciding the last showdown with Washington over democratic elections.
Gareth Porter is a historian and analyst specializing on U.S. foreign policy. His latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, is being published this month by the University of California Press.
3 Killed in Northern Iraq Bomb Attack
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7109A:2F72C9D
Police say attack occurred as an Iraqi army patrol was driving through
city, about 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad
US Army soldiers respond to roadside bomb that targeted American
convoy on highway leading to airport, FridayIraqi authorities say a
car bomb attack in the northern city of Baquba early Friday, killed
three people and wounded six others.
Police say the attack occurred as an Iraqi army patrol was driving
through the city, about 60 kilometers northeast of the capital,
Baghdad. Two Iraqi soldiers and a civilian died in the attack.
Insurgents killed at least 22 people and injured dozens of others
Thursday, continuing a wave of violence that has left more than 300
people dead in the past two weeks.
In the day's deadliest attack, at least 15 people were killed and
dozens wounded when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad market.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D7109A:2F72C9D
Police say attack occurred as an Iraqi army patrol was driving through
city, about 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad
US Army soldiers respond to roadside bomb that targeted American
convoy on highway leading to airport, FridayIraqi authorities say a
car bomb attack in the northern city of Baquba early Friday, killed
three people and wounded six others.
Police say the attack occurred as an Iraqi army patrol was driving
through the city, about 60 kilometers northeast of the capital,
Baghdad. Two Iraqi soldiers and a civilian died in the attack.
Insurgents killed at least 22 people and injured dozens of others
Thursday, continuing a wave of violence that has left more than 300
people dead in the past two weeks.
In the day's deadliest attack, at least 15 people were killed and
dozens wounded when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad market.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
The rising economic cost of the Iraq war
One estimate of the military pricetag: $5 billion each month.
By Peter Grier | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
http://csmonitor.com/2005/0519/p01s03-usmi.html?s=itm
WASHINGTON – Fighting in Iraq has been prolonged and remains intense enough that it has pushed the total cost of US military operations since Sept. 11, 2001, close to that of the Korean War.
Despite the yawning federal deficit, Congress hasn't blinked at this price. And while annual defense spending is now as high as it ever was during the Reagan buildup, the US economy as a whole is much larger, making it easier, in economic terms, for the nation to shoulder the bill.
Yet the costs for Pentagon operations are likely to pile up in years ahead. By 2010, war expenses might total $600 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Much depends on when - and how many - US military personnel can be withdrawn from the Iraqi theater of operations.
"We can't be any more certain about the trend of the defense budget than we can be about the number of troops that will be deployed overseas," says Steven Kosiak, director of budget studies for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
The demands and unpredictability of war have, in essence, turned the defense budget into a two-part allocation. First is the regular budget request, which contains acquisition and research and development funds as well as personnel and operations costs, and which Congress considers in its normal appropriations process. Second is the supplemental appropriations - the add-on emergency spending requested by the administration later in the year......
One estimate of the military pricetag: $5 billion each month.
By Peter Grier | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
http://csmonitor.com/2005/0519/p01s03-usmi.html?s=itm
WASHINGTON – Fighting in Iraq has been prolonged and remains intense enough that it has pushed the total cost of US military operations since Sept. 11, 2001, close to that of the Korean War.
Despite the yawning federal deficit, Congress hasn't blinked at this price. And while annual defense spending is now as high as it ever was during the Reagan buildup, the US economy as a whole is much larger, making it easier, in economic terms, for the nation to shoulder the bill.
Yet the costs for Pentagon operations are likely to pile up in years ahead. By 2010, war expenses might total $600 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Much depends on when - and how many - US military personnel can be withdrawn from the Iraqi theater of operations.
"We can't be any more certain about the trend of the defense budget than we can be about the number of troops that will be deployed overseas," says Steven Kosiak, director of budget studies for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
The demands and unpredictability of war have, in essence, turned the defense budget into a two-part allocation. First is the regular budget request, which contains acquisition and research and development funds as well as personnel and operations costs, and which Congress considers in its normal appropriations process. Second is the supplemental appropriations - the add-on emergency spending requested by the administration later in the year......
Iraq Sunni group attacks 'state terrorism'
By Steve Negus and Dhiya Rasan in Baghdad
Published: May 18 2005 17:34 | Last updated: May 18 2005 17:34
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/a68e6e00-c7b4-11d...000e2511c8.html
Iraq's leading Sunni religious organisation on Wednesday accused the the Iraqi police and a major Shia Islamist party of assassinating some 15 Sunnis, including pro-insurgent clerics, in a major escalation of sectarian tension.
"This is state terrorism by the Ministry of Interior," said Hareth al-Dhari, secretary general of the Association of Muslim Scholars. He was standing before a congregation at the Umm al Qura mosque alongside representatives of other Islamic groups, behind the coffin of Hassan al-Naimi, one of the slain sheikhs.
Mr Naimi and 14 other Sunnis, including at least four prominent clerics, were found on Tuesday dumped in empty lots in different parts of Baghdad.
About 50 corpses, both Sunnis and Shias, have been discovered in and around the capital since Saturday.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, prime minister, has vowed to use an "iron fist" to crack down on sectarian violence, which many Iraqis fear heralds the outbreak of wider civil war.....
By Steve Negus and Dhiya Rasan in Baghdad
Published: May 18 2005 17:34 | Last updated: May 18 2005 17:34
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/a68e6e00-c7b4-11d...000e2511c8.html
Iraq's leading Sunni religious organisation on Wednesday accused the the Iraqi police and a major Shia Islamist party of assassinating some 15 Sunnis, including pro-insurgent clerics, in a major escalation of sectarian tension.
"This is state terrorism by the Ministry of Interior," said Hareth al-Dhari, secretary general of the Association of Muslim Scholars. He was standing before a congregation at the Umm al Qura mosque alongside representatives of other Islamic groups, behind the coffin of Hassan al-Naimi, one of the slain sheikhs.
Mr Naimi and 14 other Sunnis, including at least four prominent clerics, were found on Tuesday dumped in empty lots in different parts of Baghdad.
About 50 corpses, both Sunnis and Shias, have been discovered in and around the capital since Saturday.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, prime minister, has vowed to use an "iron fist" to crack down on sectarian violence, which many Iraqis fear heralds the outbreak of wider civil war.....
New survey of Iraqis warns on jobs and nutrition
By Neil MacDonaldin Baghdad
Published: May 12 2005 21:08 | Last updated: May 12 2005 21:08
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8494e7fa-c31f-11d...20abe49a01.html
The first comprehensive survey of living conditions in Iraq since the US-led invasion shows a population suffering from unemployment, malnutrition, and lack of services, although officials blamed decades of past mismanagement rather than recent instability.
Norwegian researchers worked with the Planning Ministry to gather data for the Iraq Living Conditions Survey 2000, which surveyed more than 21,000 households across Iraq from April to August of last year.
The rest of this article is for FT.com subscribers only
By Neil MacDonaldin Baghdad
Published: May 12 2005 21:08 | Last updated: May 12 2005 21:08
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8494e7fa-c31f-11d...20abe49a01.html
The first comprehensive survey of living conditions in Iraq since the US-led invasion shows a population suffering from unemployment, malnutrition, and lack of services, although officials blamed decades of past mismanagement rather than recent instability.
Norwegian researchers worked with the Planning Ministry to gather data for the Iraq Living Conditions Survey 2000, which surveyed more than 21,000 households across Iraq from April to August of last year.
The rest of this article is for FT.com subscribers only
US generals say Iraq outlook 'bleak' Christian Science Monitor
UN Finances a Housing Project in Thi Qar
Al-Nasereya/Aswat Al-Iraq – Al-Mada
Yesterday, Saturday, an official source stated that the UN would finance a housing project in al-Nasereya province (380 km south of Baghdad), within the Un efforts in participating in the rehabilitation of the housing sector in the southern regions.
Yesterday, Mrs Nida al-Jabouri, manager of construction planning in the province, said, “The technical authorities in the housing departments, municipalities and construction planning in the province have selected Asreya village in al-Jeweiber region, 60 km south of the city, to establish the housing complex, which is planned to consist of 200 apartments.” “The achievement of the technical aspects related to the project would be executed by pure Iraqi cadres, and the execution steps are hoped to be finished within the next two months.”
On the other hand, the police and National Guard forces have executed a raid on the families that live in state departments and buildings in al-Nasereya province. Areas where many of these families were seen full of pooice and National Guard personnel. Captain Haydar Ismail, from the citizens department in the province, said that the raid aims at addressing a first warning to those citizens, of the necessity to evacuate the buildings that they occupied after the collapse of the previous regime, as they are state properties. “The law now would be strictly applied in case they do not respond,” he stressed.
It is worth mentioning that the housing crisis in the city of al-Nasereya represents one of the major problems, which people are suffering from. Mant families are still living in the governmental buildings, which were exposed to destruction during the last war. Meanwhile, the city did not witness any steps to establish large housing projects by the state, which would participate in elevating the housing crisis.
On the security arena, yesterday, late at night, a bomb exploded in front of the headquarters of the Islamic party in the city of al-Nasereya, without any casualties. A source in the province police said that the bomb was planted in the street leading to the northern entrance of the city, about 50 meters from the Iraqi Islamic party headquarters, and the building of the agriculture administration of Thi Qar. Yesterday morning, major Haydar Jameel al0Hesouna said, “The explosion did not cause any causalities except for some damages to the façade and entrance of the headquarters, in addition to damages to the houses and buildings close to the site of the explosion. The source ruled out that the Islamic party headquarters was aimed by this attempt. “The bomb was planted on the other side of the street, which is the path, usually used by the Italian forces patrols, when they pass through this street. A person was previously arrested while he was planting a bomb in a near by area and he confessed that he was aiming at the Italian patrols in this area,” he asid.
Al-Nasereya/Aswat Al-Iraq – Al-Mada
Yesterday, Saturday, an official source stated that the UN would finance a housing project in al-Nasereya province (380 km south of Baghdad), within the Un efforts in participating in the rehabilitation of the housing sector in the southern regions.
Yesterday, Mrs Nida al-Jabouri, manager of construction planning in the province, said, “The technical authorities in the housing departments, municipalities and construction planning in the province have selected Asreya village in al-Jeweiber region, 60 km south of the city, to establish the housing complex, which is planned to consist of 200 apartments.” “The achievement of the technical aspects related to the project would be executed by pure Iraqi cadres, and the execution steps are hoped to be finished within the next two months.”
On the other hand, the police and National Guard forces have executed a raid on the families that live in state departments and buildings in al-Nasereya province. Areas where many of these families were seen full of pooice and National Guard personnel. Captain Haydar Ismail, from the citizens department in the province, said that the raid aims at addressing a first warning to those citizens, of the necessity to evacuate the buildings that they occupied after the collapse of the previous regime, as they are state properties. “The law now would be strictly applied in case they do not respond,” he stressed.
It is worth mentioning that the housing crisis in the city of al-Nasereya represents one of the major problems, which people are suffering from. Mant families are still living in the governmental buildings, which were exposed to destruction during the last war. Meanwhile, the city did not witness any steps to establish large housing projects by the state, which would participate in elevating the housing crisis.
On the security arena, yesterday, late at night, a bomb exploded in front of the headquarters of the Islamic party in the city of al-Nasereya, without any casualties. A source in the province police said that the bomb was planted in the street leading to the northern entrance of the city, about 50 meters from the Iraqi Islamic party headquarters, and the building of the agriculture administration of Thi Qar. Yesterday morning, major Haydar Jameel al0Hesouna said, “The explosion did not cause any causalities except for some damages to the façade and entrance of the headquarters, in addition to damages to the houses and buildings close to the site of the explosion. The source ruled out that the Islamic party headquarters was aimed by this attempt. “The bomb was planted on the other side of the street, which is the path, usually used by the Italian forces patrols, when they pass through this street. A person was previously arrested while he was planting a bomb in a near by area and he confessed that he was aiming at the Italian patrols in this area,” he asid.
110 wells to be drilled throughout rural areas of Iraq
Friday, April 15th 2005
http://www.portaliraq.com/shownews.php?id=1111165
Work recently began at four new well sites as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) rural water initiative.
Operating under the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program, this initiative will drill approximately 110 wells in remote locations throughout Iraq.
Depending on the quality of water at each site, groundwater treatment can be relatively simple or, in the case of areas where groundwater is high in salts, treatment may require reverse osmosis units, according to USAID.
Operations and Maintenance training will be provided to ensure the sustainability of the wells and treatment systems.
The project will benefit about 550,000 rural Iraqis.
Well-drilling has already begun at 74 other sites.
Friday, April 15th 2005
http://www.portaliraq.com/shownews.php?id=1111165
Work recently began at four new well sites as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) rural water initiative.
Operating under the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program, this initiative will drill approximately 110 wells in remote locations throughout Iraq.
Depending on the quality of water at each site, groundwater treatment can be relatively simple or, in the case of areas where groundwater is high in salts, treatment may require reverse osmosis units, according to USAID.
Operations and Maintenance training will be provided to ensure the sustainability of the wells and treatment systems.
The project will benefit about 550,000 rural Iraqis.
Well-drilling has already begun at 74 other sites.
IRAQ: MoE to launch education channel
13 Apr 2005 13:16:07 GMT
Source: IRIN
BAGHDAD, 13 April (IRIN) - Iraq's Ministry of Education (MoE) is establishing a new education television channel in April to give primary and secondary school students the option of taking additional lessons at home and for those who are not attending school due to insecurity.
"The idea of this channel is similar to the educational TV established during the 1970s. We are going to present the entire curriculum for all grades, along with scientific programmes which are useful for the students," Baha'a Yehyah, director of the education channel, told IRIN in the capital Baghdad.
The channel will broadcast for at least six hours a day, seven days a week. "Specialised supervisors in the education field and good teachers will participate in preparing the programmes and teaching lessons," Yehyah added.
"I taught intermediate stage maths on the educational TV channel for several years," Zuheer Mohammed, a teacher at al-Resafa School in Baghdad, told IRIN.
"I heard about the new channel and I think it is a very good idea. It will help students a lot. I'm eager to teach again on the new channel," he said.
Children were also eager to watch and learn. "I would like to watch lessons on TV again because they are useful for us to catch up on what we missed during our usual classes," Iyad Hayder, a secondary school student, told IRIN.
"I used to watch maths and physics lessons when I was at school, they helped me a lot in my examinations," student Wesam Ahmed told IRIN.
Television-based learning was stopped in 1993, during Saddam Hussein's time, when his son, Uday, took most of the equipment for his own television channel.
Reports about education in Iraq show many difficulties, especially after three wars in the past two decades, 12 years of sanctions and poor governance. It left an education system, which was once the envy of the Arab world, in tatters.
According to a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report from October 2004, the country's education curriculum hasn't been updated for 20 years.
In addition, the agency noted that emergency education supplies for children and teachers were needed, along with desks and new school buildings. Bad security has also prevented many parents from sending children to school because of the threats of kidnapping.
"We hope we can offer many benefits through this channel to all the students around Iraq. This channel will serve students who cannot go to school to continue their lessons because of conflict in some critical places," Yehyah said.
IRIN news
13 Apr 2005 13:16:07 GMT
Source: IRIN
BAGHDAD, 13 April (IRIN) - Iraq's Ministry of Education (MoE) is establishing a new education television channel in April to give primary and secondary school students the option of taking additional lessons at home and for those who are not attending school due to insecurity.
"The idea of this channel is similar to the educational TV established during the 1970s. We are going to present the entire curriculum for all grades, along with scientific programmes which are useful for the students," Baha'a Yehyah, director of the education channel, told IRIN in the capital Baghdad.
The channel will broadcast for at least six hours a day, seven days a week. "Specialised supervisors in the education field and good teachers will participate in preparing the programmes and teaching lessons," Yehyah added.
"I taught intermediate stage maths on the educational TV channel for several years," Zuheer Mohammed, a teacher at al-Resafa School in Baghdad, told IRIN.
"I heard about the new channel and I think it is a very good idea. It will help students a lot. I'm eager to teach again on the new channel," he said.
Children were also eager to watch and learn. "I would like to watch lessons on TV again because they are useful for us to catch up on what we missed during our usual classes," Iyad Hayder, a secondary school student, told IRIN.
"I used to watch maths and physics lessons when I was at school, they helped me a lot in my examinations," student Wesam Ahmed told IRIN.
Television-based learning was stopped in 1993, during Saddam Hussein's time, when his son, Uday, took most of the equipment for his own television channel.
Reports about education in Iraq show many difficulties, especially after three wars in the past two decades, 12 years of sanctions and poor governance. It left an education system, which was once the envy of the Arab world, in tatters.
According to a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report from October 2004, the country's education curriculum hasn't been updated for 20 years.
In addition, the agency noted that emergency education supplies for children and teachers were needed, along with desks and new school buildings. Bad security has also prevented many parents from sending children to school because of the threats of kidnapping.
"We hope we can offer many benefits through this channel to all the students around Iraq. This channel will serve students who cannot go to school to continue their lessons because of conflict in some critical places," Yehyah said.
IRIN news
Political cartoon
Star Wars [Bush as Darth Vader]
Sunday, May 22, 2005
http://www.post-gazette.com/robrogers/default.asp?id=2
Star Wars [Bush as Darth Vader]
Sunday, May 22, 2005
http://www.post-gazette.com/robrogers/default.asp?id=2
2nd Marine Division discovers underground insurgent lair
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200565233517
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio
CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (June 6, 2005) -- The 2nd Marine Division, backed by Iraqi Security forces, uncovered what is possibly the largest series of insurgent weapons caches found this year in the Al Anbar province.
The biggest site was found near Karmah, a small city north of Fallujah. The 558- by 902-foot site, one of the biggest found since the beginning of operations here, was discovered in an abandoned rock quarry which and involved a series of bunkers insurgents used as an underground lair.
“The discoveries are part of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the area,” according to Lt. Col. Andrew D. Bianca, 2nd Marine Division operations officer.
“We are finding these series of caches through aggressive Marine and Iraqi Security Force patrolling and tips from local citizens,” said Bianca. “The information often comes through our Tip Line, which received 30 to 40 calls in March and April. But last month, we tallied up to 120 actionable tips that revealed the locations of (improvised explosive devices) and caches.”
“Finding caches this large significantly decreases the threat of IED’s” according to Bianca. “The roadside bombs, detonated by remote devices, are hidden in plastic bottles, under cardboard and are even cemented into the roadways.”
Within the various rooms making up the facility, ISF and coalition forces discovered four fully furnished living spaces, a kitchen with fresh food, two shower facilities and a working air conditioner. Other bunkers were filled with weapons and ammunition thought to be used by the Arab-Sunni resistance using the vast stretch of desert land that stretches west to the Syrian border as a safe haven.
“What appears to be a supply warehouse, as well as the other caches, were found in a five-mile-stretch of open desert,” said Bianca. “The Marines and Iraqis were patrolling near the city of Karmah when they came across a lone building. During the search, they moved a freezer chest and found the entrance to underground rooms at one site.”
In one portion of the lair, coalition and ISF found numerous types of machineguns and ordnance to include mortars, rockets and artillery rounds. They also found black uniforms, ski masks, night vision goggles and charged cell phones.
The fresh food and charged phones indicated that someone had been there recently.
“We don’t know how long the bunker has been in use,” said Bianca. “But we’re still exploring the area and annotating everything we find. The number of caches in the area keeps climbing.”
Information garnered from detainees has also provided valuable information to U.S. and Iraqi forces as to the whereabouts of other caches in the area. The Marines are continuing to exploit the current site for information and will destroy all weapons and munitions through controlled detonation.
“Perseverance on the part of coalition and ISF troops are significantly affecting the number of caches found as well,” added Bianca. “This find is just another step closer to our goal of making Iraq a more secure and stable place for its citizens.”
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200565233517
Story by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio
CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (June 6, 2005) -- The 2nd Marine Division, backed by Iraqi Security forces, uncovered what is possibly the largest series of insurgent weapons caches found this year in the Al Anbar province.
The biggest site was found near Karmah, a small city north of Fallujah. The 558- by 902-foot site, one of the biggest found since the beginning of operations here, was discovered in an abandoned rock quarry which and involved a series of bunkers insurgents used as an underground lair.
“The discoveries are part of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the area,” according to Lt. Col. Andrew D. Bianca, 2nd Marine Division operations officer.
“We are finding these series of caches through aggressive Marine and Iraqi Security Force patrolling and tips from local citizens,” said Bianca. “The information often comes through our Tip Line, which received 30 to 40 calls in March and April. But last month, we tallied up to 120 actionable tips that revealed the locations of (improvised explosive devices) and caches.”
“Finding caches this large significantly decreases the threat of IED’s” according to Bianca. “The roadside bombs, detonated by remote devices, are hidden in plastic bottles, under cardboard and are even cemented into the roadways.”
Within the various rooms making up the facility, ISF and coalition forces discovered four fully furnished living spaces, a kitchen with fresh food, two shower facilities and a working air conditioner. Other bunkers were filled with weapons and ammunition thought to be used by the Arab-Sunni resistance using the vast stretch of desert land that stretches west to the Syrian border as a safe haven.
“What appears to be a supply warehouse, as well as the other caches, were found in a five-mile-stretch of open desert,” said Bianca. “The Marines and Iraqis were patrolling near the city of Karmah when they came across a lone building. During the search, they moved a freezer chest and found the entrance to underground rooms at one site.”
In one portion of the lair, coalition and ISF found numerous types of machineguns and ordnance to include mortars, rockets and artillery rounds. They also found black uniforms, ski masks, night vision goggles and charged cell phones.
The fresh food and charged phones indicated that someone had been there recently.
“We don’t know how long the bunker has been in use,” said Bianca. “But we’re still exploring the area and annotating everything we find. The number of caches in the area keeps climbing.”
Information garnered from detainees has also provided valuable information to U.S. and Iraqi forces as to the whereabouts of other caches in the area. The Marines are continuing to exploit the current site for information and will destroy all weapons and munitions through controlled detonation.
“Perseverance on the part of coalition and ISF troops are significantly affecting the number of caches found as well,” added Bianca. “This find is just another step closer to our goal of making Iraq a more secure and stable place for its citizens.”
Disney To Help Reconstruct Fallujah
Business News
As American Marines and Iraqi soldiers storm the city of Fallujah, the Bush administration is looking into possible ways to help reconstruct the city after the insurgents have been taken out.
In an effort to stop any rumors that Halliburton will be the only company helping out in the rebuilding of Fallujah, the Bush administration has announced that Disney will be involved in that reconstruction as well.
"The main reason we chose Disney was because of their experience with rebuilding war torn cities." Stated Donald Rumsfeld, "Look at what they have done with Downtown Los Angeles. That place was a complete mess. They built that Music Hall and look at it now. No more gangs, no more bums, no more prostitutes. All that is hidden behind a beautiful metal building. It's just a 'happy' place now."
Operation Phantom Fury, which comprises of 15,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers, backed by 3,000 newly trained Iraqi soldiers, penetrated Fallujah in a two-prong approach from the North.
"We are very proud to be part of the re-construction effort in Fallujah." Stated Michael Eisner, "We will do everything we can to make Falljuah a 'happy place' again. We are looking into having Mickey Mouse visit not only the troops, once the fighting is over, but also visit the Iraqi homes as well to tell them that we are here to help them make a 'happier life' for themselves."
"We hate America but we love Mickey mouse." Stated an insurgent in Fallujah, "My kids like that new movie from Disney, what is the name of it? You know, Finding Osama? I just kid you. Finding Nemo. They love it."
Disney has plans to open up in Fallujah a new Music Hall, a Disney Park and El Sadr Theater, an Iraqi version of El Capitan Theater.
Business News
As American Marines and Iraqi soldiers storm the city of Fallujah, the Bush administration is looking into possible ways to help reconstruct the city after the insurgents have been taken out.
In an effort to stop any rumors that Halliburton will be the only company helping out in the rebuilding of Fallujah, the Bush administration has announced that Disney will be involved in that reconstruction as well.
"The main reason we chose Disney was because of their experience with rebuilding war torn cities." Stated Donald Rumsfeld, "Look at what they have done with Downtown Los Angeles. That place was a complete mess. They built that Music Hall and look at it now. No more gangs, no more bums, no more prostitutes. All that is hidden behind a beautiful metal building. It's just a 'happy' place now."
Operation Phantom Fury, which comprises of 15,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers, backed by 3,000 newly trained Iraqi soldiers, penetrated Fallujah in a two-prong approach from the North.
"We are very proud to be part of the re-construction effort in Fallujah." Stated Michael Eisner, "We will do everything we can to make Falljuah a 'happy place' again. We are looking into having Mickey Mouse visit not only the troops, once the fighting is over, but also visit the Iraqi homes as well to tell them that we are here to help them make a 'happier life' for themselves."
"We hate America but we love Mickey mouse." Stated an insurgent in Fallujah, "My kids like that new movie from Disney, what is the name of it? You know, Finding Osama? I just kid you. Finding Nemo. They love it."
Disney has plans to open up in Fallujah a new Music Hall, a Disney Park and El Sadr Theater, an Iraqi version of El Capitan Theater.
"Chemical Ali" among latest Saddam aides questioned
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein's feared cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali", has appeared before Iraq's special tribunal as it steps up the process of questioning former regime loyalists over war crimes.
Majid was one of eight aides to the former president to be questioned by investigators this week, officials said on Sunday, raising to at least 12 the number interrogated in the past 10 days. Majid last appeared before a judge in December.
The new Iraqi government, facing fresh elections by the year's end, is keen to put Saddam and others on trial soon. But officials with the independent Tribunal, set up 18 months ago, say the process cannot be rushed and no trial date has been set.
Majid, who acquired his nickname after Iraqi forces dropped poison gas on Kurdish villagers in 1988, was questioned on Thursday about the suppression of religious political parties and the killing and detention of Fayli Kurds, a Shi'ite Muslim minority among the mostly Sunni Kurds.
Also questioned on the same accusations were Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's former vice-president, and Saadoun Shaker, interior minister early in Saddam's rule, who was also asked about the killing of Shi'ite villagers from Dujail in 1982.
The killings in Dujail -- more than 140 villagers were killed after a failed assassination attempt on Saddam as his motorcade passed -- may be key to an early trial of Saddam, who was questioned about the incident himself a week ago.
Though minor compared to the genocide and crimes against humanity with which the former president may be charged, government officials say it may be easier to prove Saddam's personal responsibility for ordering the alleged retribution.
"Dujail is a discrete case and not as factually complex as some of the others," a source close to the Tribunal said on Sunday, explaining that made it easier to investigate.
Five Saddam lieutenants -- including Ramadan and Saddam's half-brother Barzan -- have already been questioned in connection with Dujail, along with three other Baathists.
Sources close to the Tribunal said that the investigative stage of the Dujail case could be completed within a month or so, at which point evidence would be presented to a trial judge who would decide whether the case goes ahead.
According to tribunal rules, there must be at least 45 days between the referral of a case to trial and the trial itself, but in theory if Saddam ended up being charged in the Dujail case, he could be tried before the end of the year.
Senior Iraqi officials have in recent weeks expressed their hope that Saddam will come to trial within the next couple of months, but the Tribunal has been adamant in saying justice must not be rushed.
At the same time, over the past two weeks the Tribunal has questioned around a dozen suspects and released muted video of several of them, including Saddam, being questioned, clearly keen to show it is pushing ahead with the judicial process.
Also interrogated this week with Majid was Abid Hamid Mahmud, Saddam's secretary, who ranked fourth in a U.S. list of the 55 most wanted figures after the fall of the old regime.
Mahmud was also questioned about the suppression of religious parties -- a reference to parties representing the Shi'ite majority which were forced underground by the 1980s.
Two other, less-well-known defendants were questioned on the "events of 1991", in reference to the suppression of Shi'ite and Kurdish uprisings after the Gulf War.
A further two were questioned about oppressing political parties, one with reference to religious parties, the other secular parties. Saddam's Sunni Arab-dominated Baath party eliminated all opposition including the Shi'ite Dawa Party and the Iraqi Communist Party. Many of their leaders were killed.
Reuters
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein's feared cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali", has appeared before Iraq's special tribunal as it steps up the process of questioning former regime loyalists over war crimes.
Majid was one of eight aides to the former president to be questioned by investigators this week, officials said on Sunday, raising to at least 12 the number interrogated in the past 10 days. Majid last appeared before a judge in December.
The new Iraqi government, facing fresh elections by the year's end, is keen to put Saddam and others on trial soon. But officials with the independent Tribunal, set up 18 months ago, say the process cannot be rushed and no trial date has been set.
Majid, who acquired his nickname after Iraqi forces dropped poison gas on Kurdish villagers in 1988, was questioned on Thursday about the suppression of religious political parties and the killing and detention of Fayli Kurds, a Shi'ite Muslim minority among the mostly Sunni Kurds.
Also questioned on the same accusations were Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's former vice-president, and Saadoun Shaker, interior minister early in Saddam's rule, who was also asked about the killing of Shi'ite villagers from Dujail in 1982.
The killings in Dujail -- more than 140 villagers were killed after a failed assassination attempt on Saddam as his motorcade passed -- may be key to an early trial of Saddam, who was questioned about the incident himself a week ago.
Though minor compared to the genocide and crimes against humanity with which the former president may be charged, government officials say it may be easier to prove Saddam's personal responsibility for ordering the alleged retribution.
"Dujail is a discrete case and not as factually complex as some of the others," a source close to the Tribunal said on Sunday, explaining that made it easier to investigate.
Five Saddam lieutenants -- including Ramadan and Saddam's half-brother Barzan -- have already been questioned in connection with Dujail, along with three other Baathists.
Sources close to the Tribunal said that the investigative stage of the Dujail case could be completed within a month or so, at which point evidence would be presented to a trial judge who would decide whether the case goes ahead.
According to tribunal rules, there must be at least 45 days between the referral of a case to trial and the trial itself, but in theory if Saddam ended up being charged in the Dujail case, he could be tried before the end of the year.
Senior Iraqi officials have in recent weeks expressed their hope that Saddam will come to trial within the next couple of months, but the Tribunal has been adamant in saying justice must not be rushed.
At the same time, over the past two weeks the Tribunal has questioned around a dozen suspects and released muted video of several of them, including Saddam, being questioned, clearly keen to show it is pushing ahead with the judicial process.
Also interrogated this week with Majid was Abid Hamid Mahmud, Saddam's secretary, who ranked fourth in a U.S. list of the 55 most wanted figures after the fall of the old regime.
Mahmud was also questioned about the suppression of religious parties -- a reference to parties representing the Shi'ite majority which were forced underground by the 1980s.
Two other, less-well-known defendants were questioned on the "events of 1991", in reference to the suppression of Shi'ite and Kurdish uprisings after the Gulf War.
A further two were questioned about oppressing political parties, one with reference to religious parties, the other secular parties. Saddam's Sunni Arab-dominated Baath party eliminated all opposition including the Shi'ite Dawa Party and the Iraqi Communist Party. Many of their leaders were killed.
Reuters
By Luke Baker
Iraq foreign minister calls for political, monetary aid
Conference set to begin with 80 groups represented
Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 4:09 p.m. EDT (20:09 GMT)
Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari visited NATO headquarters on Tuesday.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Iraq's foreign minister called on the world community to provide expertise and more financial help as ministers met on Tuesday ahead of a key international conference on Iraq.
Hoshyar Zebari said his country needs help from the European Union, the United States, Russia, China, Japan and other key powers as his transitional government embarks on the daunting tasks of implementing reforms.
"We need assistance for the political process, for the constitution, conducting a referendum, and for holding elections from the United Nations and other member states ... to enhance civil society" in Iraq, Zebari told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.
Zebari also urged Iraq's neighbors, especially Syria, to cooperate more to help stop foreign extremists from crossing into Iraq.
The foreign minister also visited NATO headquarters to review the alliance's efforts to help train his country's military. NATO plans to expand its training operation from the Green Zone in Baghdad to an academy outside the city by September, with a goal of turning out 1,000 officers a year for Iraq's 170,000-strong security forces.
The foreign minister said a withdrawal of some foreign troops early next year would be "understandable" as Iraq's own military becomes more able to defend the country. "The capacity of our forces would be better on the ground, better trained, better equipped" by then, he said.
Later Tuesday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hosted a working dinner at EU headquarters for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other top officials from Iraq, the EU, Japan and Egypt.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari met separately with Rice before the dinner.
Conference set for Wednesday
Wednesday's conference was not meant to be a donor's conference, but Iraqi officials said they would ask nations to forgive the country's huge debt.
However, Rice told reporters that the conference would not yield promises to cancel all of Iraq's debt, saying debt relief may be a topic for a future meeting.
Saudi Arabia is one of the major creditor countries, and Rice said she will raise the issue with her Saudi counterpart Wednesday. Brazil, China, India and Kuwait are also significant creditor nations.
The Baghdad government requested Wednesday's conference to seek advice from the international community on boosting security, establishing rule of law and reconstruction. Some 80 governments and institutions have sent senior officials.
"We will try to support them in their ambitions," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "If you see how difficult it still is, the circumstances, the security situation, you have to have a lot of guts" to carry out reforms.
"The question is how best we can help them ... we know that water, sanitation, health, education, all that functions very poorly," she said.
The gathering also gives the six-week-old Iraqi government a first chance to share its plans for political and economic reform as it writes a constitution and prepares for elections of a full-term government in December.
"I expect the international community to express strong support for the Iraqi government and the people of Iraq and by international community I also mean the neighbors of Iraq," Annan said Tuesday. "We are all interested in seeing a stable Iraq and we all have a responsibility to support them and work with them to attain that state."
Diplomats said the conference also was an opportunity for Iraq to patch up relations with neighbors, notably Syria, Iran and Kuwait, which are sending foreign ministers to the talks. American and European officials also were expected to urge Iraq's neighbors to formally recognize Iraq's new government.
On Tuesday, Zebari said the Syrian border was a particular problem and had become a "standard transit" point for insurgents.
"We are not expecting the Syrian government to send the Syrian army to seal off the borders. It is a huge task and difficult, and expensive," Zebari told The AP. "But if Syria had the genuine will, Syria as very capable professional security agencies that can stop those people from coming."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/06/21...e.ap/index.html
Conference set to begin with 80 groups represented
Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 4:09 p.m. EDT (20:09 GMT)
Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari visited NATO headquarters on Tuesday.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Iraq's foreign minister called on the world community to provide expertise and more financial help as ministers met on Tuesday ahead of a key international conference on Iraq.
Hoshyar Zebari said his country needs help from the European Union, the United States, Russia, China, Japan and other key powers as his transitional government embarks on the daunting tasks of implementing reforms.
"We need assistance for the political process, for the constitution, conducting a referendum, and for holding elections from the United Nations and other member states ... to enhance civil society" in Iraq, Zebari told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.
Zebari also urged Iraq's neighbors, especially Syria, to cooperate more to help stop foreign extremists from crossing into Iraq.
The foreign minister also visited NATO headquarters to review the alliance's efforts to help train his country's military. NATO plans to expand its training operation from the Green Zone in Baghdad to an academy outside the city by September, with a goal of turning out 1,000 officers a year for Iraq's 170,000-strong security forces.
The foreign minister said a withdrawal of some foreign troops early next year would be "understandable" as Iraq's own military becomes more able to defend the country. "The capacity of our forces would be better on the ground, better trained, better equipped" by then, he said.
Later Tuesday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hosted a working dinner at EU headquarters for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other top officials from Iraq, the EU, Japan and Egypt.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari met separately with Rice before the dinner.
Conference set for Wednesday
Wednesday's conference was not meant to be a donor's conference, but Iraqi officials said they would ask nations to forgive the country's huge debt.
However, Rice told reporters that the conference would not yield promises to cancel all of Iraq's debt, saying debt relief may be a topic for a future meeting.
Saudi Arabia is one of the major creditor countries, and Rice said she will raise the issue with her Saudi counterpart Wednesday. Brazil, China, India and Kuwait are also significant creditor nations.
The Baghdad government requested Wednesday's conference to seek advice from the international community on boosting security, establishing rule of law and reconstruction. Some 80 governments and institutions have sent senior officials.
"We will try to support them in their ambitions," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "If you see how difficult it still is, the circumstances, the security situation, you have to have a lot of guts" to carry out reforms.
"The question is how best we can help them ... we know that water, sanitation, health, education, all that functions very poorly," she said.
The gathering also gives the six-week-old Iraqi government a first chance to share its plans for political and economic reform as it writes a constitution and prepares for elections of a full-term government in December.
"I expect the international community to express strong support for the Iraqi government and the people of Iraq and by international community I also mean the neighbors of Iraq," Annan said Tuesday. "We are all interested in seeing a stable Iraq and we all have a responsibility to support them and work with them to attain that state."
Diplomats said the conference also was an opportunity for Iraq to patch up relations with neighbors, notably Syria, Iran and Kuwait, which are sending foreign ministers to the talks. American and European officials also were expected to urge Iraq's neighbors to formally recognize Iraq's new government.
On Tuesday, Zebari said the Syrian border was a particular problem and had become a "standard transit" point for insurgents.
"We are not expecting the Syrian government to send the Syrian army to seal off the borders. It is a huge task and difficult, and expensive," Zebari told The AP. "But if Syria had the genuine will, Syria as very capable professional security agencies that can stop those people from coming."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/06/21...e.ap/index.html
Editorial: More for war / There is no end in sight to spending on Iraq
Monday, June 27, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05178/528975.stm
During last year's campaign, President Bush's operatives ridiculed John Kerry for forecasting that the cost of the war in Iraq would exceed $200 billion. Now it appears that the Massachusetts senator's estimate was, if anything, on the low side.
The $82 billion war spending bill signed by Mr. Bush pushes the cost of military operations in Iraq well past the Kerry prediction, with no end in sight.
In fact, the talk in Washington is that even more money will be needed yet this year. The Washington Post reported that nonpartisan congressional researchers indicate that the cost by 2010 is likely to exceed a half-trillion dollars.
It's difficult to reconcile these vast expenditures with optimistic statements by administration officials before the 2003 invasion that the war's cost would be defrayed by the sale of Iraqi oil, or that U.S. allies would be picking up a big share of the tab, as they did with the Persian Gulf war. Those rosy predictions have long since evaporated, and the costs for American taxpayers have escalated ever upward.
The war-spending bill provides $76 billion more for Iraq, in addition to $25 billion that Congress previously appropriated for fiscal 2005, which ends Sept. 30. Lest anyone believes that the United States will be abandoning its effort anytime soon, the measure also provides $1.28 billion for an enormous American embassy in Baghdad.
Going back to the U.S. response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, the administration has insisted on funding the war mainly from supplemental appropriations bills, making it difficult to get a good handle on the true costs, over and above the regular Pentagon budget.
Unfortunately, the cost of the war is not measured by dollars alone. More than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have been killed in Iraq. Given the inability of American forces to control the insurgent violence so far, these will not be the last casualties. The cost of the war in both blood and treasure will continue to mount.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05178/528975.stm
During last year's campaign, President Bush's operatives ridiculed John Kerry for forecasting that the cost of the war in Iraq would exceed $200 billion. Now it appears that the Massachusetts senator's estimate was, if anything, on the low side.
The $82 billion war spending bill signed by Mr. Bush pushes the cost of military operations in Iraq well past the Kerry prediction, with no end in sight.
In fact, the talk in Washington is that even more money will be needed yet this year. The Washington Post reported that nonpartisan congressional researchers indicate that the cost by 2010 is likely to exceed a half-trillion dollars.
It's difficult to reconcile these vast expenditures with optimistic statements by administration officials before the 2003 invasion that the war's cost would be defrayed by the sale of Iraqi oil, or that U.S. allies would be picking up a big share of the tab, as they did with the Persian Gulf war. Those rosy predictions have long since evaporated, and the costs for American taxpayers have escalated ever upward.
The war-spending bill provides $76 billion more for Iraq, in addition to $25 billion that Congress previously appropriated for fiscal 2005, which ends Sept. 30. Lest anyone believes that the United States will be abandoning its effort anytime soon, the measure also provides $1.28 billion for an enormous American embassy in Baghdad.
Going back to the U.S. response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, the administration has insisted on funding the war mainly from supplemental appropriations bills, making it difficult to get a good handle on the true costs, over and above the regular Pentagon budget.
Unfortunately, the cost of the war is not measured by dollars alone. More than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have been killed in Iraq. Given the inability of American forces to control the insurgent violence so far, these will not be the last casualties. The cost of the war in both blood and treasure will continue to mount.
Letters to the editor: 6/28/05
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05179/529314.stm
Replace generals who admitted a lack of leadership
I was appalled upon reading in "Marines Concede Humvee Armor Delay" (June 22) that Marine Corps Gen. William Nyland and Brig. Gen. William Catto admit that a lack of leadership on their part contributed to a lack of armor protection for Humvees in the Iraq theater.
The officers explain they took their eyes off the ball in obtaining contracts to ensure proper armor for vehicles for the brave Marines who are putting their lives on the line everyday.
It is well known that improvised explosive devices have become one of the biggest killers of American forces in Iraq.
Can you imagine one of those young Marines on the front line telling his buddies that he cost the lives of his fellow soldiers because he "took his eyes off the ball"?
These two officers, because of their own admissions of failure, should be reassigned to positions in which they do not have the lives of our troops in their hands.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05179/529314.stm
Replace generals who admitted a lack of leadership
I was appalled upon reading in "Marines Concede Humvee Armor Delay" (June 22) that Marine Corps Gen. William Nyland and Brig. Gen. William Catto admit that a lack of leadership on their part contributed to a lack of armor protection for Humvees in the Iraq theater.
The officers explain they took their eyes off the ball in obtaining contracts to ensure proper armor for vehicles for the brave Marines who are putting their lives on the line everyday.
It is well known that improvised explosive devices have become one of the biggest killers of American forces in Iraq.
Can you imagine one of those young Marines on the front line telling his buddies that he cost the lives of his fellow soldiers because he "took his eyes off the ball"?
These two officers, because of their own admissions of failure, should be reassigned to positions in which they do not have the lives of our troops in their hands.
Letter to editor 6/28/05
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05179/529314.stm
On different pages
I doubt I am the only one who considers questioning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when he claims that the Iraq insurgency is as strong as it was six months ago -- just days after Vice President Dick Cheney stated this same insurgency is in its "last throes" ("Rumsfeld Roughed Up in Congress: Defense Secretary Sticks to his Guns, Insists U.S. Isn't Losing in Iraq," June 24).
Who is misinformed?
Maybe it's time President Bush called a meeting so that this administration can get their stories straight.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05179/529314.stm
On different pages
I doubt I am the only one who considers questioning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when he claims that the Iraq insurgency is as strong as it was six months ago -- just days after Vice President Dick Cheney stated this same insurgency is in its "last throes" ("Rumsfeld Roughed Up in Congress: Defense Secretary Sticks to his Guns, Insists U.S. Isn't Losing in Iraq," June 24).
Who is misinformed?
Maybe it's time President Bush called a meeting so that this administration can get their stories straight.
Iraqis Taking Lead, Tips on Terrorists On Rise
Terror Suspects Captured in Iraq; Operation Sword Continues
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2005 – Iraqi security forces detained eight suspected terrorists June 29 in eastern Baghdad during combined operations, military officials in Iraq reported.
Seven of the suspects were found with material used for the production and emplacement of roadside bombs. One had false Palestinian documents.
Elsewhere, an Iraqi army unit captured five suspected terrorists June 28 after an Iraqi citizen told the soldiers about a terrorist safe house in northern Baghdad's Rabi district. The Iraqi soldiers found two rocket-propelled grenade launchers and two RPG rounds in addition to the five suspects. The five terror suspects were taken into custody for questioning.
"The Iraqi people are tiring of the insurgency. Both hotline and in-person tips have increased greatly," said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman. "A big reason for the increase in tips is because of the Iraqi soldiers taking the lead during raids and operations. The Iraqis will talk to their own soldiers much more readily than to coalition forces."
In other combat operations June 28, a Task Force Baghdad patrol in south Baghdad struck a roadside bomb at around 10:55 a.m. No one was injured in the attack, and no equipment was damaged. After securing the area, the soldiers noticed detonation cord leading from the bomb and followed the cord to a house about 200 yards away. When the unit arrived at the house, they found seven people acting suspiciously. The soldiers took them into custody for questioning.
Earlier in the day, a task force patrol working in northeastern Baghdad's Thawra district also struck a roadside bomb. No one was injured in the attack, and another coalition unit operating nearby helped secure the area and search for the attacker. The soldiers caught a man near the blast site with $1,000 in sequential U.S. bills and took him into custody for questioning.
In other news from Iraq, Marines, sailors and soldiers from Regimental Combat Team 2, composed of elements of 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Marine Division, continue conducting security operations along with Iraq security forces along the Euphrates River between the cities of Haditha and Hit.
Operation Sword, known as "Saif" in Arabic, began early June 28 and focuses on clearing insurgents and foreign fighters from the city of Hit. Thirteen men suspected of having insurgent ties have been detained.
Several hundred mortar and artillery rounds have been discovered, as well as explosives, rifles, a machine gun and various bomb-making materials. Troops also found two hidden and operable roadside bombs in Hit.
No major battles or air strikes have occurred. Basic utilities have not been disrupted, nor has access to medical treatment for Hit's citizens, officials said.
In other developments, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers worked together to secure the area around an oil pipeline that caught fire in southwestern Baghdad June 28 until Iraqi police and firefighters arrived to fight the blaze.
The fire occurred after Task Force Baghdad soldiers manning an observation point nearby heard three loud explosions.
No one was injured in the fire. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has shut down the pipeline and is working to assess the damage. The incident is under investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
Terror Suspects Captured in Iraq; Operation Sword Continues
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2005 – Iraqi security forces detained eight suspected terrorists June 29 in eastern Baghdad during combined operations, military officials in Iraq reported.
Seven of the suspects were found with material used for the production and emplacement of roadside bombs. One had false Palestinian documents.
Elsewhere, an Iraqi army unit captured five suspected terrorists June 28 after an Iraqi citizen told the soldiers about a terrorist safe house in northern Baghdad's Rabi district. The Iraqi soldiers found two rocket-propelled grenade launchers and two RPG rounds in addition to the five suspects. The five terror suspects were taken into custody for questioning.
"The Iraqi people are tiring of the insurgency. Both hotline and in-person tips have increased greatly," said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman. "A big reason for the increase in tips is because of the Iraqi soldiers taking the lead during raids and operations. The Iraqis will talk to their own soldiers much more readily than to coalition forces."
In other combat operations June 28, a Task Force Baghdad patrol in south Baghdad struck a roadside bomb at around 10:55 a.m. No one was injured in the attack, and no equipment was damaged. After securing the area, the soldiers noticed detonation cord leading from the bomb and followed the cord to a house about 200 yards away. When the unit arrived at the house, they found seven people acting suspiciously. The soldiers took them into custody for questioning.
Earlier in the day, a task force patrol working in northeastern Baghdad's Thawra district also struck a roadside bomb. No one was injured in the attack, and another coalition unit operating nearby helped secure the area and search for the attacker. The soldiers caught a man near the blast site with $1,000 in sequential U.S. bills and took him into custody for questioning.
In other news from Iraq, Marines, sailors and soldiers from Regimental Combat Team 2, composed of elements of 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Marine Division, continue conducting security operations along with Iraq security forces along the Euphrates River between the cities of Haditha and Hit.
Operation Sword, known as "Saif" in Arabic, began early June 28 and focuses on clearing insurgents and foreign fighters from the city of Hit. Thirteen men suspected of having insurgent ties have been detained.
Several hundred mortar and artillery rounds have been discovered, as well as explosives, rifles, a machine gun and various bomb-making materials. Troops also found two hidden and operable roadside bombs in Hit.
No major battles or air strikes have occurred. Basic utilities have not been disrupted, nor has access to medical treatment for Hit's citizens, officials said.
In other developments, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers worked together to secure the area around an oil pipeline that caught fire in southwestern Baghdad June 28 until Iraqi police and firefighters arrived to fight the blaze.
The fire occurred after Task Force Baghdad soldiers manning an observation point nearby heard three loud explosions.
No one was injured in the fire. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has shut down the pipeline and is working to assess the damage. The incident is under investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
Iraq Insurgents Target Foreign Diplomats
Updated 9:27 AM ET July 5, 2005
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b58lao0&src=ap
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents mounted attacks against Arab and Muslim diplomats in Iraq on Tuesday, wounding Bahrain's top envoy in a kidnapping attempt. Pakistan's ambassador also escaped an assault on his convoy.
The attacks came three days after gunmen seized Egypt's top envoy to Iraq as he was buying a newspaper in the capital, appearing to signal an insurgent campaign to discourage Islamic countries from bolstering ties with the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
"The aim is clear, just to create a state of fear," Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kuba told reporters. Al-Sherif's kidnapping "was an attempt to ... scare the other diplomatic missions so that they won't expand their presence in Iraq."
The Bahraini diplomat, Hassan Malallah al-Ansari, was shot on his way to work in the Mansour district of western Baghdad, said Dr. Muhanad Jawad of Yarmouk Hospital. The Bahraini diplomat was treated for a shoulder wound and released, witnesses said.
"There was an attempt to kidnap him by gunmen when he was on his way from his house to the Bahrain mission in Baghdad," Bahrain Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Yousef Mahmoud was quoted as saying by the official Bahrain News Agency.
Pakistan's Ambassador Mohammed Younis Khan said gunmen riding in two cars opened fire on his convoy as he was on his way home from work in the same neighborhood, but he wasn't wounded.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said it has asked Khan to leave country temporarily after the attack.
"Our escort fired back at them so we were able to escape without any harm," Khan told The Associated Press. He said he believed that one of the attackers' cars was hit by fire from his bodyguards, but he was not sure if any of the men were injured.
"It happened so quickly I didn't have time to think of being scared," said Khan, who was named Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq earlier this year. He said security would be stepped up, but declined to give details.
There was still no word Tuesday on the fate of the kidnapped Egyptian envoy, Ihab al-Sherif, 51.
Witnesses said the abductors accosted him Saturday night in western Baghdad and shoved him into the trunk of a car after pistol-whipping him. They accused him of being an American spy, witnesses said.
Egypt announced last month that it would become the first Arab country to post an ambassador to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The tiny Gulf state of Bahrain is a close American ally and home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which played a support role during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Pakistan has been a heavy backer of the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan, but it has offered only lukewarm support for America's activities in Iraq.
Several Pakistani civilians have been kidnapped and killed by insurgents in Iraq, but this was the first assault on a Pakistani official......
------------------------------
Pakistani Envoy Leaving Iraq After Attack
Updated 9:04 AM ET July 5, 2005
By SADAQAT JAN
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b58al80&src=ap
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A convoy carrying Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq back home after a day at work was attacked by gunmen Tuesday in Baghdad, but the diplomat was not injured. In Islamabad, the Foreign Ministry said it would pull the diplomat out of Iraq temporarily for security.
It was the third attack on a foreign diplomat in less than a week in Iraq.
The envoy, Mohammed Younis Khan, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that gunmen riding in two cars fired on his convoy in the Mansour district of the Iraqi capital.
"Our escort fired back on them so we were able to escape without any harm," Khan said. He said he believed that one of the attackers' cars was hit by fire from his bodyguards, but was not sure if any of the men were injured.
"It happened so quickly I didn't have time to think of being scared," said Khan, who was named Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq earlier this year. He said security would be stepped up, but declined to give details.
Naeem Khan, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the ambassador has been asked to leave the country for the time being.
"We have decided to relocate temporarily our ambassador in Iraq. He will be temporarily relocated to Amman, Jordan," said the spokesman. "This in no way dilutes our commitment to contributing to peace and stability in Iraq."
Naeem Khan said the embassy would remain open. He said he was not sure how long the ambassador would remain out of the country, or when precisely he would leave......
Updated 9:27 AM ET July 5, 2005
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b58lao0&src=ap
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents mounted attacks against Arab and Muslim diplomats in Iraq on Tuesday, wounding Bahrain's top envoy in a kidnapping attempt. Pakistan's ambassador also escaped an assault on his convoy.
The attacks came three days after gunmen seized Egypt's top envoy to Iraq as he was buying a newspaper in the capital, appearing to signal an insurgent campaign to discourage Islamic countries from bolstering ties with the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
"The aim is clear, just to create a state of fear," Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kuba told reporters. Al-Sherif's kidnapping "was an attempt to ... scare the other diplomatic missions so that they won't expand their presence in Iraq."
The Bahraini diplomat, Hassan Malallah al-Ansari, was shot on his way to work in the Mansour district of western Baghdad, said Dr. Muhanad Jawad of Yarmouk Hospital. The Bahraini diplomat was treated for a shoulder wound and released, witnesses said.
"There was an attempt to kidnap him by gunmen when he was on his way from his house to the Bahrain mission in Baghdad," Bahrain Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Yousef Mahmoud was quoted as saying by the official Bahrain News Agency.
Pakistan's Ambassador Mohammed Younis Khan said gunmen riding in two cars opened fire on his convoy as he was on his way home from work in the same neighborhood, but he wasn't wounded.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said it has asked Khan to leave country temporarily after the attack.
"Our escort fired back at them so we were able to escape without any harm," Khan told The Associated Press. He said he believed that one of the attackers' cars was hit by fire from his bodyguards, but he was not sure if any of the men were injured.
"It happened so quickly I didn't have time to think of being scared," said Khan, who was named Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq earlier this year. He said security would be stepped up, but declined to give details.
There was still no word Tuesday on the fate of the kidnapped Egyptian envoy, Ihab al-Sherif, 51.
Witnesses said the abductors accosted him Saturday night in western Baghdad and shoved him into the trunk of a car after pistol-whipping him. They accused him of being an American spy, witnesses said.
Egypt announced last month that it would become the first Arab country to post an ambassador to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The tiny Gulf state of Bahrain is a close American ally and home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which played a support role during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Pakistan has been a heavy backer of the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan, but it has offered only lukewarm support for America's activities in Iraq.
Several Pakistani civilians have been kidnapped and killed by insurgents in Iraq, but this was the first assault on a Pakistani official......
------------------------------
Pakistani Envoy Leaving Iraq After Attack
Updated 9:04 AM ET July 5, 2005
By SADAQAT JAN
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b58al80&src=ap
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A convoy carrying Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq back home after a day at work was attacked by gunmen Tuesday in Baghdad, but the diplomat was not injured. In Islamabad, the Foreign Ministry said it would pull the diplomat out of Iraq temporarily for security.
It was the third attack on a foreign diplomat in less than a week in Iraq.
The envoy, Mohammed Younis Khan, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that gunmen riding in two cars fired on his convoy in the Mansour district of the Iraqi capital.
"Our escort fired back on them so we were able to escape without any harm," Khan said. He said he believed that one of the attackers' cars was hit by fire from his bodyguards, but was not sure if any of the men were injured.
"It happened so quickly I didn't have time to think of being scared," said Khan, who was named Pakistan's ambassador to Iraq earlier this year. He said security would be stepped up, but declined to give details.
Naeem Khan, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the ambassador has been asked to leave the country for the time being.
"We have decided to relocate temporarily our ambassador in Iraq. He will be temporarily relocated to Amman, Jordan," said the spokesman. "This in no way dilutes our commitment to contributing to peace and stability in Iraq."
Naeem Khan said the embassy would remain open. He said he was not sure how long the ambassador would remain out of the country, or when precisely he would leave......
A record 57 percent also now say the administration intentionally exaggerated its evidence that pre-war Iraq possessed nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Views such as these cut to the administration's basic credibility and competence,....
Americans disapprove of his job performance, a record 40 percent disapprove "strongly" (compared with 27 percent who strongly approve). That exceeds career-high strong disapproval for his two immediate predecessors, President Clinton (33 percent strongly disapproved in fall 1994, shortly before his party lost control of Congress) and Bush's father (34 percent in summer 1992, shortly before he lost re-election).
On Iraq specifically, 56 percent disapprove of Bush's work, and 44 percent disapprove strongly. (Strong disapprovers outnumber strong approvers by 19 points.) A majority hasn't approved of his handling of the situation there since January 2004, shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein. On a more emotional level, nearly a quarter of Americans say they're "angry" about the war.....
The public splits, 48 percent to 51 percent, on whether the war was "the right thing" or "a mistake." People divide, 47 percent to 52 percent, on whether it's going well or going badly. And the public splits by 48 percent to 51 percent on whether the United States is making significant progress restoring civil order in Iraq. As in the past, political partisanship and ideology continue to run very strongly through these and related opinions.
None of these represents particularly good news for the administration, and indeed Bush still faces a wide range of doubts about U.S. policy and pronouncements. Sixty-nine percent call the level of U.S. casualties unacceptable and 62 percent say the United States is bogged down in Iraq. But it's about more than those: as noted, two-thirds or more say the U.S. military and the administration underestimated the difficulty of the war. And as many think the war has damaged military readiness and recruitment alike. ....
Fifty-six percent see the war in Iraq as part of the broader war on terrorism, a basic administration position. But that's the fewest to date, down from a high of 77 percent during the main fighting in April 2003.
The public divides on other administration claims for the war, such as whether it's contributed to peace and stability in the Middle East (51 percent think so) or encouraged democracy in other Arab nations (49 percent). Just a quarter say the war has strengthened the United States' position in the world; that's down from 52 percent during the main fighting, and compares unfavorably with 84 percent after the Persian Gulf War.
Two-thirds think this war has damaged the United States' image abroad. And almost six in 10 still see long-term damage to U.S. relations with allies that opposed the war, such as France and Germany.
Withdrawal
The public is far from demanding immediate withdrawal from Iraq; indeed a minority, 38 percent, say the level of U.S. forces should be decreased at all, down slightly from 44 percent in March. Just 13 percent favor an immediate pullout.
Instead there's an increased sense that U.S. forces will need to stay in Iraq for an extended period. In July 2003, 44 percent of Americans thought the troops could come home in about a year or less; now just 27 percent think so. And the number who see a stay of five years or longer has more than doubled, from 9 percent then to 23 percent now.
In another sign of division, however long they think U.S. forces have to stay in Iraq, 45 percent of Americans say it's "too long." And among those who think it'll be five years or more, a larger number -- 63 percent -- think it's too long. .....
Updated 10:34 AM ET July 5, 2005
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr..._050627&src=abc
Americans disapprove of his job performance, a record 40 percent disapprove "strongly" (compared with 27 percent who strongly approve). That exceeds career-high strong disapproval for his two immediate predecessors, President Clinton (33 percent strongly disapproved in fall 1994, shortly before his party lost control of Congress) and Bush's father (34 percent in summer 1992, shortly before he lost re-election).
On Iraq specifically, 56 percent disapprove of Bush's work, and 44 percent disapprove strongly. (Strong disapprovers outnumber strong approvers by 19 points.) A majority hasn't approved of his handling of the situation there since January 2004, shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein. On a more emotional level, nearly a quarter of Americans say they're "angry" about the war.....
The public splits, 48 percent to 51 percent, on whether the war was "the right thing" or "a mistake." People divide, 47 percent to 52 percent, on whether it's going well or going badly. And the public splits by 48 percent to 51 percent on whether the United States is making significant progress restoring civil order in Iraq. As in the past, political partisanship and ideology continue to run very strongly through these and related opinions.
None of these represents particularly good news for the administration, and indeed Bush still faces a wide range of doubts about U.S. policy and pronouncements. Sixty-nine percent call the level of U.S. casualties unacceptable and 62 percent say the United States is bogged down in Iraq. But it's about more than those: as noted, two-thirds or more say the U.S. military and the administration underestimated the difficulty of the war. And as many think the war has damaged military readiness and recruitment alike. ....
Fifty-six percent see the war in Iraq as part of the broader war on terrorism, a basic administration position. But that's the fewest to date, down from a high of 77 percent during the main fighting in April 2003.
The public divides on other administration claims for the war, such as whether it's contributed to peace and stability in the Middle East (51 percent think so) or encouraged democracy in other Arab nations (49 percent). Just a quarter say the war has strengthened the United States' position in the world; that's down from 52 percent during the main fighting, and compares unfavorably with 84 percent after the Persian Gulf War.
Two-thirds think this war has damaged the United States' image abroad. And almost six in 10 still see long-term damage to U.S. relations with allies that opposed the war, such as France and Germany.
Withdrawal
The public is far from demanding immediate withdrawal from Iraq; indeed a minority, 38 percent, say the level of U.S. forces should be decreased at all, down slightly from 44 percent in March. Just 13 percent favor an immediate pullout.
Instead there's an increased sense that U.S. forces will need to stay in Iraq for an extended period. In July 2003, 44 percent of Americans thought the troops could come home in about a year or less; now just 27 percent think so. And the number who see a stay of five years or longer has more than doubled, from 9 percent then to 23 percent now.
In another sign of division, however long they think U.S. forces have to stay in Iraq, 45 percent of Americans say it's "too long." And among those who think it'll be five years or more, a larger number -- 63 percent -- think it's too long. .....
Updated 10:34 AM ET July 5, 2005
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr..._050627&src=abc
This ought to ingratiate the insurgents to the average Iraqi.
With faulty power, Iraqis find ways to beat heat
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Baghdad residents face long, sweltering summer with unreliable electricity .Children play on July 1 in a muddy pool of water they are using for drinking water after a fire at a power station left left millions in Baghdad without clean water.
In a toss-up between dodging bullets or staying indoors at night and sweating through Baghdad’s stifling summer heat, Mohsin Mohammed and his family have opted to risk the bullets.
The 53-year-old taxi driver, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter, like many of the Iraqi capital’s residents, sleep on the roof of their house, risking being hit by a stray bullet or mortar fired by one of the country’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of insurgents.
They have few other options. Power outages that occur several times a day make fans and air conditions largely useless. Only the night air brings a mild reprieve from daytime temperatures that can soar up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It was a hot and dusty day. I am sure a breeze will pass over and help us sleep,” said his wife, Ameera, shrugging off Mohammed’s worries of thieves or stray bullets.
For government, one of many challenges
Such choices have become a fact of life in post-war Iraq. But they also underscore the challenges confronting the new Iraqi government, which has struggled to restore reliable power service to the city at a time when demand is soaring because of air conditioners and insurgent attacks on the infrastructure continue unabated.
According to figures compiled by the Brookings Institute, Iraqi power plants generated an average of 4,293 megawatts of electricity in June 2004. Last month, that figure dropped to 4,035 megawatts, the Washington-based institute said.
Both figures are well below the target of 6,000 megawatts a month that officials set for July 2004.
Officials blame insurgents for much of the problem.
Rebels have targeted oil lines, electricity plants and other infrastructure projects vital to Iraq’s reconstruction, delaying the rebuilding, raising costs and discouraging skilled foreign workers from coming to a war-ravaged country where they could be kidnapped and killed.
Some experts say while Iraq needs to attract foreign investors to help rebuild the electricity sector, power companies are loath to do business here because power costs are so low and the risk to engineers and workers is high.
Before the U.S.-led invasion, Baghdad residents enjoyed about 20 hours of electricity a day, although U.S. officials say supplies in provincial cities were much lower.
Today, residents of the capital receive power for about 10 hours a day, usually broken into two-hour chunks.
Some, like Saad al-Samarraei, are lucky enough to have swimming pools and powerful generators that keep the air conditioners humming.
Reveling in a 'quiet and cool choice'
Al-Samarraei, an affluent Sunni Arab who lives in the Azamiyah district of north Baghdad, owns a hefty generator and an outdoor swimming pool that sits behind his home. Most of the family prefers the pool since the generator’s loud grinding is an annoyance.
“It’s a great gift having this quiet and cool choice, since we don’t have to tolerate the smoky and earsplitting engine,” al-Samarraei’s 22-year-old son Hussam said before taking a dip.
For Mohammed, the taxi driver, and the overwhelming majority of Baghdad residents, however, the generator and pool are the stuff of dreams. Improvisation is a must.
In the Shiite slum of Sadr City, a mother pours water over four toddlers squeezed into a tiny plastic wash basin. They scream with glee as the water streams over their faces.
“They love it,” their mother Fadhilah Zghaiyer said.
Some refuge can also be found before the Baghdad’s 11 p.m. curfew in ice-cream shops, some of which have generators. But the constant threat of suicide bombers targeting these shops where security forces mingle with civilians has made even getting a cup of pistachio ice-cream a potentially life-ending gamble.
At the Sea Dog ice-cream shop in eastern Baghdad, dozens have braved the danger for a scoop or two of their favorite flavor.
Customers sit chatting on benches set up outside, and Mohammed’s daughter Noor — her hands sticky from the melting treat — holds a cone with three scoops.
“It’s nice out here, but the generator’s blare disturbs us,” her mother Ameera said.
Retreat from relentless heat
The heavily-fortified Jadriyah Lake complex along the Tigris River’s eastern bank is another retreat filled with restaurants, parks, cafeterias and fish vendors. There is no lack of electricity, but a $2 entrance fee and high prices at restaurants deter many poor families.
But for those who can afford it, the complex offers one of the safest places in the city to escape the heat.
“This is the only isolated and safe place we can go to when we don’t have electricity,” said Maha Abbas, a 39-year-old Iraqi housewife.
The fun ends with nightfall and the approaching curfew — the time when the power usually goes out in many neighborhoods.
For 6-year-old Noor, the outage also brings the frustration of not being able to watch her favorite cartoons on television before bed. It’s a problem here father takes care of by taking her for a ride in the car until she feels drowsy and falls asleep.
Associated Press
With faulty power, Iraqis find ways to beat heat
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Baghdad residents face long, sweltering summer with unreliable electricity .Children play on July 1 in a muddy pool of water they are using for drinking water after a fire at a power station left left millions in Baghdad without clean water.
In a toss-up between dodging bullets or staying indoors at night and sweating through Baghdad’s stifling summer heat, Mohsin Mohammed and his family have opted to risk the bullets.
The 53-year-old taxi driver, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter, like many of the Iraqi capital’s residents, sleep on the roof of their house, risking being hit by a stray bullet or mortar fired by one of the country’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of insurgents.
They have few other options. Power outages that occur several times a day make fans and air conditions largely useless. Only the night air brings a mild reprieve from daytime temperatures that can soar up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It was a hot and dusty day. I am sure a breeze will pass over and help us sleep,” said his wife, Ameera, shrugging off Mohammed’s worries of thieves or stray bullets.
For government, one of many challenges
Such choices have become a fact of life in post-war Iraq. But they also underscore the challenges confronting the new Iraqi government, which has struggled to restore reliable power service to the city at a time when demand is soaring because of air conditioners and insurgent attacks on the infrastructure continue unabated.
According to figures compiled by the Brookings Institute, Iraqi power plants generated an average of 4,293 megawatts of electricity in June 2004. Last month, that figure dropped to 4,035 megawatts, the Washington-based institute said.
Both figures are well below the target of 6,000 megawatts a month that officials set for July 2004.
Officials blame insurgents for much of the problem.
Rebels have targeted oil lines, electricity plants and other infrastructure projects vital to Iraq’s reconstruction, delaying the rebuilding, raising costs and discouraging skilled foreign workers from coming to a war-ravaged country where they could be kidnapped and killed.
Some experts say while Iraq needs to attract foreign investors to help rebuild the electricity sector, power companies are loath to do business here because power costs are so low and the risk to engineers and workers is high.
Before the U.S.-led invasion, Baghdad residents enjoyed about 20 hours of electricity a day, although U.S. officials say supplies in provincial cities were much lower.
Today, residents of the capital receive power for about 10 hours a day, usually broken into two-hour chunks.
Some, like Saad al-Samarraei, are lucky enough to have swimming pools and powerful generators that keep the air conditioners humming.
Reveling in a 'quiet and cool choice'
Al-Samarraei, an affluent Sunni Arab who lives in the Azamiyah district of north Baghdad, owns a hefty generator and an outdoor swimming pool that sits behind his home. Most of the family prefers the pool since the generator’s loud grinding is an annoyance.
“It’s a great gift having this quiet and cool choice, since we don’t have to tolerate the smoky and earsplitting engine,” al-Samarraei’s 22-year-old son Hussam said before taking a dip.
For Mohammed, the taxi driver, and the overwhelming majority of Baghdad residents, however, the generator and pool are the stuff of dreams. Improvisation is a must.
In the Shiite slum of Sadr City, a mother pours water over four toddlers squeezed into a tiny plastic wash basin. They scream with glee as the water streams over their faces.
“They love it,” their mother Fadhilah Zghaiyer said.
Some refuge can also be found before the Baghdad’s 11 p.m. curfew in ice-cream shops, some of which have generators. But the constant threat of suicide bombers targeting these shops where security forces mingle with civilians has made even getting a cup of pistachio ice-cream a potentially life-ending gamble.
At the Sea Dog ice-cream shop in eastern Baghdad, dozens have braved the danger for a scoop or two of their favorite flavor.
Customers sit chatting on benches set up outside, and Mohammed’s daughter Noor — her hands sticky from the melting treat — holds a cone with three scoops.
“It’s nice out here, but the generator’s blare disturbs us,” her mother Ameera said.
Retreat from relentless heat
The heavily-fortified Jadriyah Lake complex along the Tigris River’s eastern bank is another retreat filled with restaurants, parks, cafeterias and fish vendors. There is no lack of electricity, but a $2 entrance fee and high prices at restaurants deter many poor families.
But for those who can afford it, the complex offers one of the safest places in the city to escape the heat.
“This is the only isolated and safe place we can go to when we don’t have electricity,” said Maha Abbas, a 39-year-old Iraqi housewife.
The fun ends with nightfall and the approaching curfew — the time when the power usually goes out in many neighborhoods.
For 6-year-old Noor, the outage also brings the frustration of not being able to watch her favorite cartoons on television before bed. It’s a problem here father takes care of by taking her for a ride in the car until she feels drowsy and falls asleep.
Associated Press
Al-Qaida Claims Killing of Egyptian Envoy
Updated 10:13 AM ET July 7, 2005
By LEE KEATH
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b6jh9g0&src=ap
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web statement Thursday that it has killed Egypt's top envoy in Iraq, posting a video of the blindfolded diplomat identifying himself.
"We announce in the al-Qaida in Iraq that the verdict of God against the ambassador of the infidels, the ambassador of Egypt, has been carried out. Thank God," a written statement in the Web posting said.
The video does not show the envoy, Ihab al-Sherif, being killed.
Al-Qaida in Iraq, headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said a day earlier that it had sentenced al-Sherif to death as an "apostate" for his country's support of the United States and the Iraqi government. The group has previously beheaded several foreign hostages, including three Americans.
Al-Sherif, who was sent to Baghdad in early June, was abducted from a Baghdad street late Saturday.
The video shows a man who appears to be the diplomat, blindfolded and wearing a polo shirt. He identifies himself as al-Sherif, says he is the head of the interests section in Iraq and gives his address. He then says he worked previously in Israel, where al-Sherif was part of the Egyptian embassy.
The claim's authenticity could not immediately be confirmed. Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials could not be immediately reached.
Last month, the Egyptian government said it would upgrade its mission in Iraq to full embassy status headed by an ambassador, which would have made al-Sherif the first Arab ambassador to Iraq's new government _ although the move had not yet been officially made.
The Web statement said al-Qaida had hoped to kidnap more ambassadors.
"The reason we delayed the announcement of capturing the ambassador of the dictator Egypt was to be able to capture as many ambassadors as we can," it said, referring to the fact that al-Qaida didn't announce al-Sherif's abduction until several days later.
The statement denounced the Egyptian government as "apostate" for its support of the United States. It said al-Sherif gave his captors under interrogation "information making clear the infidel nature of the (Egyptian) regime and his confessions have been recorded."
"The Egyptian regime is one of the first to launch war on Islam and Muslims, since several decades," the statement said, pointing to Egypt's crackdown on Islamic militants on its own soil and its agreement to train Iraqi security forces.
"It was first to obey the crusaders in ... sending the first ambassador to the (Iraqi) government," it said, referring to Egypt's announcement last month that it would send an ambassador to Baghdad, the first Arab government to do so.
"Our sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ... is determined to stand up to traitors and crusaders and all those who stand with them, and we vow to all the dictatorial nations that Iraq is not safe for infidels because God has empowered the mujahedeen," it said.
Al-Qaida in Iraq has waged a campaign of attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces in Iraq.
Updated 10:13 AM ET July 7, 2005
By LEE KEATH
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b6jh9g0&src=ap
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web statement Thursday that it has killed Egypt's top envoy in Iraq, posting a video of the blindfolded diplomat identifying himself.
"We announce in the al-Qaida in Iraq that the verdict of God against the ambassador of the infidels, the ambassador of Egypt, has been carried out. Thank God," a written statement in the Web posting said.
The video does not show the envoy, Ihab al-Sherif, being killed.
Al-Qaida in Iraq, headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said a day earlier that it had sentenced al-Sherif to death as an "apostate" for his country's support of the United States and the Iraqi government. The group has previously beheaded several foreign hostages, including three Americans.
Al-Sherif, who was sent to Baghdad in early June, was abducted from a Baghdad street late Saturday.
The video shows a man who appears to be the diplomat, blindfolded and wearing a polo shirt. He identifies himself as al-Sherif, says he is the head of the interests section in Iraq and gives his address. He then says he worked previously in Israel, where al-Sherif was part of the Egyptian embassy.
The claim's authenticity could not immediately be confirmed. Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials could not be immediately reached.
Last month, the Egyptian government said it would upgrade its mission in Iraq to full embassy status headed by an ambassador, which would have made al-Sherif the first Arab ambassador to Iraq's new government _ although the move had not yet been officially made.
The Web statement said al-Qaida had hoped to kidnap more ambassadors.
"The reason we delayed the announcement of capturing the ambassador of the dictator Egypt was to be able to capture as many ambassadors as we can," it said, referring to the fact that al-Qaida didn't announce al-Sherif's abduction until several days later.
The statement denounced the Egyptian government as "apostate" for its support of the United States. It said al-Sherif gave his captors under interrogation "information making clear the infidel nature of the (Egyptian) regime and his confessions have been recorded."
"The Egyptian regime is one of the first to launch war on Islam and Muslims, since several decades," the statement said, pointing to Egypt's crackdown on Islamic militants on its own soil and its agreement to train Iraqi security forces.
"It was first to obey the crusaders in ... sending the first ambassador to the (Iraqi) government," it said, referring to Egypt's announcement last month that it would send an ambassador to Baghdad, the first Arab government to do so.
"Our sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ... is determined to stand up to traitors and crusaders and all those who stand with them, and we vow to all the dictatorial nations that Iraq is not safe for infidels because God has empowered the mujahedeen," it said.
Al-Qaida in Iraq has waged a campaign of attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces in Iraq.
Top Hussein Lawyer Quits, Chides U.S.
Updated 8:42 AM ET July 7, 2005
By JAMAL HALABY
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b6i66o0&src=ap
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer quit the Iraqi dictator's Jordan-based legal team, saying Thursday some of the team's American members were trying to control the defense and tone down his criticism of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Ziad al-Khasawneh told The Associated Press he tendered his resignation in a telephone call Tuesday to Saddam's wife, Sajida, who is believed to be in Yemen.
"I told her I was resigning because some American lawyers in the defense team want to take control of it and isolate their Arab counterparts," said al-Khasawneh, an Arab nationalist who has often expressed support for Iraqi resistance. Among the Americans on the team are former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark.
Al-Khasawneh said Clark and Curtis Doebbler, another American lawyer helping defend Saddam, were "upset with my statements and have often asked me to refrain from criticizing the American occupation of Iraq and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government."
Al-Khasawneh said Saddam's eldest daughter, Raghad, allegedly removed all files related to Saddam's defense from his office. "I was away in Libya when she did all that without my knowledge," he said.
Raghad favors the Americans and non-Arabs on the team "because she thinks they will win the case and free her father," he said.
Raghad was not immediately available for comment.
Saddam's legal team includes 1,500 volunteers and at least 22 lead lawyers who come from several countries, including the United States, France, Jordan, Iraq and Libya. No date has been set for the trial of Saddam, captured by U.S. troops in December 2003.
Al-Khasawneh said Raghad was allegedly seeking to exchange the Jordan-based legal team with an international Emergency Committee for Iraq, which was announced last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The committee seeks to ensure a fair trial for Saddam and other officials of the former Iraqi government that was ousted by U.S. forces two years ago, said former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, announcing the committee. Besides Mahathir, other co-chairs include Clark, former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella and former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas.
Al-Khasawneh became Saddam's chief lawyer in November, weeks after the dictator's family dismissed Mohammed al-Rashdan, a prominent Jordanian lawyer who led the defense team, accusing him of seeking fame in the high-profile case that has drawn world attention.
Updated 8:42 AM ET July 7, 2005
By JAMAL HALABY
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...8b6i66o0&src=ap
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer quit the Iraqi dictator's Jordan-based legal team, saying Thursday some of the team's American members were trying to control the defense and tone down his criticism of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Ziad al-Khasawneh told The Associated Press he tendered his resignation in a telephone call Tuesday to Saddam's wife, Sajida, who is believed to be in Yemen.
"I told her I was resigning because some American lawyers in the defense team want to take control of it and isolate their Arab counterparts," said al-Khasawneh, an Arab nationalist who has often expressed support for Iraqi resistance. Among the Americans on the team are former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark.
Al-Khasawneh said Clark and Curtis Doebbler, another American lawyer helping defend Saddam, were "upset with my statements and have often asked me to refrain from criticizing the American occupation of Iraq and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government."
Al-Khasawneh said Saddam's eldest daughter, Raghad, allegedly removed all files related to Saddam's defense from his office. "I was away in Libya when she did all that without my knowledge," he said.
Raghad favors the Americans and non-Arabs on the team "because she thinks they will win the case and free her father," he said.
Raghad was not immediately available for comment.
Saddam's legal team includes 1,500 volunteers and at least 22 lead lawyers who come from several countries, including the United States, France, Jordan, Iraq and Libya. No date has been set for the trial of Saddam, captured by U.S. troops in December 2003.
Al-Khasawneh said Raghad was allegedly seeking to exchange the Jordan-based legal team with an international Emergency Committee for Iraq, which was announced last month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The committee seeks to ensure a fair trial for Saddam and other officials of the former Iraqi government that was ousted by U.S. forces two years ago, said former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, announcing the committee. Besides Mahathir, other co-chairs include Clark, former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella and former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas.
Al-Khasawneh became Saddam's chief lawyer in November, weeks after the dictator's family dismissed Mohammed al-Rashdan, a prominent Jordanian lawyer who led the defense team, accusing him of seeking fame in the high-profile case that has drawn world attention.
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