Security Incidents for 04/28/07

Photo: Smoke rises as residents recover victims at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Kerbala April 28, 2007. A suicide car bomber killed 57 people and wounded nearly 160 near one of Iraq's most revered Shi'ite Muslim shrines in the city of Kerbala on Saturday, in an attack likely to inflame sectarian tensions. (Stringer/Reuters)

Baghdad:

Insurgents killed four employees from the Iraqi Red Crescent. Four Iraqi humanitarian workers were killed and three others wounded when gunmen ambushed their minibus in the capital's mixed Sunni-Shiite district of Zafaraniyah, the official said. No other details were immediately available on the attack, he said.

Five employees of Red Crescent were killed on Saturday morning in a neighborhood in southern Baghdad, a well-informed police source said. The employees of Red Crescent was traveling in a car in Baiyaa neighborhood in southern Baghdad while they were attacked by unknown gunmen in two cars, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, adding five employees are killed and another one is injured.

Also in Zafaraniyah, a group of rubbish collectors was hit by a roadside bomb, which killed one and wounded eight others, the official said.

In nearby Saydiyah, another mixed district, unidentified gunmen shot dead five civilians and wounded one more, he added.

In a similar incident, another group of gunmen shot at a commuter bus in Sayidiya district, southern Baghdad, killing at least five civilians.

In Al-Risala district, also located in southern Baghdad, a series of mortar rounds slammed into a residential area killing three people and wounding 10 others, including women and children, the official said.

Three Iraqi children were killed by mortar shells in western Baghdad

In the northern Shiite neighborhood of Khadimiyah a civilian was killed and three others injured when a homemade bomb blew up in a public market, a police source said.

Three mortar rounds landed in al-Resala district in southwestern Baghdad killing three civilians and wounding 10 others, including two children, police said.

A roadside bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol, wounding two soldiers in al-Qahira district in northern Baghdad, police said

Baghdad - An American convoy was targeted by an IED explosion on the airport street west Baghdad at 8:30 a.m. The U.S. troops closed the area; no casualties reported yet.

Baghdad - Two civilians were injured in an IED explosion near Al Neda’a mosque in Wazirirah neighborhood in east Baghdad at 2:00 p.m.

Baghdad - Two civilians were injured in a parked car bomb explosion in Shoala in west Baghdad at 4:30 p.m.

Baghdad - Three civilians were wounded when an IED exploded near Al Shurta tunnel in southwest Baghdad at 5:30 p.m.

Baghdad - 17 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today. 16 were found in Karkh, in the western part of Baghdad, in the following neighborhoods: six bodies in Al Amil, two bodies in Saidiyah, two bodies in Hurriyah, two bodies in Bayaa, two bodies in Doura, one body in Mahmoudiyah, one body in Washshash. One body was found in Sadr City in the eastern part of Baghdad.

Diyala Prv:

At least three gunmen were killed and eight policemen were wounded in clashes that erupted on Saturday between Iraqi police forces and unknown gunmen in central Iraq, a police source said. "Armed clashes broke out this morning between police forces and unknown gunmen during a security crackdown in northern Baaquba, Diala province," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

A total of 27 bodies were found in different parts of the religiously mixed and volatile Iraqi city of Baquba on Saturday, police said. They said 15 bodies, handcuffed and with gunshot wounds to the head, were discovered in a field. Another 12 were found in other parts of the city

A suicide car bomber targeting a military checkpoint killed one soldier and wounded three others in Khalis, a town 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Muqdadiyah - A security source with the Muqdadiyah police said that a police patrol had found an anonymous body on the outskirts of town Friday evening. The body had many gunshots, the source said.

Muqdadiyah - A security source in Muqdadiyah said a civilian was injured in the Wajihiyah section of Muqdadiyah early Saturday morning. The source added that another policeman was injured in clashes that took place in Khaleel Basha area in north Baquba early Saturday.

Baquba - A source with the Baquba police said American forces killed a driver in downtown Baquba Friday evening. No more details were revealed.

Abbara - Police patrols of Abbara area, 10 kilometers north of Baquba, said they found the bodies of four farmers who were kidnapped Thursday.

Karbala:

A parked car exploded Saturday near one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in the city of Karbala as people were headed to the area for evening prayers, killing 55 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The explosion took place in a crowded commercial area near the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, officials said. At least 55 people were killed and 70 wounded, said Salim Kazim, the head of the Karbala health department.

Diwaniya:

At least one civilian was killed and two more were wounded as U.S. and Iraqi forces clashed over night with gunmen in Diwaniya, 180 km south of Baghdad, a police source said on Saturday. "U.S. and Iraqi forces raided al-Wahdah neighborhood, northern Diwaniya, over night and clashed with unknown gunmen there," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

Meanwhile, the source said "an explosive charge went off in the neighborhood while troops were conducting a search campaign in the area." "The troops fired back in the direction of the blast while U.S. choppers flew over the city," the source said. He added "U.S. and Iraqi forces cordoned off the area after the blast and launched a search campaign which lasted until early Saturday."

Mahaweel:

A body with bullet wounds to the head was found in Mahaweel, 75 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, police said

Narawan:

A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another in Nahrawan, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, on Friday, police said.

Mahmudiya:

A handcuffed and blindfolded corpse was found dumped on the outskirts of Mahmudiya on Friday, police said.

Dhuluiya:

Gunmen killed one police officer and wounded two in an attack on a police patrol in Dhuluiya, a town 70 km (45 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Baiji:

Gunmen abducted an oil facility security official and his driver in Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Huwaija:

A policeman was killed and two others wounded in an attack by gunmen in the village of al-Huwaija, Salah al-Din province, an Iraqi police source said. "Men armed with machine-guns attacked a civilian vehicle that was boarding three policemen heading to work on Saturday, killing First Lieutenant Mohammed Saadoun and severely injuring two others," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

Hawija - According to Hawija town police sources, gunmen kidnapped three individuals, including a member of the Hawija judiciary committee.

Mosul:

Sixteen bodies were found in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, in the past 24 hours, police said

Unknown gunmen killed four members of a family and wounded two more after they stormed the family's house in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a police source said on Saturday. "An armed group stormed a house in al-Hadbaa neighborhood in northern Mosul late on Friday and opened fire at the family members," police Colonel Jumaa al-Juburi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

Gunmen killed a former senior intelligence officer in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Khalis - A suicide car bomber aiming to strike a military checkpoint killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded three others.

Tikrit - Police sources said that an Iraqi police officer was killed by gunmen in Dholoiyah district south of Tikrit early Saturday.

Kirkuk:

Policemen managed to free a kidnapped female student and arrest the kidnappers in the city of Kirkuk, a security official said

An Iraqi army soldier was wounded when an explosive charge went off near the city of Kirkuk, a security official said

Al Anbar Prv:

U.S. forces used fighter jets to destroy a truck bomb discovered in Anbar province. The truck loaded with explosives was found early Friday near Fallujah, a city in Anbar province when Marines were tipped off about it by a suspected insurgent they detained during a routine combat operation in the area, the military said. Loaded with eight large barrels of an unidentified liquid, the truck contained hidden detonation wire and explosives, the statement said. After cordoning off the area and evacuating nearby citizens, the Marines called in U.S. fighter jets that destroyed the truck, causing an explosion large enough to damage some nearby buildings, the military said. No civilian or coalition injuries were reported.

A U.S. base in the district of al-Saqlawiya, northern Falluja, came under an attack with mortar shells but no casualties or injuries were reported, an eyewitness said.

Thanks to whisker for the links above.

UPDATE:

Three Task Force Marne Soldiers were killed and one was wounded when their patrol was struck by a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad today

A Task Force Marne Soldier was killed and two were wounded when their patrol was struck by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad April 28.

Three Soldiers and two Marines assigned to Multi National Force-West were killed April 27 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province.

REPORTS – LIFE IN IRAQ

VIDEO: Liberation

What do Iraqis think about the American occupation?

Terrorism Report Will Show 29% Rise in Attacks

A State Department report on terrorism due out next week will show a nearly 30 percent increase in terrorist attacks worldwide in 2006 to more than 14,000, almost all of the boost due to growing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Friday. A half-dozen U.S. officials with knowledge of the report's contents or the debate surrounding it agreed to discuss those topics on the condition they not be identified because of the extreme political sensitivities surrounding the war and the report. Based on data compiled by the U.S. intelligence community's National Counterterrorism Center, the report says there were 14,338 terrorist attacks last year, up 29 percent from 11,111 attacks in 2005. Forty-five percent of the attacks were in Iraq. Worldwide, there were about 5,800 terrorist attacks that resulted in at least one fatality, also up from 2005. The figures for Iraq and elsewhere are limited to attacks on noncombatants and don't include strikes against U.S. troops.

Basra Factions Gear Up For Fight

Rival factions in the southern city of Basra have mobilized their armed militias for what many residents expect to be a ferocious fight over control of the provincial council. Residents are hoarding essentials with sporadic clashes between the factions intensifying in the past three days in which various weapons were used. As armed groups fortify positions in major streets and amid heavily populated areas the occupying British troops charged with security have so far shown little concern. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has not move a finger to contain the spiral of violence in the city which could easily spread to other areas. The Basra Islamic Front, an umbrella for five Islamist groups, is reported to have deployed nearly 7,000 armed men in the city in a bid to force current governor Mohammed al-Waili to quit. Waili belongs to the rival Fadhila faction whose armed men are guarding the governor’s headquarters in the city and vowing to fight off the attackers. Basra is the capital of the predominantly Muslim Shiite province of the same name. There are fears that the growing tension may adversely affect the country’s oil output. Basra oil fields are crucial to the country’s exports with output form the northern oil fields of Kirkuk shrinking. The Fadhila party of governor Waili is reported to be in control of Iraq’s Southern Oil Company which administers the province’s oil output. Fadhila supporters hold key positions in the industry and analysts say the current feud is more over control of oil than the provincial council.

REPORTS – IRAQI MILITIAS, POLITICIANS, POWER BROKERS

Bush Devastated Iraq – Sadr

Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr said U.S. President George W. Bush destroyed Iraq and accused him of disregarding international calls to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. "Bush, the leader of evil, is obstinately ignoring calls to exit Iraq or even initiate a timetable for withdrawal as demanded by the Democrats," Sadr said in a message to Bush read out by Liqaa Al Yassin, a member of parliament loyal to Sadr. The U.S. House of Representatives had approved on Thursday a bill linking a budget to finance U.S. troops in Iraq to the drawing up of a timetable for pullout, beginning next October. Sadr discredited statements that the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq would cause chaos. "What chaos will happen if the U.S. army withdrew from our lands. We are already in a chaotic Iraq where blood is shed every few moments and explosions and car bombs are never ending," Sadr said in his statement. The young Shiite cleric added that the policies pursued by the U.S. administration in Iraq after the fall of the former regime in April 2003 were the main reason behind the chaos Iraq is going through at the moment.

Showdown in Basra: The Federalism Angle

Azzaman, in its London edition (but apparently not in its Baghdad edition) says this:

Meanwhile, in the field, the religious parties in Basra have rallied their militias in preparation for a final showdown over the governorship of the municipality, while residents, frightened, have have been laying in stores of necessities since the violence started spreading three days ago, involving light and medium weapons and mortar. And meanwhile the Iraqi government, which is led by Nuri al-Maliki, continues to adhere to its policy of silence on this issue, demonstrating yet again its inability to stop this expected outbreak of violence in Iraq's third-largest municipality, source of fully one-third of Iraq's crude oil, which is now threatened with stoppage in the event of an outbreak of violence between these militias.

The reporter quotes a government source who said the main opposing militia forces are those of the Fadhila party on the one side (the party of the current governor), and those of a group led by SCIRI and the Badr orgainzation on the other.

REPORTS – US/UK/OTHERS IN IRAQ

US Not To Assess Progress In Iraq Until September

The United States will reportedly wait till September to make its first formal assessment of whether a US troop "surge" now under way in Iraq is producing results. In interviews over the past week, the officials made clear that the White House is gradually scaling back its expectations for the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the report said. The timelines they are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year, the paper said. That prospect would entail a dramatically longer commitment of frontline troops, patrolling the most dangerous neighborhoods of Baghdad, than the one envisioned in legislation that passed the House and Senate this week, The Times said.

Democrats' Timetable Allows U.S. War in Sunni Region to Go On

The language on a timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq voted out of the House-Senate conference committee this week contains large loopholes that would apparently allow U.S. troops to continue carrying out military operations in Iraq's Sunni heartland indefinitely. The plan, coming from the Democratic majority in Congress, makes an exemption from a 180-day timetable for completion of "redeployment" of U.S. troops from Iraq to allow "targeted special actions limited in duration and scope to killing or capturing members of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations of global reach." The al-Qaeda exemption, along with a second exemption allowing U.S. forces to re-enter Iraq to protect those remaining behind to train and equip Iraqi security forces and to protect other U.S. military forces, appears to approve the presence in Iraq of tens of thousands of U.S. occupation troops for many years to come.