Gorilla’s Guides

A car bomb in east Baghdad targeting a police station has killed 2 people and injured 4. No other details yet. In Mosul a car bomb exploded at noon in a busy market, 1 civilian was killed, 4 green zone government “police” whose patrol was the target were wounded and so was a civilian. The American invader base in central Fallujah came under intensive mortar fire this around one O’Clock this afternoon. As usual the invaders haven’t issued any statement so it is not yet known if any American invaders were killed or wounded. The press freedom observatory said that a journalist and a cameraman were detained and abused by Kirkuk’s peshmerga controlled police as they covered the aftermath of a bombing. They point out that this appears to be part of a coordinated effort and includes the British invader forces detention of journalists yesterday. The British invader forces in Basrah were attacked today:

1. A British invader boat patrolling the Shatt al-Arab was first mined then came under intensive gunfire attack from both sides of the Shatt.
2. Eight civilians including three schoolgirls were injured in the crossfire.

(It is worth adding that according to “police” loyal to the green zone government at least on British invader was also wounded. Sab Ali) This earlier report details gunfights in Basrah in which the British say they killed two snipers and the usual crop of katyusha attacks on the British invader bases, one British invader army soldier was killed in the preceding wave of rocket attacks.

In Tikrit and its locality there have been several attacks. A soldier of the American invader army was shot by a sniper as his patrol guarded a meeting between governorate officials for the green zone government and an American invader representative. The report says he was evacuated by air. The same report says that an American invader column near Baiji was attacked last night. One vehicle (4×4) destroyed, another severely damaged 3 casualties. (Baijii is where the oil refinery is - Saba Ali.)

Students and lecturers at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad have formed a task force to clean up the damage caused by the bombing in which at least 60 students and staff lost their lives and 132 were wounded. Also in Baghdad the casualty toll from the bombing of the bus station at mid morning is now risen to 3 known dead and 17 known injured - all civilians. In Baghdad the green zone government announced that they would install 4 check points with surveillance cameras to control monitor main entrances to the capital for traffice from the provinces. The entrances to be controlled and surveyed are:

• South East - attempting to control and monitoring access from Wasit.
• North East - attempting to control and monitoring access from Diyala.
• North - attempting to control and monitoring access from Mosul.
• South - attempting to control and monitoring access from Babil.

The 4 installations are to be linked to the following green zone government authorities:

• President’s Office.
• Prime Minister’s Office
• Speaker’s Office
• Baghdad Governor’s Office

The cost is 6 million dinars per access control point. Each ACP will include UV to attempt to detect explosives being brought in to the city. And also a first aid centre, fire brigade, a mosques, and parking for delayed traffic or people who want to leave their vehicles. The ACPs are to be fortified the fortifications include 4 towers with mounted heavy guns.

Ali Saleh an engineer who worked for the Baghdad city government was killed by gunmen in who ambushed his in Central Baghdad as he drove to work this morning. (The tone of the report makes it clear they knew who they were after - Saba). In Wasit the demonstrations against the American invaders forcing their way into the representative house and “arresting” Qasim Al-Araji, and Fadil Jasim Abu Tayeb continue, their fate is still unknown. Today’s protest was by government officials, various leaders and members of political and religious movements and civic organisations. In Diyala American invaders firing from the air killed two civilians as they left a Mosque in their village 15km s.e. of Khalis the report explains that the Americans are doing yet another one of their “sweeps”. The same report says that it is not known whether green zone government troops assisted the invaders in the dawn sweep. A kayusha attack 8 km south of Khalis caused no casualties.

The remote control bomb targeting day labourers who gather each morning beside the mosque in al-Saadoun Street (central Baghdad) killed 2 green zone government police and wounded two other greenzone government police whose patrol was passing. All the other casualties were civilians. (Our Irish host has written of this targeting of labourers repeatedly. People need to eat and many of the poorest are now completely desperate and are therefore vulnerable because they gather at recognised places at recognised times every day to try to find work - Saba Ali). The report also mentions the other bombings mentioned abouve and some covered immediately underneath in this summary.

The three car cascaded bombing attack on the Alwat al-Rasheed market in Al-Sidiya district (South Baghdad -Saba) is known to have killed at least 10 Iraqi civilians and wounded 30others. (This market is an important one traders go there to buy in vegetables and fruit bulk so they then sell in their individual shops and trading stalls in other markets. Saba Ali) Many of the wounded are seriously wounded and will not survive. I asked someone who was at at the place how it went - from what they said it was very cleverly done - they were cascaded to hit people as they ran from the first bomb. The bombers are getting more technically skilled.

Radio Annas says 7 bombings I have not been able to find out about the others cascaded attack epxlosions are each treated as separate but linked bombings.

Late Breaking Reports Sumary:

The American invaders say that one of their forces was killed in a “non-hostile” incident in the prison camp they run at Camp Buca.

The SCIRI controlled green zone “government” interior ministry say they have arrested 14 suspects, seized weapons, and defused two bombs, in the last 24 hours. Most of these were in Kirkuk. They said one of the suspects is believed to be an Egyptian. (An Egyptian !!!!) in the Peshmerga controlled part of Kirkuk (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). (Try harder - Saba Ali) Three of the detainees were caught South of Baghdad and one in a-Sidiyah.

A weddng celebration procession in Mosul was attacked by gunmen two of them are dead among the four people injured are a two year old child. An Imam named as Abdullah Fahad Aziz was shot dead as he left his mosque after prayers in Kirkuk. (The mosque is Hebron - I don’t Mosul well so cannot judge how important that fact is. Aswat Al Iraq do think it is important to enough to mention. Saba Ali). The tribal reconciliation meetings continue to take place. Today’s one was for the Baghdad and surrounding governorates.

Site News Part 1 Change of Policy

Most of us who post, help summarise, and highlight reports are Iraqi Muslims. We have decided that while we continue to post drafts and point to significant events that the pressure of time on Fridays is too great for us write the posts also. The Christian contingent have kindly agreed to always shoulder the main burden on Fridays in future. We thank them for their brotherly help.

Site News Part 2 - replacement editor.

The editor who was meant to take the duty tonight was too busy following and is now too busy celebrating the Iraqi soccer win over the Qatari to apologise to you for forcing me to do it. Doubtless his report will be ten times better than this one to compensate you and me. :-)

Yah mabrouk!

Saba Ali