Gorilla’s Guides

Five people were killed and thirteen wounded in three early morning bombings in Baghdad. 4 of  the deaths, of whom one was a seven year old boy, and seven of the wounded were caused when a booby trapped car exploded near the central market in Karadah. A bomb at al-Muaazam petrol station in central Baghdad killed one person and wounded 4. A police patrol in South Baghdad was bombed accounting for the remainder of the casualties. The market bombing in central Baghdad shortly after noon today killed two people and wounded ten others.

The 25 heads of people murdered by decapitation found in or near Mada’in (37 km south-east of Baghdad) have been buried in Najaf many have now been identified, many were from  Mada’in. Only their heads have been found not their bodies. Parrticipants in the funeral bitterly criticised the plan for Baghdad announced by the American occupation and green zone government. Aswat al Iraq have published an English translation of this report. There are no significant differences between the English and Arabic versions. (See also: What Is In The Banana Box? )

The helicopter “crash” in al-Fadil is reported here. The helicopter is of the type used by mercenaries. A shorter version of the report in English is on the English language section of Aswat al Iraq here. Earlier in this morning gunmen in the area opened fire indiscriminately on civilians one person killed 4 wounded. “Security forces” have put the area in curfew.

The American army occupying Iraq issued a statement that it had detained 600 members of the Jaish Al Mahdi (Mahdi Militia) including a number of leaders and that 33 people whom the statement described as Sunni militant cell leaders had also been detained. The subsequent update to the report which simply quotes large parts of the statement can be found here [see the  AFP report on this statement here for more details.]

The Iraqi Journalists Association launched their campaign for national reconciliation and improved legal protections for jounalists today, among the campaign goals is that journalists not be punished by government or associated organisations for publishing news reports.

The general strike in Tikrit to protest against the American detentions by paralysed the city. Aswat al Iraqs report says that Tikrit appeared to be empty except for protesters, today’s demonstration ended peacefully.

Green zone government police were attacked in two separate incidents in Mosul. A patrol was bombed and then shot at in the north east of the city one policeman killed two wounded. In the second incident this time in the south of the city 2 police were wounded by gunfire. Emad Mohamed Shuaib from Tal Afar who had been sentenced to death escaped from Badush prison at 4 A.M. this morning, another prisoner involved in the attempt failed several prison officials and guards have been arrested in connetion with the escape. The report ends by pointing out that Saddam Hussein’s nephew escaped from Badush on December 9th last. Our report on that escape is here, our report on the subsequent investion of that escape is here. A suicide bomber detonated his bomb as a green zone government army patrol passed in Srinjar in West Mosul three of them were wounded, twenty people were lightly by a bomb that that targetted the youth wing centre of KDP.

Two mortar attacks near Kut killed a total of 6 people and wounded 14 others.  The main attack was in Suwayra the six deaths resulted from this attack. Five of the 6 fatalities were from the same Shi’ite family the 9 of the 14 people wounded were wounded in this attack. The second attack was upon a crowd waiting for a Shi’ite religious procession to pass.

American occupation troops have detained 5 green zone government police who worked from the al-Abasi police station, 70 km southwest of Kirkuk, a green zone government police patrol came under automatic weapons fire on the Baijii road 65 km south-west of Kirkuk. A convoy of vehicles carrying employees of the Northern Oil Company was bombed on the Kirkuk-Baiji road, two brothers were shot dead in Al-Huwayjah, a third person was wounded. Seven civilians were killed in a bomb explosion in Kirkuk this evening. The explosion took place at 19:25 hours in Wahid Huzayran (which is very densely populated part of Kirkuk) and details are still emerging.

Brigadier General Khalifawi who commanded the Iraqi side during several battles in the war with Iran was assasinated by gunmen today in Fallujah. In Fallujah American occupation troops over the the technical institute in Saqlawiyah and are engaged in fortifying it for use as an outpost. An American army of occupation armoured patrol was bombed as it approached a checkpoint in Fallujah. No reports of caualties yet. The Aswat Al Iraq report of the incident points out the American army of occupation do not permit any civilian traffic other than ambulances bringing patients to the maternity unit in the area.

The AMS issued a statement condemning the siege of Haditha by the American army of occupation. An English version of the report is here.

The American army occupying Iraq formally handed over responsibility for operations in Ramadi to the green zone government army. In Baqubah three green zone government troops were wounded and their vehicle destroyed in a bombing.

In Basrah the British occupying force said that they had uncovered a cache of 100 mortars 30km west of Basrah and the British occupation base in at the airport had been shelled overnight.

Twenty five kidnapped families have been freed in a Joint American army of occupation and green zone government operation near Hilla. Aswat al Iraq have published an English translation of this report. There are no significant diffences between the English and Arabic versions. Also in Hilla today a bomb targeting a convoy of mercenaries from a “security company” wounded bystanders (no numbers yet), a guard at a petrol station was shot dead, and a civilian was kidnapped.

The deterioration of the fuel situation together with the deterioration services and infrastructure in Maysan has led municipal councils to threaten to suspend all business and cooperation unless the crisis is urgently addressed.

Site News:

Posting jointly prepared by: my father Laith, myself, and markfromireland, graphic prepared by me, I like this new software I like my new computer and I like the HUGE supply of batterys even more :-).  An online training course is being run tomorrow no postings from Arabic except if they are very urgent will be made on the site.

Mohammed Ibn Laith.