Incident Reports Irak Summarised From Arabic June 5 2007
Summary:
- The petroleum workers strike in Wasit is escalating.
- 33 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today. Thus, the total number unidentified corpses that were found in Baghdad since the start of June until now is 119 was found. Last month the month May 2007 were found a total of 750 unidentified bodies in Baghdad alone.
- The green zone government and parliament both talked tough.
- An American armoured patrol has been bombed in al Amil.
- Also in al Amil the American invaders raided the green zone government police station
- And the American AP news agency finally got around to noticing that the Americans are bombing Iraki civilians from the air again.
Oil Industry Strike Wasit Deepens
The oil sector strike in Wasit is now more entrenched. The strikers have said that the strike will continue until their demand are met. Their key demands are:
Rolling back the “reforms” made to their pay and benfits, including benefits in kind. [These “reforms” started under Bremer and accelerated a the demand of the IMF - Khaled]
The ousting of the general manager Oil Products Distribution Company. [A new political appointee - Hassan.]
Retruning to the previous profit sharing arrangements.
The strike comes in the wake of similar strikes by employees in this key this sector in a number of southern provinces over the past few days
In Wasit governorate itself there are strenuous efforts made by the Cabinet to contain this crisis and seek to solutions. Various solutions hae been proposed and the oil ministry is under intense pressure to reach a decision and implement it.
The importance of the distribution in Kut can not be understated and the strikers have said they will bring the centre to a shutdown preventing all ingress and egress if their demands are not met.
Source: اصوات العراق - اضراب منتسبي القطاع النفطي في واسط مطالبين بإقالة مدير عام توزيع المنتجات النفطية
Parliament Talks Tough!
The green zone parliament approved a measure that will give it the upper hand in making decisions about extending the “legal” presence of the invaders in Irak.
85 members out of the 144 deputies who attended the session voted to approve the measure submitted by the Sadrist bloc.
Arabic Source: اصوات العراق - البرلمان يصوت على قرار وجوب الرجوع اليه عند التمديد لبقاء القوات المتعددة في العراق من عدمه
English Source: Parliament votes for authority to make decisions on MNF presence in Iraq
Green Zone Government Talks Tough!
Nouri Al Maliki’s beleaguered green zone government threatened to “strike with an iron fist” those who sabotaged or tampered with the state’s oil institutions. it said it would be forced to disclose their identities and ordered the security organs to “stand up against outlaws and saboteurs” The very vaguely worded statement also implied that foreigners were causing most of Irak’s ills.
[Which is true enough the Americans and their little British sidekicks who are now running away are indeed foreigners and very unwelcome foreigners.
However the background to this is:
- The oil strikes - particularly the ones in Basrah and Wasit.
- The recent destructions of oil pipleines in the northern provinces.
- The bridge bombing campaigns.
- The faliure of the “surge” and the “surge” creating many wiindows of opportunity through which those resisting the American invaders have gone and created havoc in the other governorates.
Even in the green zone it must be beginnig to be clear that things are not going well for the invaders or their pet dogs. So they issue very tough sounding statements. ]
Arabic Source: اصوات العراق - الحكومة العراقية تحذر من يحاول العبث بمؤسسات الدولة النفطية English Source: Iraqi government warns of “messing” with state’s oil facilities
Baghdad
- Baghdad Bodies
- 33 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today. Thus, the total number unidentified corpses that were found in Baghdad since the start of June until now is 119 was found. Last month the month May 2007 were found a total of 750 unidentified bodies in Baghdad alone.
- Al Kharkh
- 24 bodies were found Al Kharkh (Western side of the river) as follows:
-
- 7 in Dora,
- 5 in Amil,
- 3 in Jamiyah,
- 3 in Shula,
- 2 in Taji,
- 2 in Abu Ghraib,
- 2 in Bai’aa.
- Al Rasafa
- 9 bodies were found in Rasafa, (Western side of the river) as follows:
-
- 3 in Ur,
- 2 in Rashdiyah,
- 2 in Sadr City,
- 1 in Jisr Diyala,
- 1 in Salik.
- Source: اصوات العراق - العثور على 33 جثة مجهولة الهوية في بغداد
Baghdad, June 5, (VOI)- The U.S. army said on Tuesday that it arrested four suspected gunmen who allegedly involved in facilitating the transport of weapons and explosives from Iran to Iraq.
Source English: Aswat Aliraq Source Arabic: اصوات العراق - الجيش الأمريكي يعتقل أربعة مشتبه بتهريبهم أسلحة ومتفجرات من إيران [The Arabic language article points out that there have been a lot of accusations made by the Americans about the source of these bombs which are killing about 80% of the American troops whoa re part of the American invasion forces unsuccessfully trying to subdue Irak]
Two green zone government soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in combat missions in the capital. Source: اصوات العراق - مقتل واعتقال 63 مسلحا ومشتبها بهم خلال ال 24 ساعة الماضية في بغداد
An American armoured patrol has been bombed in al Amil. At least one armoured vehicle has been destroyed and is in flames. There are known to be American casualties. Source: اصوات العراق - شهود: احتراق هامفي أمريكية جنوب شرقي بغداد
Also in al Amil the American invaders raided the green zone government police station Both the Arabic and the English versions of the reports of this incident use the word the “pretext”. The pretext for the raid was that the Americans suspsected the green zone government police in that station of conducting mortar attacks on American installations.
There is a detail in the Arabic version not present in the English one - the Americans broke into the detention centre in the station and noted both the number of, and the names of, prisoners in the station. They left without detaining any of the police they say they suspect of bombarding them with mortar shells.
[I wonder if they were looking for an informant of theirs who has gone missing.]
Arabic Source: اصوات العراق - القوات الامريكية تداهم مركزا للشرطة غربي بغداد English Source: U.S. forces raid police station in western Baghdad
The green zone government Ministry of Justice has begun distributing bail applicaton notices to the detainees of the invader multinational forces in Baghdad and the provinces. Source: اصوات العراق - البدء بتوزيع نماذج الكفالة الخاصة بالمعتقلين لدى القوات المتعددة الجنسيات
A female suicide bomber was shot dead as she tried to attack recruits in the police training facility in al-Shaab (east Baghdad). The guards opened fire on her when she didn’t obey their command to halt and her bomb belt blew up.
Green zone goverrnment security forces closed one of the main through routes in Rasafa for no apparent reason. From the square near the pool to the National Theater building was closed causing major congestion. Source: اصوات العراق - مقتل انتحارية حاولت تفجير نفسها وسط حشد من المتطوعين شرقي بغداد
Reports From The Governorates
Babil Governorate
Muqtada Al Sadr’s representative shot. The head of the representative office of al-Sadr in Babil was shot dead in Jibella district. The gunmen assassinated Sheikh Rahim Mohammed Nayef morning.
The Sadrist office in Hilla called for the sheikh’s funeral to be a major demonstation. That funeral was itself attacked by gunmen - 7 were wounded.
Green zone government police have attempted to impose a curfew and say that the security situation in the region is now stable. Source: اصوات العراق - إغتيال ممثل مكتب الشهيد الصدر جنوب بغداد
Dahuk Governorate
Mine clearance experts in Dahuk have gone on strike complaining that they are paid less than their collegues in the neighbouring governorate of Sulaymaniyah, Dahuk is the worst area for mines in Irak last year workers for the mine clearance department in KRG cleared 532 anti-personnel landmines, 47 anti-armor landmines and 1,074 cluster and fissile bombs. The area cleared of landmines so far this year is 321,519 square meters plus 12,978 square meters cleared using sweepers, while 3,251,154 square meters have been combed by bomb squads. The areas swept and cleared include 10 fields where oil pipelines are laid.
[Note: There have been similar strikes in Arbil governorate recently - mfi] Source: اصوات العراق - العاملون في الالغام يضربون عن العمل في دهوك
Diyala Governorate
9 bodies have been found in Khan Bani Saad district , south of Baqubah. They were reported to police who found them in the al-Muradiya distrrict. All had been blind-folded, their hands tied behind their backs and shot. Source: اصوات العراق - العثور على تسع جثث في قضاء خان بني سعد جنوب بعقوبة
Gunmen attacked using RPGS and guns a police checkpoint north Al-Khalis, Diyala Governorate. the attacker killed three police, wounded two others, and destroyed a police car. The attack lasted about thirty minutes.
Source: اصوات العراق - شهود: قتلى وجرحى من الشرطة بهجوم في الخالص
- Gunmen attacked one of the southern suburbs of Baqubah, killing one person and injuring three others all from the same family.
- A car bomb parked in a garages in a car bomb exploded in a garage in al-Sadiya (55 km south of Baquba) wounded 3 civilians and caused extensive damaging to vehicles.
Source: اصوات العراق - مقتل وإصابة أربعة وإنفجار سيارة مفخخة قرب بعقوبة
Ninawa Governorate
Mosul, June 5, (VOI)- Ninewa provincial council approved on Tuesday a decision to sack the mayor of Mosul city for not taking measures to close a newspaper that published a caricature picturing Rice and Maliki, a senior official in Ninewa province said.
“The Ninewa provincial council approved the decision to sack the Mayor of Mosul city, Aamer Jihad al-Jerjeri, as it found reasons to dismiss him,” the Head of the council General Salem al-Hajj Iessa told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
“The decision was approved unanimously by the district local council,” he noted.
A conflict erupted between the mayor and the head of the provincial council last year, when the latter issued a decision obligating the mayor to close “al-Mujtama a-Madani (The Civil Society)” newspaper after publishing a caricature of the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice embracing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but the mayor refused to close it, saying it violates press freedom.
Arabic Source : اصوات العراق - مجلس محافظة نينوى يصادق على إقالة قائمقام الموصل
English Source: Provincial council sacks Mosul mayor for not closing newspaper
Salah al Din Governorate
- A source at the joint coordination center in the governorate of Salah Al-Din said that a sniper shot dead an American soldier this afternoon in the city of Tikrit.
- Gunmen assasinated a so far unidentified police officer with rank of major in Baiji. He was shot in the main market as he returned to work.
Source: اصوات العراق - مقتل جندي أمريكي واغتيال ضابط شرطة في صلاح الدين
Wasit Governorate
In Kut gunmen attacked and killed a policeman who was a member of the Rapid Reaction Force near his home. A security guard at a petrol station opened fire in the air to persuade customers of a petrol station who refused to remain in a queue to return to it. One person died as a result. Source: اصوات العراق - مسلحون يقتلون شرطيا في واسط
Foreign Reporting:
BAGHDAD (AP) — Four years into the war that opened with “shock and awe,” U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq, dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago.
The airpower escalation parallels a nearly four-month-old security crackdown that is bringing 30,000 additional U.S. troops into Baghdad and its surroundings - an urban campaign aimed at restoring order to an area riven with sectarian violence.
It also reflects increased availability of planes from U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. And it appears to be accompanied by a rise in Iraqi civilian casualties.
In the first 4 1/2 months of 2007, American aircraft dropped 237 bombs and missiles in support of ground forces in Iraq, already surpassing the 229 expended in all of 2006, according to U.S. Air Force figures obtained by The Associated Press.
“Air operations over Iraq have ratcheted up significantly, in the number of sorties, the number of hours (in the air),” said Col. Joe Guastella, Air Force operations chief for the region. “It has a lot to do with increased pressure on the enemy by MNC-I” - the Multinational Corps-Iraq - “combined with more carriers.”
The Air Force report did not break down the specific locations in Iraq where bombings have been stepped up. But U.S.-led forces also are locked in new and dangerous fronts against insurgents outside Baghdad in such places as Diyala, a province northeast of the capital.
A second U.S. Navy aircraft carrier on station since February in the Persian Gulf has added some 80 warplanes to the U.S. air arsenal in the region.
At the same time, the number of civilian Iraqi casualties from U.S. airstrikes appears to have risen sharply, according to Iraq Body Count, a London-based, anti-war research group that maintains a database compiling news media reports on Iraqi war deaths.
The rate of such reported civilian deaths appeared to climb steadily through 2006, the group reports, averaging just a few a month in early 2006, hitting some 40 a month by year’s end, and averaging more than 50 a month so far this year.
Those are maximum tolls based on news reports, and they count those killed by Army helicopter fire as well as by warplanes, Iraq Body Count’s John Sloboda said. The count is regarded as conservative, since it doesn’t include deaths missed by the international media.
The U.S. military itself says it doesn’t track civilian casualties.
“The reality of civilian deaths is a year-on-year increase,” said Sloboda, a psychology professor at Britain’s Keele University. “This particular part of it - airstrikes - have rocketed up more than any other.”
Air Force figures show that, after the thousands of bombs and missiles used in the 2003 “shock and awe” invasion, U.S. airpower settled down to a slow bombing pace: 285 munitions dropped in 2004, 404 in 2005 and 229 in 2006, totals that don’t include warplanes’ often-devastating 20mm and 30mm cannon or rocket fire, or Marine Corps aircraft.
The number of Air Force and Navy “close air support” missions, which usually involve a flyover show of force or surveillance work, rather than bombing, also has grown by some 30 to 40 percent this spring, said Army Lt. Col. Bryan Cox, a ground-forces liaison at the regional air headquarters.
Examples of attacks, as reported in the Air Force’s daily summary:
-Last Friday, an Air Force F-16 fighter dropped a guided 500-pound bomb near the northern city of Tal Afar that destroyed a vehicle laden with explosives to be used as a bomb.
-The day before, an F-16 dropped a similar bomb on “an inaccessible building being used by insurgents” near Samarra, north of Baghdad, with “good effects.”
-Last Wednesday, another F-16 dropped bombs on “an illegal bridge and an insurgent vehicle in Baghdad.”
Police and other Iraqi sources sometimes report civilian casualties in such airstrikes that are not reflected in the official U.S. accounts.
Air Force Col. Gary Crowder, deputy director of the regional air operations center, said such casualties “pale in comparison” with civilian casualties from ground combat.
“In Iraq, we minimize our deployment of air-delivered weapons in populated areas,” he said.
Crowder, Guastella and Cox were interviewed outside Iraq at the regional U.S. air headquarters. Journalists are allowed to visit that low-profile base on condition they don’t disclose its location, a politically sensitive matter to the host country.
Air attacks in Iraq are still relatively low compared with the numbers of weapons dropped in Afghanistan - 929 this year as of May 15.
Source: News from The Associated Press
They finally got around to noticing.
Khaled.
Indexed under: Babil (Governorate), Baghdad, Dahuk (Dohuk) (Governorate), Diyala, Hilla, Joint Postings, Journalists Attacked, Khalis, Kut, Mosul, Ninawa (Governorate), Sadr City, Sadr City (Hospital), Salah ad Din (Governorate), Tikrit, Wasit