Gorilla’s Guides

Day of Joy Day of Grief — Reports From Irak July 26 2007

• Suicide bombers attacked crowds of people in Baghdad celebrating Irak’s soccer win.
• The six day American campaign of siege and raids on Husseiniyah (north Baghdad) has ended according to green zone government spokesmen.
• In Muqdadiya groups of armed men have threatened shopkeeper and traders warning them to stop selling goods of Iranian manufacture
• Doctors in Basrah finished their three day strike held in protest at the conditions under which they work and the lack of protection given to them during the campaign of murder and kidnapping targeting them in recent weeks. An briefing on the breakdown of law and order in the city and of the intimidation campaign being waged there can be found below in the Basrah section of this posting.

American Siege of Husseiniyah Ends

25 Jul : 16:19 The six day American siege and raids on Husseiniyah (north Baghdad) has ended. During the siege the Americans cut off supplies of food and well as supplies of water to residents. Electricity too was cut. The Americans have denied that they carried out a major purge of the area bombing by American aircraft led to the deaths of dozens of civilian victims. During the siege the Americans engaged in their usual  tactic preventing food from being delivered to civilians trapped in the area. An emergency delivery campaign to get basic food rations to residents is now underway. Similar campaigns are underway in:

• Al Ameriya
• Ghazaliyah
• Jihad
• Rashidiyah

There are in addition emergency delivery campaigns to get basic food rations to residents in:

• Tal Afar
• Tikrit

and several towns and villages throughout Diyala. There are attempts to mount such a campaign in Fallujah.  The strain placed on the emergency food ration delivery system caused by the American led surge and their tactic of denying food to civilians in the area is now so great that the green zone government Trade Minister is considering inviting private firms to do the job.  

However among the effects of the Americans closing the main road north of Baghdad has been chaos in food distribution and commerce between Baghdad and the governorates to the north. Huge tailbacks of trucks are at the road blocks set up by the Americans developed. (see photo to right)

Drivers were forced to stay in their trucks in temperatures in excess of 50° Celsius trucks carrying foodstuffs such as meat, vegetables, fruit and eggs, have had their cargoes rot in the heat. No compensation has been offered. One driver interviewed said he would now have to sell his truck.

Refugee Matters — Amman Meeting

A meeting of the host countries for Iraki refugees will held in the Jordanian capital Amman tomorrow, at the expert level to discuss the conditions of Irakis refugees fleeing the American war against them in these countries, the meeting is also to consider the needs of the host countries due to the burden of hosting refugees from the war America is waging against Irak.

Other Security and Political Reports From Baghdad & Environs

Baghdad Bodies: 

18 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today.

Al Kharkh

15 bodies were found Al Kharkh (Western side of the river).

Al Rasafa

3 bodies were found in Rasafa, (Western side of the river).

25 Jul : 15:36 Green zone government commandos raided Ibn Taimiya mosque during the raid they demolished part of the fence of the mosque, smashed furniture and fittings, vandalised files and records. They took the names of and photographed the mosque guards telling them they would killed in the next few days.

25 Jul :16:22 Green zone government police said that eight people were killed and more than 10 others wounded in raids by American-green zone government forces on Sadr City yesterday evening. The police said that American fighter planes supporting the raiders opened fire on several occasions and in addition to the deaths and injuries the attack also resulted in the destruction of several houses and shops. As usual the pretext was “escalation of force” also as usual the Americans casually bombed heavily populated civilian areas in the full knowledge that they were targeting civilians and using as usual the excuse that they came under light weapons fire. (See also this report which cites casualties as 8 dead and 12 wounded.)

Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Iranian visitors in al Mahdia south of Baghdad. The Iranians were on their way back to Baghdad from Karbala when there bus halted at a fake checkpoint in Mahdia (south Baghdad /Doura) the gunmen then opened fire seriously wounding 6 of the passengers. 

“Surge” Reports:

The more he talked of his honour the more we counted the ….. 

The commander of the soldiers from the American army still trying to subjugate Irak General Petraeus said he would report honestly accurately on the situation in Irak in September. He said he hoped to see “progress” by the green zone quisling government headed by Nouri Al Maliki which should seek to gain the required support in the green zone Parliament for its the American projects for Irak. (Especially the legalised theft of Irak’s oil for a period of 50 years.)

25 Jul : 15:41 Iraqi Accord Front announced the suspension of its membership of the green zone government until the implementation of all demands. In particular they are demanding the release of all detainees held by American and green zone government forces and non-politicized security services. (Arabic report from KUNA  here. English report from KUNA below:) 

The Iraqi Accord Front has threatened it would withdraw from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government unless its demands are responded to within a week as Vice President Tarek Al-Hashemi handed his resignation to the Front.
The Front leaders held a press conference on Wednesday at the residence of Al-Hashemi, also the secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a main component in the Accord Front.
Head of the National Dialogue Council, a chief component in the Front, Khalaf Alian, summed the Front’s demands in announcing a public amnesty to pave the way for releasing thousands of Iraqis kept in the government and the US jails, commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and stopping all illegal raids, arrests and practices. Other demands are to open the detention centres for human rights representatives and to stop involving the judiciary in politics.
Alian called for halting plans to merge militants in the Armed forces and combating such groups.
On his part, Vice President Al-Hashemi said that he had put his resignation at the disposal of Front.
“Inside the Front we believe in the shura (consultations) and collective work and the final decision rests with the Front,” Al-Hashemi said.
The Front also stressed the necessity to give up involving the Armed Forces in politics and that the security file was the concern of all.
The Iraqi Front leaders all said existing in the coalition government was “of no use” as it had not realized any of its targets.

Source KUNA (English): كونا : Accord Front threatens withdrawal from Iraqi gov”t, Al-Hashemi may resign - الشؤون السياسية - 25/07/2007. According to “Nahrain Net,” The Accord Front informed the American Ambassador yesterday evening of its decision, and did not encounter opposition from senior embassy staff to IAF taking this step. Green zone government Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under intense pressure from the American invaders to achieve the so-called national reconciliation and pass a law granting foreign corporations rights to control Irak’s petroleum resources for 50 years.

Cannon Fodder

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - The United States is not doing enough to get arms and equipment to Iraq’s forces who are often “cannon fodder” for insurgents, Iraq’s ambassador to Washington said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie told reporters he had complained repeatedly to Pentagon and other Bush administration officials, but there was still a delay in getting arms and other equipment to Iraq’s military.

Read in full: Reuters AlertNet - U.S. must do more to arm Iraqi forces, says envoy

Business As Usual

Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS), (formerly PWC Logistics,) has been awarded a three year contract by the US Department of the Army to provide logistics services to American and green zone government military and police camps throughout Irak.

Agility DGS will provide end-to-end logistics support services including billeting, motor pool operations, dining operations and medical support to Coalition camps and Iraqi police and military camps, each supporting up to 10,000 personnel per location.

The potential maximum value of this indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract is USD 345 million over a three-year period.

Reports From The Governorates

Briefings on Basrah Diyala and Karbala below the fold:

Al Anbar Governorate

Soldiers from the American army still trying to subjugate Irak and their underlings from the green zone government army imposed a curfew starting at noon in Ana 280 km west of Ramadi. Starting at 11 a.m. this morning they went through the streets of the city broadcasting from loudspeakers prohibiting all traffic and telling residents to return to their homes and stay inside. There is no time period given for when the curfew will end. Residents of the city say they do not know why the curfew is being imposed and that the announcements made gave no reason for it.

At-Ta’mim (Kirkuk) Governorate

6 people were wounded by indiscriminate celebratory firing in the air in Kirkuk. 

Two gunmen who opened fire on green zone government police in Kirkuk were wounded by return fire. They and a third gunman were taken into custody.

Basra Governorate

25 Jul : 15:19 A bomb exploded in Central Basrah damaging buildings. No reports of casualties. 

In Basrah doctors finished their three day strike held in protest at the conditions under which they work and the lack of protection given to them.

Several doctors have been murdered in Basrah recently while others have had armed men force their way into their homes and been beaten and robbed. The strike was called by the Medical Association in Basrah which represents 1000 doctors in the governorate. It started on Sunday and consisted of a stoppage of all work except in emergency and critical care departments. In response to the strike green zone government authorities in the governorate say they will develop a security plan for doctors similar to that in place for university lectures.

Basrah Briefing

The wider context to this strike is the complete breakdown of law and order in Basrah. You will find a good feature article describing the atmosphere of panic and fear in the city here. In addition to the murder and kidnappings of several doctors over the last few weeks posters and flyers have been appearing in the town issuing threats and promising punishment of several groups of people for practises considered by the group(s) making the threats as unIslamic. Some of the things for which punishment is promised include:

• Eating or selling tomatoes.
• Barbers giving “western” haircuts. (Several barbers have been killed in Abu al-Khasib.)
• Girls who are “immodestly” dressed.
• Selling or using ice.

The language in the posters and flyers is extremely violent threatening to “blow up” those who engage in these and other disapproved of activities. A further indication of the breakdown can be seen in the fact that even though several of these warnings were posted within a very short distance of several police stations in Basrah (including according to our contacts in Basrah within less than 50 metres of the JCC) the police themselves did not dare removed the posters. That was done, but not as the article makes clear by the police, but rather by citizens of the city.

Readers will recall that following the the reprisal bombing of the tomb of Talha Ibn Ubaid Ilah, a companion of The Prophet whose tomb and shrine are in al-Zubair that green zone government Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki replaced the chief of police in Basrah and many of his force as we reported in Reports From Irak June 18th 2007 Summarised From Arabic

The repercussions of the bombing of the tomb of companion of The Prophet Talha Ibn Ubaid Ilah, in Al Zubair in Basrah governorate continue. The Tripartite Security Commission in the governorate of Basra has dismissed hundreds of officers and other ranks because of omissions in the performance of their duties. Brigadier Ali Ibrahim announced that more than three hundred and fifty members of the security services in Basrah were dismissed for neglect and dereliction of their duties  leading to many security breaches among the bombing of the companion of The Prophet’s tomb. ”Maj. Gen. Jalil Khalaf is the new police chief in Basrah.

As was case in Samarra neither the new chief nor most of his men were local and their heavy handed and brutal tactics aided and abetted by the British occupation forces who are now reduced to carrying out sorties from the two bases that are all that are left of their footprint in the governorate has helped ensure that the security situation throughout the governorate in general and Basrah city in particular has deteriorated drastically since June. 

One of the symptoms of this deterioration are the wild rumours circulating amongst the populace. Many in the region as the article points out (and we can confirm) believe that the wave of bombings, assassinations, abductions, and robberies are the work of Al-Qaeda or similar groups. The argument goes as follows:

Al Qaeda/ISI fighters are leaving the areas such as Ramadi and Diyala in which the Americans are “surging” and coming here. Why else would this campaign have started? Why else would a campaign similar to those that they have waged elsewhere be here now?

This may seem intuitively plausible especially to a citizenry under threat. But is in fact highly unlikely to be true. It is very difficult to wage a campaign such as this without good local knowledge, safe houses, informants, and a relatively large number of tacit sympathisers. It’s not impossible but it’s highly improbable. Those who make this argument are reacting to the statements made by green zone government security personnel in Baghdad, Basrah, Najaf, and Karbala claiming success in foiling attacks from al-Qaeda or ISI related groups. That many if most such claims are highly dubious is lost on those who have succumbed to atmosphere of panic engendered by the authorities. It is far far more likely that this campaign is being waged by one or more Mahdist cults of which there are now many in the Southern governorates.

Readers are reminded of the dismal performance of the “elite” “scorpion brigade” which was nearly overwhelmed by fighters of the Jund al-Samaa at Zarga on January 28th (see postings for January 25th et seq) and had to call in American and British support. (As indeed was and continues to be the case in Samarra following the second  bombing of the Shrine of the Two Imams.) As with the events of January 28th and the campaign of assassinations in Najaf and Karbala  it is far more likely that the “enemy” is internal and that the green zone government is seizing the opportunity to eliminate internal opposition and that what we are witnessing is a myriad of exotic groups stepping into the security vacuum created by a security apparat to engaged in an internecine series of purges and counterpurges to do anything else.

As to the British the scale of their defeat which was already clear is becoming glaring. They have gone in short order from only being to fly their troops from outpost to outpost to being forced to withdraw to two bases a short distance from one another and from a withdrawal would be relatively easy and relatively quick. The lesson of the increasingly accurate bombardments of the British installations is not that the Katyushas and mortars are getting more accurate. But that the British no longer fully control their perimeter.

Dahuk Governorate

12 people who tried to cross illegally into Turkey from the Zakho region were detained by peshmerga border guards loyal to the KRG.

Diyala Governorate

In Muqdadiya groups of armed men saying that they are from the so-called “Islamic State in Irak”  have been visiting shopkeeper and traders warning them to stop selling goods of Iranian manufacture.

The gunmen have warned the shopkeepers and traders to get rid of any goods made in Iran. The threats were made to people selling both food and household goods. The gunmen further warned that failure to comply with their demands would result in the shopkeeper or trader being punished according to the “laws” of the the so-called “Islamic State in Irak”.

Muqdadiya is 45 km northeast of the city of Baquba, the capital of Diyala, which lies 57 km north-east of the capital, Baghdad.

25 Jul : 15:21 A bomb exploded yesterday evening that was targeting a green zone government army patrol in Muqdadiya, killing a soldier and wounding two others.

Karbala Governorate

Officials in Karbala were forced to hold a hasty press conference to deny the rumours which have spread like wildfire through the city that district council heads are each to be given 50 automatic rifles for distribution to the head of households to help defend the city in the case of an attack by the group known as the “Army of Omar” which is know to operate in the region west of the city.

During the press conference officials said that they were confident they could defend the city from attack and that the role of district councils in the event of such an attack would be to provide logistical support. During the conference the representative from the police said that anyway these were restricted weapons and that they needed all of them for themselves.

Karbala police chief Brigadier Raed Shakir Jaudat survived a bomb attack on his motorcade on the Babil - Karbala road near the Technical Institute 16 Km east of Karbala. Three of his body guards were killed. Report here, funeral photos here. (Note the names and ages of the three guards killed.) (Also see report here.) 

Ninawa Governorate

Reports from Mosul translated by  Mosul Observer:

Monday 23 July 2007

19:36
- A policeman was killed today Monday 23/7/2007 when unknown gunmen attacked a police patrol north of Ba’aj, Mosul.
-An explosion of a device targeting a patrol unit of the Iraqi Army at Al-Rumman, south of Mosul killed a civilian.
- Police blew up an explosive device placed on the side of road in Tellaafer.
- Three unidentified bodies among found by the police in different regions in Mosul. One of the bodies belonged to a woman.
10:24
- A woman was killed today 23/7/2007 in Al-Sukker district by gunmen and according to a source in the police, the dead woman was married to a policeman.
- A policeman was killed in Al-Bakr district in Mosul today.
- A policeman named Taha Younis Khurdhr, from Hammam Al-Aleel (town south of Mosul) Police force was killed in Al-Bakr district today 23/7/2007 by gunmen
- Police in Mosul find an unidentified body in Wadi Iqab in Mosul today.

Indexed under: Al Anbar (Governorate), Baghdad, Baghdad (Governorate), bomb, bombing, Bombings, Car bomb, Diyala, Fallujah, Ibn al-Nafees hospital, Imam Ali Hospital, Jaish al-Mahdi, Jordan, Mahdi, Mahdi Army, Militia, Mosul, Ninawa (Governorate), Refugees, Sadr City, Salah ad Din (Governorate), Syria, Tal Afar, Tikrit, Water Crisis, Water Crisis (Iraq)