Sunday's English Language Reports From AswataliraqThe media institutions contributing to Aswataliraq (Voices of Iraq) at present are: - Al Sabah al Jadid newspaper - Baghdad
- Al Taakhi newspaper - Baghdad
- Hawlati newspaper - Al Sulaimaniyah
- Al Mannarah newspaper - Basrah
- Radio Annas - Baghdad
Motlak-Front :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Motlak-Front
Sunni leader Motlak: National salvation front soon in Iraq
By Assad Jamil
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – Iraqi Sunni politician Saleh al-Motlak on Sunday said a national salvation front would soon be declared in Iraq that includes a number of political and religious figures.
“The declaration of setting this front aims at correcting the path of the stumbling political process,” Motlak, head of the Sunni National Dialogue Front (NDF), told reporters during a visit to the Jordanian capital Amman.
“In addition to the NDF, the front would include Iyad Allawi’s National Iraqi List, Meshaan al-Juburi’s Reconciliation and Liberation Front and the Sadr Movement headed by Moqtada al-Sadr,” he said.
Motlak said that other parties and movements from outside the political process would also join in the new front. “These include the Iraqi Institutional Conference headed by Jawad al-Khalisi, tribal sides from southern and central Iraq, representatives of the Yezidis, Turkmen, anti-secessionist Kurdish movements, Christian blocs and the Pan-Arab Shiite movement,” he added.
“The front would have the support of religious figures of heavy political and social weight,” Motlak told reporters.
On Saturday, the Sadrist bloc declared that a parliamentary front would be established to stand up against the presence of occupation forces in Iraq.
Falah Hassan Shanshal, head of the Sadrist bloc in parliament, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) the bloc obtained 105 signatures of legislators representing the political mosaic in parliament in support of the proposal
See Badger's very good posting: Sunday, December 03, 2006 Sunni leader promoting revival of a nationalist coalition with Sadr -mfi
Iraq-Dujail :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Iraq-Dujail
Lawyers for defense on Dujail case apply for cassation of sentences
By Dergham Muhammed Ali
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – The defense lawyers applied for cassation of the verdicts passed by the court that trying the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and six of his aides on Dujail case, said the head of the prosecution in the Iraqi higher criminal court on Sunday.
Iraq-Oil :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Iraq-Oil
Basra's oil port closed four days for installing export counters
By Dergham Muhammad Ali
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – The oil port in Basra would be closed for four days due to maintenance works and installing counters to accurately register the volume of exports, the media spokesman for the Iraqi oil ministry said on sunday. Karbala-Tribes :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Karbala-Tribes
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 02:06 PM
Karbala-Tribes
Karbala tribal chiefs urge exclusive state possession of arms
By Ali al-Nashi'
Karbala, Dec 3, (VOI) – Tribal chiefs in Karbala on Sunday called for removing all armed appearances in the city and acknowledging the state's right to have exclusive possession of all weapons in Karbala.
The chiefs demanded more efforts from the government to enhance the rule of law and rid the province of killings and assassinations.
"More than 250 tribal chiefs in Karbala have met to consider the tribes' position regarding developments on the Iraqi arena," Hamid al-Sherifi, the deputy secretary general of the Islamic Congress for Iraq's Tribal Chiefs, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Sherifi said the leaders have recommended coordination among all blocs and parties in power to have a vision that is clear to all in a way to improve security conditions in the province.
"Karbala is witnessing numerous cases of murders and assassinations without any clear motives or reasons, which badly affect security in the province," Sherifi added.
He pointed out that tribal leaders demanded to have a role in this mission by sanctioning them to participate in security-maintaining operations.
MultiNational-Gunmen-Update 1 :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: MultiNational-Gunmen-Update 1
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 01:31 PM
MultiNational-Gunmen-Update 1
Twelve people killed in U.S. air strike near Falluja
(Adds details, changes dateline)
Falluja, Dec 3, (VOI) – Twelve people were killed and two houses were destroyed when U.S. aircraft raided al-Lahib village near Falluja, a police source said.
“U.S. aircraft dropped late last night bombs on two houses in al-Lahib village to the east of Falluja,” the source who asked not to be named told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The source added “the air strike killed 12 people, including a woman and two children of one family.”
Earlier, the Multi-National Forces said the U.S. forces killed six gunmen and destroyed two houses used as a safe hideout in Gharma district near Falluja.
Iraq-Bombings-Toll :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Iraq-Bombings-Toll
Posted by: nadioshka on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 12:15 PM
Iraq-Bombings-Toll
182 killed or wounded in Baghdad's Sadriya market bombing
By Adel Fakher
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – The final count of Saturday's three car bombings in central Baghdad rose to 61 killed and 121 wounded, an interior ministry source said on Sunday.
"The victims of three booby-trapped car explosions that targeted civilians in central Baghdad's crowded Sadriya market rose until today morning to 61 fatalities and 121 injuries, including women and children," a media source in the interior ministry told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Three synchronized car bombings exploded on Saturday in Sadriya market during a rush hour. Baghdad-Club-Body :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Baghdad-Club-Body
Posted by: nadioshka on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 11:17 AM
Baghdad-Club-Body
Kidnapped head of Iraqi Students Club found killed
By Khalil Ibrahim Fakher
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) –The body of kidnapped head of Iraqi Students Club was found on Sunday, an official at the Central Iraqi Soccer Federation said.
The body of Professor Hedeib Majhoul, the head of Students Club and member of the Iraqi Soccer Federation, was found this morning in Baghdad forensic department, Tareq Ahmed told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The federation decided to close down the headquarters and stop work for three days as of Monday to protest Majhoul’s killing.
Unidentified gunmen had kidnapped Majhoul last Wednesday as he was leaving home in central Baghdad. Baghdad-Blast :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Baghdad-Blast
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 11:00 AM
Baghdad-Blast
Six wounded as charge explodes in Baghdad
By Adel Fakher
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – At least six people were wounded on Sunday morning when an explosive charge went off in central Baghdad, a police source said.
“An explosive charge went off today morning near al-Sha’ab Stadium in central Baghdad wounding six civilians,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Delo’yia-Clashes :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Delo’yia-Clashes
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 10:43 AM
Delo’yia-Clashes
Clashes leave six casualties in Delo’yia
Delo’yia, Dec 3, (VOI) –Clashes erupted between the U.S. forces and unknown gunmen in Delo’yia district, 130 km north of Baghdad, leaving six casualties, a police source said on Sunday. Kirkuk-Attack :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Kirkuk-Attack
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 10:15 AM
Kirkuk-Attack
Suicide bombing targets police chief in Kirkuk
Kirkuk, Dec 3, (VOI) – A suicide bomber detonated on Sunday morning explosives strapped to his body amid a police chief’s motorcade in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a police source said.
“A suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body today morning targeting lieutenant colonel Bola Mohammed, Lilan police chief, while on his way to work,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The attack took place near an Iraqi army checkpoint at Lilan district, 15 km north of Kirkuk, the source added.
“The police chief survived the attack but two elements of his protection force along with an army officer were killed,” he added.
Baghdad-School :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:Voices of Iraq: Baghdad-School
Posted by: saleem on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 09:57 AM
Baghdad-School
Eight casualties in mortar attack on Baghdad school
Baghdad, Dec 3, (VOI) – A mortar round slammed Sunday morning on a secondary school in downtown Baghdad wounding one teacher and over seven students, a police source said.
“A mortar shell fell today morning on al-Gharbiyah school, central Baghdad, wounding one teacher and seven students,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The attack also damaged the school building, he added.
“The security forces cordoned off the area while ambulances rushed to take the wounded to a nearby hospital,” the source added.
The Gharbiyah school, oldest in Baghdad, was established in 1932.
[Laith posted about this yesterday - mfi]
Gulfnews: Shiite chief to press for Iran role in Iraq: Baghdad: An influential Shiite leader will try to persuade US President George W. Bush to engage Iran to help end the conflict in Iraq, a Shiite official said.
Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), is slated to hold talks with Bush in Washington today.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ammar Al Hakim, deputy leader of SCIRI, described the meeting as "a new development in the relations with the US
read more:
Gulfnews: Playing sectarian game is dangerous: In Lebanon and Iraq lies the future of this region, analysts agree. But what sort of future? A question that should keep us all awake at night. Sectarian politics are taking shape in both countries, unfortunately with the support of some regional neighbours.
In Iraq, the alleged involvement of Iran and some Arab countries in arming rival factions makes it impossible for the government to rein in the spiralling violence or curb armed militias and death squads. In Lebanon, mass protests, led by Hezbollah and its ally Michel Aoun, continue against the government and threaten to plunge the country into the unknown.
read more:
What the US has learned (so far) in Iraq | csmonitor.com: WASHINGTON – Listing things done wrong in Iraq, one veteran US policymaker put it bluntly: Pentagon leaders ignored analyses that indicated they needed more troops to keep order. The military was slow to develop a clear plan to counter the insurgency. For too long, US generals kept assuming that the day when Iraqi troops would be able to stand on their own was just around the corner.
Furthermore, neither the Americans nor the Iraqis moved fast enough to counter the rising influence of the radical Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.
Read more of Bremer trying to exonerate himself if you must ...:
Nine U.S. troops killed in Iraq - CNN.com: BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nine U.S. troops died in Iraq during the weekend, including five killed by roadside bombs, the U.S. military reported Sunday.
Two soldiers were killed and two wounded Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in northern Iraq, U.S. commanders in the northern city of Tikrit announced. The soldiers were assigned to the Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Two U.S. soldiers and a Marine died from unspecified "enemy action" in western Iraq's Anbar province Saturday, the American command in Baghdad reported, while two U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.
[snip]
And two American soldiers were reported killed in Baghdad -- one slain by a roadside bomb Saturday, another killed in fighting Sunday.
The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq to 2,900, including including seven civilians working for the Defense Department.
Full story here - toll now 2900 American dead and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis :
(WAR WHORE Alert) George F. Will - America's Moral Duty in Iraq - washingtonpost.com : America's Moral Duty in Iraq
By George F. Will
Monday, December 4, 2006; Page A19
James Baker almost smiled.
When the poker-faced co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group heard a commentator who had been invited to advise the group say that America's aim must be "victory," Baker's stony visage betrayed the bitter amusement that the word "victory" now occasions. Not even the word "success" seems elastic enough to cover any attainable outcome. Remember the "demonstration effect" that Iraq's self-governance was to have in transforming the region? Although America's vice president calls Iraq "a fellow democracy," it lacks a government whose writ runs beyond Baghdad's Green Zone.(WAR WHORE Article in full on washingtonpost.com :
Pictures of Iraq will shake American sentiment- The Economic Times: Pictures of Iraq will shake American sentiment
NARENDAR PANI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2006 02:47:45 AM]
The picture of a naked girl running away from a Napalm bomb attack in Vietnam provided a boost to the anti-war sentiment in the United States. Visual technology since has changed beyond recognition. Yet, the pictures from Iraq provoke no such reaction within America.
The gap between Us and Them seems unbridgeable. It is this gap that Stephen Graham explores in his paper “Cities and the ‘War on Terror’“ published in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Graham looks at the various mechanisms through which the difference between ‘Our’ homeland and ‘Their’ urban spaces is built and consolidated. As he sees it, the Bush Administration has worked actively to create the impression of a homeland that is under direct threat.
The blood may be shed in Iraq, but ‘intelligent surveillance systems, checkpoints, ‘defensive’ urban design and intensifying security provide American cities with an ambience of being a part of the battlefront. As a part of the attempt to generate a unified response, political rhetoric is used to create the impression of a closely knit homogeneous community.
Those in the United States who don’t belong to this largely imaginary group then automatically become potential threats. This creates an anxiety where people assume even ordinary occurrences like parked vans, delayed trains, IT viruses and subway derailments to be signs of a shadowy terrorist attack. At the same time, Graham argues, the Arab ‘Terror Cities’ are presented as military targets rather than real, human spaces.
[snip]
There is already a view in some sections of American society that a preoccupation with the war in Iraq has led to other serious challenges being ignored. Hurricane Katrina is being widely seen as a sign that global warming needs greater attention than the Bush Administration would like to give it.
The new imagination also comes up against some of the older cultures of American cities. The United States has invested centuries in creating a culture of assimilation, of being a ‘melting pot’. New York would lose its very spirit if it loses its diversity. No matter how effective the mechanisms Stephen Graham talks about, it is difficult to see the essential New York going down without a fight.
Full article on: The Economic Times:
Baathists demand U.S. exit from Iraq: Baathists demand U.S. exit from Iraq Staff and agencies 03 December, 2006
By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago
DAMASCUS, Syria - A top spokesman for Iraq ‘s former ruling party said the group will not stop aiding the insurgency or engage in national reconciliation efforts unless the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad accepts conditions that would lead to its end.
Among the demands are the complete withdrawal of American troops, the abolition of laws enacted since the ouster of Saddam Hussein ‘s regime and trials of all Iraqis who cooperated with the United States and the U.S.-supported administration.
Neither the United States nor Iraq‘s Shiite Muslim-led government has shown any willingness to make such broad concessions to the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgents. President Bush has said he will keep U.S. troops in Iraq until the Baghdad government can keep the peace.....
Read AP report in full:
markfromireland |
