Iraq

Baghdad, March 18: Iraq’s former deputy premier Tareq Aziz received a life sentence on Wednesday for his role in the 1980s killing of Shiite officials, a judicial spokesman said.

Aziz, who was sentenced to death in October for other crimes, appeared in court with former interior minister Saadun Shaker, his co-defendant on charges of murdering the sons of Ayatollah Mohsen al-Hakim, a key figure behind a 1960 Shiite political revival in Iraq.

Baghdad, March 17: Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield on Wednesday slammed Congressional calls to cut the budget for foreign largesse, insisting that a plan to remove an additional $1 billion in Iraq spending from the budget threatens the ongoing war there.

Speaking on the $1 billion proposal, Brownfield insisted it would “lock in the progress,” and would guarantee a “stable, secure and even prosperous Iraq.”

Baghdad, March 16: Iraq’s long delay in finalizing its government has complicated the Obama administration’s drive to set up a small army of diplomats and contractors here after the end of the year, when the last American troops are supposed to leave.

The lack of permanent security ministers has also slowed negotiations on some critical issues, like plans to continue training the Iraqi police and to establish an office that would sell military equipment to the Iraqis.

Baghdad, March 16: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will not solve Iraq’s problems in three months, but by imposing a 100-day deadline on his cabinet to respond to violent protests he has bought time to consolidate his power.

Joining a wave of protests across the Arab world, thousands of Iraqis have taken to the street to decry power shortages, lack of jobs, poor basic services and corruption. At least 10 people were killed on the most violent day two weeks ago.

Baghdad, March 14: Eleven soldiers were killed and over 25 others were wounded Monday in a suicide car bomb attack in eastern Iraq, Xinhua reported.

The attack took place in the town of Kan’an, 20 km east of the Diyala provincial capital of Baquba.

A provincial police official confirmed the fatalities. The suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the compound of a government building in Kan’an, he said requesting anonymity. Twenty-nine people were wounded.

Baghdad, March 10: US force conducted an air drop operation on a village in al-Huweija district and raided some houses, killed a physician and arrested his brother, according to an Iraqi legislator on Tuesday.

“U.S.
special forces, in association with forces from Salah al-Din province, conducted an air drop operation on a village in Huweija, where they killed a physician and detained his brother on Sunday (March 6) night,” Omar al-Juburi, a member of parliament from al-Wasat (Centrist) Coalition, said during a parliamentary session Tuesday.

Baghdad, March 09: At least eight Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has documented accounts of demonstrator harassment during the ongoing protests in Suleimaniya. In the latest accusation, Kurdish security forces stood idly as masked men attacked protestors. Some witnesses believe the Kurdish government sent the “thugs.” Also, a U.S. spokesman corrected reports stating that U.S. troops had arrested an Iraqi cop and affirmed that Iraqi forces had carried out the arrest instead.

Baghdad, March 09: The official story of the 2003 US invasion ousting long-time dictator Saddam Hussein and replacing him with a US-style democracy with a US-approved constitution, known as the “liberation of Iraq,” is taking a serious hit as public protests in the streets of Iraq are met, as they have been in the more straightforward dictatorships in the region, with violent crackdowns.

Baghdad, March 05: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned against the return of violence and sectarianism Friday as thousands held peaceful protests demanding better services and an end to corruption.

After meeting with a number of security chiefs, al-Maliki stressed the need to maintain and protect the political process from “enemies” and not allow the return of sectarianism, violence and militias, Alsumaria website reported.

Al-Maliki also said that people had the right to express their opinion and demonstrate. But he warned against violating the law.

Baghdad, March 04: Thousands of Iraqi protesters have taken to the streets in main cities across the country, demanding economic reform and better living conditions.

Protest rallies over corruption, unemployment and poor government services were held in Baghdad, Basra, Nineveh, Anbar and Salahuddin following the Friday Prayers.

Unlike other demonstrations sweeping the Arab world, Iraqi protesters are seeking reforms, but not regime change.

“We live in a country rich with oil, yet we don’t have jobs,” demonstrators said. “The oil [is] for the people and not for thieves.”

Baghdad, March 04: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s insistences that the violent moves against protesters were just a function of overzealous security forces is falling apart tonight, on the eve of what is expected to be another Friday filled with nationwide rallies.

That is because reports from the scenes of some of the protests, particularly in the Sunni part of the country, say that a special forces unit loyal to Maliki has been showing up at protests, beating demonstrators and journalists, and rounding up protest leaders to be held in detention centers.

Baghdad, March 04: At least ten people were killed and 26 injured on Thursday in a suicide bombing at a bank in the Iraqi city of al- Haditha, security sources said.

The bombing took place as Iraqi soldiers gathered to collect their salaries at the state-owned bank in al-Haditha, some 120 kilometres west of Baghdad.

At least six of the people killed were soldiers.

–Agencies

Baghdad, March 04: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today demanded that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) order the withdrawal of thousands of Peshmerga soldiers from the northern city of Kirkuk, saying the troops occupied the city without central government permission.

The Peshmerga entered the city nominally to protect its ethnic Kurdish population from the growing public protests, but the addition of 12,000 Kurdish soldiers to the city, which lies outside of Kurdistan’s direct control, has also concerned the local Arab population.

Baghdad, March 03: A bomb went off on Wednesday targeting a U.S. convoy in al-Qanat street in eastern Baghdad, without leaving casualties, according to a security source.

“The bomb exploded near al-Mashtal bridge, eastern Baghdad, causing material damage only to the U.S.
convoy’s vehicles,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

U.S. army spokesman, Nader Soliman, confirmed the incident, saying that an explosive charge went off on Wednesday targeting U.S. army in al-Qanat street, without leaving casualties.

–Agencies

Baghdad, March 03: The United Nations says it’s concerned about reports of human rights violations during nationwide protests in Iraq.

U.N.’s Special Representative to Iraq Ad Melkert said in a statement on Wednesday that reported violations included “disproportionate” use of force by security forces against protesters.

Melkert has also voiced concern over restrictions on the media and arrests of journalists across the country.

Thousands of Iraqis have been taking to the streets in protests fueled by anger over corruption, chronic unemployment and shoddy public services.

New York, March 03: A plurality of U.S. voters think the Arab world’s growing unrest makes it unlikely U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the year’s end as planned, poll indicates.

Rasmussen Reports of Asbury Park, N.J., reported Tuesday its nationwide telephone survey indicated 19 percent of “likely U.S. voters” believe the upheaval in the Middle East and Africa will improve the situation in Iraq, 40 percent think it will worsen things there, 18 percent believe it will have no effect, but almost a quarter of the voters aren’t sure what impact the events will have.

Baghdad, March 03: Ayad Allawi, the former Prime Minister of Iraq and current leader of the nation’s largest political faction, Iraqiya, announced today that he will not accept the position of chairman of the National Council on Strategic Policies, the position he was promised under a “power-sharing” deal with the other major factions.

Baghdad, March 03: At least ten people were killed and 26 injured Thursday in a suicide bombing at a bank in the Iraqi city of al-Haditha, security sources said.

The bombing took place as Iraqi soldiers gathered to collect their salaries at the state-owned bank in al-Haditha, some 120 km west of Baghdad.

At least six of the people killed were soldiers.

——IANS

Baghdad, March 02: Though Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki seems confident to an almost ridiculous extent in the wake of last weekend’s massive protests, the protesters continue to seethe at their ill-treatment by security forces, and have all the more grievances against the regime.

Indeed, in the wake of a crackdown on the Friday protests that saw at least 29 people killed and hundreds of others wounded, demonstrators are reporting that political activists continue to be detained and beaten, as do journalists who covered the crackdown.

Baghdad, March 01: Iraqi police arrest a protester during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 25, 2011. Thousands marched on government buildings and clashed with security forces in cities across Iraq on Friday, in the largest and most violent anti-government protests here since political unrest began spreading in the Arab world several weeks ago.

Baghdad, March 01: Anti-U.S. Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Monday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to address peoples’ demands after weeks of nationwide protests over better basic services inspired by regional uprisings.

Maliki set a 100-day deadline for his ministers on Sunday to step up reforms or face losing their jobs as Iraqis continue to demonstrate against corruption and shortages of electricity, food and jobs.

“Everything happening in Iraq is his (Maliki’s) responsibility and this cannot be escaped from …,” Sadr said in a statement.

Baghdad, February 28: The death toll in Iraq’s broad anti-regime protests, and the subsequent violent crackdown by security forces, has risen to 29 killed, with untold hundreds of others wounded across at least eight cities since Friday.

The Maliki government reacted to the protests, which they blamed on supports of long-dead Saddam Hussein, with mass detentions of leaders and journalists, and one of the detained journalists, Hussan al-Ssairi, who detailed the beatings and threats of execution in custody, slammed the move as “a picture of the new democracy in Iraq.”

Baghdad, February 26: Despite repeated attempts to prevent Iraqis from venting their frustration with government corruption and poor services, thousands gathered across the country for a “day of rage.” In several cities, the protests became destructive and deadly, but in others some of the protestors’ demands were met. At least 34 Iraqis were killed and 189 more were wounded in demonstrations and other violence. The figures are likely to be higher as some reports had propotionally low figures for civilian wounded. Separately, a U.S.

Basra, February 26: Thirty-nine policemen were wounded in protests in Basra on Friday as security officials announced a curfew in the southern Iraq province until 06:00 a.m. Saturday, a police source said.

“The Basra Operations Command announced a curfew starting from 04:00 p.m.Friday until 06:00 a.m. Saturday,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The tally of wounded policemen in today’s demonstrations reached 39,” he added.

The oil-rich port city of Basra, Iraq’s only outlet to waterways, lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

–Agencies

Baghdad, February 26: Thousands marched on government buildings and clashed with security forces Friday in cities across Iraq in an outpouring of anger that left 11 people dead — the largest and most violent anti-government protests in the country since political unrest began spreading in the Arab world weeks ago.