Monday, September 02, 2013

At least 23 dead, 47 injured in today's violence in Iraq

Ammar Karim (AFP) reports, "A UN team visited a camp housing Iranian exiles north of the Iraqi capital on Monday, September 2, as investigators tried to establish how 52 members of the anti-Tehran group died over the weekend.  The deaths of the members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI), confirmed by a senior Iraqi security officer, were met with international condemnation."  Sunday, Camp Ashraf was attacked by Nouri's forces. Al Mada notes that Nouri's declared he should be over the Iraqi investigation since he's commander-in-chief.  That's exactly why he shouldn't be over it.  Are we really surprised that the concepts of "independence" and "integrity" would escape Nouri?

Meanwhile, the ongoing protests continue in Iraq.  All Iraq News notes that Iraqiya head Ayad Allawi has called for the protesters to be listened to, for their demands to be responded to and states, "The Iraqis will win their freedom and defeat terrorism" that the protests "are Constitutional and legal because the citizens are expressing their suffering and the lack of public services."  Saturday's protests in Iraq included a call to end the the fortune forked over to politicians.  World Bulletin explained:

 Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Baghdad and central and southern Iraq on Saturday against generous pension payments to lawmakers in a county where many are still struggling to get jobs and basic services.
Police surrounded the rare demonstration in the capital and security forces armed with batons, teargas and water canon broke up one gathering in the southern city of Nassiriya, witnesses and security forces said.
The protests marked widespread anger at the monthly payments of thousands of dollars and other benefits to government and parliamentary officials.


All Iraq News reports Moqtada al-Sadr's Ahrar bloc has announced they will submit a bill with the Iraqi Lawyers Syndicate's MPs that, if passed, would end the pensions for MPs and the three presidencies.  Al Rafidayn reports Nouri states he will meet with his Cabinet tomorrow to discuss the pensions.

Turning to violence, Al Rafidayn notes the United Nations states over 800 people were killed in Iraq in August.  Here's the statement UNAMI released:

 According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of 804 Iraqis were killed and another 2,030 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in August. كوردى
 The number of civilians killed was 716 (including 106 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,936 (including 195 civilian police). A further 88 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and 94 were injured.
  “Despite the decrease in casualty figures in August, compared to July, the impact of violence on civilians remains disturbingly high, with almost 5,000 civilians killed and 12,000 injured since the beginning of 2013,” the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Ms. Jacqueline Badcock, warned. 
Baghdad was the worst-affected governorate in August with 1,272 civilian casualties (317 killed and 955 injured), followed by Salahuddin, Ninewa, Diyala, and Anbar (triple digit figures). Kirkuk, Babil, Wasit and Basra also reported casualties (double-digit figures). 



Today in Iraq, at least 23 reported deaths and forty-seven people were left injured. National Iraqi News Agency notes 1 food shop owner was shot dead inside his Baghdad shop, 1 man was shot dead in front of his Baghdad home (Bayaa district), 1 man was shot dead in front of his Baghdad home (Amin district), a Tikrit car bombing claimed 3 lives (including a judge) and left nine more people injured, a Ramadi roadside bombing left two police officers injured, Dr. Majid Fahti, director of a Mosul health center, was shot dead today in the health center, an attack on a Falluja police station left two police officers injured, an attack on a Tigris Operation Command headquarters in Kirkuk left two of Nouri's forces injured, an attempted assassination by bombing of Sahwa leader Issa Mohsen Abdullah failed to kill or wound him but left one by-stander injured, a Baghdad shooting left 1 person dead and three more injured, an Abara suicide attack "resulted in the killing of the suicide attacker and 2 civilians, as well as wounding 10 persons, including 2 policemen," and a bombing at a Hilla playground left three people injured.  All Iraq News adds that "Zedan Abid Asmi, the manager of Gas Production department within Beji Power Generation Station [was kidnapped] and killed two of his guards in Siniya area."  Alsumaria reports that Sahwa leader Sam Hardan's Baghdad home was attacked by 2 suicide bombers who killed Hardan and 7 of his bodyguards while another fourteen people were injured.




Beth's "Iraq, favoritism and feminism (Beth)," Ruth's "Ruth's Report," Kat's "Kat's Korner: Jackson and His Computerband Glow" and Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Just Keep Lying" all went up today.  And Isaiah has another comic which goes up after this.


Lastly, Professor Michel Chossudovsky (Global Research) has a new piece on the real US-link between Iraq and Syria: counter-insurgency:




 While the stated objective of the “Iraq Salvador Option” was to “take out the insurgency”, in practice the US sponsored terror brigades were involved in routine killings of civilians with a view to fomenting sectarian violence. In turn, the CIA and MI6 were overseeing “Al Qaeda in Iraq”  units involved in targeted assassinations directed against the Shiite population. Of significance, the death squads were integrated and advised by undercover US Special Forces.
Robert Stephen Ford –subsequently appointed US Ambassador to Syria– was part of Negroponte’s team in Baghdad in 2004-2005. In January 2004, he was dispatched as U.S. representative to the Shiite city of Najaf which was the stronghold of the Mahdi army, with which he made preliminary contacts.
In January 2005, Robert S. Ford’s was appointed Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy under the helm of Ambassador John Negroponte. He was not only part of the inner team, he was Negroponte’s partner in setting up the Salvador Option.  Some of the groundwork had been established in Najaf prior to Ford’s transfer to Baghdad.

John Negroponte and Robert Stephen Ford were put in charge of recruiting the Iraqi death squads. While Negroponte  coordinated the operation from his office at the US Embassy, Robert S. Ford, who was fluent in both Arabic and Turkish, was entrusted with the task of establishing strategic contacts with Shiite and Kurdish militia groups outside the “Green Zone”.
Two other embassy officials, namely Henry Ensher (Ford’s Deputy) and a younger official in the political section, Jeffrey Beals, played an important role in the team “talking to a range of Iraqis, including extremists”. (See The New Yorker, March 26, 2007).  Another key individual in Negroponte’s team was James Franklin Jeffrey, America’s ambassador to Albania (2002-2004). In 2010, Jeffrey was appointed US Ambassador to Iraq (2010-2012).
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