Sunday, November 24, 2013

Hejira

Sameer N. Yaccoub (AP) reports 5 people were killed in Iraq today, including journalist Alaa Idwar who was shot dead in Mosul.  That's awful about Alaa Idwar and the other four but five?  That's good news for Iraq, right?

It might be good news . . . if the number was right.

At least three times that number were violently killed today in Iraq.

In addition to the journalist shot dead in Mosul, National Iraqi News Agency reports a Tikrit sticky bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer and left three more injured, 1 Dawa Party member (Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political party) was shot dead in Mosul, an armed attack on a Mosul checkpoint left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead, a central Baghdad bombing claimed 1 life and left four people dead, a northeastern Baghdad bombing claimed 1 life and left four people dead, a western Baghdad bombing left three people injured, an armed attack in Balad left 1 electrical engineer dead and three more people injured, gunmen stormed a high school in Al-Resala ("east of Mosul") and left 1 school employee dead,  an Albu-Ajeel bombing at the home of Capt Iskandar al-Ajili ("Director of Intelligence against riot") left him injured, a Kirkuk roadside bombing left three Iraqi soldiers injured, 1 restaurant owner was shot dead in Baghdad, a Baghdad sticky bombing left one police officer injured,  1 police officer was shot dead in Ramadi, 1 police officer was shot dead in Mosul, a Mosul bombing left two people injured, and an Anna roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer and left two more injured.  In addition, All Iraq News reports 1 corpse was discovered dumped in Sulaimaniya (stabbed to death "10 stabs in the chest and abdomen").  They also note two police officers were shot dead in Mosul today.  I think this is the one NINA noted above (both outlets say western Mosul).  All Iraq News notes that police major traffic officer Mohammed Abdul Maujoud was shot dead in eastern Mosul.


That's 16 reported dead and 26 injured.  Not the five dead that AP so reassuringly reported.

How did AP do on the journalist killed?

AP reports that "police say gunmen killed Alaa Idwar, a cameraman working for a local TV station, as he as he walked near his house."  That may be 'true' in that police said it.

But it's not true of the statement being factual.

Alaa Idwar apparently did not work for a local station.

All Iraq News quotes a source stating, "The victim used to work as a cameraman in Nineveh al-Ghad channel and he quit his job after receiving threats of killing him in case he remained working in the channel."


They also report another detail, he was an Iraqi Christian.

That makes him a member of two targeted groups in Iraq: Journalists and Christians.

Iraq Body Count goes with 14 killed today, 647 so far this month and 8,000 so far this year.

Still on violence, the US government stands accused of assisting attacks in Iraq.  The accusation comes from Iraqiya MP Alia Nassif.  National Iraqi News Agency reports:


 The Information Office of the coalition quoted her as saying that " the report published by one of the American websites, which revealed that the United States is spying on billions of telephone calls in many countries of the world , mostly in the Middle East , shows clearly that the U.S. administration aware of those who are waging terrorist attacks on Iraqi civilians with car bombs and improvised explosive devices ,and it seems that the interest of America require the continuation of these massacres in Iraq, in order to preserve U.S. national security . "
Nassif demanded masses, Jurists, legal experts and representatives of civil society organizations as well as activists of human rights to " file lawsuits against the U.S. administration on charges of concealment of terrorist groups committed and continue to commit massacres in Iraq." 


There's another death to note.  It's recent but when isn't stated.  It's also most likely due to natural causes and not violence.  Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes:





    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, received on November 24, 2013, several Ambassadors of the Arab countries including United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Sudan in addition to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation accredited to Iraq.

  The Ambassadors presented warm condolences to the Minister for his ​​sister's death, praying to Allah, the Almighty to grant her mercy, to rest in peace and inspires her family patience and solace.

  The meeting was attended by Undersecretary for Legal Affairs, Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Committee.



BBC News has a photo essay entitled 'In Pictures: Women At Risk In Iraq."  We'll note that again this week.  Umed Sami (Kirkuk Now) reports that Monday kicks off Domestic Violence Awareness Week which actually lasts two weeks and that there are many different actions because there are "20 women's rights organizations in Kirkuk."  From the article:


 No to Violence against Women is a women’s rights organization founded by a group of women’s rights activists back in 2010.  It is one of the organizations planning to organize a protest rally on November 25 in front of the governor’s office as they protest against the poor conditions of women’s rights and their struggles.
In the meantime, the Kurdistan Women’s Union, a women’s organization affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party of Kirkuk Governor Najmadin Karim, is a member of the political bureau boycotting the activities of No to Violence against Women and who view their rally as an “opposition against the governor and not demanding the women’s rights.”
Women’s activist Naska Muhammad told Kirkuk Now “The majority of the women’s rights organizations have boycotted the rally as we feel it is more targeted against the governor and it is politically driven.”




We'll be on holiday schedule because the US celebrates Thanksgiving.  I forgot to do a heads up here on Veterans Day.  Brady kindly e-mailed to remind me I did a notice in the gina & krista round-robin but not one here so far.  So here it is, Monday through Wednesday -- regular schedule here and at community sites.  Thursday?  If it's necessary I'll do a snapshot.  If it's necessary, that means others feel they have to post something as well.  That's why we don't do snapshots most holidays.  We did one in 2008, Thanksgiving, when the White House released the SOFA (which was passed by the Iraqi Parliament that day).  I would hope everyone could have a day off.  I don't know though because NINA reports State of Law has announced they will be attending the emergency Parliament hearing on the flooding (Nouri's failures).  So that may get a lot of coverage.  If it does -- if it's a big issue in the Iraqi press -- there's a good chance I'll do a snapshot.  Regardless, I will be posting here on Thursday.  Probably late in the afternoon.  Mike and Elaine got here this weekend and they say they'll both post on Thursday as well.  (Elaine and I have done Thanksgiving together since college.  On one hand, you can count the times we were unable to  -- and that was due to weather shutting down flights or due to our pregnancies.)  Friday, we'll go back to normal schedule here and community wide.





I'm traveling in some vehicle
I'm sitting in some cafe
A defector from the petty wars
That shell shock love away
-- "Hejira," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her album of the same name

 The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.



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