Monday, Ahmed Rasheed (Reuters) reported, "Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million, according to documents seen by Reuters - a move that would break a U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran." Human Rights Watch's Erin Evers has a column at Huffington Post detailing the many abuses of Nouri al-Maliki's government and concluding:
The government failed to protect its citizens, instead further entrenching abuses and giving further momentum to Iraq's cruel cycle of instability. The United States government should be taking every possible step to ensure that its weapons are not going to be used for further abuses.
In contrast, the administration's concern about the possibility of Iran's arms sale to Iraq seems disappointingly misplaced in light of the overwhelming evidence of abusive and illegal techniques by SWAT, the federal police, and the army -- strong evidence that the weapons being supplied would be used for further abuse. With Congress too having missed the boat on its responsibility to make decisions in line with the US's human rights obligations, the inevitable result is that the US becomes complicit in the rapidly devolving situation in Iraq.
At least someone remembers the Iraqi people when having this discussion.
There are no other real developments, just repeats of we're-not-seeking-weapons-from-Iran and yes-we-are.
Aref Youssef (Turkish Press) notes a statement from the Ministry of Defense insisting there is no deal and "MP Hassan al-Saneed, who is also head of the Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee, said Tuesday that Iraq had signed a deal to import light weapons from Iran."
Who?
In December of 2011, Michael Kamber (New York Times) described Hassan al-Saneed as "a close ally of the prime minister's" and, in July 2010, Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) described him as "a senior advisor to al-Maliki."
Danielle Wiener-Bronner (The Wire) hypothesizes about the alleged weapons deal, "Still, the Iranian arms contribution would be negligible compared to America's, suggesting that the deal is a political move for Maliki -- who would need Iranian support to win a third term in office."
Through Tuesday, Iraq Body Count counts 822 violent deaths in Iraq so far this month.
At least 35 are dead and forty-five injured in today's violence.
National Iraqi News Agency reports an east Kirkuk bombing left one police member injured, an armed battle in Albu Fashgah Village left 3 rebels dead, an al-Habbaniyah roadside bombing left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead, a Mosul grenade attack left four Department of Health employees injured, a second Mosul grenade attack (this one near the Kurdistan Democratic Party's headquarters) left six people injured, Nouri's forces say they killed 8 militants in Ramadi, Nouri's forces say they killed 3 members of Da'ash, a Hermat car bombing left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead and five more injured, a Bani Saad car bombing left three people injured, a Kirkuk roadside bombing left two "protection team" members injured (the bomb apparently targeted an "office manager of fight against crime"), a Kanaan sticky bombing left 2 people dead and three more injured, a Ramadi roadside bombing left 3 Iraqi soldiers dead and two more injured, a Kirkuk sticky bombing ("near the cotton gin") left 1 person dead, a western Baghdad sticky bombing (al-Ghazaliya district) left 1st Lieutenant Mohammed Abdul-Hussein dead, a western Baghdad roadside bombing left six people injured, 1 person was shot dead in Baghdad's Amil district, 1 person was shot dead in Baghdad's Shaab district, 1 person was shot dead in Baghdad's Zafaraniyah area, a southern Baghdad bombing (Abu Dshir) left two people injured, a Mosul suicide bomber took his own life and the lives of 2 other people while leaving six more injured, Nouri's military shelling of Falluja left five family members ("including two children") injured,
and late last night a bombing "between Amiriyat al-Fallujah and Jurf al-Sakar" left 1 military officer and 3 police members dead.
Loveday Morris (Washington Post) reports on strategic problems with Nouri's assault on Anbar Province:
“There were no maps, there were no details,” he [Lt. Col. Ihab Hashem] said in an interview last month while on leave, recovering from an injury. The convoy lost eight Humvees after coming under fire and hitting a roadside bomb, he said, and at least one soldier was killed.
“We reached the bridge but it was a disaster,” he said, describing the purpose of the mission as “just to be there.”
The following community sites -- plus Jake Tapper, Dissident Voice, Black Agenda Report, Antiwar.com, Ms. magazine's blog, Susan's On the Edge, KPFK, On the Wilder Side and Pacifica Evening News -- updated last night and today:
The Group of Thirty, Financial Crisis Kingpins
48 minutes ago
He lies again
51 minutes ago
THIS JUST IN! BEEN CAUGHT LYING!
51 minutes ago
Etc.
2 hours ago
False Promises, Real Resolutions
2 hours ago
Obama’s War Against Civilization
2 hours ago
FT lies about Iraq (again)
15 hours ago
Pentagon wants more war
15 hours ago
Where are the jobs?
15 hours ago
Larry Johnson just gets nuttier
15 hours ago
The Originals
16 hours ago
Julie Chen's an idiot
16 hours ago
oh, dana
16 hours ago
Bruce Dern is my pick
16 hours ago
Newsday Censors the NY Green Party, Again
21 hours ago
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
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