February 28, 2006
And the Killing Goes On
Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment has a fairly comprehensive roundup of news and opinion on the sectarian killings in Iraq.
Such killings are expected when the social fabric in a country is violently disturbed, whether by internal or external forces.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
Baghdad Burning Translated Into Spanish and Japanese
Back on December 5, 2005, Riverbend at Baghdad Burning commented on what she called the "Mother of All Trials..."
Meanwhile, her blog has been translated into Spanish and Japanese, and some of her posts have been turned into Baghdad Burning: The Book. She writes about here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2005
Kurds Drilling for Oil and Trouble in Dahuk
Christian Iraq.com has a December 4, 2005 article that says, "Sunni and Shiite Arab leaders in Baghdad this week questioned the authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government after it began drilling for oil in the Dahuk Governorate."
"Several Arab leaders in Baghdad claimed that Kurdistan did not have the authority constitutionally to undertake a venture, particularly without the approval of the central government," the blog reported, adding:" Kurdish authorities however, maintained that it is their right to develop and control oil resources in their region." Surely the Kurds don't think a central government will allow them to control a substantial portion of Iraq's oil. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:34 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2005
Is Conciliation Among Iraq's Political Factions Possible at This Time?
According to Agence France Presse (AFP), "Iraqi leaders resumed efforts on Sunday [November 20, 2005] to prepare a reconciliation conference for the war-torn country, facing deep sectarian differences heightened by a wave of violence at home."
The news service said, "The first of the three days of Arab League-sponsored talks on Saturday [November 19, 2005] was marked by bitter recriminations between the war-torn country's factions and a brief walkout from one session by Shiite and Kurdish delegations." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Al-Mendhar: Sistani Rejects Federation and Stresses Unity
Al-Mendhar has a statement on federalism in Iraq that was purportedly issued by "Grand Ayatollah Al Sayyid Ali Al Sistani."
The Diplomatic Times Review does not know if the statement is accurate.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)
Iraq the Model: Sistani Emabrrasses the Governement
Mohammed at Iraq the Model, the favorite blog of many pro-war bloggers in the United States, reported today that:The differences between the Sheat (Shiite?)clergy and the parties that used its name during the elections are deepening and this appeared clearly after [Ali Husaini] Sistani [said] that he's not going to accept having his name or that of the clergy used for any future electoral campaign.The clergy's negative attitude towards Sheat ruling parties increased after more seeing criticism coming from the people in the Sheat regions to the worsening situation in their cities which is attributed to the failure of the local administrations in running the affairs of the cities; the peak of the crisis came when Sheat-Shaet conflicts started in Najaf and a few other cities. I was even told by some Najafi friends that the conflict pushed Sistani to rufuse any meetings with government officials.Today the differences reached the peak when Sistani dropped a bomb by rejecting federalism and thus rejecting the constitution of the Kurdish-Sheat alliance putting the current ruling parties in a difficult position.
Sistani in his statement said: "The Sunnis are your family. Stay by their side this time so that they stay by your side in the coming timesMohammed said, "This development reflects a critical turn in the relationship between the Sheat clergy and the government, and the ruling politicians will be faced again by the danger of having clerics interfering with politics but this time, the Sheat alliance which insisted on mentioning the clergy in the introduction of the constitution will certainly realize this danger and they will be left before a hard choice as they have put all their weight on the balance of the clergy and if the latter lets them down the consequences will be catastrophic for those politicians."
Here is Mohammed's entire post.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2005
What Kind of Iraq Does Draft Constitution Envision?
What kind of an Iraq is envisioned by the disputed draft constitution that the Bush Administration is pushing in Iraq? According to Zaman Daily Online of Turkey, the constitution states:
(1) The Iraqi regime is a republican, federal, democratic and pluralist regime.
(2) Two or more regions can be united through a plebiscite. At least a quarter of seats in the National Assembly will be shared with women.
(3) The official languages are Arabic and Kurdish. The Kerkuk (Kirkuk) issue will be solved after 2007.
(4) Islam is the official religion and the primary source of legislation. No laws against democratic principles can be enacted
(5) Oil and natural gas revenues will be equally distributed among the demographic distribution of the regions; and
(6) Deputies elect the Iraqi president, who must be an Iraqi by birth, with a majority of two thirds for a four-year term.
Zaman said, "Disputed issues in the draft constitution are summarized as limits of federalism, forming federal units, annulment of the Baath Party, issues regarding the situation of state officials of the overthrown Saddam government, separation of power among president, parliament and the cabinet." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:01 AM | Comments (0)
Will a Forced Constitution Make a Difference in Iraqi?
The Christian Science Monitor explains "Why Iraq may not get a bounce from constitution."
If an agreement on a constitution is reached, it is to please the United States. The various factions in Iraq have their own agendas, which has nothing to do with democracy. It's about power, influence, controlling resources and keeping rival factions off balance.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:25 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
Buying Time in Iraq's Constitution Drafting Game
"Minutes from the midnight deadline for the first draft of Iraq's new constitution, the Iraqi delegation responsible for writing the charter asked for more time, effectively admitting it remained far from compromising on the country's most contentious issues," contends Dan Murphy, a Christian Science Monitor correspondent in Baghdad
He noted that, "Iraq's transitional assembly voted to extend the deadline by one week, to Aug. 22. The constitutional delegation wanted 10 days."
"But whether more time will help Iraq's Kurds, Shiite Arabs, and Sunni Arabs--all of whom have dramatically different ideas about what the structure of the state should be--to reach consensus is uncertain at best. Under the country's transitional law, the parliament would have been dissolved at midnight Monday [August 15, 2005] without a draft constitution or the agreed upon extension. To avoid having to hold new elections, Iraq's parliament amended those rules."
Sounds familiar to me. politicians are the same everywhere. For more see "Deep divisions remaining, Iraq's constitution delayed."
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
Will a New Constitution Change the Political Cimiate in Iraq?
Rory Carroll a Guardian Unlimited correspondent in Baghdad, reported August 16, 2005 that, "From the swirl of political drama in Baghdad last night one stark fact emerged: the new constitution, if and when it is finally agreed, will not settle the question of what is Iraq."
"Even if a draft constitution is agreed in seven days' time," he added, " the document will mark another stage, not the end, of the answer to that question." Read why.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)
A Survey for Western Consumption?
Associated Press Correspondent Hamed Ahmed reported in a dispatch from Baghdad that, "A survey conducted by Iraq's constitutional drafting committee showed that the majority of those responding supported full rights for women - as long as the freedoms are in accordance with Islam."
What would one expect them to say? By the way, I think this survey was conducted for western consumption. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:17 AM | Comments (0)
Iraqi tribunal Says Only Saddam Hussein Can Fire His Lawyers
News.com.au of Australia reported August 15, 2005 that, "The Iraqi tribunal trying Saddam Hussein on war crimes charges has blocked a bid by his family to fire his vast team of defence lawyers, saying only Saddam can make such a move, the family said today." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:10 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2005
'The Political Downfall of a Canadian in Baghdad'
Dr. Alaa at-Tamimi, the ousted Canadian mayor of Baghdad, "is calling it quits and coming home after 15 frustrating months on the job, a wild ride that included everything from incessant complaints about trash collection and looters stealing key parts at the sewage plant to attempts on his life and an armed coup,"notes the Globe and Mail of Toronto.
The Fallujah-born engineer's ordeal is chronoicled in an informative, August 13, 2005 article headlined "The Political Downfall of a Canadian in Baghdad."
The Globe and Mail said, "Under cover of a sandstorm, heavily armed Shia militia marched into Baghdad City Hall on Monday [August 8, 2005] and announced a change in civic administration.
"I don't think I will return to office. I'm finished," Dr. Alaa al-Tamimi said yesterday [August 12, 2005]. the publication noted.
I think that's a wise decision, sir.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:05 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Will Iraqi Kurds Overplay Their Hand In Iraqi Politics?
"A few days ago the Kurds unveiled an expanded Kurdish region which they want enshrined as an appendix to the new constitution," Raed Jarrar of Raed in the Middle reported in a July 25, 2005, post.
"As I understand it," he added, "the claim represents not simply areas which currently have a majority Kurdish population, but areas which they believe did so at some point in the past 50-100 years."
"Let the jokers at PUK and PDK dream on." Mr. Jarrar said. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 18, 2005
While Bombings Continue At Home, Jaafari Signs Pact With Iran
"The Iraq-Iran rapprochement has caused discomfort in the US," according to Zaman Online. The publication said, "The Washington administration [is] concerned about Iranian political influence paving the way for an Islamic regime or even causing disintegration in Iraq." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2005
The Islamic Federal Republic of Iraq
Kurdish Media.Com reported July 1, 2005 that, "Peyamner.com revealed that Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa stating that the future Iraqi state will be called The Islamic Federal Republic of Iraq." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
Kurds In Provinces Unite Behind Barzani, For Now
Agence France Press quoted a Kurd named Kamel Salar as saying the naming of Masoud Barzani as President of Iraq's three autonomous Kurdish provinces of Sulaimaniyah, Arbil and Dohuk was historic. "This is an historic occasion, not only for Iraqi Kurds, but for all Kurds" in Turkey, Syria and Iran," he reportedly said.
According to Turks.US Daily News.,
The local parliament unanimously approved the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) leader Barzani as the president of the Kurdish Federation. He gained 42 votes from the KDP, 42 from the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and 27 from the Kurdish parties in a voting session held in the 111-seat local parliament convening in the city of Erbil on Sunday, June 12. According to the Kurdish Constitution that has been approved simultaneously, a direct popular vote will determine the next president for the following term. Parliamentary groups reached consensus over the KDP leader being the "region's president" last Thursday. Barzani will have a four year term of duty according to the Kurdish constitution and he will be eligible for nomination for a second term.I wonder how long the peace will last after the Americans are forced out. When the Americans do leave, I expect war between the various Iraqi factions, especially between Kurds and Arabs and even among the Kurds themselves. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Barzani Named President of Kurdish Region of Iraq
The Journal of Turkish Weekly noted June 13, 2005 that, "the Kurdish parliament in northern Iraq said on Sunday [June 12, 2005] it elected veteran Masoud Barzani as president of the region, giving the group greater autonomy after decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein.
"Some experts argue that the step is a vital initiative for a separate Kurdish state," The Journal said, adding: "Adnan al-Mufti, speaker of the Kurdish parliament, told a news conference that parliament unanimously elected Barzani, whose long-time rival Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) became Iraq's president earlier this year." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Are Iraqi Forces Pushing Kurds To Revolt?
Kurdistan Observer.Com reported June 13, 2005 that, "In the welter of the political tug-of-war regarding the drafting of the constitution and the nature of the new Iraqi state, the Kurds feel that Iraqi forces are trying to obstruct the political process and push the Kurds to "revolt and carry arms once again", even though the Kurds have no desire to do so." The publication also said:
Kamal Muhyi-al-Din, National Assembly member and member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [PUK], which is led by President Jalal Talabani, has emphasized that we will not carry arms once again and will refute their pretext.
Speaking to the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat on Friday, [June 10, 2005] Muhyi-al-Din noted that some Iraqi forces wished to control Kurdistan by armed force and restore the dictatorship under the excuse of confronting revolt and the carrying of arms. He pointed out that these forces, which he referred to as enemies of the Iraqi people without naming them, were trying to push us in this direction. He explained that the Kurdish forces, which are well aware of the ongoing political ploys, would never give them such opportunity and would rely on the sincere national forces to expose the various pitfalls on the road of the political process and uncover those who did not wish to assist in the continuation of the new democratic march. The Observer said, "Muhyi-al-Din held the executive authority responsible for failing to implement the laws regarding the normalization of the situation in the Kurdish region, which has been the scene of displacement and seizure of property."See "Kurdish Official Says Iraqi Forces Pushing Kurds To Revolt, Carry Arms" for more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 28, 2005
Will State of Siege in Baghdad Curtail Insurgency?
Iraqi Defense Minister Saddoun al-Dulaimi and Interior Minister Bayan Jabbor's announced on May 26, 2005 that "Operation Thunder" would get underway in Baghdad next week in an effort to crush insurgents operating effectively in the city despite the presence of a large contingent of U.S. occupation troops and a so-called Iraqi security force. The crackdown won't stop the insurgency although there will likely be a lull until they figure out how to circumvent the operation. Although some insurgents will be captured and killed, finding a weakness shouldn't be too hard since some of the 40,000 troops that will take part in "Operation Thunder" are most likely members of the insurgency or sympathize with it.
Not only that, one of the intelligence tidbits announced by the Iraqi government was where the checkpoints will be and how many will be fixed and how many will be mobile. Stephen Farrell of The Times Online, who called the announcement of "Operation Thunder" "a carefully planned public relations exercise" although Mr. Dulaimi and Mr. Jabbor described it as attempt to gain the initiative in the war, wrote:
They said that a security cordon of 675 fixed and mobile checkpoints would be thrown around Baghdad to reduce insurgent violence that has killed more than 600 this month, with more than a dozen dead in attacks yesterday.He added: "The cordon would begin next week and be extended to other areas of Iraq over the coming fortnight. However, there was some confusion, with senior aides indicating that some operations had already begun."
Mr Dulaimi said that the capital would be divided into 2 sectors and 15 districts where police would operate 24 hours a day, monitoring all foreigners and going into every hotel, every restaurant and every street and take to prison every Arab who does not have authorization to be here.
I guess that means Baghdad will become a prsion camp. It's already a killing zone.Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 22, 2005
Despite a Elected Regime, U.S. Will Reportedly Help Run Iraq
Los Angeles Times Correspondents Paul Richter and Ashraf Khalil, in an article datelined Washington, reported May 22, 2005 that, "Facing an intensifying insurgency and a frail government in Baghdad, the Bush administration has reluctantly changed course to deepen its involvement in the process of running Iraq." They added. U.S. officials are taking a more central and visible role in mediating between political factions, pushing for creation of an inclusive new government and helping resuscitate public services. At the same time, the Bush administration is maintaining pressure on Iraqi officials to upgrade the nation's fledgling security forces.
They said, "the change comes at a time when confidence in the government elected in January has been falling and U.S. officials have grown more pessimistic about how quickly Iraqi security forces will be able to take charge of the counterinsurgency effort." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Khalid and Ali Mashhandani's Motives for Fighting U.S. in Iraq
I found "In Brothers, Two Faces of the Iraq Insurgency," a Los Angeles Times report on the war in Iraq, quite revealing. Especially interesting are Ali and Khalid Mashhandani's motives for fighting the U.S. occupiers of Iraq.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Arab News: 'Iraq Sunnis Form Alliance'
"Iraq's marginalized Sunnis yesterday [May 21, 2005] formed a nationwide alliance of tribal, political and religious groups and demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Bayan Jabr," reports Naseer Al-Nahr in Arab News. He said, "the groups demand threatened to further fuel sectarian tensions following the recent killing of several Sunni clerics that they have blamed on Shiite-dominated security forces."
"A total of 10 clerics, both Sunni and Shiite, have been killed by gunmen in the past two weeks and Sunni mosques have been observing a lockout in protest since Friday [May 20, 2005]," he wrote. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 19, 2005
Zaman: Bush Admits 'Incompetent' Civilian Personnel Working in Iraq
Zaman Daily Online reported May 19, 2005 that, "U.S. President George W. Bush has admitted that the civilian U.S. personnel in charge of restructuring of Iraq after the war are incompetent, and that from now (on the) focus will be on training civilian American officials to be sent to region soon." If this is true, it means the intent is to send in officials capable of handling a colonial administration. I predict that it won't do any good. Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Who Can Confirm Latest Statement Atrributed to al-Zarqawi?
The report that, "Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq yesterday defended the killing of "innocent Muslims" in suicide bombings against US forces, saying it was legitimate under Islam for the sake of jihad (holy war), according to an audio tape attributed to him," seems designed to put a damper on the furor surrounding Newsweek's "Gitmo:Southcom Showdown," which said, among other things, that: Investigators probing interrogation abuses at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay have confirmed some infractions alleged in internal FBI e-mails that surfaced late last year. Among the previously unreported cases, sources tell NEWSWEEK: interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet and led a detainee around with a collar and dog leash.
The report resulted in anti-American demonstrations in some countries and the killing of at least 15 Muslims by security forces trying to quell the demonstrations, according to various reports. Newsweek, under pressure from the Bush Administration and its supporters in the media, apologized for the report and said it could not verify the claims in it.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , according to news reports, said,
"The killing of infidels by any method including martyrdom (suicide) operations has been sanctified by many scholars even if it means killing innocent Muslims. This legality has been agreed upon ... so as not to disrupt jihad. The killing of infidels by any method including martyrdom (suicide) operations has been sanctified by many scholars even if it means killing innocent Muslims. This legality has been agreed upon ... so as not to disrupt jihad,"He allegedly made the statement "on the tape posted on a website."
I have no way of knowing whether Abu Musab al-Zarqawi made the statement. And I doubt that 99.9 percent of the people in the West who attribute the statement to him can confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that he actually made it. While I'm no expert in psyops, this sounds like such an operation. What makes me suspicious is the portion that said the killing of innocent Muslims in order to kill infidels is sanctioned by many scholars. It did not say sanctioned by Allah. It's my belief that no authentic Islamic scholar would sanctioned acts that can't be justified in Qur'an and Hadith. And unless I've missed something, it can't be sanctioned using those sources. Yet the message will work because we have no way of proving or disproving whether it is al-Zarqawi or the CIA. What makes matters worse for me is that U.S. intelligence agencies have lied so much about Iraq that it is difficult to believe their analysis of events. Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Arab News: 'Dulaimi Vows to Make Iraq Haven of Peace'
Naseer Al-Nahr of Arab News quotes Saadun Al-Dulaimi, "the newly appointed Sunni defense minister," as telling reporters in Baghdad: We will work hard to make Iraq a haven of peace, We are going to meet commanders on the ground, resolve the problems they are facing and do everything to make sure they bring order back to Iraq. Within a few weeks or months, friendly forces will only have a support role.
Friendly forces are the U.S. occupation troops and their foreign supporters. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Abizaid Can't Confirm Insurgents Met in Syria to Plot Iraq Attacks
"The American General who commands all U.S. forces in the Middle East says he can not confirm a statement by one of his subordinates that the recent increase in violence in Iraq resulted from a meeting of leading insurgents in Syria," Al Pessin, the Voice of America's Pentagon correspondent reported May 18, 2005. "But the general, John Abizaid, says Syria should do more to ensure that insurgents do not use the country as a logistical base." Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Is al-Zarqawi Given Too Much Credit for Iraqi Insurgency?
Mohammad Bazzi, Middle East Correspondent for Newsday, reports that, "U.S. officials Thursday blamed the recent wave of massive attacks by insurgents in Iraq on Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, saying his lieutenants met in Syria to plot the escalation."
"But some Iraqi security officials say former Baathists are playing a more central role than the U.S. military has acknowledged," he wrote. "And while Iraqi and U.S. forces have made important arrests in al-Zarqawi's network in recent months, that has done little to dampen the insurgency. The Iraqi officials say this highlights their assessment that al-Zarqawi is taking credit for more attacks than his network is actually carrying out."
"It was a mistake to portray al-Zarqawi as the overall leader of the insurgency," one Iraqi official, who has overseen the interrogations of dozens of insurgents, told Newsday last week," Mr. Bazzi wrote. "There are many small, militant groups that agree with him ideologically, but they don't necessarily take orders from him." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 18, 2005
Dr. Harith al-Dhari: Badr Forces Escalating Tensions in Iraq
Diala Saadeh of Reuters reported May 18, 2005 that, Dr. Harith Sulayman al-Dhari, head of Iraq's "influential Sunni Muslim Clerics Association," told a news conference May 18 that, "The parties that are behind the campaign of killings of preachers of mosques and worshippers are ... the Badr Brigades. Badr forces are responsible for the escalating tensions," he is quoted as saying.
Is an Iraqi civil war just a matter of time? If civil war occurs, which side will the U.S. join forces with? Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2005
U.S.: Iraq's Cash Economy May Be Aiding Insurgents
Beth Potter, in an article in the Daily Times of Pakistan, notes that, "in Iraq, unregulated money transfers known as hawala are at the heart of the country's largely cash economy, but U.S. officials fear they also help fund the insurgency.The unofficial banking system is common to much of the Middle East where it helps smooth business dealings and sidesteps red tape," she wrote. "But U.S. officials want it regulated in Iraq to help choke off funds from abroad that might be helping to finance rebel operations, according to a U.S. Treasury official in Baghdad who declined to be named. "Insurgency financing in a cash economy like this is very easy. I want to detect and deter them," the official told AFP. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2005
Is True Scope of Iraq Insurgency Being Acknowledged?
"The insurgent and terrorist threat in Iraq remains all too real and it is far from clear that the U.S. and Iraqi government will be able to decisively defeat the various insurgent groups," said Anthony Cordesman, a security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, in a new study titled "Iraq's Evolving Insurgency," reports Globe and Mail.Com of Toronto. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 10, 2005
The Propaganda War and the Ground War in Iraq
Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment raises interesting questions today about a U.S. operation in Iraq in which he notes that U.S. Marines are reportedly surprised by"the degree of preparation the guerrillas are showing." He wrote that the guerillas "also seem to have specialized knowledge of how best to fight the Americans." Mr. Cole added: (This datum suggests that someone in the Iraqi army or government let them know the US was coming. Everyone knows that the police, national guards and security apparatuses are extensively infiltrated by the guerrilla resistance).The remarkable thing about the operation was the claim by the US to have killed 100 guerrillas, a new move in the propaganda wars. The US military had been deliberately avoiding announcements of numbers of guerrillas killed. But this strategy, which comes from the scandals about over-estimates of Viet Cong killed in the Vietnam War, had left the guerrillas free to generate headlines such as "300 killed in bombings during the past week."
Mr. Cole said, "Nothing the US had done could compete with that sort of number, which I believe explains why we now get a number. The problem with giving out such numbers, however, is that sooner or later there will be another scandal," he asserts. "For instance, are all 100 (a suspiciously round number) really guerrillas? Or are some innocent civilians who got caught in the crossfire? How would you tell, if all you have is a dead 16-year-old male body?" Good questions. Similar ones came to mind as I read accounts of the current U.S. operation near the Syrian border. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 08, 2005
Hashim al-Shibli: 'Sectarian Identities Leads to Divisions...'
KurdishMedia, like many publications around the world, reported on Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's effort to fulfill the last six positions in his cabinet. The publication noted that, "Iraq's parliament has approved six new ministers to fill key contested cabinet posts, but one nominee immediately refused to join the government." That nominee was "Hashim al-Shibli, a Sunni Arab," who "turned down the post of human rights minister," according to KurishMedia.
The Associated Press quoted him as saying: "Concentrating on sectarian identities leads to divisions in the society and state, and for that reason I respectfully decline the post." He also said he was not consulted. Here's the Kurdish media report. Here's an interesting report in The Standard of of Hong Kong.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 04, 2005
Some See War Between Ethnic, Religious Groups in Iraq
Sedat Laciner, director of the Ankara, Turkey-based International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO) says the May 4, 2005 suicide bombing at a crowded police recruitment center in the Kurdish city of Irbil (Erbil) in northern Iraq, in which " at least 60 people" were killed and "150 people wounded," is no surprise and new attacks against the Kurdish and Shia targets may be expected, reports The Journal of Turkish Weekly. He said:The balance of power has not been considered in Iraq by the Americans and the Iraqi Government. The Kurds in particular have been perceived as opportunists by the Sunni Iraqis. The Sunni Arabs who governed the country for the centuries are ignored and this attitude has nourished the resistance in Iraq. The war was between the Americans and the Arabs till 2005, but now the war spreads and becomes a war between the ethnic and religious groups. Some Americans may prefer a civil war to a war between Americans and insurgents. However a Iraqi civil war would be more bloody and the American loses may increase in such a bloody war.
The Journal of Turkish Weekly noted that, "the Sunni Arab minority, which largely boycotted Iraq's historic elections in January, has lost power after the fall of Saddam Hussein."Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kurds Return to Kirku Causes Arab Iraqi Displacement
"The Iraqi city of Kirkuk has been the scene of ethnic tension since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003," according to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization website.
"The recent return of Kurds who were forcibly removed by Saddam has added to the local problems and led to the displacement of Arab Iraqis sent there as part of the former governments Arabisation of the key oil city," according to the site. "Increasing numbers of the existing local population are now leaving according to officials and NGOs working in Kirkuk, which is 255 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 03, 2005
Arabic News.Com: Jafaari Gets Sunni Arabs for His Government
Arabic News.Com reported May 3, 2005 that, "the Iraqi interim Prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, completed the formation of his government by including representatives for the Arab Sunni who pulled out several days ago from the government under the pretext that they a have low profile in it." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Riverbend on the Daily Bombings in Iraq
Riverbend at Baghdad Burning stated in a May 2, 2005 post that, "These last few days have been explosive- quite literally. It started about 4 days ago and it hasn't let up since," she wrote in a post headlined "Saved by the Carrots." They say there were around 14 car bombs in Baghdad alone a couple of days ago- although we only heard 6 from our area. Cars are making me very nervous lately," she added. "All cars look suspicious- small ones and large ones. Old cars and new cars. Cars with drivers and cars parked in front of restaurants and shops. They all have a sinister look to them these days. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
U.S.' Abu Ghraib Prison Torture is Now a Subject for Iraqi Artist
Agence France Press reports that "since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, "the trauma" of the U.S. occupation of Iraq "has seeped even into Iraq's artistic production." This guarantees that the U.S. won't live down the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners. At least not in Iraq. Art has a way of preserving moments for ever, with each viewer taking away a different interpretation. Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 28, 2005
Talabani Approves Some Cabinet Members
Associated Press Correspondent Qassim Abdul Zahara reports that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani "and his two vice presidents approved most of a proposed Cabinet for Iraq's transitional government that would reflect Iraq's religious and ethnic diversity." Citing "officials" as its sources, the wire service said "last-minute discussions continued over three of the 36 ministries - the important defense, oil, and electricity portfolios - officials said, and that could delay a vote by the National Assembly on the new Cabinet that has been expected Thursday [April 28, 2005]. The Kurds want the oil portfolio but I'd be surprised if the Shiites agree to that. Who wants to be held hostage by the group that has the oil in its region? Surely not the national government. Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 17, 2005
Is Iraqi Alliance Seeking to Oust Top Officials Of Hussein Era?
The Washington Post, citing "a top official," reported April 18, 2005 that "the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance," the political bloc "leading the new Iraqi government," will "demand the removal of all top officials left over from the era of former president Saddam Hussein... The move would be part of a purge that U.S. officials fear could oust thousands of the most capable Iraqis from military and intelligence forces the United States has spent more than $5 billion rebuilding," the paper said. It remains to be seen whether they will go peacefully into the night.Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Is Someone Trying to Start a Civil War in Iraq?
Al-qaida in Iraq usually takes responsibility for its acts. Presumably, if it had taken up to 200 Shiite hostages in Madaen, Iraq as reported, it would have taken responsibility for the deed. Instead, according to Thaier al-Sudani and Majid Al-Hameed in The Scotsman, "an Internet statement issued by Al-Qaida in Iraq said the reports of hostage-taking had been fabricated as a pretext for raiding the town.
Another Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, echoed the accusation in a separate Internet posting," they wrote.
Some reports say Iraqi troops freed hostages while others said they did not find hostages or al-Qaida fighters in Madaen. Is someone is trying to initiate a civil war between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq? If so, hopefully cooler heads will prevail.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
The U.S.' Back-Channel Talks With the Iraqi Resistance
Professor Daniel Drezner's analysis of Time magazine correspondent Michael Ware's "exclusive look at back-channel negotiations between U.S. officials and elements of the Iraqi insurgency" is among the better commentaries I've seen on this development. What makes it so? He's not predicting that it's the beginning of the end of all resistance to U.S. occupation of Iraq. That won't happen until the U.S. withdraws. His analysis is headlined "Interesting developments in Iraq."
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 14, 2005
Kurdish Observer Article Points to Conflict Between Kurds and Turkomen
An article in the Kurdistan Observer by Adil Al-Baghdadi and headlined "Moment of Truth for un-Iraqi Turkoman Front" seems to point to the ethnic conflict that is likely to explode as a result of the Kurds' strong showing in the January 30, 2005 elections in Iraq. Clashes between the two groups could result in Turkey's intervention to save the Turkomen, if they are attacked.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 05, 2005
Some Iraqi Sunni Leaders Offer to Help Write Constitution
Increasingly influential blogger Gregory Djerejian of The Belgravia Dispatch, says in a February 5, 2005 post that he "Can't say I'm surprised" by Washington Post correspondent Anthony Shahid's report that
Influential Sunni Arab leaders of a boycott of last Sunday's elections expressed a new willingness Friday to engage the coming Iraqi government and play a role in writing the constitution, in what may represent a strategic shift in thinking among mainstream anti-occupation groups."B.D. always thought most mainstream Sunni factions, even those boycotting (or threatening to boycott), would end up playing (mostly constructive) ball," he wrote. "It's still to early to make any definitive conclusions, but such a peeling away of moderate to nationalist Sunnis from the ranks of the extremists will lend yet another defeat to the ranks of the Baathist restorationists, assorted jihadists, and Zarqawi and Co. terrorists." I wouldn't get too excited by some Sunni leaders'alleged offer to help write Iraq's constitution. It's what one would expect from politicians. I'd want to infleunce it, too.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 30, 2005
Shiites Will Likely Dominate Iraq's National Assemby
The Christian Science Monitor's Dan Murphy reports that Ayatollah Ali Sistani "is Iraq's most revered religious figure, and his clout, combined with Shiite demographics, should leave Shiites with the most seats in the National Assembly that will write Iraq's new constitution. Shiites make up about 60 percent of the country's population," he said, "but candidates favored by Shiite voters will probably take more than 60 percent of the seats in the assembly, since turnout in many Sunni Arab areas was low." Read the Monitor article here. Ayatollah Sistani's web site.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
