Month: March 2008

Here is a list of security incidents in Baghdad today, Thursday March 27th, 2008, as quoted by the website, Iraq Today:^[1]

Baghdad:

#1: A giant column of black smoke was visible near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Thursday after an apparent mortar strike, a Reuters reporter said.

Several mortars fell onto the fortified Green Zone, central Baghdad, on Thursday, a number of workers in the Green Zone said, while the U.S. forces confirmed the attack.“Several mortar rounds fell onto the fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad and billows of black smoke were seen rising from the area with no word on casualties,” the workers, who refused to mention their names, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

Mortar rounds crashed into the heavily fortified Green Zone for the third straight day, injuring three U.S. government employees, all U.S. citizens, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo.

12 mortars hit the Green Zone starting at 10 am until this report was prepared at 2 pm, Thursday, said Iraqi Police. The U.S. Embassy said no one was injured.

The Green Zone diplomatic and government compound in central Baghdad was hit by repeated rocket and mortar fire in some of the worst barrages in months.

#2: Fighting has spread to Sadr’s stronghold in Baghdad and other cities, with at least 50 people killed in the clashes countrywide since Tuesday, according to Iraqi officials.

Officials said the death toll from clashes in Sadr City Tuesday and Wednesday had risen to 30.

Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad on Thursday received 20 soldiers wounded in the clashes that flared up between al-Mahdi army fighters and security forces in the southern Iraqi province of Basra, a medical source said. The hospital received 20 wounded soldiers, most of them are in critical condition,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

Updating Sadr City news, since the fighting started on Monday until now, the toll has reached 38 killed and 47 wounded, Iraqi police said.

#3: Iraqi officials reported 17 more people killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad’s main Shiite district of Sadr City

#4: The U.S. military said Wednesday that 16 rockets had slammed into the U.S.-protected Green Zone. One soldier with the U.S.-led coalition, two American civilians and an Iraqi soldier were wounded in the attacks, it said.

#5: In other violence reported by police, a booby-trapped car exploded near the Iraqi Red Crescent Society’s offices in Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding five.

#6: A roadside bomb struck a U.S. patrol on a road through Sadr City late on Wednesday and American troops cordoned off the area, a U.S. military spokesman said. He did not give information on casualties.

#7: An official source in the Electricity Ministry said that most power stations stopped functioning because of direct armed attacks in central and southern Iraq in the last two days. “Most power plants and energy lines were attacked in the last two days by mortar shells and machine guns,” the source, who asked for anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. The attacks damaged several stations and suspended the work there,” he added. “The Ministry, through the operations room headed by Oil Minister Karim Wahid, continues its work to have the power restored,” he also said.Baghdad has been suffering under a blackout since yesterday, which disturbed the daily life of citizens.

#8: Several mortar shells were fired on Thursday morning at a U.S. base in southeastern Baghdad, while sirens continued to wail inside the base, said a police source. “Five mortar rounds landed on the U.S. al-Rustoumiya base in southeastern Baghdad,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. “U.S. forces cordoned off several streets near the base while aircrafts scoured the area for the source of the attack,” the source explained.

#9: A mortar barrage hit the Ur neighborhood in northeastern Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding two others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

#10: Two more mortar rounds landed on the Karrada neighborhood in central Baghdad, wounding a civilian, the source said.

#11: Xinhua correspondent at the scene saw one mortar round hit the street in front of the Iranian Embassy to Iraq just outside the Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies, including the U.S. one.

#12: Around midday, fierce clashes erupted between Mahdi Army militia, loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and Iraqi security forces in the Shiite neighborhood of Tobchi, the source said. The clashes broke out when gunmen from Mahdi Army attacked the Shiite mosque of al-Salam which affiliated to a rival Shiite faction in the neighborhood, prompting the guards of the mosque to fire back, he said. Sounds of explosions and machinegun rattled in the neighborhood as black smoke could be seen rising over the area.

#13: Three people were killed and 15 wounded by a mortar attack on a bus terminal in central Baghdad, police said.

3 mortars hit al-Alawi bus station, central Baghdad, killing 2 civilians, injuring 15.

#14: Gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in the Sadr City district of northeastern Baghdad, wounding four soldiers, police said.

#15: An Interior Ministry official says the well-known civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security operation has been kidnapped and three bodyguards killed in an ambush in the capital.
The attack against Tahseen Sheikhly comes amid fierce clashes between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militia fighters in Baghdad and several southern cities. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information. The official says gunmen stormed Sheikhly’s house Thursday in a Mahdi Army stronghold in southeastern Baghdad and torched it.

#16: For the third day, Shiite militias loyal to Sadr sealed off their neighborhoods, blocking roads with refrigerators, burning tires and garbage. Residents were forced to close shops and stay home from work and schools.

#17: A South African citizen was killed in Iraq this week, the foreign affairs department said on Thursday.It declined to give the name of the man who died on Wednesday. Details of the incident were also not immediately available. The department said in a statement the family of the deceased had been informed, and assistance would be given with the repatriation of the body.

#18: Two people were killed and 12 wounded when mortar shells fell in Karaj Alawy area in Baghdad, as two other mortar shells fell eastern the Iraqi capital.

#19: Clashes in al-Mansour district, from Iskan neighbourhood to Abu Jafar al-Mansour began this morning between Mahdi Army members and security forces. 3 Iraqi Army soldiers were injured and the clashes continued at the time of publication

#20: Clashes between Mahdi Army members and National Police in al-Amin neighbourhood started this morning and continue until the preparation of this report at 2 pm. Casualties have not been reported until this time.

#21: The office of al-Da’wa Party in al-Shaab neighbourhood has been torched, causing only material damages.

#22: Shi’ite militants clashed with Iraqi security forces in Baghdad’s Washash, Iskan, Shurta, Hurriya, Kamiliya, Fudhailiya, Ur, Shula, Mashtal and Sadr City districts, Baghdad security plan spokesman Major-General Qassim Moussawi said. Civilians and security force members had been killed or wounded, he said, but he gave no figures.

#23: Eight soldiers were wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Talabiya in eastern Baghdad, police said.

#24: Also Thursday, a U.S. government official was killed when militants fired rockets into the Green Zone, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said.

#25: A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 4:30 p.m. March 27 after being struck by an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad while conducting a combat patrol.

#26: One person was killed and four others wounded when two mortar rounds landed on an Interior Ministry prison in eastern Baghdad, police said.

#27: Two soldiers were wounded in clashes with Mehdi Army fighters in Zaafaraniya district in southern Baghdad, police said.

#28: Nine people were killed and 95 others wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Mehdi Army members in different parts of Baghdad, said Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

NOTE: these incidents relate ONLY to Baghdad, not Basra, where most of the media reported fighting is occurring.

The website also lists incidents throughout the rest of Iraq. That list is much longer.

This, according to George W Bush, is Iraq “returning to normalcy”.

One has to wonder what planet he’s living on.

^{[1] Iraq Today – “War News for Thursday, March 27, 2008”} (This site contains links to      all incidents mentioned in the above post.)

Filed under: Bush’s war

George Bush must think the citizens he presides over are as thick as the proverbial pig-dung. Thankfully, we know they’re not. At least, not the vast majority. There are, as always, a few who would rather hang on Bush’s every word, rather than use their limited braincells to deduce differently, but thankfully they’re in the minority.

Today, in regard to the Iraqi army’s (with much US assistance) attacks against the Shia militias holed up in Basra, George Bush said Iraq was “returning to normalcy”. He praised Maliki for his “bold decision” to engage the militias.^[1]

The truth is Maliki has done nothing bold in his life, unless it was due to pressure from elsewhere. Basra is a major port for exporting oil, and the militias were making life difficult for those charged with carrying out that task. The US demanded Iraqi forces tackle the problem and Maliki, like the puppet he is, has danced to their tune.

The result has been spectacular. Today, militias blew up one of the major oil pipelines through Basra, curtailing much of the oil flow to the port and immediately sending oil prices up to $107 a barrel on world markets.

It’s a simple case of Iraqi politicians being unable to agree on anything, so resorting to military means as a poor substitute, inflaming other factions of the Mahdi army, and causing violence to escalate throughout the country. Yesterday, the Green Zone was attacked yet again, and more mortars and rockets have been bombarding the area today.

Yes, a “bold” move indeed on the part of Mister Maliki and his US handlers. But then, George Bush knows no other way but bully-boy tactics. It sums up the story of Bush’s life. From pulling the legs off live frogs as a boy, to decimating a whole nation, once Daddy and Mommy bestowed on him the power to do so, as the worst, and most megalomaniacal, world leader since the Roman emperor, Nero.

One can only wonder how long the American people, listening to the lies they are told every day, will continue to pretend they’re stupid enough to believe them?

^{[1] “Bush hails ‘bold’ Iraqi PM Maliki”, BBC, March 27th, 2008}

Filed under: Bush’s war

It could be argued that Americans love to have liars as their presidents, after all, they’ve elected plenty who have displayed that disturbing trait.

Is this, perhaps, the reason America’s latest batch of presidential hopefuls are so keen to display their prowess in that noble art?

Republican nominee John McCain arrived in London recently boasting proudly of a lineage way back to Robert the Bruce, that ancient warrior-king of Scotland who overcame the English armies in the fourteenth century, to make Scotland once more independent.

Possibly, having a noble lineage in some way accounts for one’s ignorance of Middle Eastern culture, as McCain managed to demonstrate so splendidly this week by referring to Iranian Shias training al Qaeda Sunnis, before setting them loose on the US invaders of Iraq.

John McCain is placing all his faith in the American voter’s spirit, by emphasizing his warrior and war hero status at every opportunity. Not to be outdone, on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton appears to manifest as a modern day American Jeanne d’Arc, if her rhetoric is to be taken seriously.

Only a few weeks ago she described how, single-handedly, she solved the problems of Northern Ireland and deftly carried the peace process through to its final, glorious, conclusion. This week, she recounted dashing through a hail of bullets to aid the poor people of Bosnia in their plight. Apparently, her own daughter, then barely in her teens, was dragged along with her, which may make Mom a hero, but hardly a responsible parent.

It all makes these people sound terribly exciting, interesting, and overflowing with the qualities necessary for a world leader.

At least, it might if the stories were true.

Here’s what the secretary of the Scottish Genealogy Society, Ken Nisbet has to say of McCain’s claims to regal Scottish ancestry, in the Guardian newspaper last week:^[1]

“I wouldn’t say it’s a strong claim at all. This is speculation and it doesn’t prove anything……….it’s a load of baloney – it’s a bit like the mixing of history and it’s not accurate. A lot of Scots of Irish descent tend to say ‘we’re related to so and so’ – people say Robert the Bruce quite often. William Wallace is another one, as you can imagine……..”

And even if it were true, it’s nothing to be proud of. As Ken Nisbet pointed out, Robert the Bruce was….

“…..an absolute scoundrel……the first thing he did after taking power was destroy Stirling castle and he was a self-serving, vainglorious opportunist who was determined to be king at any cost.”

Hmmm! Perhaps, there’s some truth in McCain’s story, after all?

Sadly, poor old Hillary has found herself counted out, both in Ireland and Bosnia. The Irish have disowned her. According to Peter King, an Ulster Unionist Party negotiator at the Good Friday talks in 1998:^[2]

“Hillary Clinton was totally invisible at the actual negotiations. As far as I am concerned, Mrs Clinton was as relevant to peace in Northern Ireland as Tony Blair’s wife or the ex-wife of Bertie Ahern.” [the Irish prime minister]

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lord David Trimble, called her claims:

“…..a wee bit silly.”

All-in-all, not a lot of support from the Irish contingent, and presumably they should know the truth of the matter.

Not everyone agrees, however. Earlier this month, Terry McAuliffe told CNN:

“We would not have peace today had it not been for Hillary’s hard work in Northern Ireland.”

So that’s some support for Hillary’s claims, though perhaps slightly biased – it came from her, very non-Irish, campaign chairman.

Still, there’s always the Bosnia heroics, isn’t there?

According to a report by the BBC:^[3]

“…..a video clip played by CBS on Monday showed Mrs Clinton and Chelsea walking across the tarmac smiling and waving before stopping to shake hands with Bosnia’s acting president and meet an eight-year-old girl….”

Oh, poor Hillary, still, “……it just shows I’m human, doesn’t it?”

Yes, Hillary, it shows you to be a rather desperate person who’s caved in to the vagaries of your out of control ego. In that sense, you’re very human. It’s just that America and the world have recently suffered eight years of someone with the exact same problem, so we aren’t in a hurry to repeat it.

The lies emanating from the mouth of Barack Obama, third member of this political trio, are a little harder to pin down. He appears to be less adept at the noble art of prevarication, but then that’s understandable given both the other parties are keen to stress his inexperience, at every opportunity.

Perhaps they are wrong and he is actually adept at concealing his deceits.

Or, maybe, just maybe, he is simply more honest?

Oh, go wash yer mouth out wi’ soap. If that were the case, he may as well step down now!

^{[1] Guardian UK, March 21st, 2008}

^{[2] Telegraph UK, March 16th, 2008}

^{[3] “Clinton admits Bosnia ‘mistake'”, BBC News, March 25th, 2008}

Filed under: Political prevarication