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Iraqi father seeks Blackwater apology
Eight months after his nine-year-old son died in a shooting incident involving private security guards from the US firm Blackwater, the boy's father has called for an official apology and admission of guilt from the company, rather than compensation.
"This is important for me, morally, for my family and my tribe."
He said he had conveyed the message to one of the company's officials when they met in the Iraqi capital; but, he said, he was told that an admission would not be possible "for legal reasons"
By Mike Lanchin and Mona Mahmoud
BBC News Eight months after his nine-year-old son died in a shooting incident involving private security guards from the US firm Blackwater, th... more -
US 'to scrap' contractor immunity
Foreign firms employing thousands of guards won huge contracts in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, but were not subject to Iraqi or US military law.
Iraqi frustration became fury last year when guards killed 17 people in a day. Foreign firms employing thousands of guards won huge contracts in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, but were not subject to Iraqi o... more -
World Health Organization to open Baghdad headquarters
The World Health Organization, one of United Nations' most important agencies, is opening a permanent office in Baghdad, a move that underscores recent security improvements in Iraq's capital.
WHO's representative in Iraq, Nae'ema Al-Gasseer, will be permanently based in the Iraqi capital.
The move comes nearly five years after the U.N. headquarters in Iraq was bombed, killing 22 people and curtailing a lot of the agency's work. One of those killed in the strike was the chief of the U.N. mission in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
In the post-Saddam Hussein era, the U.N. has lent support to Iraqi elections and the political process, as well as reconstruction.
WHO has performed vaccination campaigns in Iraq and has dealt with outbreaks such as cholera and avian influenza.
The World Health Organization, one of United Nations' most important agencies, is opening a permanent office in Baghdad, a move that u... more -
Many killed in Iraqi bomb attacks
At least 38 people have been killed in two bombings in Iraq.
The first occurred in the town of Karma, west of Baghdad, where a suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a local council meeting, killing at least 20. More than a dozen people were wounded. It was the third attack in a week against a local administrative branch of the Iraqi government.
Hours later, a car bomb in the northern city of Mosul left at least 18 people dead and dozens wounded.
Those killed are reported to include the head of the local tribal council, and members of a neighbourhood patrol force opposed to al-Qaeda.
The attack comes days before US troops are to hand over security responsibility to Iraqis in Anbar.
At least 38 people have been killed in two bombings in Iraq. ... more -
Baghdad: U.S. Embassy staff, soldiers killed
Two soldiers and two civilians from the Defense and State departments were killed Tuesday in a blast that rocked a municipal building in Baghdad's Sadr City. The attack also killed six Iraqis and wounded 10 others, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
A second employee from the U.S. Defense Department also died, but that person wasn't an American. The employee was a dual Italian-Iraqi national, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.
The U.S. military said the blast struck a meeting of a district advisory council, a neighborhood group that looks at local needs and passes on its assessments to the provincial government.
The deputy head of the council was seriously injured, the Interior Ministry official said.
Two soldiers and two civilians from the Defense and State departments were killed Tuesday in a blast that rocked a municipal building ... more -
Mourners gather in Baghdad
Relatives bury the victims of a powerful car bomb attack in the Iraqi capital.
The attack was the deadliest in months killing at least 51 people and wounding scores more.
The bomb was in a pick-up truck, parked near the main market in a mostly Shi'ite neighborhood of the city. Relatives bury the victims of a powerful car bomb attack in the Iraqi capital. ... more -
Iraq wants right to veto US operations
Iraq is insisting on the right to veto any US military operations throughout its territory under a "status of forces" agreement currently being negotiated between Baghdad and Washington, according to a senior member of the Iraqi government.
The agreement will last for a maximum of two years and can be terminated by either side with six months' notice, Hussain al-Shahristani, Iraq's oil minister, said.
His remarks come amid intensive closed-door negotiations between the Iraqi and US governments which have led to complaints in the US Congress as well as Iraq that the Bush administration is tying the next US president's hands by seeking to maintain long-term bases in Iraq for possible attacks on Iran and other neighbouring states.
But Shahristani insisted: "Neither the constitution nor our people will allow any violation of our sovereignty. Obviously foreign troops on Iraqi soil carrying out operations without the prior consent and approval of the elected government is a violation.
"Any arrests, any operations internally or externally against our neighbours without prior agreement of the Iraqi government will be considered a violation ... Land and sea movements and air space is all part of Iraq's sovereignty."
The status of forces agreement, known as Sofa, will flesh out a more general "strategic framework" pact on all aspects of the US-Iraqi relationship that is also being worked out secretly. The two agreements are seen as "legacy issues" allowing Bush to claim success and a legitimation of the US occupation when the UN mandate runs out at the end of this year.
Iraq is insisting on the right to veto any US military operations throughout its territory under a "status of forces" agreement curren... more -
51 killed in busy Baghdad market blast
One man lost 11 relatives in the blast, puts things into perspective, apply that and rethink yer position on war(for the still pro-war advocates) One man lost 11 relatives in the blast, puts things into perspective, apply that and rethink yer position on war(for the still pro-war... more
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Baghdad bus stop bomb 'kills 51'
A car bomb explosion at a busy bus stop in northern Baghdad has killed 51 people and left another 75 wounded, Iraqi police have said.
The explosion took place in the mainly Shia Muslim neighbourhood of Hurriya.
The bomb appeared to have been timed to go off during the early evening rush hour, when the bus stop was crowded with waiting passengers.
It is the deadliest bombing in Iraq's capital for weeks, following a security drive by Iraqi and US forces. Tuesday's blast set fire to about 20 shops and razed a multi-storey building, security officials said.
Some 500 Iraqis were killed last month, compared with more than 1,000 in April. And the toll of American soldiers killed in May - at 19 - was the lowest monthly figure since the conflict began.
A car bomb explosion at a busy bus stop in northern Baghdad has killed 51 people and left another 75 wounded, Iraqi police have said. ... more -
UAE may be first Arab nation to restore full ties with Iraq
The United Arab Emirates is expected to soon name an ambassador to Iraq and could open an embassy in the war-ravaged nation, Iraqi officials said Thursday.
The move would make UAE the first Arab nation to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Iraq since an Egyptian ambassador was killed there in 2005. Shiite-dominated Iraq has been working to strengthen ties with the Sunni-led Arab world.
The visit by United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place as the U.S. and other nations urge Arab countries to deploy ambassadors to Iraq, reopen embassies and forge closer relationships with the post-Saddam Hussein government.
Though the UAE will name an ambassador in coming days, according to Iraqi officials, it may take several months to send the envoy to Baghdad because of security and logistical concerns.
The United Arab Emirates is expected to soon name an ambassador to Iraq and could open an embassy in the war-ravaged nation, Iraqi off... more -
Car bomb kills at least 16 people in Baghdad
A suicide truck bomber struck near the Baghdad home of an Iraqi police general Wednesday, killing 16 people in the biggest such attack on the capital in months.
Meanwhile, three U.S. soldiers were shot dead in northern Iraq, and the bodies of at least 23 Iraqis were discovered in a shallow grave and a sewer shaft at separate sites near Baghdad.
Wednesday's suicide bombing was the deadliest such attack in Baghdad since early March. A suicide truck bomber struck near the Baghdad home of an Iraqi police general Wednesday, killing 16 people in the biggest such attack... more -
The Death Squads of Baghdad
A video I stumbled across from December of 2006.
Fair warning, it is relatively graphic.
I indeed know this is old news, but I also know this didn't/ doesn't get anywhere near sufficient coverage here in the US.
"The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead.
"Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents.
"The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.
"This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity -- there's little investigation into their activities." A video I stumbled across from December of 2006. Fair warning, it is relatively graphic. ... more -
SIFF 2008 > Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi produced this incredible documentary about exiled Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda, chronicling their modest yet brave start in Iraq before the American-led war on the country to their humble new beginnings in Damascus, Syria. Iraqi metal is relatively unknown, and the band Acrassicauda -- whose name is Latin for "black scorpion" -- formed to harness young energy and enthusiasm towards metal, a scene that is mostly off the radar. Inspired by American and European metal bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Mayhem, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, Acrassicauda trumps all metal bands for their genuine experiences playing a rare concert at the hotel near the highly fortified Green Zone and rehearsing with mortar fire in the distance. How hardcore can you get?
Band members eventually moved out of Baghdad following Hussein's toppled regime in 2003 and the subsequent bombing of the building that was their rehearsal space for 6 years. Resettling in Damascus, the band continues to struggle with their music aspirations, family lives, and eke out a living as ex-pat Iraqis in Syria. Will Acrassicauda find a new fan base for metal in Damascus?
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad" recently screened at the Seattle International Film Festival over Memorial Day Weekend.
Check out this site to watch the film trailer for the film, read more about the filmmakers and the band, and to pre-order the DVD. Filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi produced this incredible documentary about exiled Iraqi metal band Acrassicauda, chronicling ... more -
Teenage girl suicide bomber kills Iraqi army captain
Sky News are reporting that an Iraqi army captain has been killed following a suicide bombing conducted by a teenage girl. Earlier reports believed the girl to be as young as eight-years-old, but the US army have issued a statement claiming she is considerably older.
According to reports from an Iraqi army spokesperson, the bomb was a remote control device which also injured four other soldiers near Youssifiyah, a town just south of the Iraq capital Baghdad.
Sky News are reporting that an Iraqi army captain has been killed following a suicide bombing conducted by a teenage girl. Earlier rep... more -
Bush: I quit golf over Iraq war - Yahoo! News
He has to be the most fucked up man ever to live in the White House. Isn’t this big of him? He feels it’s his duty to give up FUCKING GOLF as long as the war is on. Gee, that’s a HUGE FUCKING SACRIFICE YOU SHITBAG! So on par with the sacrifice those Moms have made….. you know, the sacrifice of their loved ones! The kids they will never see getting married.
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US President George W. Bush said in an interview out Tuesday that he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of US soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq, now in its sixth year.
“I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal,” he said in an interview for Yahoo! News and Politico magazine.
“I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them.”
The US president traced his decision to the August 19, 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the world body’s top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
“I remember when de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man’s life. And I was playing golf — I think I was in central Texas — and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it’s just not worth it anymore to do,” said Bush.
http://blueherald.com/2008/05/bush-has-sacrificed-for-i... He has to be the most fucked up man ever to live in the White House. Isn’t this big of him? He feels it’s his duty to give up FUCKING ... more -
Iraqi violence preventing distribution of aid, UNICEF reports
Continued violence in Sadr City area of Baghdad is leaving over 150,000 people without adequate provisions of water and food. The ongoing fighting has claimed over 1000 lives according to the Iraqi government.
The BBC News website reports that, "The agency is also reporting one other worrying development stemming from the current conflict.
It says there are unconfirmed reports that children are being recruited by Shia militiamen into their ranks." Continued violence in Sadr City area of Baghdad is leaving over 150,000 people without adequate provisions of water and food. The ongo... more -
US preparing to strike Iran
Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf to “remind” Iran the US is ready to strike if sufficiently provoked.
"What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and women inside Iraq," said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Gates also insisted that Iran continues to back the Taliban.
The recent weeks have seen an increase in criticism toward Iran’s alleged support of the Taliban and efforts to supply militants in Iraq. Military commanders in Baghdad are expected to roll out evidence of that support soon - including date stamps on newly found weapons caches showing that recently made Iranian weapons are flowing into Iraq at a steadily increasing rate.
Gates’ comments contrasted with those from Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said last week that he had not seen any new signs of Iranian support for the Taliban.
Later this week Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to confront the Iranians with evidence of their meddling and demand a halt. If that doesn't produce results, the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off - or else.
Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf to “remind” Iran the US is ready to strike ... more -
"US Army says it killed 38 fighters in Baghdad"
The U.S. military said on Monday it had killed 38 fighters in a day of battles in northeastern Baghdad as militants took advantage of dust storms to launch apparently coordinated assaults.
The attacks, which appeared to be some of the biggest clashes in weeks, showed that some fighters have defied an order by anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to observe a ceasefire."
By Peter Graff
Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:03pm IST
The U.S. military said on Monday it had killed 38 fighters in a day of battles in northeastern Baghdad as militants took advantage of ... more -
Baghdad to get ‘Disneyland’ style amusement park
At the cost of nearly $500 million, a Los Angeles-based company is “developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.” The park “is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland.” The company’s owner says “the time is ripe” for profit and entertainment to collide in Iraq:
Mr Werner, who has been sold a 50-year lease on the site by the Mayor of Baghdad for an undisclosed sum, says that the time is ripe for the amusement park. “I think people will embrace it. They’ll see it as an opportunity for their children regardless if they’re Shia or Sunni. They’ll say their kids deserve a place to play and they’ll leave it alone.”
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t making money” he said. “I also have this wonderful sense that we’re doing the right thing – we’re going to employ thousands of Iraqis. But mostly everything here is for profit.”
A Pentagon official has said that Gen. David Petraeus is a “big supporter” of the project.
via Think Progress
At the cost of nearly $500 million, a Los Angeles-based company is “developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive... more -
US Begins Erecting Wall in Sadr City
An excerpt from the New York Times Article by Micheal Gordon:
"Trying to stem the infiltration of militia fighters, American forces have begun to build a massive concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, the densely populated Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital.
The construction, which began Tuesday night, is intended to turn the southern quarter of Sadr City near the international Green Zone into a protected enclave, secured by Iraqi and American forces, where the Iraqi government can undertake reconstruction efforts.
“You can’t really repair anything that is broken until you establish security,” said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment. “A wall that isolates those who would continue to attack the Iraqi Army and coalition forces can create security conditions that they can go in and rebuild.”"
My own personal comment... Can anyone say "Gaza"? An excerpt from the New York Times Article by Micheal Gordon: ... more
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