Good News Out Of Iraq For June 28, 2007
130 gunmen killed, captured under Baghdad security plan
Baghdad, 28 June 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Iraqi security forces killed 14 gunmen, captured 114 others and arrested 2 suspected militants in several areas of Baghdad during the past 24 hours under the Baghdad law-imposing plan, the Baghdad operations command said on Wednesday.
“The forces managed also to free three captives, defuse two bombs and confiscate large amount of weapons and ammunition in different areas of Baghdad, mainly in Kadhimiyah City in northern Baghdad,” the Baghdad operations command said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The statement also noted that “eight Iraqi soldiers were killed and 29 others were injured, including an officer, in a combat mission.”
Iraqi and U.S. troops have been involved in a large-scale operation called “Fardh al-Qanoon,” since mid-February, in a bid to quell bombings and sectarian violence in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
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Govt. plan to employ 3 million unemployed
Baghdad, 28 June 2007 (Al-Sabaah)
The Govt. works through an economic plan to employ 3 million unemployed to end the unemployment problem in the country and while Vice President Dr. Adel Abdulmahdi informed Grand Ayatollah Mr. Ali Sistani about new national front which includes four main political parties and efforts which aim to widening it, a MP close to Prime Minister that Mr. Maliki hopes to make comprehensive reshuffle soon and he considers a suggestion to decrease ministries to twenty.
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Iraqi culture minister’s arrest warrant dominates Iraqi newspapers
Baghdad, 28 June 2007 (Voices of Iraq)
Iraqi newspapers on Wednesday focused on the warrant for arrest of Iraqi culture minister Asaad al-Hashemi and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s efforts to form a new government.
Quoting government sources, the government-funded al-Sabah newspaper said that the arrest warrant was issued for his suspected involvement in the assassination of MP Mathal al-Alusi’s sons two years ago. The General Council for the People of Iraq, headed by Adnan al-Dulaimi, condemned the arrest warrant and the police raid on the minister’s house. “The warrant was issued in the light of confessions made by detainees about the involvement of al-Hashemi and his bodyguards in the assassination of the two sons of Mathal al-Alusi, (an Iraqi member of parliament from the Sunni Umma Party, which has only one seat in the Council of Representatives),” the newspaper wrote.
The newspaper also quoted an Iraqi parliamentarian who indicated that al-Maliki is currently considering a full cabinet reshuffle, intended to reduce the number of ministries to 20.
Under the headline ‘Government plan to appoint three million unemployed,’ al-Sabah revealed an economic plan by the Iraqi government to reduce unemployment by appointing three million unemployed people in different sectors all over the country.
Al-Taakhi newspaper, issued by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), also discussed the arrest warrant, and quoted al-Alusi as saying, “The court issued an arrest warrant against a former mosque imam and Asaad Kamal al-Hashemi, the current minister of culture, in the light of confessions made by detained terrorists.”
On its front page the newspaper published the following headlines: ‘ Negervan al-Barazani: Anfal trial’s significance is that it proved genocide against the Kurdistan people,’ ‘Al-Maliki considers formation of new government of 20 ministries amid parliamentary and political concerns’ and ‘Hoshyar Zibari says Iraqi-Jordanian coordination at greatest level, denies accusing Allawi of conspiring against government.’
Al-Mada newspaper, an independent daily, quoted a spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, as linking al-Hashemi’s arrest to “terrorist-related charges.”
Under the headline ‘Zibari: Internal and external conspiracies are organized against the government,’ the newspaper quoted Iraq’s Kurdish foreign minister, Zibari, as describing al-Maliki’s relationship with the U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, as “difficult,” but denying disputes between them.
On the arrest warrant, Iraq’s Hezbollah movement’s al-Bayyina newspaper wrote, “The Iraqi minister of culture runs away following a warrant for his arrest on charges of financing terrorist operations, including the assassination of al-Alusi’s two sons.”
In an article entitled ‘Independent U.S. committee to evaluate performance of Iraqi forces,’ the newspaper also wrote, “U.S. sources revealed that an independent committee was set up to evaluate the true potential of the Iraqi police and army.” The newspaper said that James Johns, a retired general, will head the committee, which will include Washington D.C. former police chief Charles Ramsey as a member.
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Major project to develop Iraq economical relations
Baghdad, 28 June 2007 (Al-Sabaah)
Ministry or trade has announced that t started a major project to develop economical relations with UAE, Jordan and Austria within a frame of a plan to activate economical relations between Iraq and international states.
Press statements said that ministry continuo steps of completing the mutual agreement with Azerbaijan for cultural, scientific, economical and trade cooperation, and Azeri side has been informed by draft of agreement to give its opinion about it.
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Residential complex for Hilla
28 June 2007 (Azzaman)
The Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction is building a new residential complex in Hill at a cost of $30 million.
A statement signed by housing minister, Bayan Dazaai, said the project will include more than 500 apartments and is expected to be completed in 30 months.
“It is one of six such housing projects in the country,†the statement said.
Hilla is the capital of the Province of Babylon and is located close to the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon.
In each complex there will be three schools, a mosque, a clinic, a park and a commercial center, said the statement.
The ministry is involved in a flurry of housing construction across the country despite mounting violence.
It has established a fund which provides low-interest loans to government employees to help them build their own house
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Water resources finish plan for summer agricultural season
Samawa, 28 June 2007 (Al-Sabaah)
Water resources directorate in Muthana has finished its plan to success current summer agricultural season.
This confirmed by director of water resources in province who referred that Rumitha River has been cleaned along 38 kilometers with more than 1000 cubic meter of precipitations, in addition to clean Rumitha River and Tazeez channel from Shambolan plant. IraqUpdates