Iraqs Inconvenient Truth :: Iraq War News Updates

Keeping Watch

An Iraqi family looks out and finds Pfc. Henry Krigbuam, of Quincy, Ill., from 3rd platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Heavy), 3rd Infantry Division, providing security outside of their house during Operation Blore Heath III. The operation was a joint clearance mission with Iraqi national police in Salman Pak, Sept. 21. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sean Riley, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs.

Grapes of Wrath

U.S. Army Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division walk through a vineyard to search for weapons based on a tip from a local source in the city of Abu Karmah, Diyala River Valley region. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Brogan, Joint Combat Camera Center.

All for One

U.S. Army Soldiers from Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Ft Lewis WA., clear a stairway of a target building during a night time raid in Tarmiyah. Soldiers were acting on information that insurgents were using the building as a first-aid station. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Taylor, Joint Combat Camera Center.

Line of Sight

U.S. Army Spc. Shane Carter scans streets and buildings for insurgent activity in Jamia. Carter is assigned to 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Camp Liberty. Photo by Master Sgt. Brian L. Boone, Joint Combat Camera Center.

Freedom

Iraqi children wave to passing Soldiers in Jamia. Photo by Master Sgt. Brian L. Boone, Joint Combat Camera Center

Falcon’s Fury

An F-16 Fighting Falcon turns away after a mid-air refueling over Southwest Asia. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Grady Epperly.

 

Soldiers with Company G, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, shoot to kill insurgents responsible for a complex attack against their unit in Baghdad’s East Rashid district Sept. 20. The unit destroyed the building with an AT4 (anti-tank rocket), two javelins and one wire-guided missile. They also support from attack aviation assets, both rotary and fixed-wing. Two hellfire missiles and a 500-pound bomb hit the structure. Photo by SPC Jeff Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

BAGHDAD — The essence of an insurgent-dominated neighborhood of the Iraqi capital’s East Rashid District is evident as Soldiers weave through the desolate, maze-like streets peppered with improvised explosive devices.

Several doors and gates are painted with evidence of a fanatic Muslim stronghold.  “In the name of God, I take back this house from the non-Muslim,” a Sunni interpreter reads from a gate. “Signed, al-Qaeda in Iraq.”

Despite the dangers that linger behind street corners and on rooftops, the Vilseck, Germany-based 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, currently with Multi-National Division – Baghdad, wanted to send a clear message to the insurgency Sept. 20.

The Stryker Soldiers, who have been in the country for less than two months, are tackling their clearing mission one weapons cache, suspected insurgent and roadside bomb at a time in a fight that Staff Sgt. Jared Utter briefly described as possibly being “one of the biggest fights in Iraq right now.’ Only a month into the unit’s projected 15-month tour, Utter, a native of Columbus, S.C., and the a squad leader with Company G’s 2nd Platoon, said his troops have seen more than a month’s worth of experience now on their fifth back-to-back day out in this sector.

This particular day started off like all the others with the sun peeking above the horizon creating an orange backdrop behind the company’s formation of eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles.  It took about an hour to get to the neighborhood and begin searching; a place where only six out of 36 houses were occupied.

The Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, led by 1st Lt. Eric Owens, discovered hand-made, highly-explosive materials in a house they had cleared out the day prior.  “This is not the first time we’ve seen (insurgents) come in behind us,” said Owens, who hails from Richmond, Va. After an explosive ordnance disposal team detonated the explosive material, the company continued with the mission.

It was a little after 1 p.m. and the company has been clearing homes all morning. Behind a shield of white smoke, 3rd Squad maneuvered across 60th Street, a road with a direct view of an open field, when something exploded and rounds started to fly.

“I saw tracers hit the ground. They opened up on us with PKCs (machine guns). We don’t know if it was a mortar or (rocket-propelled grenade that exploded), but it couldn’t have hit more than 20 feet away from us,” said SPC. Eric Horvath of Mentor, Ohio, who later found pieces of shrapnel melted onto his gear. “It all happened so fast. It was like I teleported to cover.”  They continued to receive heavy machine gun fire from the second story of a building across the open field.

Spc. J. Jacobs of Bloomington, Ind., fell face down onto the cement.  Jacobs said he felt the blast, grabbed his neck, saw the blood and instinctively applied pressure to the wound, a piece of shrapnel in his neck.  “I felt loopy, was hot and dizzy, and fell,” the 32-year-old said. “At some point, I must have lost consciousness.”

“I heard the machine gun fire and turned around and got blasted in the face with something. I went to the corner and didn’t know he was down,” said Spc. Jason “Doc” Kucharski, the squad’s medic.

“I thought he was shot,” Utter said. “I thought he took one.”

Sgt. Michael Huffman said he saw his Soldier moving on the ground and then he stopped. Three more smoke grenades were tossed out from different directions as rounds continued to fly over Jacobs.

Pfc. Victor Flores who was the second Soldier in the file moving down the street rushed behind the cover of a building’s corner and quickly laid down suppressive fire with his squad automatic weapon. “The first thing that came to mind was to take cover and shoot back,” said Flores of San Jose, Calif. “I saw someone in a white shirt, blue collar, black jeans about 16 to 18 years old run into the building right before the contact.”

“We turn around and all we could see is Jacobs lying face first on the corner,” said Horvath. “We weren’t sure if he was dead or if he was shot. I thought he was shot and so did Hawkins (Spc. Michael Hawkins, an infantryman from Palm Springs, Calif.)”

“We have a man down,” Owens echoed over the radio. Huffman, a team leader, said he shot an M-203 grenade, as the rest of the company started to lay out suppressive fire.

“It took me about half a second to realize what was happening. You see bullets flying at you and that’s all it takes,” said Spc. Richard Main of Reno, Nev., “I was in the (vehicle commander’s) hole in the truck manning my 50-caliber machine gun.” Main said that knowing his buddy was down definitely made him fight that much harder. The infantryman fired more than 450 rounds at the enemy from the truck.

“Our main goal was to get him the (heck out of there),” Huffman said.  Still under enemy fire, Huffman and Kucharski grabbed the downed Soldier and pulled him into the closest courtyard.  “When we moved him, I saw a blood spot right where his face was,” said Kucharski. “He was struggling to breathe, but he was trying to.”

“When I came to, I was disoriented. I saw the blood. I couldn’t see or hear very well,” Jacobs said. “My chest felt like it was hit by a sledge hammer. I had a hard time breathing and I started to panic because I didn’t know what was going on.”

With a combat life saver, a combat medic, a physician’s assistant and his fellow Soldiers surrounding him, they assessed his wounds. He was quickly loaded onto a truck and medically evacuated out of the area.

“It was pretty much ‘game on’ after that. Everybody ran to the rooftop, started opening up on them (the insurgents). I dropped almost two mags at the building that was shooting at us,” Horvath said. “It’s like an ultimate feeling of safety to fire back. Every round they shoot at us, we shoot a hundred back.”

The company fired back with an AT4 (anti-tank rocket), two Javelins and one wire-guided missile. They also had support from attack aviation assets, both rotary and fixed-wing. Two Hellfire missiles and a 500-pound bomb hit the structure.

“(The building) is nothing but the burnt skeleton of what once was a house,” said Hawkins as he pulled over watch on the rooftop.

Once the firefight came to an end, Utter told his Soldiers that they did a good job maneuvering. They went to their guy under fire and pulled him out.  As they loaded up and headed back to their base, they knew they will be back at it again tomorrow.

This is just the beginning of their 15-month deployment. Tomorrow they’ll see more desolate, maze-like streets peppered with improvised explosive devices, discovering weapons caches, roadside bombs and more sporadic gunfire.

Jacobs, who suffered a concussion, a hairline fracture of the left cheek and sinus cavity, as well as, the shrapnel wound in his neck, is recovering and is scheduled to be back out with his comrades in a week

(Story By Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Other recent developments throughout Iraq:

•  Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 21 suspected terrorists Monday during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq and its foreign terrorist network in central and northern parts of the country.

•  Iraq Army Soldiers discovered a large cache of weapons and military equipment in the village of Al Nur, located northwest of Tal’Afar, in western Nineveh province, Sept. 21.

Monday, 24 September 2007

By Amil Imani

To understand Ahmadinejad’s mind set and behavior requires a close scrutiny of the elaborate and intricate theology of Hujjatiyyah Shiism, perhaps the most fundamentalist of the numerous Shiite sects.

In the 1950s, a group of Islamic clergy led by Sheikh Mahmoud Halabi (a close associate of Ayatollah Khomeini) formed a society called the Anjoman-e Khayryyehye Hujjatiyyah-ye Mahdaviat (Charitable Society of the Mahdi), based in Mashhad, Iran. The Hujjatiyyah membership was mostly composed by the bazaar-i businessmen and fanatical mullahs. Among many things, they were against the communists, Marxists, and atheists. Their overarching “raison d’être,” however, was to prepare the world for the upcoming of the 12th Imam — the Mahdi.
However, the most important immediate agenda item on their list was to harass and persecute the Baha’is, a religious group representing a small percentage of Iran’s population. In fact, the Hujjatiyyah-y’s alternative name became “The anti-Baha’i Society” (Anjuman-e Zidd-e Baha’iyat). They collectively worked for a single purpose: the eradication of Baha’is.

The terrible plight of the Baha’is in Iran is particularly heart-wrenching, since they are the largest non-Muslim population in the country and have been, from day one, severely brutalized by Muslims. Baha’i teachings of tolerance and openness to science are anathema to the Islamofascists on many levels, but the history of the faith includes direct challenges to the theological legitimacy of the mullahs. These slaveholders find the Baha’i faith a threat to their own version of Islam and the absolute theocratic power it puts their hands.

The egomaniac President Ahmadinejad is a member of Hujjatiyyah. He sees himself as the personal vassal of the Mahdi-Messiah or Hidden Imam, with whom he has fantasized tête-à-têtes frequently.

Ahmadinejad, a man driven by his religion, has a spiritual advisor in Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi (the defacto leader of the Hujjatiyyah). The President’s advisor is known for his extremist views on Islam and promotes suicide bombings and attacks on civilians in the West. There is only view of Islam for him. He once said, “…if anyone tells you their own interpretation of Islam, punch them in the mouth!”

President Ahmadinejad has in a short time acquired great many descriptors at home and overseas: zealot, fascist, fanatic, anti-Semitic, lunatic and more. One prominent Western columnist called him “unhinged.” But we cannot just dismiss the man as an aberration, someone who is in urgent need of psychological help, a person out of touch with reality, who represents nothing of substance.

Once again the West is misreading and misjudging people and events in the Middle East, due to the fact that it views things through its own prism.

Looking at the man through Western spectacles, he indeed appears to be all of the above and more. Yet Ahmadinejad is far from unhinged. As a matter of fact he is firmly hinged to a set of beliefs that dictate his views of the world, and inform him how he should deal with it from his position of power.

An unhinged man has the potential of becoming once again hinged. But, there is very little that can be done to a person who is inseparably hinged, and Ahmadinejad views are firmly rooted in the most orthodox philosophy of Shiism.

For our purposes, however, it is sufficient to document the fact that Ahmadinejad is not mentally disturbed; there is no display of contradictory thoughts and behavior. There is a full internal consistency in Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad’s words, deeds and beliefs show a fully hinged person.

Below are a few examples of his sayings, beliefs and actions. Whether one agrees or disagrees with them, they all fit perfectly into a consistent pattern.

â–ª He literally believes in the imminent emergence of the Mahdi - the Shiites’ promised one who is expected to appear to set aright a decadent and wretched world.

â–ª He views himself as the vassal of Mahdi, working for him and being accountable to him.

â–ª His main task is to prepare the world so to hasten the Mahdi’s coming. If this preparation requires much destruction and bloodshed, so be it.

â–ª As a former mayor of Tehran, he developed elaborate detailed plans preparing the city for the arrival of the Mahdi.

â–ª He allocated generous sums for extensive road improvement to a mosque at Jamkaaraan near the city of Qum where it is believed the promised Mahdi is hiding in a well since the age of nine, over 1100 years ago.

â–ª He reportedly visits the well frequently and drops his written supplications into the well for the hidden Mahdi to act upon them.

â–ª He has said in private that it was he who asked the Mahdi to inflict the massive stroke on Ariel Sharon.

â–ª He sees the Jews as the sworn enemies of Islam. The hostility dates back to the time of Muhammad’s own treatment of the Jews in Medina. At first, expediently, Muhammad called the Jews “people of the book,” and accorded them a measure of tolerance until he gained enough power to unleash his devastating wrath on them.

â–ª He says that the Holocaust is a myth. He is, in this respect, in good company with a number of other revisionist fanatics.

â–ª He wants Israel to be wiped out of the map or transferred to Europe.

â–ª In his speech at the UN general assembly, he implored the Mahdi to come and save the world. He claimed that during his speech of some twenty odd minutes, a powerful light enveloped him and all participants were held transfixed, unable to move their eyes.

â–ª He believes that the earth is Allah’s and all people must either become believers of his brand of Islam or must perish as infidels najis (unclean) who by their very presence defile Allah’s earth.

â–ª He believes that this earthly life is passing and worthless in comparison to the afterlife awaiting a devoted and faithful believer. Hence, he holds to the old belief that if a faithful kills an infidel, he goes to Allah’s paradise; and, if the faithful gets killed in the process of serving the faith, again he goes to Allah’s paradise. Hence, it is a win-win proposition for the faithful.

Ahmadinejad is a true devoted Muslim. Being unpredictable, self-contradictory and inconsistent are major symptoms of the mentally unhinged. By these standards of insanity, Ahmadinejad emerges as completely sane. He is fully predictable, consistent and has shown no self-contradiction. He does not even pretend that he misspoke or apologize for his outrageous statements. He is not a typical politician who practices the devious art of doublespeak, deception and change of position to suit his immediate convenience.

He knows who he is, what he believes, and what his own mission in life is: serving as the instrument for the revered Mahdi. Allah will make him emerge from the well as soon as the world’s conditions hit absolute hopeless bottom. Ahmadinejad sees himself as a driver who can play a critical role in doing just that, driving the world to the very bottom. And he plans on having an arsenal of nuclear weapons as soon as possible.

There is nothing really “unhinged” about Ahamadinejad’s thinking, statements and actions. They are internally consistent. He is simply a fanatic who is wedded to an extremely dangerous exclusionary system of belief. Humanity must learn that dismissing him as a lunatic will result in great suffering, as it did with Hitler.

Tragically, Ahmadinejad is the embodiment of several million people who are hinged exactly like him and who are willing to give their lives, and take with them as many lives as required in the service of their belief. In this age of Weapons of Mass Destruction a man with huge sums of petrodollars can serve as the catalyst of total annihilation.

Prudence would err on the side of being an alarmist than a complacent dismissive.

Ahmadinejad and his ilk are not interested in any negotiation, any compromise or any live-and-let-live final solution. They are determined to be the soldiers of Mahdi come-what-may. They have no problem with the total destruction of the world. They are headed for a life of eternal bliss in Allah’s paradise. They hardly care, even rejoice, if the rest of humanity is subjected to a tragic death in the nuclear, biological and chemical wasteland of planet earth.

Humanity cannot afford and must not ignore the emergence of the final threat to its very existence on this planet.

Amil Imani is an Iranian-born American citizen and pro-democracy activist residing in the United States of America. He maintains a website at Amil Imani

24 September 2007 (AME Info FZ LLC)

The UK based Petrel, an oil company which focuses on operations in Iraq, has revealed its interim pre-tax losses have increased to around $420m, reported the Financial Times.

But the firm is writing off its present overheads and stated that its longer-term involvement in the war-torn nation would pay off.

Petrel presently services oil fields on behalf of Iraq’s Ministry of Oil and expects to increase its presence in the country.

25 September 2007 (PortAl Iraq)

The Iraqi Embassy invites construction companies and contractors to participate in the tender for the construction of the Iraqi Embassy and Ambassador’s Residence in Abu Dhabi.

The closing date to accept offers is Oct. 10.

Bidders may directly contact the Iraqi Consulate by e-mailing adbemb@iraqmofamail.net or calling 00971508110606.

25 September 2007 (USAID)

A newly established indigenous microfinance institution, the Al-Takadum Organization in Al-Anbar, has opened in Al-Qaim, Iraq.

“This is a very important achievement for Al-Qaim, because it will help develop the local community and increase trade,” one of the local sheiks that attended the opening ceremony said.

On Aug. 21, the day of the opening, the Imam of Al-Qaim issued a fatwa (religious decree) authorizing the functioning of the microfinance institution according to Islamic lending principles. On the basis of the fatwa, the mayor of Al-Qaim, who cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony, wrote an official letter to all the residents of the city describing the way in which the Al-Takadum microfinance institution will operate.

On Aug. 24, the validation that the fatwa is halal (acceptable) was announced in all mosques of the city and the residents were encouraged to borrow from the microfinance institution. The leaders of Al-Qaim emphasized that they regard the establishment of Al-Takadum as a well-deserved reward, since the local tribes succeeded in uprooting the insurgents and securing the city by themselves.

The new institution awarded the first loan – worth $2,000 - on the day of the official opening to the owner of a mobile phone shop who is seeking to expand his business. The staff of Al-Takadum already received 30 loan applications, out of which 15 were approved.

The establishment of the new institution in Al-Anbar is the result of a joint effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Izdihar project, the U.S. military and the provincial reconstruction team in Al-Asad. Iraq Updates

25 September 2007 (USAID)

The Babil Center for Economic Development (the Small Business Development Center in Hilla) ensured its financial viability over the next seven months as it signed a second Memorandum of Acceptance with the North Babil eProvincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT).

The Memorandum requires the Babil Center for Economic Development (BCED) to organize and facilitate an Agriculture Development Conference that will gather representatives of several ministries of the Government of Kurdistan region - Agriculture, Irrigation, Transportation and Trade – and members of the Agricultural Unions of North Babil.  BCED was also asked to deliver a training course for representatives of the agricultural unions, focusing on agribusiness planning, legal operation of agricultural NGOs in Iraq and agribusiness accounting.

“This is the second Memorandum of Acceptance that we are signing with the North Babil eProvincial Reconstruction Team,” BCED executive director said. “The funds made available for the activities outlined by the Memorandum will consolidate our financial sustainability and will help us expand our activities at the level of the province.”

The Small Business Development Center in Hilla is part of the network of five business development services that were set up by Iraqi organizations with the help and assistance of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Izdihar project. Founded in November 2006, the SBDC in Hilla has offered 12 iterations of its core activity, the How to Start-Up or Improve a Business course, to 150 people as of Aug. 1. Iraq Updates

By Yasir Faisal and Mussab Al-Khairalla

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25 September 2007 (Reuters)Only six months ago, many Iraqi travelers considered it a suicidal risk to take the insurgent-controlled desert highway that stretches from Baghdad to neighboring Syria and Jordan.

But now Iraqi driver Jamal says the Sunni Islamist al Qaeda insurgents who used to abduct and execute his Shi’ite passengers before robbing him and fellow Sunnis are virtually a thing of the past.

“A lot more people are using this road these days,” said Jamal as he waited for passengers to fill his seven-seater vehicle as he prepared to go to Syria.

“Some are visibly reluctant, but you will always hear them admit at the border how safe it was going through the countless checkpoints with no gunmen in sight.”

Security along the Anbar highway has been transformed by the emergence of a tribal alliance of Sunni sheikhs and their fighters who have managed to suppress Anbar’s volatile insurgency — after repeated failures by Washington and Baghdad.

Iraqis had long moaned about the insecurity of the highway, which heads west out of Baghdad into the Sunni Muslim province of Anbar towards Jordan and Syria.

For Shi’ites travelling through Anbar, the risk increased dramatically after the bombing of a Shi’ite mosque in Samarra in February 2006 triggered a wave of sectarian bloodletting.

But travelling the 10-hour journey by bus through the vast desert to Amman costs as little as $35, and few travelers could afford the alternative — airline tickets for the short return trip by plane can cost up to $900.

Abu Qusay had not used the highway in years but decided to travel after relatives insisted it was safe again.

“This is the first time I will use the highway for four years. I had friends who were killed by terrorists on this road last year. But since then everyone seems to be using it and we’re not hearing of any incidents,” he said.

TRIBAL “AWAKENING”

Although some cases of sectarian killings and highway robberies are still reported, violence has fallen sharply since the tribal alliance took the initiative earlier this year.

The alliance, called “The Awakening,” declared war against al Qaeda in Iraq after the militants had alienated many of the Anbar population by their indiscriminate killings of locals.

U.S. President George W. Bush visited Anbar earlier this month in a symbolic trip aimed at highlighting its new sense of stability.

More than 20,000 policemen, most of them local, provide security for the province now largely free of al Qaeda.

Shi’ite businessman Talib Muhsin said despite the improved security, and the fact that he travels frequently on the route, his nerves are never calm before a trip.

“I’m always afraid that something is going to happen, but whenever I’m on the road I’m reassured by the sight of many checkpoints,” he said shortly before taking his seat in a large car charging $50 for the journey.

“A little illogical paranoia still exists but that’s only because you can’t disregard such a violent past so easily.”

Eleven days ago, the assassination of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the charismatic founder and leader of “The Awakening” who met Bush during the president’s visit, showed al Qaeda were still active in western Iraq.

But 43-year-old travel agent Ayman Mohammed believes Abu Risha’s killing has had less impact on travel than the onset of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“There have been fewer people on the road in Ramadan because people are too tired to travel when they’re fasting. The road hasn’t changed since Abu Risha’s killing because his men are still there providing security,” said Mohammed in his central Baghdad office.

Planned visa requirements for Iraqis traveling to neighboring Jordan and Syria, a measure to reduce the influx of fleeing Iraqis, have also slightly slowed business according to travel agents.

Despite the slowdown, Mohammed is happy just to be back in business.

“I closed my office last year for several months because too many travelers had been robbed, kidnapped and killed on the road,” he said.

“But after the tribes took control of Anbar we saw a lot of people coming back to travel on the road, including Shi’ites who thought they’d never see Anbar again.”

Iraq Updates

By HAMZA HENDAWI

 

25 September 2007 (Associated Press)

 

Nearly two months after Sunni Arab ministers walked out, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appears to have weathered a political crisis that once threatened to bring down his government.

Using a mix of brinkmanship, political cunning and strong U.S. support, the Shiite leader now appears to have seized the political initiative from his opponents.

“I am victorious whether I stay in office or someone else takes over the helm,” al-Maliki told Alhurra television in an interview aired Monday night.

He confidently dismissed charges by his Sunni Arab critics that he was pursuing sectarian policies. And he brushed aside criticism that he has failed to win over the Arab world’s Sunni-dominated regimes.

The prime minister also took credit for the U.S.-backed revolt by Sunni tribal chiefs against al-Qaida in Anbar province, a one-time stronghold of insurgents. He blamed parliament for blocking legislation and holding up the appointment of new ministers by often failing to muster a quorum.

Al-Maliki, who meets President Bush this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings, owes his survival in no small part to White House support and the failure of his critics to close ranks against his rule.

Six Sunni Arab ministers quit al-Maliki’s government in early August over his failure to meet demands that included the release of security detainees not charged with specific crimes, disbanding militias and wider inclusion in decision-making on security issues.

The six come from the Iraq Accordance Front, parliament’s largest Sunni Arab bloc with 44 of the house’s 275 seats. It is made up of three parties — Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi’s moderate Iraqi Islamic Party and the hardline Congress of the People of Iraq led by Adnan al-Dulaimi and the National Dialogue Council headed by Sheik Khalaf al-Ilyan.

However, one of the six ministers who pulled out, Planning Minister Ali Baban, returned to his post last week. He was expelled by the Iraq Accordance Front and is currently in New York with al-Maliki.

Another Accordance Front member, deputy prime minister Salam al-Zobaie, met with al-Maliki on Thursday against the advice of his comrades and is said to be considering a comeback.

Lawmakers and al-Maliki aides say Washington’s strong support was key to his survival.

Al-Maliki solidified his position when his Dawa party joined the “alliance of moderates,” comprising the two main Kurdish parties and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country’s largest Shiite party.

The move by those groups to continue their support for al-Maliki quashed months of speculation that a new political alliance would be formed to oust him.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker surprisingly refrained from direct criticism of al-Maliki when he testified before Congress on Sept. 11, ignoring a flurry of negative U.S. reports on issues ranging from the capability of Iraq’s security forces to corruption and political reform.

“Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the other Iraqi leaders face enormous obstacles in their efforts to govern effectively,” Crocker said. “They approach the task with a deep sense of commitment and patriotism.”

Crocker had repeatedly complained of the lack of progress by the Iraqi government in meeting political benchmarks set by Washington. Those include an equitable distribution of oil wealth, holding provincial elections and constitutional reform.

“The Americans support al-Maliki because they have no substitute,” said Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Kurdish lawmaker who is close to President Jalal Talabani, also a Kurd.

“But it’s a failed government,” he said.

Still, al-Maliki needs Sunni Arab participation or his administration would permanently loose its claim to being a “national unity” government.

Without it, his government is a Shiite-Kurdish coalition that falls short of the wider political inclusion Washington has been calling for.

But al-Maliki appears to be confident he can fill the vacant Cabinet jobs and aides say he is expected to make a decision on the issue on his return from New York later this week.

Until then, al-Maliki has sought to put pressure on the Sunnis, saying that the Cabinet jobs they left could not remain indefinitely vacant and threatening in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday to fill the posts by other Sunnis: specifically, U.S.-backed tribal chiefs in Anbar.

He did it again Monday, telling Alhurra he was considering the formation of a government of “technocrats” that would be smaller than the 40-member cabinet he has led since May last year.

“We reject blackmail,” al-Hashemi, the Sunni Arab vice president, told reporters Monday.

From: Iraq Updates

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Associated Press Writer Hamza Hendawi has covered Iraq on numerous assignments since January 2003.

TRAINING IN RAWAH — A U.S. Army Soldier from U.S. Special Forces conducts training in Rawah, Iraq, Sept.7, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin
For Hi-Res Photo Click Here

Air Force Senior Airman Phillip M. King

Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze Star with Valor Recipient

Establishing security in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan requires international and Afghan security forces to work in tandem across the country, in operations that often see Afghans risking their lives for Americans and Americans risking theirs for Afghans. In August 2006, Senior Airman King fought side-by- side with his brothers in arms, and dealt the enemies of a free Afghanistan a blow.

King was leading a convoy on a quiet street in Ebrahimkhel, just north of Khandahar, when a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) landed near his Humvee, followed by a hail of machine-gun fire from a nearby fortified compound. He later remarked that “his training kicked in”: He moved his vehicle to block the rest of the convoy from torrents of bullets, and he fired back with his M4 and grenade launcher. Despite suffering a concussion from an RPG blast, King continued to expose himself to enemy fire even as he directed the aim of the Afghan soldiers. Shortly after clearing enemy positions, King discovered another ambush site, where the Taliban had pinned down five Afghan soldiers. King rammed a truck stuck in a wadi, allowing the soldiers to escape.

The Airman then helped establish a perimeter to more effectively beat back the enemy forces. At this point, the team phoned in air support. For 20 more minutes, however, the convoy continued fighting as they waited for the planes. Shortly before support arrived, King again braved enemy fire as he marked the targets for the bombers. The firepower from the aircraft destroyed the Taliban, and ended the battle.

In all, King’s actions helped eliminate 20-25 Taliban, while saving over a dozen Afghans. His heroism earned him the Bronze Star with Valor in July 2007.

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Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Paul T. Archie

Dallas, TX
Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device Recipient

A year ago, many people fretted that Iraq’s Anbar province was lost. Yet since then progress has come at an almost unthinkable pace, the results of principled and dangerous work by Marines working with locals. As the top enlisted Marine in his company, 1st Sgt. Archie provided consistent leadership in battle from August 2006 through February 2007, a key period of the turnaround in Anbar.

In October of last year, insurgents launched a brazen attack on his company’s base: mortars, rockets, AK-47’s, and a suicide bomber driving a truck. Archie coordinated the defense of the base by setting up fortifications on six rooftops and sending out Humvees to block roads from incoming insurgents. Under constant and heavy fire, he moved throughout the battlefield, making sure his Marines had everything they needed. He also successfully oversaw the evacuation of two wounded Marines from the fight. Archie is largely credited for the defense of the base during the intense hour-long fight.

That was not 1st Sgt. Archie’s only encounter with insurgents: His company saw combat all over Anbar during the seven-month deployment. In all, Archie undertook more than 200 combat missions and guided his company through more than 100 engagements with the enemy. Archie estimated that in many areas, there was a 50 percent chance his unit would face an Improvised Explosive Device attack.

For his leadership, dedication, and courage, 1st Sgt. Archie received the Bronze Star with the Combat Distinguishing Device at Camp Lejeune on July 30, 2007.

• More on this Hero:
  • Marine Corps story
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With mentoring from American and coalition soldiers, Afghan national security forces are improving their skills and earning the trust of the public they protect.

By Spc. Nathan W. Hutchison
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2007 — With the help of American and coalition forces, the Afghan national security forces are gradually earning the respect and acceptance of the Afghan people.

Embedded tactical trainers spend their days training and coaching Afghan national army and police how to conduct themselves during and outside operations.

“We are the ANP’s mentors; making sure they are being professional at their jobs and not exploiting their power.” Capt. Jason E. Knueven

“Our biggest job is showing ANSF what ‘right’ looks like,” said Army National Guard Maj. Chris P. Guziec, ANP ETT district commander. “We take what they think is right and mold it into something that is workable. This helps them better understand the steps to take and the reason for the changes.”

Guziec said this type of training requires flexibility for both groups, along with consideration for Afghanistan’s cultural and religious foundation.

“We are the ANP’s mentors; making sure they are being professional at their jobs and not exploiting their power,” explained Army National Guard Cpt. Jason E. Knueven, ANP ETT district team chief.

With the mentoring, Knueven said he notices positive changes in the Afghan security forces in each of the missions he oversees.

The most recent mission involved the ANA and ANP securing several villages and searching houses based on intelligence gathered by coalition forces and ANSF.

“They were being professional at their job,” Knueven said. “They weren’t going in and stirring up the houses. The people took it really well because the ANSF was doing it the right way.”

American soldiers working with ANSF in operations and exercises also see improvement in their Afghan colleagues’ performance.

“The local populace needs to be able to build that trust with its

0wn military and police,” said Army 1st Lt. Brian M. Kitching, 2nd Platoon Leader, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. “ANA and ANP working to catch the bad guys will do that. It’s a slow process and a gradual process, but I definitely see an improvement in the way they plan and execute missions and control their forces.” But Kitching said the ANSF has to do more than catch bad guys to earn the trust and respect of the Afghan people. Afghan civilians need to know they can rely on their military and police to protect them, he said. “The good people want the bad people out, too, but they have to trust the people searching their homes,” Kitching said.

An Afghan national army soldier checks an area of recently disturbed soil searching for possible hidden weapons or explosives during Operation Jam Morad, Sept. 12, in Ghazni Province. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathan W. Hutchison

Making Sure The Whole Country Rises Up Against Them

September 24th, 2007 Post From: Pat Dollard’s Blog

Al Qaeda bombs both Sunni and Shiite leaders at alliance meeting.

BAQOUBA, Iraq - An Al Qaeda suicide bomber struck a U.S.-promoted reconciliation meeting of Shiite and Sunni tribal sheiks as they were washing their hands or sipping tea Monday, killing at least 15 people, including the city’s police chief, and wounding about 30 others.

Two U.S. soldiers were also wounded in the 8:30 p.m. blast at a Shiite mosque in Baqouba, a former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials, who gave the overall casualty toll.

The brazen attack, which bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq, is certain to further marginalize Al Qaeda in Iraq, and incite violent retribution against them.

About two hours after the blast, U.S. soldiers at nearby Camp Warhorse fired artillery rounds at suspected insurgent positions near Baqouba. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

Witnesses and officials said the bomber struck when most of the victims were in the mosque courtyard cleaning their hands or drinking tea during Iftar, the daily meal in which Muslims break their sunrise- to-sunset fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

Security guards approached a man after noticing him walking rapidly through the courtyard. As the guards challenged him, the man detonated an explosive belt, setting off the devastating blast, said police Maj. Salah al-Jurani.

Al-Jurani said he believed provincial Gov. Raad Rashid al-Tamimi was the intended target. The governor was wounded and his driver was killed, al-Jurani said.

The dead also included Baqouba’s police chief, Brig. Gen. Ali Dalyan, and the Diyala provincial operations chief, Brig. Gen. Najib al-Taie, according to security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release the information.

Also wounded was the governor’s brother, Sheik Mazin Rashid al-Tamimi, who has spearheaded Sunni-Shiite reconciliation efforts in the province.

“We’ve tried to persuade the tribes to oust terrorists from their areas because it’s a disaster when the tribes cooperate with and provide refuge to al-Qaida,” Sheik Mazin told The Associated Press last weekend.

U.S. officials have accelerated efforts to reconcile Sunni and Shiite tribes in Diyala after American soldiers gained control of Baqouba, the provincial capital, in fighting last summer. Al-Qaida had declared Baqouba the capital of its Islamic State of Iraq.

The U.S. announced this month that top leaders of 19 of the 25 major tribes in Diyala—13 Sunni and six Shiite—had agreed to end sectarian violence and support the government, although the province remains one of the most dangerous in the country with frequent kidnappings and armed clashes.

The effort is loosely modeled on an alliance of Sunni tribes which banded together last year to fight al-Qaida in Anbar province. The leader of that effort, Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, was killed in a bombing Sept. 13.

The AP contributed to this report

Global Jihad Machine Pumping Fighters Into Afghanistan

Post From: Pat Dollard’s Blog.

Matthew Fisher, CanWest News Service
Published: Monday, September 24, 2007

The toughest fighters confronting Canada’s Van Doos in Afghanistan are not Afghans but guerrillas from the volatile Russian republic of Chechnya.

That is the conclusion of a veteran Canadian infantryman who spends most of his time forward deployed in the Panjwei/Zahri districts establishing relationships with tribal elders and making security assessments.

“The Chechens are hard core. They are the best we face,” said the soldier, a Montrealer who works in a secretive cell devoted to what the Canadian battle group calls Information Operations and what other armies sometimes call Information Warfare.

“There are also lots of fighters coming out of the Pakistani schools. The best training camps are all across the border. Other Islamic forces have been pouring in here. They are helping Afghans with IED’s (improvised explosive devices), small unit tactics, any form of violence you can think of.

“We’re dealing with all kinds of insurgents. With Chechens, Egyptians, Saudis, Pakistanis, guys from the Yemen. It isn’t one group more than the next.” Asked whether he had personally encountered foreigners on the battlefield, the sergeant, a veteran of six previous Canadian overseas missions who was only allowed to give his name as Pete, replied with a grin and classic military jargon: “I have not inter-acted verbally with them.” Continued At: The Global Jihad

 

Transcript:

 

President Ahmadinejad Delivers Remarks at Columbia University

CQ Transcripts Wire

Monday, September 24, 2007; 4:25 PM

SEPTEMBER 24, 2007

SPEAKER: IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

[*]

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful…

TRANSLATOR: The president is reciting verses from the holy Koran in Arabic.

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Oh, God, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those to attest to his rightfulness.

Distinguished Dean, dear professors and students, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset I would like to extend my greetings to all of you. I am grateful to the almighty God for providing me with the opportunity to be in an academic environment, those seeking truth and striving for the promotion of science and knowledge.

At the outset I want to complain a bit from the person who read this political statement against me. In Iran tradition requires that when we demand a person to invite to be a speaker we actually respect our students and the professors by allowing them to make their own judgment and we don’t think it’s necessary before this speech is even given to come in with a series of claims…

(APPLAUSE)

… and to attempt in a so-called manner to provide vaccination of some sort to our students and our faculty.

I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here, present here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all.

Certainly he took more than all the time I was allocated to speak, and that’s fine with me. We’ll just leave that to add up with the claims of respect for freedom and the freedom of speech that’s given to us in this country. Continued At: Transcript of Iranian President Ahmadinejad at Columbia University

28 suspects, illegal residents arrested in Kirkuk
Kirkuk, 24 September 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

Police forces arrested 28 suspected gunmen and illegal residents in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk during a security crackdown on Sunday, a police source said.

“Police forces launched today at dawn a security crackdown in the neighborhoods of Ghirnada, and Mualimeen, central Kirkuk, arresting 28 suspected militants and people who were illegally residing in the city,” a source from Kirkuk’s police operation room told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The source said “The operation ended by Sunday morning and most of the detainees turned out to be persons coming from other provinces to live in Kirkuk without having obtained the necessary security permits.”

“The forces managed to confiscate leaflets praising armed groups and calling for violence during the crackdown,” he also added. Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

_____

Baghdad Criminal Court convicts 50 defendants
Baghdad, 24 September 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

A media source from the Supreme Judicial Council said on Sunday that the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced 50 defendants, including seven who were sentenced to death.

“The defendants were convicted of committing crimes including murders, kidnappings, possession of illegal weapons, and illegal border-crossing,” the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The source added “all the convicted came from Baghdad.”
“The court sentenced seven defendants to death after they were found guilty of murder and joining armed groups,” he said.

The media source added that ten defendants received life imprisonment for the possession of illegal weapons, while 32 were sentenced to 32 years in jail for crimes ranging from murder, kidnappings, and car hijacking.”

“One Egyptian national was also sentenced by the court for illegal border-crossing,” said the source, declining to report the sentence the Egyptian received.

All convicted may appeal the sentences handed down, he concluded.

____

U.S.: Iran Smuggling Missiles to Iraq
By SAMEER N. YACOUB

BAGHDAD, 24 September 2007 (TIME Magazine)

he U.S. military accused Iran on Sunday of smuggling surface-to-air missiles and other advanced weapons into Iraq for use against American troops. The new allegations came as Iraqi leaders condemned the latest U.S. detention of an Iranian in northern Iraq, saying the man was in their country on official business.

Military spokesman Rear Adm. Mark Fox said U.S. troops were continuing to find Iranian-supplied weaponry including the Misagh 1, a portable surface-to-air missile that uses an infrared guidance system.

Other advanced Iranian weaponry found in Iraq includes the RPG-29 rocket-propelled grenade, 240 mm rockets and armor-piercing roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, Fox said.

An American soldier was killed Saturday and another wounded when an EFP hit their patrol in eastern Baghdad, the military said.

Iran has denied U.S. allegations that it is smuggling weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq, a denial that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes aired Sunday.

“We don’t need to do that. We are very much opposed to war and insecurity,” said Ahmadinejad, who arrived in New York Sunday to attend the U.N. General Assembly. “The insecurity in Iraq is detrimental to our interests.”

Tensions between Iran and the United States have worried Iraqi officials — many of whom are members of political parties with close ties to Tehran.

A 240 mm rocket was fired this month at the main U.S. headquarters base in Iraq, killing one person and wounding 11.

U.S. officials said the rocket was fired from a west Baghdad neighborhood controlled by Shiite militiamen.

On Thursday, U.S. troops arrested an Iranian in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah. U.S. officials said he was a member of the elite Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that smuggles weapons into Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the Iranian’s arrest, saying he understood the man, who has been identified as Mahmudi Farhadi, had been invited to Iraq.

“The government of Iraq is an elected one and sovereign. When it gives a visa, it is responsible for the visa,” he told The Associated Press in an interview in New York. “We consider the arrest … of this individual who holds an Iraqi visa and a (valid) passport to be unacceptable.”

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, also demanded the Iranian’s release.

The U.S. military said the suspect was being questioned about “his knowledge of, and involvement in,” the transportation of EFPs and other roadside bombs from Iran into Iraq and “his facilitation of travel and training in Iran for Iraqi insurgents.” The military said no decision had been made about whether to file charges.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Farhadi was in charge of border transactions in western Iran and went to Iraq on an official invitation.

He said Iran expects the Iraqi government to provide security for Iranian nationals there and warned the arrest could affect relations between the two neighbors as well.

Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, said a shipment of chlorine had crossed the border from Jordan after concerns were raised about shortages of the chemical needed to prevent an outbreak of cholera from spreading.

Officials said earlier that as much as 100,000 tons of chlorine was being held up at the border for fear it would be hijacked and used in explosives. Several chlorine truck bombs blamed on suspected Sunni insurgents earlier this year killed scores of people.

Naeem al-Qabi, the deputy chief of Baghdad’s municipal council, said warehouses in the capital were preparing to accept the chlorine, which would help purify water supplies.

“There is some administrative work needed to be done and it will be finished very soon,” al-Qabi said.

_____

Iraq buys half a million tons of wheat from North America
24 September 2007 (Iraq Directory)

Iraqi Official sources said on Friday that the Iraqi Grain Board purchased 500 thousand tons of wheat, mostly are from the hard red winter wheat of the American origin, as a precaution against any further rise in prices.

Sources said that the deal consists of 400 thousand tons of the American hard red winter wheat and 100 thousand tons of Canadian wheat for delivery before the end of the year.

The deal was concluded during the past few days under a tender raised for the purchase of 50 thousand tons and receiving presentations was closed on September15. The sizes required in the Iraqi tender are nominal, and usually Baghdad buys larger quantities than requested. Prices of European and American wheat went up high to record levels in recent times because of lack of supplies.

____

Saturday’s meeting in New York to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq
24 September 2007 (Iraq Directory)

Major countries, donor parties and Iraq’s neighbors will meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Saturday, to discuss ways to rebuild the devastated country where acts of violence and political disputes have aborted so far the international efforts.

This international forum, held at the ministerial level before the meetings of the General Assembly next week, will examine many of the Iraqi problems, such as internal politics, regional dialogue and helping the reconstruction.

Organizers said the meeting is a continuation to a previous international conference on Iraq held earlier in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in May. The meeting will be chaired by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Mun and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki; also, it is expected that 20 countries will join the forum on Saturday afternoon, including the five permanent members of the Security Council ( United States, Britain, France, China and Russia).

Also, eight of the Iraqi neighboring states were invited to the Forum, namely Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey in addition to the European Union, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will be there as an observer.

The meeting will first consider ways to implement the decision to grant greater role for the United Nations in Iraq, made by the UN Security Council on August 10 in its resolution No. 1770. Under this resolution, the United Nations representative in Iraq, who was recently appointed, Staffan de Mistura, and the United Nations Mission in Iraq must “if circumstances permit” provide “advice, support and assistance” to the Iraqi government in many political, electoral, constitutional, legal, economic and diplomatic areas. It is assumed that such assistance should extend to sectors such as humanitarian action, the promotion of human rights and the return of some 54 million refugees and their reintegration. The United Nations is also charged with helping the Iraqi government through “facilitating regional dialogue.”

Ban Ki Moon said that the United Nations would play the role of mediator to promote dialogue internally among the various Iraqi parties and externally with the neighboring States.

Lynn Pasco, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in charge of political affairs, said “the United Nations wants to do everything it can to help Iraq, depending on the security situation and depending on what the Iraqis themselves want to do.”

He added, “Even with a modest increase in the staff of the United Nations on the ground, we can do more for Iraq in the humanitarian field for example, but also in facilitating dialogue and reconciliation.” He pointed out that “this is an urgent necessity for Iraq, and it is mastered by the United Nations elsewhere in the world.”

The meeting will seek to progress in the “International Covenant to Iraq.” The officials in 50 countries endorsed in May in Sharm el-Sheikh this five-year plan, which was launched in July 2006 by Iraq and the United Nations with the support of the World Bank to strengthen security and promote economy in Iraq.

It was scheduled for Ibrahim Ghambri, Special Adviser of Ban Ki Moon, to submit to the International Covenant to Iraq a report on the needs of Iraq in the humanitarian field, reconstruction, development and to determine whether the donors had fulfilled their pledges.

____

Russia writes off 80% Iraqi debts
24 September 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

Iraqi foreign ministry said on Saturday that the Russian government decided to unconditionally write off 80 percent of the Iraqi debts.

“Russia decided to write off 80 percent of the Iraqi debts, which are estimated at $13 billion, and is now considering writing off 10 percent more by the end of this year,” Labid Abbawi, Iraqi foreign undersecretary said.

Abbawi added “Minister Zibari announced on Friday in Moscow that his country hoped Russia would forgive most Iraqi debts.”

“Zibari noted that Russian officials agreed to write off 80 percent of the Iraqi debts, and are considering forgiving 10 percent more,” Abbawi said.

The foreign ministry undersecretary denied that forgotten Iraqi debts would give Russia a concession in oil investment in Iraq.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari concluded a three-day-visit to Russia on Friday, during which the Iraqi minister discussed with Russian officials the Iraqi debts to Russia and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy and electricity.

____

Oil revenue 85 percent of ‘08 Iraq budget
24 September 2007 (Earth Time)

Iraq’s finance minister said oil sales will make up 85 percent of next year’s budget — a decrease from this year’s budget, which is running at a deficit.

Baqr Jabar al-Zubaidi said the remaining 15 percent would come from taxes and other exports, the Ishraqat Al Sadr newspaper reports, as the state attempts to decrease its oil receipt dependence and diversify revenue.

Iraq’s oil sales funded 93 percent of the current budget and 97 percent of the year before, Al-Sabaah reports.

Zubaidi, however, said the current budget was based on oil exports of 1.9 million barrel per day, but real exports are about 1.5 million bpd.

“The Oil Ministry will increase the amount of oil exports during the second half of this year,” he said.

____

The opening of a new fuel station at Albterah in Maysan
24 September 2007 (Iraq Directory)

Director of the petroleum products company in Maysan, Ali Warid, opened, on Wednesday, a new private fuel station at Albterah, 15 km west of the city of Amarah in Maysan.

Ali Warid said on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the new station, ” this station will be added to the stations built in the province and they are (25) stations divided on districts and respects in addition to the center of the province.”

Maysan governorate is witnessing these days a remarkably congestion on fuel stations; Owing to the lack of fuel stations compared with the number of vehicles entering the province, in addition to the lack of oil derivatives supplied to these stations due to the stopping of Maysan liquidator from work for several days for maintenance.

Warid added that during the past two years alone, “(10) stations were constructed, and this figure is higher than what had been constructed during half a century in the province.” He pointed out that the opening of these stations and their entry into service “will help reduce congestion at fuel stations in the province.”

Maysan governorate had witnessed, several months ago, the lay of the foundation stone for a large refinery with the capacity of more than (100) thousand barrels a day and a repository of oil derivatives with the capacity of (60) million liters at Albzarkan east of the town of Amarah, the Center of Maysan governorate, and which lies 390 km south of the capital Baghdad.

____

Projects worth $57 million approved
24 September 2007 (Azzaman)

The Ministry of Planning has approved projects worth $57.5 million. The projects were suggested by five ministries engaged in post-war reconstruction.

The Commission for Strategic Reconstruction, Planning Ministry’s reconstruction arm, has assigned the projects and allocation to the ministries. Work on the projects is scheduled to start immediately.

Social Affairs Ministry will get $10 million for its Human Security Project which caters for the needs of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Iraqis. Another $10 million has been earmarked to help provincial municipalities improve their public services.

The Ministry of Trade has been allocated $30 million to complete a strategic silo being constructed in the Kurdish Province of Sulaimaniya.

_____

Selling oil to Jordan at special price will improve situation of Iraqi refugees- officials
Baghdad, 23 September 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

Selling Iraqi oil to Jordan at lower prices will help improve the situation of Iraqi refugees and reduce “burden” on their host country, an official spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, said on Saturday.

The Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday approved a further reduction of $4 per barrel in the price of crude oil sold to Jordan. Under a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, Jordan will buy Iraqi oil at a special price, which is $18 lower than international market prices, al-Dabbagh explained.

In statements to the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), an advisor to the Iraqi prime minister for oil affairs, Tamir al-Ghadban, said the initiative is meant to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. “There are several political and economic motivations behind the agreement, which will alleviate the burden of Iraqi refugees on Jordan,” al-Ghadban indicated.

“This will undoubtedly ease the suffering of Iraqis in Jordan,” he added.

Meanwhile, a political advisor to the premier, Sadiq al-Rikabi, said, “The move will have a positive effect on Iraqi refugees in Jordan,” refusing to reveal whether the memorandum was part of a “bargain” to elevate the situation of Iraqi refugees.

A media spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Asem Jihad, told VOI that Jordan imports 70,000-100,000 barrels of Iraqi oil a day. “This amount is likely to increase as we are expected to supply Jordan with 30% of its requirements of crude oil,” he added.

According to statistics released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated number of 700,000-800,000 Iraqis are currently living in Jordan and struggling to obtain residency and work permits. Iraq Updates

I Hour Ago:

A controversy has developed about the invitation extended to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran by the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. Although Columbia Law School was not involved in arranging this invitation, we have received many inquiries about it.

This event raises deep and complicated issues about how best to express our commitment to intellectual freedom, and to our free way of life.  Although we believe in free and open debate at Columbia and should never suppress points of view, we are also committed to academic standards. A high-quality academic discussion depends on intellectual honesty but, unfortunately, Mr. Ahmadinejad has proven himself, time and again, to be uninterested in whether his words are true.

Therefore, my personal opinion is that he should not be invited to speak. Mr. Ahmadinejad is a reprehensible and dangerous figure who presides over a repressive regime, is responsible for the death of American soldiers, denies the Holocaust, and calls for the destruction of Israel. It would be deeply regrettable if some misread this invitation as lending prestige or legitimacy to his views.

Our university is a pluralistic place, and I recognize that others within our community take a different view in good faith, and that they have the right to extend invitations that I personally would not extend. I know that we will learn from each other in discussing the difficult questions prompted by this invitation.

Monday, 24 September 2007

U.S. Army Pfc. Joshua Smith and Sgt. Trent Boone, both of Alpha Troop, 27th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, provide security during a good neighbor mission in Mosul, Wednesday. Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal.

BAGHDAD — Attacks and violent incidents in Iraq are down, but Iraqi and Coalition forces still have a lot of work ahead, a top Coalition spokesman in Iraq said today.

“In a whole sense there is no question about the fact that, in our minds, the trend is going in the right direction,” said Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, communications division chief for Multi National Force-Iraq. “Our efforts to continue the reduction in violence will allow Iraqi society to begin to mend. There is a lot of hard work to do.”

Hard work means stopping extremists before they strike, Fox said in a news briefing. To that end, he said, Iraqis are reporting insurgent activity in their neighborhoods.

A boost to local neighborhoods this week is the addition of some 744 new Iraqi Policemen who graduated Sept. 20 from the Baghdad Police Academy. Thousands more new Iraqi Security Force members are expected in the coming months.

“Another class of 800 will graduate Tuesday,” Fox added. “Over the next six months, some 12,000 new Iraqi Security Force members will be trained — a clear indication of local Iraqis taking ownership of their own security.”

Maintaining security in Iraq means keeping al Qaeda off balance and eliminating safe havens terrorists once enjoyed, Fox said. “Al Qaeda is off balance; they’re on their back foot. They’re responding and we own the initiative,” Fox said.

The surge force initiative that’s been in place since mid-June has meant Coalition forces have been able to conduct simultaneous operations more than ever before. The surge has made a difference, Fox said. “We’ve seen demonstrable results in terms of the reduction in violence and the reduction of violent incidents in Iraq,” he said.

The admiral said he is confident the trend toward reducing violence in Iraq will continue as Coalition forces continue to pressure extremists.

“While Iraq remains a violent place beset by many problems and challenges, we continue to keep pressure on the extremist networks and to build on the tactical momentum that our Soldiers, the Iraqi people and their security forces have fought so hard to achieve.”

(Story by Melinda L. Larson American Forces Press Service)

In other developments throughout Iraq:

•   Iraqi Security Forces prevented an attempted hijacking by terrorists who targeted two buses filled with passengers in Nineveh province Saturday.

Workers remove the old, broken floor at Baghdad International Airport. For more than 15 years, BIAP has been virtually inactive. After years of trafficking very limited aircraft to and from the airport, Coalition forces set out to change the way the world sees Baghdad by placing it back in the business race one project at a time. Photo by Army Spc. Laura M. Bigenho, 28th Public Affairs Detachment.

BAGHDAD — For more than 15 years, Baghdad International Airport has been virtually inactive. After years of trafficking very limited aircraft to and from the airport, Coalition Forces set out to change the way the world sees Baghdad by placing it back in the business race one project at a time.

Army Lt. Col. Jack Pflaumer, BIAP reconstruction deputy director, 358th Civil Affairs Brigade, has seen a lot of progress since efforts began in 2005. With the grand opening of a business center and plans to build a new office tower, hotel and two convention centers, the Langhorn, Pa., native said BIAP is well on its way to rejoining the international business community.

Pflaumer said his team has two objectives: getting BIAP recertified internationally and establishing a commercial economic zone.

In doing so, the airport would become the gateway to Iraq while bringing international companies and investors in for the economic recovery effort.

“Our overall (goal) is to reconnect Iraq to the international community, attract businesses that are needed to rebuild this country, create jobs, and teach the Iraqis the standard they need in order to reestablish themselves into the international community,” Pflaumer said.

With the opening of the BIAP Business Center, Pflaumer said visiting companies and investors will have an opportunity to meet in a safe area without having to travel to downtown Baghdad.

Once reconstruction efforts are complete, they will also have access to nearby convention centers, lodging and an eight-story office building for those who plan to maintain a presence in Baghdad.

While reconstruction is key to getting BIAP back on track, it is only part of the plan. Terry Biggio, Federal Aviation Administration advisor, BIAP, has been working on the aviation side of the project.

Since the Nashua, N.H., native arrived nearly three months ago, he has been helping train Iraqis on the control center and in the tower – a crucial piece of the puzzle in rebuilding BIAP.

“(The Iraqis) haven’t used radar in this area since 1991, so this is a major step forward for this country,” Biggio said.

In order for Iraqis to achieve that step, they must first receive certification from the International Civil Aviation Organization, aviation’s governing body.

“We are going to work with them to make sure they are ICAO-compliant so that their aviation system moves up,” Biggio said.

Pflaumer said that although security remains an issue, BIAP is relatively safe. Global Security and Iraqi Police forces provide security throughout the airport while fire and emergency medical services are on hand for emergencies.

Khaldoon Yousif, BIAP director, Baghdad, said he recognizes the safety concern, but assures others of security measures to keep travelers safe.

Yousif said he wants to see BIAP catch up to other airports around the world.

“This is something I wish people back home could see,” Biggio said. “Just opening up the business center was a monumental occasion, and now being able to talk to controllers who haven’t controlled air space in 15 years; to see them in that radar environment talking with their hands is exciting.”

Pflaumer said it’s a sign Iraqis are continuing to make progress in taking back their country.

“We really want to see the government move forward, and we’re seeing signs of that occurring at the airport,” he said. “They are (almost) ready to take over the job of economic recovery of rebuilding their country. It’s very encouraging.”

Monday, 24 September 2007By Mohammed Aliwi
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Workers wash new platforms and sidewalks replaced as part of the Basrah railway station project. The $480,000 project was recently turned over to the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation. The port of Umm Qasr appears in the background. USACE photo by A. Al Bahrani.

BASRAH — The rehabilitation of the Basrah railroad station, one of the main transportation projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the south of Iraq, marks an important achievement in developing the basic transportation services and strategic infrastructure for the Iraqi people.

“The Basrah Railroad station was recently completed and turned over to the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation,” said Rebecca Wingfield, GRS project engineer with Adder Area Office. “This $480,000 project does not only help to develop the basic services and the strategic infrastructure, but it provides a critical link for the country of Iraq. It ties the southern portion of the country with the northern portion.”

Wingfield said the Basrah railroad station was unusable without renovation, noting that the structure of the building was damaged and unsafe and that the platforms and the walkways were torn up or removed.

An Iraqi engineer said work on this facility included the construction of many outer buildings as well as rehabilitation to the existing structures. In addition, he said, the platforms and sidewalks were replaced so people could get on and off the trains.

“Transporting goods and services is extremely important for any growing region and economy,” Wingfield said. “The railroad system will continue to grow in serving the Iraqi people while [they are] rebuilding their country.”

She said the mission of the Gulf Region South district throughout Basrah Province includes performing site evaluations and rehabilitation work on seven railway stations, many of which were looted and damaged after the fall of Saddam Hussein. She said the goal is to repair the stations and make them safe and efficient once again.

“The railroad [is a] main source of transportation and the major transporter of goods, materials and people throughout the country of Iraq,” Wingfield said. “This project was to install all new platforms and walkways as well as renovating portions of the interior of the station and exterior façade.

“These improvements will greatly facilitate enhanced operations at this site,” she added. “We applaud the Iraqi team with whom we have closely worked in making this challenge become a reality.”

The Iraqi engineer said rebuilding the rail industry in Basrah is very important to Iraq’s economy. Basrah, one of the oldest cities here, has a great impact on the country’s economy.

“The Iraq railroad system provides efficient, reliable transportation,” the engineer said. “It is also essential for trade and commerce from the port and business centers in Southern Iraq to the population centers in Northern Iraq.

“Iraq has a network of 2,603 kilometers and the main railway routes are Baghdad –Husaiba and Umm Qasr/Basrah – Baghdad” he said, pointing out that there are also branches to Kirkuk and Akashat.

Note:  The Iraqi engineer quoted in this article can not be named for security reasons. The author, Mohammed Aliwi, is a Media Relations Officer with Gulf Region South district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq. For more information, contact John Connor, deputy public affairs officer at 540-665-2656.

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http://www.mnf-iraq.com
703.343.8790Sept. 22, 2007
Release A070922a

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed eight terrorists and detained 25 suspected terrorists Friday and Saturday during operations in the Tigris River Valley to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq’s senior leadership.

During operations in Musayyib Saturday, Coalition forces captured a suspected associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the southern belt around Baghdad. The targeted individual is believed to be responsible for movement of al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders and have extensive knowledge of the