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Archives: December 2003
Basra Massive Drug Petroleum Smuggling
Basra: Massive Drug, Petroleum smuggling; Christians, Musicians HarassedBecause the southern Iraqi city of Basra (1.3 million) is under British military occupation rather than American, it is little covered in the US press…More Iranians In Karbala Than Iraqis
More Iranians in Karbala than Iraqis?One finds these little gems in things like theCoalition Provisional Authority Briefing on Dec. 30, already on the Web. (Participating was Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director…Firefight With Ansar Al Islam In Mosul
Firefight with Ansar al-Islam in Mosul kills 3US troops in Mosul fought with the Ansar al-Islam terrorist group in Mosul on Sunday, killing 3 and capturing several other members, according to US…Corruption Concerns Delay Pentagon
Corruption Concerns Delay Pentagon Reconstruction Projects in IraqThe Boston Globe reports that the Pentagon has canceled the process of giving out bids to reconstruct Iraq until February 1, out of concern for…Barzani Kurdish Rights Must Be In Iraq
Barzani: Kurdish Rights must be in Iraq Basic Law; Kubba: Washington rejects Loose FederalismThe two most prominent Kurdish leaders are making a full court press for an Iraqi Kurdistan to be enshrined…Al Rubaie No Sunni Shiite Conflict Need
al-Rubaie: No Sunni-Shiite Conflict; need for National Reconciliation In Nasiriyah, Interim Governing Council member Muwaffaq al-Rubaie affirmed that there are no disputes between Shiites and Sunnis. He said that these two branches…2 Us Troops Killed 8 Wounded
2 US troops killed, 8 Wounded; Interpreter Killed, 8 Iraqi troops woundedMichelle Faul of AP reports that guerrillas detonated a roadside bomb at the Karada shopping district in Baghdad, killing one US…Mi6 Manipulated British Media Former
MI6 Manipulated British MediaFormer National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski called on Sunday (CNN) for an investigation into how the US was manipulated into the Iraq war. Speaking of the forged Niger documents…More Hurdles For Iraqi Democracy Neocon
(More) Hurdles for Iraqi DemocracyThe Neocon idea that a post-war, US-dominated Iraq would become a beacon of democracy faces more and more hurdles. The increasingly strident and increasingly controversial Kurdish demand for…Alawi Saddam Will Be Tried In Secret
Alawi: Saddam will be Tried in Secret; Withdrawal Timeline for US Troops to be Negotiated Saddam's trial is unlikely to be public, according to Iyad Alawi, member of the Interim Governing Council…Ken Macleods Blog And Iraq As Many Of
Ken MacLeod's Blog and IraqAs many of you know, I'm an old time science fiction fan, having grown up on Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, Delaney, Moorcock and the other greats. (I don't care…Shiite Issues In News Thousands Of
Shiite Issues in the NewsThousands of Shiites gathered in Najaf to mourn the 1999 assassination of Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr and other Shiite figures martyred by Saddam. The ayatollah's followers tend to…10 Us Soldiers Wounded 6 Other
10 US soldiers Wounded, 6 other Coalition Troops Killed, 36 wounded;Governor of Karbala Hospitalized with 80 other wounded CiviliansGuerillas launched four massive car bombings on Saturday in the Shiite holy city of…Bam Earthquake Kills 20000 Enormity Of
Bam Earthquake Kills 20,000 The enormity of 20,000 persons being suddenly wiped out by an earthquake is just hard for me to fathom. There is an old custom in the Middle East…Bremer To Blair No Weapons Labs Cover
Bremer to Blair: No Weapons LabsThe cover story of the Bush administration about the reasons for the Iraq war has become so full of holes that it is even confusing major officials…Al Hakim Calls For Un Involvement In
Al-Hakim Calls for UN InvolvementIn a news conference in Baghdad, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, temporary president of the Interim Governing Council, said that when in Europe he had lobbied heads of state for…Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight
The Gang that Couldn't Shoot StraightAlthough Baghdad was shaken by a series of six rocket attacks on Thursday, the guerrillas managed to do very little damage. They targeted the HQ of the…Sunni Religious Groups Form Council Nyt
Sunni Religious Groups form CouncilThe NYT is reporting that Sunni Arab religious groupings met on Thursday and are seeking to establish a Sunni Arab leadership that could match that of the Kurds…Sistani Stands Ground On Demand For
Sistani Stands Ground on Demand for General ElectionsAFP reports that six members of the Interim Governing Council met with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf on Thursday to discuss his demand that…Some Mujahidin I Khalq Terrorists To Be
Some Mujahidin-i Khalq Terrorists to be Tried in Iraq The Mujahidin-i Khalq terrorist organization, which has committed mass murder in Iran, was given refuge in Iraq by Saddam Hussein, who used the…Future Of Iraqi Military International
The Future of the Iraqi MilitaryThe International Crisis Group has issued a report on the situation of the Iraqi military, and made some important recommendations to the US."RECOMMENDATIONS To the United States…Abdul Aziz Al Hakim Compensate Iran
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim: Compensate Iran' Jordanian Press Highlights 25, 26 Dec 03Jordan -- FBIS Report in Arabic 26 Dec 03FBIS REPORTFriday, December 26, 2003 Amman Al-Ra'y in Arabic on 25 Dec carries…Merry Christmas Some Iraq Christianity
Merry Christmas: Some Iraq Christianity LinksIn honor of Christmas, I include some links about Iraq’s Christians. For the history of Iraqi Christianity click here. Iraqis believe Christianity was brought to what is…Sunnis Gunned Down At Mosque Specter Of
Sunnis Gunned Down at Mosque: Specter of Sectarian Warfare RaisedAl-Hayat: “Not even a week has passed since the Shiite and Sunni clerics issued a call for self-control and refraining from targeting mosques.…Two Students Injured In Ethnic Protests
Two Students Injured in Ethnic Protests in Kirkuk al-Hayat, Tass: Student leaders in Kirkuk said that two Arab students were wounded Wednesday in confrontations with police, who were attempting to forbid a…Riots Between Kurds And Turkmen And
Riots between Kurds and Turkmen and Arabs in KirkukThe 5 Kurdish members of the Interim Governing Council have called for Mosul and Diyala province to be part of their greater Kurdistan region,…3 Us Troops Killed One Wounded Judge
3 US Troops Killed, One Wounded; Judge, Police Killed in NorthReuters reports Guerrillas near Samarra detonated a powerful roadside bomb at a passing US military vehicle, destroying it and killing the three…Bomb Found In Home Of Al Hakim On
Bomb Found in Home of al-HakimOn Monday, a bomb was found in the home of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the Shiite cleric who is December's president of the Interim Governing Council, according to…Nelson We Cannot Afford To Lose Peace
Nelson: We cannot Afford to Lose the Peace; Northern Ireland AnalogyFraser Nelson has written a long post mortem in The Scotsman on all the things that have gone wrong in the aftermath…2 Us Troops Killed In Baghdad 2 Wounded
2 US Troops Killed in Baghdad, 2 WoundedA roadside bomb killed two US troops in Baghdad, along with a civilian translator, and wounded two others. According to Michelle Faul of AP, the…Sistani On Elections In Interview With
Sistani on ElectionsIn an interview with the Baghdad daily az-Zaman, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said that he expects his negotiations with various parties concerning the transition to an Iraqi…Rpg Attack In Mosul Injures 1 Sabotage
RPG attack in Mosul injures 1; Sabotage of Petroleum FacilitiesMichelle Faul reports that on Sunday, guerrillas in Mosul launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a US military convoy. The grenade, fired near a…Wrangling Over Future Of Kurdistan
Wrangling over the Future of KurdistanKurdish leader Massoud Barzani, a member of the Interim Governing Council, announced Sunday that the Kurds would not be satisfied with provincial federalism in Iraq. It was…Al Hakim In Damascus Abdul Aziz Al
Al-Hakim in DamascusAbdul Aziz al-Hakim, president for December of the Interim Governing Council, visited Damascus and announced that he was seeking a security agreement with Syria that would guarantee "cooperation in preventing…Steps Toward Trying Saddam In Iraq
Steps toward Trying Saddam in IraqAccording to al-Hayat, the court judge, Dara Nuruddin, a member of the Interim Governing Council, announced that 20 judges will be appointed to look into the crimes…Vigilanteism In Karbala Curfew
Vigilanteism in Karbala: Curfew AnnouncedBasil Abdul Majid reports in az-Zaman that a curfew has been announced in the city as a result of threats against the provincial authorities and police chief. The…Saddam Trial May Backfire Following
Saddam Trial May BackfireThe following interview appeared in the Ann Arbor News on Sunday. In it I take a contrarian stand. I know that there are lots of good reasons to try…Wave Of Assassinations Against
Wave of Assassinations Against Baathists in Wake of Saddam's CaptureEven before Saddam was captured on Dec. 13, a wave of assassinations of former Baathist officials had begun in Baghdad (following on a…2 Us Soldiers Wounded 3 Iraqi Police
2 US Soldiers Wounded; 3 Iraqi police Killed by US TroopsAccording to MSNBC, attacks on US forces and Iraqi police in the past few days have killed more than dozen persons in…Lessons Of Libya War Isnt Always
Lessons of Libya: War isn't always NecessaryHawks in Washington will attempt to make the argument that Libya's sudden willingness to give up its weapons of mass destruction programs is a dividend of…Coalition Iraqi Police Extensively
Coalition, Iraqi Police Extensively Infiltrated by Oppositionist SpiesChris Marks of the Scotsman reviews the ways in which the Coalition military and the Iraqi police were extensively infiltrated by Baath agents. This was…Rumsfeld Bechtel And Iraq Well
Rumsfeld, Bechtel and IraqWell, the Democratic Party seems too nice or inept to do anything with it, but as the Washington Post points out, the good folks at the National Security Archive…Breaking News Shiite Badr Brigade Hq In
Breaking News: Shiite Badr Brigade HQ in Baghdad BombedAccording to CNN, a huge bomb demolished the headquarters of the paramilitary Badr Brigade in Baghdad, the militia of the Shiite Supreme Council for…1 Us Soldier Killed Another Wounded
1 US Soldier Killed, Another Wounded along with TranslatorGuerrillas in northwest Baghdad mounted an ambush late Wednesday on a 1st Armored Division convoy, killing one US soldier, and wounding another. An Iraqi…Al Hakim To Ash Sharq Al Awsat Saddam
Al-Hakim to ash-Sharq al-Awsat: Saddam must be Tried in IraqIn an interview with the London daily ash-Sharq al-Awsat, Shiite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, current president of the Interim Governing Council, insisted that…Kofi Annan May Visit Iraq Tells Sistani
Kofi Annan May visit Iraq; Tells Sistani Direct Elections ImpracticalKofi Annan is seeking a Jan. 15 meeting with the countries involved in Iraq and with the Interim Governing Council, so as to…Should Saddam Be Executed Or Exhibited
Should Saddam be Executed or Exhibited in Stocks and Spit on? Shiites DebateThe Associated Press reports on the debate in the Shiite holy city of Karbala on what should be done with…So This Is Liberation One Of Prime
So this is Liberation?One of the prime messages the Bush Public Relations team has attempted to project to the US public is that the War on Terror, and the War on Iraq,…Abdul Aziz Al Hakim Recognizes Justice
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim Recognizes Justice of Reparations to IranReuters reports that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the current president of the Interim Governing Council, has admitted that Iran has a just claim on Iraq…Convalescence For Iraqi Psyche Needed
Convalescence for the Iraqi Psyche Needed: Sunni-Shiite Clashes in Wake of Saddam CaptureMaureen Fan of Knight-Ridder observes that the capture of Saddam by the Americans has exacerbated tensions between Sunnis and Shiites…Several Us Troops Wounded In Mosul And
Several US Troops Wounded in Mosul and near Kirkuk; Assassination and a Bomb in BaghdadAFP reports that 3 US soldiers were wounded in separate rocket and mortar attacks in Mosul on Wednesday.…Trials Of Trying Saddam Veteran Middle
The Trials of Trying SaddamVeteran Middle East journalist Helena Cobban reflects on a host of issues presented by the task of trying Saddam Hussein.Economic Revival In Basra Accompanied
Economic Revival in Basra accompanied by Crime WaveAlisha Ryu argues in a report for the Voice of America that the southern city of Basra's economic efflorescence, and the more laid-back style of…Is Capture Of Saddam Bad News For Bush
Is the Capture of Saddam Bad News for Bush?William Pfaff argues in the International Herald Tribune that there are lots of reasons that Saddam's capture could be bad news for Bush. It…Student Chants In Mosul For Those
Student Chants in MosulFor those interested in crowd behavior, I note from al-Hayat the chants of student protesters in Mosul below. They are really quite ugly, like something out of the Chinese…College Professors In Mosul Strike
College Professors in Mosul StrikeThe professors at Mosul University announced a general strike on Tuesday, demanding an increase in pay. They were protesting that professors in Kurdish institutions of higher learning had…3 Us Soldiers Wounded 1 Iraqi Policeman
3 US Soldiers Wounded, 1 Iraqi Policeman Killed and 1 Wounded; 7 Protesters Killed;Demonstrations and Counter-Demonstrations Throughout IraqGuerrillas set off a roadside bomb in Tikrit, wounding three US soldiers on Tuesday. Some…On Point I Was On Nprs On Point Tuesday
On PointI was on NPR's On Point Tuesday evening. I was surprised to find the other guests reporting an attitude in the CPA and Washington that Saddam's capture was the beginning of…Saddam May Attempt To Implicate Us Mark
Saddam May attempt to Implicate USMark Matthews of the Baltimore Sun points out that Saddam may attempt to implicate Western powers and US political figures during the course of his war crimes…