Archives: June 2003

Us Army Has Launched Operation

*The US Army has launched Operation Sidewinder, storming 20 towns in the Sunni Arab center of Iraq and making dozens of arrests, in a quest to stop sabotage and attacks on US…

Civil Administration Of Iraq Under Paul

*The civil administration of Iraq under Paul Bremer plans to create a ministry of religious affairs that would promote dialogue among Iraq's religious leaders, according to az-Zaman. It would also attempt to…

Jews Who Buy Land In Iraq Should Be

*Jews who buy land in Iraq should be killed, according to a fatwa or legal ruling issued by Sayyid Kadhim al-Haeri ( -Reuters). Al-Haeri is still in Qom, Iran, but he is…

Someone Sent Me Link To Fascinating

*Someone sent me a link to a fascinating piece on battle fatigue among US soldiers by journalist Bob Graham that appeared back last June 19 in the Evening Standard. I thought I'd…

Muqtada Al Sadr 30 Leader Of Popular

*Muqtada al-Sadr, 30, the leader of the popular Sadr Movement in Iraqi Shiism, gave an interview today to al-Hayat's Hazim al-Amin in Najaf. He said that in the religious establishment of Najaf,…

Reporters On Ground In Majar Al Kabir

*Reporters on the ground in Majar al-Kabir, southern Iraq, have begun to piece together what may have happened there Tuesday when 6 British troops were killed and several more wounded in two…

Ambush Of British Troops Near Amara

*The ambush of British troops near Amara that killed six of them on Tuesday was probably the work of bandits, according to Kim Sengupta and Patrick Cockburn of The Independent. The south…

From Bbc Text Of Report By Iraqi Shii

*From the BBC: "Text of report by Iraqi Shi'i group's Iran-based radio station Voice of the Mujahidin on 21 June: "His Eminence Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for…

Us Civil Administrator Of Iraq Paul

*US civil administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer said Sunday that he may distribute profit dividends from the Iraqi petroleum industry directly to Iraqi citizens, along the model used by Alaska ( -…

Radical Shiite Clerics In East Baghdad

*Radical Shiite clerics in East Baghdad tried to get up a big demonstration against the American occupation on Saturday (they began organizing it after Friday prayers on Friday). But they were only…

Richard Perle Member Of Pentagon

*Richard Perle, member of the Pentagon Advisory Board and unnoficial adviser to the Bush administration, has admitted that the regime of Saddam Hussein posed no direct threat to the US, according to…

Attacks On Us Troops In Iraq Continue

*The attacks on US troops in Iraq continue. On Thursday there were three such incidents. In Samawah, a largely Shiite town with some Sunni presence, a rocket propelled grenade hit a military…

According To Islam Online Grand

*According to Islam Online, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has issued a religious ruling or fatwa calling upon Iraqis to wage "civil" (i.e. nonviolent) "jihad" on the US occupation, by simply continually asking…

Shiite Supreme Council For Islamic

*The Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq does not support violence against occupying US troops, says Abdul Aziz al-Hakim in al-Hayat. The leader of the Badr Corps denounced the remnants…

Student Protests In Tehran Seemed To

*The student protests in Tehran seemed to die down on Tuesday evening, and were not nearly as big as before. Likewise, the evening was not characterized by clashes between students and the…

Big Student Protests In Iran Continued

*The big student protests in Iran continued for a sixth night on Sunday. This, despite the attack on the students Saturday by armed thugs controlled by the hardline clerics, which injured 50…

Little Has Been Written By American

*Little has been written by American observers about the ways in which the US invasion and occupation of Iraq has worsened women's lives. Not least, it has unleashed a wave of Shiite…

Several Hundred Iranian Students Have

*Several hundred Iranian students have demonstrated against the regime in Iran, and plan bigger protests on the anniversary of the 1999 demonstrations. The students are fed up with the repression of the…

In Brouhaha Over Failure Of Us To Find

*In the brouhaha over the failure of the US to find much in the way of weapons of mass destruction programs or materials in Iraq, lots of things are being overlooked. The…

It Is Now Being Reported That

*It is now being reported that interrogations of top al-Qaeda leaders Khalid Shaikh Muhammad and Abu Zubayda reveal that the organization avoided entanglement with Saddam Hussein, on orders of Usama Bin Laden…

Operation Rockingham Was Name Of Covert

*"Operation Rockingham" was the name of a covert operation within the Defense Intelligence Staff of the UK's Ministry of Defense that aimed at skewing intelligence on Iraq so as to emphasize Saddam's…

Things Are Not Going Well Again Between

*Things are not going well again between the US and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, led by Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim. Al-Hakim has said his organization refuses to participate in…

Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Al Sadr 30

*Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, 30, is in Iran for talks, according to az-Zaman. In the seminary city of Qom, he met with Ayatollah Kadhim al-Ha'iri, whose representative in Iraq he is…

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani Threw His

*Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani threw his weight behind the desirability of a near-term interim government in Iraq, during a meeting with Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. and calling for elections to a national…

Baghdad Reuters One U

*"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and five were wounded when an assailant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at them in the restive Iraqi town of Falluja on Thursday, the U.S.…

Protests Against U

*"Protests against U.S. actions in Iraq continued Tuesday in the streets of Baghdad with some 3,000 Muslim religious students demanding the release of a Shiite cleric rounded up by U.S. occupation forces…

Stockpiling Of Arms In Mosques Has Been

*The stockpiling of arms in mosques has been denounced on Coalition radio in Iraq according to AFP/az-Zaman. The broadcast condemned the desecration of holy places in this way and pointed out that…

Formula For Transitional Government In

*The formula for the transitional government in Iraq keeps changing an almost daily basis as Paul Bremer searches for a way out of the various dead ends that his predecessors had set…

There Were Demonstrations In Basra

*There were demonstrations in Basra against the new British governor. Thousands of Shiite demonstrators insisted that Iraqis could rule themselves. Some of the discontent may have come from followers of the deposed…