A SUICIDE bomber has attacked Shi’ite mourners in north Iraq, killing 12 people, and 13 died in other violence, officials said, as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed sectarianism for unrest plaguing the country. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Iraq
Iraq: 25 dead in sectarian killings
Iraq: Bomb kills 27, including children
The latest bombing struck at 10pm on Thursday in the west Baghdad suburb of Amriyah, leaving 27 dead and more than 50 others wounded, security and medical officials said. Continue reading
Iraq: 42 killed in bombings
A series of bomb blasts across Iraq on Monday killed at least 42 people and wounded more than 257 others, police said.
The attacks took place in at least six provinces: Baghdad, Anbar, Babel, Kirkuk, Salaheddin Diyala, and Nasriya, police officials across the country told CNN.
via CNN.com
Iraq: Suicide truck bomb kills 11
Just another day under Islam… Continue reading
Iraq: Islam’s daily business, Part 2
Multiple car bombings that exploded within minutes killed at least 37 people and wounded more than 100 in Baghdad on Sunday morning. The blasts hit in mostly Shiite neighborhoods of the capital, targeting outdoor local markets as many were out shopping to start the local workweek. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, although the blasts are similar to attacks ordered by Sunni extremists—and al Qaeda’s local affiliate. More than 100 people have been killed so far this month in sectarian violence in Iraq, and 178 were killed in January alone.
Iraq: Minister’s bodyguards on terrorism charges
TEN bodyguards of Iraq’s Sunni Finance Minister, Rafia al-Issawi, have been arrested in a terrorism-related sweep, the first official confirmation in a case that is inflaming the country’s simmering political and sectarian tensions.
Protests broke out in response to the detentions in at least two cities in Sunni-dominated western Anbar province, and the US said in unusually strong terms it was pressing Iraq’s Shiite-led government to uphold its commitment to the law.
Iraq: More deaths as Shia mosques targeted
At least 21 people were killed and 70 others injured in a series of bomb attacks against security forces and civilians in central and northern Iraq, officials said.
Shia mosques in Baghdad were main targets in Tuesday’s attacks, along with policemen in Kirkuk, a city claimed by quarrelling ethnic groups in a disputed northern region.
Car bombs exploded near three mosques shortly after nightfall in the capital, killing 12.
Police and hospital officials said the first exploded near a Shia mosque following evening prayers in Hurriya neighbourhood, killing six worshippers and wounding 20 others.
Minutes later, another car bomb went off near Gaereat mosque, killing three people.
Later, police said a third car bomb exploded, killing three Shia worshippers and wounded 14 others in Shulla neighbourhood in northern Baghdad.
Syria: Factions agree — a ‘holy day’ is a great time to kill somebody
A car bomb, shelling and gun battles marred a tenuous truce that went into effect in Syria on Friday, calling into question whether a four-day holiday ceasefire brokered by the United Nations can endure.
The day started out more calmly than usual, suggesting that both the government and the rebels were making at least some effort to keep their promises to give Syrians a respite from the relentless violence engulfing the country for the duration of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday….
…by nightfall, the reports of violence began piling up, casting doubt on whether either side was serious about observing a ceasefire that might have heralded hope for a political solution.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 70 deaths, a figure lower than the typical daily average of 150 but nonetheless far from encouraging.
Update: Iraqis concur, with 13 dead.
US: Which is more stupid..?
The manufacturers have offered troops a replacement weapon while the new scopes are being made
To stamp a reference to a Bible verse on a rifle scope, or to view that as evidence of a religious crusade?
The code stamped into the metal of the soldier’s ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) ends with the model number with “JN8:12.” which refers to the New Testament passage, John 8:12, which reads: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Other rifle scopes among some 250,000 provided by Michigan-based manufacturer Trijicon were imprinted with codes that point to passages in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Corinthians and Revelation, ABC News reported when it broke the news in 2010.
…these scopes attach to M-4 assault rifles used by U.S. troops, allies and Afghan and Iraqi forces being trained by the U.S. military.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group that aggressively pursues the separation of church and state in defense institutions, first flagged the issue in late 2009 after receiving scores of complaints from active duty military members.
“It’s constitutionally noxious,” said foundation president Mikey Weinstein. “It’s an embarrassment and makes us look exactly like the tenth incarnation of the crusades which launches 8 million new jihadist recruiting videos.”
“Our mission is to protect the population we’re serving and establish conditions for security, stability, and development, and we strive to do that while remaining sensitive to the cultural and religious norms of the populace we are supporting,” he said.
Hmmm… tough call.
Iraq: At least 70 Shi’ite pilgrims killed in bomb attacks
A co-ordinated wave of car bombs has struck Shi’ite pilgrims in Baghdad and several other cities, killing at least 70 people and wounding more than 200 in one of the deadliest days in Iraq since US troops withdrew from the country.
The bloodshed comes against a backdrop of political divisions that have raised tensions and threatened to provoke a new round of the violence that once pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents who frequently target Shi’ites in Iraq.
Iraq: Religious differences more important than preventing mayhem and death
Co-operation? What’s that mean?
Sunni Muslim rulers have largely shunned an Arab League summit hosted by Shiite-led Iraq, illustrating how powerfully the sectarian split and the rivalry with Iran define Middle Eastern politics in the era of the Arab Spring.
The crisis in Syria is the epicentre of those divisions. Thursday’s one-day summit closed with a joint call on the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, to stop his bloody crackdown on an uprising seeking his ouster. But the final statement barely papered over the differences among the Arab nations over how to deal with the longest-running regional revolt….
In a snub to Iraq, only 10 heads of state from the Arab League’s 22 members attended, with the rest sending lower-level officials.
Especially notable were the absences of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and most other Persian Gulf countries, as well Morocco and Jordan – all of them headed by Sunni monarchs who deeply distrust the close ties between Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated government and their top regional rival, Iran.
Myself and my cousins against the world!
Myself and my brothers against my cousins!
Myself against my brothers!
— Bedouin Arab saying
Iraq: 90 students stoned to death for having ‘Emo hair and tight clothes’
Youngsters in Iraq are being stoned to death for having haircuts and wearing clothes that emulate the ‘emo’ style popular among western teenagers.
At least 14 youths have been killed in the capital Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by Shia militants.
Militants in Shia neighbourhoods, where the stonings have taken place, circulated lists yesterday naming more youths targeted to be killed if they do not change the way they dress.
The killings have taken place since Iraq’s interior ministry drew attention to the ‘emo’ subculture last month, labelling it ‘Satanism’ and ordering the community police force to stamp it out….
The move is part of a wider clampdown on young people taking on what government officials call ‘Western appearances’ in Iraq.
‘The Emo phenomenon or devil worshipping is being followed by the Moral Police who have the approval to eliminate (the phenomenon) as soon as possible since it’s detrimentally affecting the society and becoming a danger,’ the statement read.
A group of armed men dressed in civilian clothing led dozens of teenagers to secluded areas a few days ago, stoned them to death, and then disposed their bodies in garbage dumpsters across the capital, according to activists, activists told the Cairo-based al-Akhbar website.
The armed men are said to belong to ‘one of the most extremist religious groups’ in Iraq.
Iraq’s moral police was granted approval by the Ministry of Education to enter Baghdad schools and pinpoint students with such appearances, according to the interior ministry’s statement.
The exact death toll remains unclear, but Hana al-Bayaty of Brussels Tribunal, an NGO dealing with Iraqi issues, said the current figure ranges ‘between 90 and 100.’
This is what happens when you let the lunatics run the asylum.
Iraq: Bombs kill at least 40 in Baghdad
Co-ordinated bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have killed at least 40 people and injured more than 130, say officials.
The interior ministry said 13 locations had been attacked, including al-Amil in the south of the city and Halawi and Karrada closer to the centre.
Attacks remain common in Iraq despite an overall fall in violence.
The blasts come amid fears of rising sectarian tensions as the unity government faces internal divisions.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombings.
However, analysts say the level of co-ordination suggests a planning capability only available to al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Well, we can be sure it wasn’t atheists.
Iraq: Al-Qaeda cell raped girl, 7
“Our forces have arrested seven members of an al-Qaeda cell who confessed to kidnapping a seven-year-old girl in Yarmouk [western Baghdad neighbourhood] because her father, a teacher, had refused to pay ransom for her,” Qassim Atta said.
In video confessions of two of the suspects shown to journalists, they both claimed to have killed dozens of police officers using silenced guns.
You want to know what God is really like? Look at his most devoted followers.
Iraq: 58 killed as security forces repel Sunni fundamentalists
SMH.
Security forces have stormed the provincial council building in Tikrit, the home town of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, after an hours-long shootout with gunmen.
”The latest toll is 58 dead and 97 wounded, and there are many with serious injuries. Six of the dead were the attackers,” said a police official stationed at Tikrit’s main hospital on Tuesday. ”The security forces have now taken over the provincial council building,” he said, adding that three council members were among the dead.
Iraq: Islamic suicide bomber kills nine
A suicide bomber has blown himself up inside a bank in Iraq, killing nine people, including three policemen, the town’s mayor said.
Eight other people, all civilians, were wounded in the midday blast at a branch of the state-owned Al-Rafidain bank in Haditha, Mayor Bassim Naji said.
US: Moslem guilty of murdering daughter
An Arizona jury on Tuesday found an Iraqi immigrant guilty of second-degree murder for running down his daughter with a Jeep because she had become too Westernized.
Faleh Hassan Almalelki struck and killed his daughter Noor Almaleki, 20, in a Phoenix valley parking lot in October 2009, and also injured her boyfriend’s mother Amal Khalaf.
If only we could reach agreement with theists on a few of the small things, like killing your daughter is wrong.
UK: Blair translates ‘kill the infidels’ into 2003-speak
SMH.
TONY BLAIR has admitted to brushing aside warnings that invading Iraq would be unlawful and made clear that his overriding priority, even at the expense of opposition at home, was to maintain a close relationship with the US president.
”They disagree fundamentally with our way of life and they will carry on doing it unless they are met by the requisite determination and, if necessary, force.”
Disagree? How dare they!?
Iraq: 12,000 ‘honour killings’ since 1991 in Kurdistan
She opened the bathroom door and saw her husband covered in blood and one of her brothers aiming a gun at her. “I saw only my brother, but someone else shot Aram,” she said. Before the smoke cleared, gunmen fired 17 bullets into Mr. Rasool’s chest and 4 into Ms. Amin’s leg and hip, General Salih said.
According to Mr. Ahmed, the brother who did the shooting was Hussein Hama Amin, a soldier in the pesh merga. Mr. Amin denied killing his brother-in-law but said he paid $10,000 to another brother, and to one of Mr. Rasool’s brothers, to kill the couple.
Any God who wants this is a bloodthirsty psychopath.
Middle East: Islamic ‘honour killings’ go on. And on. And on.
A 10-month investigation by The Independent in Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank has unearthed terrifying details of murder most foul. Men are also killed for “honour” and, despite its identification by journalists as a largely Muslim practice, Christian and Hindu communities have stooped to the same crimes. Indeed, the “honour” (or ird) of families, communities and tribes transcends religion and human mercy. But voluntary women’s groups, human rights organisations, Amnesty International and news archives suggest that the slaughter of the innocent for “dishonouring” their families is increasing by the year.
US, Britain: Hans Blix slams Bush, Blair over Iraq war
SMH.
Ex-UN weapons inspector Hans Blix questioned on Tuesday the judgment of Britain and the United States in invading Iraq on the basis of evidence of weapons of mass destruction that was clearly “poor”.
Giving evidence to an independent British inquiry into the March 2003 war in London, Blix said “I have never questioned the good faith” of then US president George W Bush and then British prime minister Tony Blair over the conflict.
There’s that word again — ‘faith’. Does the fact that both Blair and Bush (and their Australian lapdog Howard) were card-carrying Christians have anything to do with it, do you think?
US: Collateral damage? As many US troop suicides as Afghanistan casualties
SMH.
The boost in the number of suicides in June was probably driven by the ”continued stresses on the force” caused by the Iraq and Afghan wars, said Colonel Chris Philbrick, the director of the army’s suicide prevention taskforce.
Iraq: Islamic bomb plot against World Cup
There’s that missing word ‘Islamic’ again. Doesn’t the SMH realise their stories don’t make sense without a motive? I was taught that journalism should answer the questions When, Where, Who, How, What — and Why. SMH scores a big zero for Why.
Iraq: 102 die in bombings
Twin car bombs at a factory, followed by a suicide attack against emergency workers, and coordinated blasts targeting security forces killed 102 people on Monday in Iraq’s bloodiest day this year.
Iraq: Islamic terrorists massacre 25 south of Baghdad; bombs kill another 35
Three women and two girls were also among the dead, according to accounts from residents and security officials.
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