Old evils re-emerge

The disgusting habit of policemen and soldiers kidnapping and killing innocent civilians has re-emerged in Baghdad. It is the worst sort of violence because it undermines all confidence and is the action of truly venomously evil men. In the days of Anglo-American rule we used to euphemistically say that people "dressed in police / army uniforms" had conducted the kidnapping and killing and the Western press would swallow the PR lie and print the lie as the truth. The real truth being that these were soldiers, these were policemen, conducting these evil acts. All credit to Malaki, he does not descend to the PR gutter that the Western administration of Iraq used. He calls a spade a spade. None the less, it is profoundly sad to see this evil back again.

39 dead in throwback to Iraq's sectarian bloodshed    
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Khaleej Times - 30 November, 2013
The killings come amid a surge in violence that has seen victims snatched from their homes, only for their corpses to be found later.

Authorities found the bodies of 28 people on Friday, most of them kidnapped by men in army uniforms, and attacks killed 11 more in Iraq.

The killings come amid a surge in violence that has seen victims snatched from their homes, only for their corpses to be found later, fuelling fears Iraq is slipping back into the worst of the bloodshed that plagued it from 2005 to 2007.

FOR FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Bombings claim 21 lives in Baghdad's suburbs

Sunni on Shiite violence - in response to Shiite on Sunni violence - engenders more Sunni on Shiite violence. Brutal tit for tat killings are taking place on an ongoing basis in Iraq. What evil men are funding and supporting this? To what end? How will they ever face God? 

Kuwait News Agency - 18 November, 2013
Up to 21 Iraqis died and 65 others were wounded in a wave of blasts in Baghdad and several surrounding regions of the capital on Sunday, security sources said.

The sources said cars packed with explosives blew up in Al-Radwaniah, Al-Husainiah, Al-Sadr City, New Baghdad, Al-Ghadir district, Maysaloun square, Al-Dora and Al-Karradeh neighborhoods.

FOR FULL STORY CLICK HERE

Extraordinary News from Baghdad

Dear Friends, sorry for sending this news
Today, and with a great astonishment, we have received military orders from the Prime Minister office, through the military operations command in Baghdad; to shut the Iraqi nation parties headquarter in Baghdad, within 24 hours.
The Iraqi nation party, the Liberal democratic party, we dare the Iraqi government to direct any accusation against us.
We are not a corrupted party. We do not work by commands from Iran and others. Our votes are clean and based on elections. We do not steal from the Iraqi public. We do not use the country affairs for our own advantages. We support the values of democracy. We keep supporting peoples’ right to demonstrate.
Closing down our office will not stop our support to the protests and the protestors, and the protestors’ requests.
all the best,
Mithal alalusi

Iraq raid on Church an attempt to undermine government formation

The raid by a group of fanatics on the Baghdad Catholic church was conducted by non-Iraqis thought to be of Saudi extraction according to NCF sources in Iraq. Our sources feel that this is part of a push to de-rail moves at government formation by using violence to undermine Malaki's authority.

Current status of negotiations are centred on a deal whereby Allawi would get one of his people as speaker of the parliament plus the position of chair of the special "National Strategic Committtee" that the USA is lobbying hard to promote. This with a Malaki Premiership.

Interesting. For an alternative view condemning the raids from a different angle see this from Potkin.

Ribal Al-Assad Condemns Iranian regime's interference in Iraq and the despicable hostage taking of Christians in Iraq by criminals pretending to be Muslims

Saudi backed killers hit the streets of Baghdad?

Interesting piece from Ranj. Mostly for what it does not say "US presence in Iraq is still very much a raison d'être for Iraq’s extremist/terrorist groups" he writes - OK so who are they? Saudi backed Islamists? Syrian backed Baathists? Who is responsible for this obscenity. We need less beating about the bush and more calling to account in my view:

At least 39 people were killed and over 100 injured when a series of
bombs rocked Baghdad yesterday in attacks that follow Sunday’s
near-simultaneous suicide car bombs that killed 40 people and wounded
hundreds.

The immediate assumption will be that these attacks either send a
political message or seek to exploit the post-election, some would
stay uncertain, political climate as blocs make and break alliances
for the purposes of forming a government.

It is, however, too easy to assume that every attack comes with some
sort of a political message. The objective for terrorists now seems to
be to deploy high-casualty, high-profile mass-terror attacks focused
around the quality of both the outcome and target rather than the
quantity of bombs. Attacks in Iraq also now tend to be more of a case
of striking at chance rather than at will.

The ultimate aim is of course to undermine Iraq’s political and
democratic system. (In other words, irrespective of the elections and
foreign interference in Iraqi affairs, these bombings may have still
taken place). And doing so requires dictating public perception; that
is, have the public loose faith in their government and its security
forces. Terrorists, however, tried this before the elections but
failed since the democratic process went ahead successfully and Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki went on to perform strongly, despite initial
observations that suggested the pre-election bombings will hurt his
electoral chances.

Iraq is entering a sensitive period, during which, in tandem with the
settling of the political framework, US combat troops are expected to
withdraw by the end of August. The US presence in Iraq is still very
much a raison d'être for Iraq’s extremist/terrorist groups and they
may do anything and everything to prolong it.

Outside of these groups, there will be those in Iraq’s political
circles, wary of hostile domestic and external forces that have
influence far superior than their own, who will also seek a strong US
presence believing this to be a necessary and imperative
counter-measure against these other powers.

Big big trouble brewing - nasty VERY NASTY

Iraq is - potentially - heading for civil war. It is time to difuse the tension between the Kurds and the Central Government - IMMEDIATELY:

Kurdish officials are planning a January referendum on a controversial draft constitution for the region, despite protests that it flouts Iraqi law, could heighten tensions with Baghdad and even lead to a dictatorship. The proposed constitution, which was overwhelmingly approved by Iraqi Kurdistan’s parliament in June, gives sweeping powers to the presidency and declares disputed territories – including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk – part of the Kurdish region.

Before it can be placed on the statute book, the planned basic law needs to be ratified in a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Bombs rock Baghdad

All this sectarian violence in Iraq should end. It is beyond pointless. The main motive is vengeance like some old fashioned feud. It is shameful and largely fuelled by external interests whether Sunni or Shiite.

http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/200908102138/Iraq-Politics/bombs-rock-baghdad-and-iraqs-north.html

Baghdad Jews Have Become a Fearful Few

We have worked on hostage related issues and other matters affecting the Baghdad Jewish community for two years now. Always careful not to allow the media to highlight their plight lest it focus attention on them. And now this from an irresponsible New York Times reporter:

By STEPHEN FARRELL
BAGHDAD — "I have no future here to stay."
Written in broken English but with perfect clarity, the message is a stark and plaintive assessment from one of the last Jews of Babylon.
The community of Jews in Baghdad is now all but vanished in a land where their heritage recedes back to Abraham of Ur, to Jonah's prophesying to Nineveh, and to Nebuchadnezzar's sending Jews into exile here more than 2,500 years ago.
Just over half a century ago, Iraq's Jews numbered more than 130,000. But now, in the city that was once the community's heart, they cannot muster even a minyan, the 10 Jewish men required to perform some of the most important rituals of their faith. They are scared even to publicize their exact number.

TO VIEW FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Sadrists strike deal to end Baghdad fighting

So who is winning - the Sadrists?

Agence France-Presse - 11 May, 2008
The movement of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it had struck a deal with Iraqi officials to end weeks of fighting in Baghdad that left another 13 people dead overnight.Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, the spokesman for the cleric's office in the central shrine city of Najaf, said the deal reached with a government delegation would be effective from Sunday.

TO VIEW FULL ITEM CLICK HERE

New Embassies

The word is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are about to open embassies in Baghdad. Which would be good. Especially given the fact that nationals of those two countries have been the key financial supporters of the insurgency.

FOR FULL STORY CLICK HERE

The US Embassy in Baghdad

'Fortress America' screams Loeffler's headline in the current issue of Foreign Policy Magazine (see the article as part of Daniel Pipes' excellent roundup on the topic HERE) Unfortunately the accompanying graphics are not available online, but it is indeed a vast, self-contained complex in the heart of Baghdad. Most Iraqis will only ever see the blast walls behind which US staff - from the Ambassador to the cleaner - work, live and 'play'. We already had the 'imperial life in the emerald city' book. My friends from 'Shinedown', a band whom I know personally (courtesy to my old friend at LiveNation) and who have sold 600000 copies of their album in the states, recently played for the soldiers in Iraq. And of course there are imperial aspects to the US presence, not least the strange phenomenon that is the Green Zone. But here is a pause for thought. When exactly do you think the US will be able to handover Iraq and live inside its vast 'vatican like' compound? Not soon. Not at all. if they moved in tomorrow, they'd never emerge alive. No last helicopters from the rooftop either, they'd be shot down by rpg's. The US MUST stay in Iraq for a considerable time yet.

Just as well, since CNN reports today of the delays to the building work.