JNN 27 April 2011 Afghan President Hamid Karzai says hundreds of inmates who have escaped from a central prison in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, must have received inside help. While the US force were guarding the Prison for the last four Months.At the same time An Iraqi investigative committee has confirmed that US forces were involved in the escape of a dozen al-Qaeda members from a prison in the southern city of Basra. Continue reading
Category Archives: Iraq News
14,025 Iraqis missing since US Invasion
JNNIraq’s Human Rights Ministry has revealed that over 14,000 Iraqis have gone missing since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. Continue reading No plans to extend US presence – Iraqi PM Maliki
JNN 24 April 2011 : Al-Maliki’s office said in a statement on Saturday that he is not going to extend The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US military and does not seek to prolong the US presence in Iraq. Continue reading
9 Killed 23 Injured in twin Car Bomb Blast near Green Zone in Baghdad
JNN 19 April 2011 : At least nine people have lost their lives and 23 others have been wounded after two car bombs exploded in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, security officials say. Continue reading
Iraq officially denounces the US request of Over stay
JNN 13 April 2011 : The Iraqi government officially turned down a call by the U.S. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, for a longer U.S. military presence in the country. Continue reading
Terrorist Kill 54 Men in a Raid on a Government Building in Tikrit,Iraq
JNN 30 Mar 2011 : Terrorist stormed into the provincial council headquarters in former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s home city of Tikrit and held people hostage, police said on Tuesday. Continue reading
US preacher burns Holy Qur’an
JNN 21 Mar 2011 : American evangelical preacher Wayne Sapp has desecrated Islam, setting fire to a copy of the Muslim Holy book, the Qur’an, in a small church in Florida. Continue reading US preacher burns Holy Qur'an
JNN 21 Mar 2011 : American evangelical preacher Wayne Sapp has desecrated Islam, setting fire to a copy of the Muslim Holy book, the Qur’an, in a small church in Florida. Continue reading Mullah Omar , Osama, Saddam and now Gaddafi paved a way for US & West to Invade Libya
JNN 20 Mar 2011 : What Mullah Omer did to make the way to let the US and West Invade Afghanistan, the same was done by Saddam Hussain , while the History has told in clear words that Both were Agents of US , While they Both abused US and West in Public , and now the same Drama is being repeated By Gaddafi , as He did every Brutality with the Population of Libya, to give a way for the US and west , to Invade and Loot the Third Largest Oil Exporter of Africa. Continue reading
Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada al-Sadr returns ,and announces referendum on public services
JNN 25 Feb 2011 : Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to Najaf coming from Iran, according to a source from the political bureau of the Sadrist bloc. Continue reading
Robbery or Corruption : 40 billion USD ‘missing’ from Iraq accounts
- One Billion Dollar is stacked on 12 standard pallets, altogether 10 million 100 USD notes.
JNN 24 Feb 2011 BAGHDAD : Around $40 billion are “missing” from a post-Gulf War fund that Iraq maintains to protect the money from foreign claims, its parliamentary speaker said on Monday. Continue reading
Robbery or Corruption : 40 billion USD 'missing' from Iraq accounts
- One Billion Dollar is stacked on 12 standard pallets, altogether 10 million 100 USD notes.
JNN 24 Feb 2011 BAGHDAD : Around $40 billion are “missing” from a post-Gulf War fund that Iraq maintains to protect the money from foreign claims, its parliamentary speaker said on Monday. Continue reading
US Invasion victims Mass grave found in Iraq
JNN 13 Feb 2011 : Iraqi security forces have discovered a mass grave in Diyala Province containing more than 150 bodies, killed during US-led occupation of Iraq. Continue reading Suicide blast kills 30 in Iraq
JNN 13 Feb 2011 : A bomb explosion has claimed the lives of 30 people and wounded 28 others in Samarra in Iraq’s northern Salahudin Province, medics say. Continue reading Suicide blast kills 30 in Iraq
JNN 13 Feb 2011 : A bomb explosion has claimed the lives of 30 people and wounded 28 others in Samarra in Iraq’s northern Salahudin Province, medics say. Continue reading 9 Shia pilgrims Martyred By Bomb Blast in Iraq
JNN 10 Feb 2011 : At least nine people have been killed and 43 others wounded when a car bomb targeted Shia Muslim pilgrims in Iraq’s northern province of Salahuddin. Continue reading 9 Shia pilgrims Martyred By Bomb Blast in Iraq
JNN 10 Feb 2011 : At least nine people have been killed and 43 others wounded when a car bomb targeted Shia Muslim pilgrims in Iraq’s northern province of Salahuddin. Continue reading Suicide bomber injures 4 people in Samarra
JNN 04 Feb 2011 : Four civilians were wounded on Thursday in a suicide car bomb explosion in western Samarra, a security source said. Continue reading
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al Sadr returns to Iran
JNN 22 Jan 2011 NAJAF, Iraq : The Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr returned to Iran on Friday after spending a couple of weeks testing the political waters back home in Iraq after a long, self-imposed exile, aides said. Continue reading
15 killed and 85 injured in Twin Suicide blasts in Iraq
JNN 20 Jan 2011 BAGHDAD : Suicide bombers struck in Iraq for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people in two attacks in Diyala province and raising fears of a renewed insurgent campaign targeting Iraqi security forces and government officials. Continue reading
'Umul Momineen' admitted of recruiting more than 80 female Suicide Bombers
JNN 20 Jan 2011 : Iraqi insurgents call her “Ummul Momineen,” but this murderous mom helped a gang of rapists turn its victims into female suicide bombers.
Samira Ahmed Jassim has admitted being a key part of a plot hatched by Ansar Al Sunnah terrorists to build an army of Amazons willing to blow themselves up for Allah. Continue reading
‘Umul Momineen’ admitted of recruiting more than 80 female Suicide Bombers
JNN 20 Jan 2011 : Iraqi insurgents call her “Ummul Momineen,” but this murderous mom helped a gang of rapists turn its victims into female suicide bombers.
Samira Ahmed Jassim has admitted being a key part of a plot hatched by Ansar Al Sunnah terrorists to build an army of Amazons willing to blow themselves up for Allah. Continue reading
Anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns to Iraq
JNN o5 Jan 2011 NAJAF: Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who led several Shia uprisings against American forces in Iraq before going into exile in neighbouring Iran almost four years ago, returned to Iraq on Wednesday.
Al-Sadr`s return caps another dramatic rise to prominence for him and his followers after being routed by Iraqi and US forces and appearing to fade from power just a few years ago. The strong showing by his bloc in last year`s parliamentary elections and his key support for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki paved the way for Wednesday`s return.
His mere presence in the country he has not publicly visited for years was cause for jubilation among his supporters in his hometown of Najaf and around the country.
Al-Sadr visited the holy shrine of Imam Ali wearing a black turban distinguishing him as one of the descendants of the Prophet Mohammed and surrounded by a phalanx of bodyguards who attempted to hold back a throng of supporters.
He also visited the grave of his father, who was assassinated during Saddam Hussein`s regime, before heading to his house.
Sadrist supporters from Baghdad including top-ranking officials in his political faction streamed to Najaf for the occasion and his followers chanted “Imam Ali is with you” through the streets of the southern city.
“He is our hero. We sacrificed for him. He said `No` to the Americans and fought the Americans, and he is brave,” said Mohammed Ali, one of al-Sadr`s followers.
It was not immediately clear how long al-Sadr would stay in Iraq or whether the return marked a permanent decision to remain in the country, where his presence would mark a seismic shift in Iraqi politics. But at least one official from the Sadrist office in Najaf said he would remain in Iraq. The official did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media. An official with al-Maliki`s office confirmed a plane carrying al-Sadr flew into the southern city earlier Wednesday afternoon. He did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Al-Sadr has not been seen publicly in Iraq since 2007, and at one point an arrest warrant even hung over al-Sadr`s head for his alleged role in assassinating a fellow Shia cleric seen as a rival shortly after the US invasion in 2003.
He has been living in Iran, studying in Qom, and rarely makes public visits abroad. Last fall, he travelled to Syria for a meeting with former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi, who was challenging al-Maliki for the premiership.
His militia, called the Mahdi Army, once led bloody uprisings against American forces, and al-Sadr has made opposition to any continued American military presence in Iraq a cornerstone of his ideology.
Al-Maliki in 2008 launched an offensive against al-Sadr`s followers in their Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City and the southern city of Basra. The show of force infuriated many of his Shia allies but also demonstrated al-Maliki`s willingness to go after all militias, even those representing his own sect.
Hundreds of al-Sadr`s followers were jailed during those operations.
Enmity between al-Sadr and al-Maliki runs deep, but after months of vowing to never allow al-Maliki to return for a second term, al-Sadr and his followers eventually backed him.
The decision is believed to have been taken after intense pressure from neighbouring Iran, which would like to solidify Shia control of Iraq. But questions have also been raised about what al-Sadr and his followers received for their support. Iraqi officials have said that hundreds of his followers have been released from jail, a key Sadrist demand.
Iraqis in many southern provinces and parts of eastern Baghdad where the Sadrists dominate have reported intimidation by Sadrist members who are feeling more powerful in light of their alliance with their one-time enemy and their triumphant return to Iraqi politics.
Iraqi political analyst Hadi Jalo told The Associated Press that the return of the man reviled by American forces also underscores the US`s waning political influence in Iraq as American forces prepare to leave the country entirely by the end of this year.
US Military Women getting raped By there fellow Soldier , who are criminals Rather than Soldiers
JNN 17 Dec 2010 : Women who join the US military are more likely to be raped by a fellow American soldier than getting killed by enemy fire
American civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon for refusing to release records of sex crimes occurring within the United States military.
The plaintiffs, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Service Women’s Action Network, and Yale Law School students, are seeking access to the records through a district court in New Haven, Connecticut.
The groups say official records of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military are needed to determine the extent of the problem and what has been done to address it.
They have also underlined the fact that withholding the documents is against the Freedom of Information Act.
The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are yet to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed against them on Monday.
According to the case, tens of thousands of service members have reported some sort of sexual assault or trauma in the past decade.
It underlines that about 80 percent of unwanted or threatening sexual acts are not reported.
The lawsuit also says the government only prosecutes eight percent of sex offenders in the military.
In the 2009 fiscal year, a Pentagon report showed an 11 percent increase in sexual assaults in the military over the previous year.
The shocking survey also said that one in every three women report being sexually assaulted during their service in the US military.
Among the 705 cases where victims asked that their details be kept from their military commander and law enforcement officials, 489 (69 percent) involved rape, 39 alleged forcible sodomy and 125 indecent assault.
The report also recorded allegations by civilian victims against members of the military. Of a total of 574 cases reported last year, 391 involved rape, 33 forcible sodomy and 150 indecent assaults.
This means that women, who join the military to help fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, are more likely to be raped by a fellow American soldier than they are of getting killed by enemy fire.
This is while sexual abuse is believed to be the primary cause of post traumatic stress disorder among female service members.
Many say the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have raised the demand for additional military personnel, and that is why people with criminal backgrounds, who were turned away ten years ago, are now among the ranks of the US military.
“Putting these types of individuals into situations … where they are confronted with an opportunity to do things of a criminal nature, it should not surprise anyone that a much higher percentage of these types of things are going to go on,” former US Senate candidate, Mark Dankof, told Press TV on Monday.
However, even though President Barack Obama’s administration is quite aware of the problem of sexual assault in the US military, it has been very slow in addressing the issue, and has only asked US Congress to advance additional funds for more prevention programs.
Millions commemorate Ashura in Karbala & Najaf
JNN 17 Dec 2010 Karbala : Millions of Muslim pilgrims have gathered in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala to mourn the martyrdom anniversary of the prophet of Islam’s grandson, Imam Hussein (PBUH).Amid tight security, huge crowds of mourners have reached the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shia Imam.
The event marks the 10th day of the Lunar month of Muharam, which is also the climax of the ten-day Ashura commemorations.
Around 28,000 soldiers and law enforcement agents are on duty in the Iraqi city. Some 7,000 reserves could join the force if deemed necessary.
Iraqi security forces have reportedly rounded up as many as 80 suspected militants, who intended to unleash chaos on the holy city.
Muharram ceremonies in Iraq have been the target of numerous attacks over the past years. The deadliest took place in 2004 when near-simultaneous blasts in Baghdad and Karbala killed more than 170 people.
Mourning ceremonies were also held in different countries around the world on Thursday.
The Day of Ashura is when the third Shia Imam was martyred along with 72 of his companions while fighting for justice during the battle of Karbala in the year 680.
Seen as one of the most important occasions in the Shia Muslim calendar, Ashura is both a day of sorrow and inspiration. Muslim men, women and children take to the streets every year to express their grief.
Ashura commemorated in Karbala and around the world
JNN 16 Dec 2010 KARBALA: Iraq has arrested 73 Al-Qaeda-linked suspects officials said were implicated in plotting “chaos” during Ashura in Karbala, as two million pilgrims thronged the shrine city on Thursday.
The arrests underscored fears of violence during the 10-day Mourning Majalis and Processions that culminate on Friday, in a key test for Iraq’s security forces ahead of a complete withdrawal of American troops in a year.
Vehicle traffic in Karbala was brought to a virtual standstill as pilgrims were made to walk to the shrines of the revered Imams Hussein and Abbas, while all visitors were searched at checkpoints.
“We were able to destroy 14 terrorist cells and arrest 73 people, including 37 wanted persons,” Karbala provincial council chief Mohammed al-Mussawi said. “We seized lots of weapons, IEDs (improvised-explosive devices), explosives belts and equipment.
“If they had been able to mount their attacks during the pilgrimage, it would have created chaos. Karbala is the main target for terrorists during Ashura.”
Mussawi said those arrested were suspected members of Al-Qaeda.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Iraqi army commander responsible for security in five provinces including Karbala said those detained were implicated in an Al-Qaeda-linked group called the Boys of Heaven.
General Othman al-Ghanimi said a total of 80 suspects had been arrested.
Mussawi said the number of pilgrims in Karbala for the commemorations had reached two million, 238,000 of them from abroad.
Karbala police spokesman Major Alaa Abbas reported no incidents in the city so far. He said tight security arrangements would remain in force until the pilgrims had headed home after the ceremonies.
The deadliest Ashura attacks were in March 2004 when near-simultaneous bombings in Karbala and at a Shia mosque in Baghdad killed more than 170 people.
“Everything right now inside Karbala is good,” said 40-year-old Kadhim Hussein, a pilgrim from the southern port city of Basra. “We will continue our commemorations of Hussein’s martyrdom despite all the threats from enemies.”
BEIRUT
Massive crowds thronged streets across Lebanon on Thursday to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashura, responding in force to a call by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah the previous night.
A correspondent at the scene said tens upon tens of thousands of Nasrallah’s supporters lined the streets of the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut as the 10 days of rituals to mourn the Ashura.
TEHRAN
Millions of Iranians, beating themselves with fists and chains, marked the climax of Ashura on Thursday, a day after a suicide bomber killed 34 people taking part in a procession.
Men, women and children dressed in black gathered in cities across Iran as the 10 days of rituals to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, the faith’s third imam, reached a peak.
Iranian state television carried live footage of the Ashura processions in the capital Tehran, the second city of Mashhad, the Shiite clerical centre of Qom and the smaller cities of Yazd, Bam and Ardebil.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was shown attending a gathering in south Tehran.
Crowds of mourners, meanwhile, were seen across Tehran staging short street plays depicting the Karbala battle which led to Imam Hussein’s A.S Martyrdom .
Chanting “Ya Hussein!” the crowds, many of them shirtless men beating their chests with their fists, set fire to makeshift tents and re-enacted the killing of Hussein as women and children watched, some with tears in their eyes.
Bomb blasts kill 3, injure 32 in Iraq
JNN 15 Dec 2010 : One explosion struck a group of mourners west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The other bomb targeted a procession in the town of Khalis, north of the capital.
Attacks on Shia mourners have increased in war-ravaged Iraq in the lead-up to Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH).
Ashura, the tenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar year Muharram, falls on December 16 this year.
Many devout Muslims across the world are also holding ceremonies to mourn the event which is one of the most important occasions on the Shia calendar.
On Ashura day, Imam Hussein (PBUH) and 72 of his companions were martyred while fighting for justice during Karbala battle in Iraq back in the year 680.
On Monday, four people were killed and 17 others wounded in a bomb attack on a group of pilgrims northeast of Baghdad.
Blasts kill Many Shias at Imam Hussein’s Mourning Procession in Iraq
Suicide attacks targeting a police checkpoint and a Shiite Muslim procession in western and central Iraq on Sunday killed over 20 people, including six policemen, police and a doctor said.
According to Iraqi police and hospital officials, the blasts occurred on Sunday near the provincial council building in Ramadi, Anbar’s capital, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad.
The first explosion was heard at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), killing at least 17 people, among them six members of the police force.
At least 23 people have also been left wounded in the Sunday attack.
Only minutes later, a second bomb was found in a nearby parking lot. Police say they have detonated it in a safe area.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Government officials in Anbar, a former al-Qaeda stronghold, have frequently been targeted by militants.
The violence comes days before the climax of the Shia commemoration ceremony of Ashura on Thursday.
The tenth day of Muharram, which is known as Ashura, marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein (PBUH).
Every year on Ashura thousands of Muslims from all over Iraq and neighboring countries hold mourning ceremonies and many head for the holy city of Karbala, where the shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH) is located.
Jordan supports Iraqi terrorist group'
JNN 2 Dec 2010 : The unnamed terrorist group was behind an attack against a church in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad in October, Iraqi al-Qanoon website reported on Thursday.
The hostage-taking incident in the Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral left more than 50 Iraqis dead and nearly 60 others injured.
The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group with ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the Baghdad church siege.
The sources said that the people in Jordan were sending money to an office in al Karade, according to the report.
The terrorist group also claimed responsibility for several attacks in war-ravaged Iraq.
An unnamed security source said that members of the group were receiving 40,000 dollars per month for their terrorist activities.
Jordan supports Iraqi terrorist group’
JNN 2 Dec 2010 : The unnamed terrorist group was behind an attack against a church in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad in October, Iraqi al-Qanoon website reported on Thursday.
The hostage-taking incident in the Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral left more than 50 Iraqis dead and nearly 60 others injured.
The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group with ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the Baghdad church siege.
The sources said that the people in Jordan were sending money to an office in al Karade, according to the report.
The terrorist group also claimed responsibility for several attacks in war-ravaged Iraq.
An unnamed security source said that members of the group were receiving 40,000 dollars per month for their terrorist activities.
Massive bomb explosion in Karbala
JNN 08.11.10 A huge bomb explosion has rocked the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala, killing at least 12 people and leaving 40 others wounded.
The incident occurred on Monday morning when a car bomb detonated near a mosque in Karbala, which hosts the shrine of the third Shia imam, Imam Hussein (PBUH).
There were Iranian pilgrims among the casualties from the massive blast.
No person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing which took place despite tight security measures in the city, visited by thousands of pilgrims from across Iraq and neighboring countries.
Iraq has witnessed a notable hike in violence over the past few days, following months of relative calm amid continuous yet less fatal, terrorist attacks across the country.
At least 120 people lost their lives in over a dozen coordinated bomb attacks on Tuesday in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Earlier on Sunday, more than 50 Iraqis were killed and at least 60 others injured in a hostage crisis in Baghdad’s Sayidat al-Nejat Catholic Church.
Iraqi authorities blame the al-Qaeda for the attacks, saying the militants are seeking to destabilize the country. Last month, a total of 194 people lost their lives in violence across the war-weary country.
Eight killed in Najaf explosion
JNN .08.11.10A bomb explosion has killed eight people, including three Iranians, in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, hours after another deadly bomb attack in the holy city of Karbala.
The blast happened about 500 yards from the shrine of the first Shia imam, Imam Ali (PBUH), wounding also at least 16 people on Monday, Khaled Jashani, a member of Najaf’s provincial council, told JNN.
The car bomb went off near three buses transporting Iranian pilgrims to Najaf, Iraqi police said.
The revered Imam Ali shrine attracts hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims from Iraq, Iran and other countries every year.
Earlier in the day, a car bomb detonated in Karbala, killing 12 people, including six Iranian pilgrims, and leaving more than 40 others wounded.
No group or person has yet claimed responsibility for the Monday attacks.
Last week, at least 120 people were killed in over a dozen coordinated bomb attacks in and around the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
In a separate attack on October 31, more than 50 Iraqis were killed and at least 60 others injured in a hostage crisis in Baghdad’s Sayidat al-Nejat Catholic Church.
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a universal servant
11/8/2010 2:25:20 PM
These are the acts of criminals blinded by greed, like in all empires. Conquest and destruction, to fulfil self-destructive delusions. The people are too wise and their hearts too beautiful to be manipulated by these tactics. Those that seek chaos and impunity will only find their true interest in repenting before the time of judgement.
Reality
11/8/2010 1:33:46 PM
Of course this has been done by mossad. They’re hungry to kill muslims, and label them as terrorists. The want disunity and chaos among muslims in the middle east, to forecome a strong intelligent unity against them. Until now, iran is the only country they cannot dominate.
Sayed Kadiri
11/8/2010 11:48:37 AM
I am a Sunni Muslim. In my opinion anyone who calls himself a Muslim and then blows up a religious place of any denomination, whether it is Church, Synagogue, Mosque or Temple has taken themselves outside of Islam.Oh Muslims wake up and Unite. Otherwise be prepared to lose you ‘Islamic Lands’ to the ZionistsThe Greater Israel encompassess Iraq, Jordan, saudi and other Arab States. Oh Arabs wake up or be prepared to lose your lands, women and honour to the Zionists !!!
Ali
11/8/2010 11:30:52 AM
American and british troops mustleave Iraq, they havent helped at all, they have made situations alot worse, they must leave as soon as possible!!!
ahmed
11/8/2010 11:19:54 AM
imam ali is just not the imam of shias he is also the imam of sufis/sunnis long live the ahle bait, ya ali and the salafis working with the foreign forces on one hand say they are attacking them on the other hand taking money of them to destroy hazrat ali shrine.shame on you so called muslims who have sold your iman allah is the all knower judgement day will be coming when the lovers of prophet muhammed S.A.W and his family will be under the shade of jannat
REALIST
11/8/2010 11:04:52 AM
AS LONG AS THE INVADING FOREIGN FORCES WILL REMAIN IN IRAQ, THEIR DIVISIVE TERRORISM WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE SECTARIAN INFIGHTING TO CAUSE TURMOIL AND CHAOS TO JUSTIFY THEIR PRESENCE AND THEIR MURDEROUS INVASION!!
21 Shia Muslims Martyr by Suicide Bomber in North of Baghdad
BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt martyred at least 21 people on Friday in a town north of Baghdad, shattering what had been weeks of relative calm, the town’s mayor said.
A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt martyred at least 21 people on Friday in a town north of Baghdad, shattering what had been weeks of relative calm, the town’s mayor said.
The suicide bomber blew himself up inside a popular cafe in the town of Balad Ruz, 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, said the town’s mayor, Mohammed Maaruf. An additional 65 people were injured, he said.
The neighborhood where the explosion occurred is home to many Faili Kurds, a small sect of ethnic Kurds following the Shia branch of Islam, and many of the dead were Shias.
Feyli Kurds are largely a Shiite community living in Baghdad and Iraq around Khanaqin and Mandili. There are an estimated 2-3 million Feylis living in Iraq.
Iraqi Main Shia Bloc Rejects Saudi Offer
National Alliance turns down Saudi monarch’s offer to host all-party talks to break Iraq’s political impasse.
he National Alliance, Iraq’s main Shia bloc, has turned down a Saudi offer to host all-party talks to resolve months of deadlock over forming a new Iraqi government.
The offer was turned down on Sunday after some politicians voiced fears over foreign interference. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah had a day earlier volunteered to host the talks in November.
The National Alliance, a coalition of Shia blocs, including that of incumbent prime minister,
Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition, said that a deal in Baghdad was close after the highest court ordered parliament to resume sessions last week.
“Though we express our appreciation to Saudi Arabia for its concern about the situation in Iraq and its willingness to provide support, we would like to confirm Iraqi leaders are continuing their meetings to reach a national consensus,” a statement issued by the alliance, said.
According to a senior member of al-Maliki’s bloc, the Kurdish Alliance also supports this statement.
The Kurdish alliance has 57 seats in parliament and al-Maliki’s camp is working closely with them to form a coalition government.
The Kurdish bloc was not immediately available for comment.
A spokeswoman for the rival Iraqiya list, led by Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister, however, welcomed the Saudi monarch’s initiative.
“We ask all political blocs to welcome the initiative, preventing Iraq’s security situation from deteriorating” amid continued political deadlock, Maysoon al-Damluji, a prominent member of the bloc, said.
21 Shia Muslims Martyr by Suicide Bomber in North of Baghdad
BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt martyred at least 21 people on Friday in a town north of Baghdad, shattering what had been weeks of relative calm, the town’s mayor said.
A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt martyred at least 21 people on Friday in a town north of Baghdad, shattering what had been weeks of relative calm, the town’s mayor said.
The suicide bomber blew himself up inside a popular cafe in the town of Balad Ruz, 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, said the town’s mayor, Mohammed Maaruf. An additional 65 people were injured, he said.
The neighborhood where the explosion occurred is home to many Faili Kurds, a small sect of ethnic Kurds following the Shia branch of Islam, and many of the dead were Shias.
Feyli Kurds are largely a Shiite community living in Baghdad and Iraq around Khanaqin and Mandili. There are an estimated 2-3 million Feylis living in Iraq.
Six people killed in Iraq violence
At least six people, including three security forces, have been killed in the new wave of bomb attacks in Iraq, interior ministry sources say.
In the first incident, three policemen lost their lives on Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded in the Hamreen region of Baquba province, AFP reported.
An interior ministry source says another bomb went off near the Sunni Endowment’s headquarters in Baghdad and killed two guards and left four other people injured.
The source added that a magnetic “sticky bomb” targeted a car and claimed a live, wounding four other people.
The attacks came a day after seven people have been killed by bomb blasts in the Iraqi capital and the country’s eastern province of Diyala.
Seven years after US raid on Iraq, casualties from bomb attacks still remain part of daily life in the war-torn country.
The classified documents released by the whistleblower website Wikileaks have shed light on a spate of crimes and offences committed in Iraq over the past few years, including assassinations and murders.
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext of having weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found.
German companies offer housing units in holy Karbala
German companies offered to implement 1,000 low-cost housing units within an integrated housing neighborhood project for a total cost of $16.5 million, a local spokesman said on Saturday.
German companies offered to implement 1,000 low-cost housing units within an integrated housing neighborhood project for a total cost of $16.5 million, a local spokesman said on Saturday.
“A delegation representing a German consortium offered to Karbala Governor Amal al-Din al-Hirr and Provincial Council Chief Muhammad Hameed al-Moussawi a project of 1,000 low-cost housing units, each consisting of three rooms,” Emad Muhammad
Hussein, the Karbala Province’s information director, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
For his part, the chairman of the board of the German consortium said the delegation was acquainted on conditions in the city and was encouraged to offer readiness to implement the project, which would take place near the green belt southwest of Karbala city.
“The contract will be signed during the next few days to start the project by German technicians while the working hands will be Iraqi,” he added.
The holy Shiite city of Karbala lies 180 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Hezbollah Condemns Danish Republishing of Prophet’s Cartoons
JNN 02.10.10 Hezbollah vehemently condemned the Danish publishing house for publishing a book containing the controversial blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), recalling that the cartoons erupted rage in the Islamic World being a crime of ethics which targets the great person of Prophet Mohamad, indifferent of the feeling of more than a billion Muslims worldwide.
In a statement released by its media relations, Hezbollah said that republishing the blasphemous cartoons by the publishing house was a declaration of refusal to respect the Muslims’ feelings. “This also demonstrates their insistence on insulting the Muslims’ sanctities, presenting a cause of tension in the good relations that should exist between different religions in the world. This is what these governments should take full responsibility of.”
Hezbollah expressed belief that the ongoing blasphemous campaigns against Islamic sanctities, under the excuse of freedom of expression, constitute a malignant of double standards in tackling issues of respecting beliefs, with disregard to the Islamic Ummah (Nation), its leaders and peoples.
The Resistance party concluded its statement by calling upon all Muslims in the world to announce a united stance confirming the refusal of these insults, and raise a loud voice of condemnation.
Iraqi Shia Officers being Target killed by Ba'athists
JNN 02.10.10 Reports from Iraq raise questions over the government’s silence on a series of assassinations targeting Shia officers in the army, police and intelligence service.
In the latest of the attacks, terrorist elements assassinated deputy director of police forces in the province of Maysan on Monday morning while he was at a special session in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Nahrain Net news website reported.
Earlier, an officer in the army rank of major was hit in the capital where militants gunned down police Capt. Haider Zuhair near a courthouse in the Western district of Karkh, using weapons fitted with silencers.
The attacks came within 24 hours after the assassination of three other officers serving in the military and the police.
In Kirkuk, police chief Col. Ahmed Chmirani survived an assassination attempt after his convoy was targeted by a bombing attack on Monday morning in the city’s southern neighborhood of Wasta.
Chmirani and three of his bodyguards were injured in the incident which also left three civilians wounded.
A similar attack was carried out in July, when a blast hit the convoy of Kirkuk police chief Brig. Gen. Borhan Tayyib, leaving him seriously injured and killing his son.
Late on Sunday, unknown gunmen stormed the house of Dr. Adnan Mohammed Saleh in the center of Kirkuk, shooting the doctor dead.
Reports by Nahrain Net had earlier revealed the existence of am underground team of elements from executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Ba’ath party.
Operating under the supervision of the US intelligence service CIA and backed by Saudi Arabia, the group is reportedly tasked with the liquidation of Shia officers and politicians.
The project is ultimately aimed at taking Ba’athist elements and their sympathizers to power to pave the way for a military coup and the return of the banned Ba’ath party to Iraq’s political arena.
Meanwhile, Iraqi security officials held a meeting on Sunday to form a coordination center for greater security cooperation between Sunni al-Sahwa (Awakening) militias and the Land Forces Command of Iraq’s Defense Ministry.
Zaid Jubouri, an official for the group, also known as the Sons of Iraq, welcomed this measure, saying it would also serve as a positive step to stem terror attacks targeting the Awakening forces in recent years.
Bahrain 'intensifying' Shia crackdown
Human rights activists have expressed concern about the intensifying crackdown on the Shia community in Bahrain by the Sunni-dominated government.
The activists say the crackdown on the freedom of expression is fast escalating and broadening in scope.
“There is a continuous war against all Shias who are critics of the government,” President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab told Press TV on Tuesday.
Many of the opposition detainees were tortured and sexually assaulted, among them religious figures, he added.
The rights activists said that more websites were being blocked while an increasing number of publications were being banned on an almost daily basis.
Earlier on Sunday, the Manama government revoked the citizenship of leading Shia cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Hussein al-Najati, who represents top Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Bahrain, and the citizenship of his family.
An outspoken critic of the government, Sheikh Abdul Jaleel al-Miqdad, has also been prohibited from leading Friday prayers.
The Bahraini government has arrested more than 250 Shias since August, accusing 23 of them of plotting a coup and provoking “violence, rioting and terrorism.”
The population of Bahrain is predominantly Shia. However, the majority group has long complained of being discriminated against by the Bahraini government in obtaining jobs and receiving services.
The Shia opposition refuses to recognize the 2002 constitution and has called for a boycott of the October 23 parliamentary elections.
Millions stepping in Najaf for Haydari mourning
HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Hundreds of thousands of mourners have been heading to the holy city of Najaf to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Al-Imam Ali Al-Mortadha (a.s.), first infallible descendant of Prophet Muhammad (s), at his holy shrine.
JNN
News Agency, HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Hundreds of thousands of mourners have been heading to the holy city of Najaf to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Al-Imam Ali Al-Mortadha (a.s.), first infallible descendant of Prophet Muhammad (s), at his holy shrine.
Ramadan 21, the anniversary of martyrdom of Al-Imam Ali b. Abi Talib (as.), falls this year on Wednesday September 1 in Iraq, and according to officials the number of mourners to Najaf will reach to two million on Wednesday.
The government has announced holiday on Ramadan 21 marking the sad occasion in Najaf governorate.
Al-Qaeda Claims Ramadan Attacks in Iraq
Al-Qaeda has said it was behind a wave of attacks across Iraq during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a US monitoring group said on Saturday.
Al-Qaeda front group, the Islamic State of Iraq, said that during “the month of fasting and jihad” it launched a “new earth-shaking wave” in its campaign of violence, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
In the statement posted on Islamist forums on Friday, the militants said they targeted “headquarters, centres and security barriers for the army and apostate police.”
On Wednesday, more than a dozen apparently coordinated car bombs targeting Iraqi police and other attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda hit 10 cities and towns around the country, killing 53 people and wounding hundreds.
Iraq has witnessed an upsurge in violence during Ramadan, when insurgents typically step up their activity.
The spike in unrest has triggered concern that Iraqi forces are not yet ready to handle security on their own, just days before the US military ends its combat mission in Iraq, and with no new government formed in Baghdad since a March 7 general election.
Rush hour blasts kill four in Baghdad
Sunday’s deadliest strike came when a roadside bomb exploded at 7:15 a.m. local time next to a minibus heading from the Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City into downtown.
Police said three people were killed, including a police officer, and nine were wounded.
A hospital worker confirmed the casualties.
Earlier, three bombs planted a few meters away from each other in a downtown business district blew up simultaneously. Police and hospital officials said a bystander was killed and seven injured.
Hezbollah shares Hariri case evidence
JNN 14.08.10 Hezbollah says it is ready to hand over evidence proving Israel’s involvement in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to Lebanese authorities.
Hezbollah officials said on Friday that since the resistance movement does not trust the tribunal investigating Hariri’s assassination, they would pass the sensitive material to the Lebanese judiciary.
“What Lebanon’s jurisdiction asks for we will provide, and what they do with that is their responsibility,” State Minister for Administrative Development Mohammed Fneish told AFP.
“Our position has not changed, however. Our evidence is in the hands of the Lebanese government… but that does not alter our view of the tribunal, which is that it has no credibility,” the Hezbollah minister added.
Hezbollah lawmaker Nawaf Mousawi also said that it is up to Lebanese authorities to give the information to the UN tribunal.
Hezbollah’s Friday decision came after the UN tribunal probing the murder of former Lebanese premier called on the Shia group to submit all the information it has and assist the inquiry.
Some political analysts, however, believe Chief prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s request was “merely an attempt to enhance the credibility of the tribunal.”
Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday presented new indications of Israeli involvement in the killing of Hariri in a massive car bomb explosion in 2005.
The evidence included footage from Israeli spy drones of routes used by Hariri and recorded confessions by Israeli spies substantiating that the assassination of Hariri was carried out on orders from Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah exposes Israeli hit men
JNN 10.08.10 Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has presented evidence proving that Israel masterminded the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
At a press conference in Beirut on Monday night, the Lebanese resistance movement’s secretary general presented video materials captured by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as well as recorded confessions by Israeli fifth columnists substantiating that the February 14, 2005 assassination of Hariri in the capital was carried out on orders from Tel Aviv.
The Lebanese network Al-Manar aired the speech and incorporated the evidence, showing intercepted footage of Hariri’s house in the lead-up to the massive car bombing which killed him and claimed the lives of 22 other people.
Al-Manar also produced film footage showing Israeli espionage agents acknowledging their roles in the assassination.
One of the Israeli operatives, Ahmad Hussein Nasrallah, “gave false information to former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri through someone who worked with Hariri in the security area,” the Al-Manar narrator stated, and added, “He said that Hezbollah wanted to assassinate Rafik Hariri.”
Afterwards Al-Manar showed the agent admitting to the ruse.
Syria was accused of being behind the plot to assassinate Hariri, which undermined the tenuous ties between Damascus and Beirut and eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
The Hezbollah leader said Ahmed Nasrallah had sought to frighten the late Lebanese premier with the allegations as part of a larger plot to drive Syria out of Lebanon
Saudi Shia Muslim Detained in Custody Since Thirty Months Without Trial
JNN 01.08.10 For thirty months, the Saudi Wahhabi police is still holding a Shia citizen Ridha Algashaam for unidentified reasons and without formal charges to date.
The Saudi Wahhabi authorities arrested the young Algashaam (25 years) in January 2008 amid conflicting reports about the reason for his apprehension.
Algashaam’s young wife was also harshly interrogated on the 25th February of the same year. The detainee is the son of a known Hasawian cleric Sheikh Abdul Aziz Algashaam the imam of
the Montazar mosque in Rashidiya district in Mobaraz city that the authorities cut off its power in November 2008 and then returned after the intervention of Saudi Human Rights Commission.
Last September, the authorities released a friend of the detainee, the teacher Naïf Albaqshi after an arrest of 18 months without receiving information about the charges against him.
Saudi Activists have launched a campaign last January in solidarity with Ridha Algashaam on the pages of the famous social networking site “facebook” calls for the Saudi authorities to release him.
The campaign came two years after the arrest of the young Algashaam without any formal charges that have a complete blackout imposed by the authorities of the Saudi secret police on the circumstances of the case.
According to close sources, the detainee had already been arrested in a raid carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department to a bookstore in the Shiite area of Mahdia in Alkhars in November 2004 where he worked as a seller.
As usual, the authorities and official human rights commissions befall silent about frequent human rights abuses.
In the past six years, Alahsa Province witnessed a series of sectarian arrests that reaped hundreds of Shiites, including clerics, and of course along with shutting down dozens of mosques, councils and religious schools.
Millions descending to Holy Karbala for Shabaniyah Festival
HOLY CITY OF KARBALA, Iraq: Ziyarah Ash-Shabaniyah or the Shabaniyah
festival, which climaxes on Wednesday Shaban 15 July 28, marks the birth anniversary of the Imam of Era Al-Imam Mohammed Al-Mahdi (A), the 12th infallible descendant of Prophet Mohammed (S) and the Last Proof of Allah, who disappeared in the 9th century.
Amid tight security, millions of devotees are flooding to the holy shrine of Al-Imam al-Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib (AS) in the holy city of Karbala to observe Ziyarah Ash-Shabaniyah, which is the best amal (deed) of the blessed night of 15 Sha’ban.
Atmosphere in the holy city is filled with further spirituality, bliss and happiness. Wholecity is beautifully bedecked with lights, colorful buntings and flowers.
Since the beginning of the month of Shaban, devotees from across the country and other parts of the world – young and old, men and women, mostly on foot, some individually, some in caravans -, carrying white, green and red banners inscribed with ‘Al-Ajal Ya Imam Al-Asr (AS)’ were heading to the holy city to achieve the honor of visiting Imam Al-Hussein (AS) marking 15 Sha’ban.
Narrations from A’immah Ahlul Bayt (AS) tell that fifteenth night of Sha’ban (night between 14 and 15 Sha’ban) is the best after the night of Qadr. The birth of Prophet Muhammad (S)’s last descendant Al-Imam Al-Hujjah bin Al-Hassan Al-Mahdi Al-Montadhar (AS) in Sorra Mann Ra’a, Iraq, in 255 AH, further increased the honor and excellence of this night.
According to a saying of Chief of Prophets Prophet Muhammad (S), Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) will return to deliver humanity from darkness and strife, and he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it would have been filled with oppression and injustice.
The fifteenth Sha’ban A’maal will culminate with the floating of thousands of candles and scented letters to Imam Al-Mahdi – Imam of the Era (AS) – on a river in Holy Karbala at 15 Sha’ban pre-dawn.
Residents of holy Karbala cook unique meals in giant pots at open places for the devotees outside the Al-Imam Al-Hussein (AS) shrine. Food and drink stands have been set up for the pilgrims.
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