Nearly 150 killed in overnight Baghdad bombings claimed by Islamic State

Nearly 120 killed in overnight Baghdad bombings claimed by Islamic State Reuters Deadly bombings in Baghdad (00:39) Replay Romney will not back Trump or Clinton Man loses hand to fireworks, officials urge caution Thirteen suspects accused of Istanbul attack appear in court Candidates to lead Britain make their case 10h ago | 00:39 Deadly bombings in Baghdad Nearly 120 killed in overnight Baghdad bombings...X By Ahmed Rasheed and Maher Chmaytelli | BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nearly 120 people were killed and 200 wounded in two bombings overnight in Baghdad, most of them in a busy shopping area as residents celebrated Ramadan, police and medical sources said on Sunday. The attack on the shopping area of Karrada is the deadliest since U.S.-backed Iraqi forces last month scored a major victory when it dislodged Islamic State from their stronghold of Falluja, an hour's drive west of the capital. It is also the deadliest so far this year. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had ordered the offensive after a series of deadly bombings in Baghdad, saying Falluja served as a launchpad for such attacks on the capital. However, bombings have continued. A convoy carrying Abadi who had come to tour the site of the bombings was pelted with stones and bottles by residents, angry at what they felt were false promises of better security. A refrigerator truck packed with explosives blew up in the central district of Karrada, killing 115 people and injuring at least 200. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated online by supporters of the ultra-hard line Sunni group. It said the blast was a suicide bombing. Karrada was busy at the time as Iraqis eat out and shop late during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends next week with the Eid al-Fitr festival. Videos posted on social media showed people running after the SUV convoy of Abadi as he departed Karrada after touring the scene, throwing pavement stones, bottles of water, empty buckets and slippers, venting their anger at the inability of the security forces to protect the area. Another video posted on social media showed a large blaze in the main street of Karrada, a largely Shi'ite district with a small Christian community and a few Sunni mosques. ADVERTISEMENT Reuters TV footage taken in the morning showed at least four buildings severely damaged or partly collapsed, including a shopping mall believed to be the target, and gutted cars scattered all around. The toll climbed during the day as rescuers pulled out more bodies from under the rubble and people succumbed from their injuries. Comments posted on social media accused security forces of continuing to use fake bomb detectors at checkpoints filtering traffic in Baghdad, five years after the scandal broke out about a device commonly known as the 'magic wand'. A police officer in Baghdad confirmed these hand-held ADE 651 detectors were still in use. They were sold to Iraq and other nations by a British businessman who was jailed for 10 years in 2013 in the United Kingdom for endangering lives for profit. ‹ People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners carry the coffin of their relative, who was killed in a suicide vehicle bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners carry the coffin of their relative, who was killed in a suicide vehicle bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani People inspect the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People inspect the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Firemen hose down a burning building after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Firemen hose down a burning building after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Firemen hose down a burning building as civilians gather after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Firemen hose down a burning building as civilians gather after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily A fireman hoses down a burning building after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily A fireman hoses down a burning building after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a suicide car bomb occurred in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Firemen inspect the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily Firemen inspect the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily People gather at the site of a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area, in Baghdad, Iraq July 3, 2016. Reuters/Khalid al Mousily Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani Mourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf, south of Baghdad, Iraq, July 3, 2016. Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani › AL SHAAB ATTACK In a second attack, a roadside explosive device also blew up around midnight in a market in al-Shaab, a Shi'ite district in the north of the capital, killing at least two people, police and medical sources said. Iraqi forces on June 26 declared the defeat of IS militants in Falluja, a historic bastion of Sunni insurgency, following a month of fighting. Now the militants were "trying to compensate for their humiliating defeat in Falluja," said Jasim al-Bahadli, a former army officer and security analyst in Baghdad. Related Coverage White house says Baghdad attacks strengthen U.S. resolve in Iraq SlideshowMourners react during a funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide car bomb in the Karrada shopping area in Baghdad, during the funeral in Najaf "It was a mistake for the government to think that the source of the bombings was restricted to just one area," he said. "There are sleeper cells that operate independently from each other." Falluja was the first Iraqi city to fall to Islamic State in January 2014. Abadi said the next target of the Iraqi forces is Mosul, the de facto capital of the militants and the largest city under their control in both Iraq and Syria. (Additional reporting by Kareem Raheem; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Richard Balmforth) ========================= About AP Essential News from The Associated Press AAA Jul. 4, 2016 2:15 PM ET Explosion near one of Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia By AYA BATRAWY, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES AIM Share In this Monday July 4, 2016 TV grab from footage released by Al-Ekhbariya, Saudi security forces investigate the scene of an explosion in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A suicide bomber carried out an attack early Monday near an American diplomatic site in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, according to the Interior Ministry. (Al-Ekhbariya via AP) More News Video The Latest: Explosion near one of Islam's holiest sites Jul. 4, 2016 1:53 PM ET Kuwait detains Islamic State suspects, foils attack Jul. 4, 2016 7:16 AM ET Suicide attack carried out near US diplomatic site in Saudi Jul. 4, 2016 12:03 AM ET Islamic State car bomb in Iraqi capital kills 115 Jul. 3, 2016 1:31 PM ET The Latest: US citizen among the victims in the Dhaka siege Jul. 2, 2016 12:34 PM ET Buy AP Photo Reprints DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — State-linked Saudi news websites reported an explosion Monday near one of Islam's holiest sites in the city of Medina, as two suicide bombers struck in different cities without killing anyone. Sabq news site reported the explosion, and other sites showed images of what appeared to be a fire outside one of the buildings overlooking the Prophet's Mosque. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded in the blast. The sprawling mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried is visited by millions of Muslims from around the world each year during pilgrimages to Mecca. The area would have been packed with pilgrims for prayer during the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends this week. The Interior Ministry could not be immediately reached for comment. Also Monday evening, a suicide bomber and a car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia, according to a resident there, several hours after another suicide bomber carried out an attack near the U.S. Consulate in the western city of Jiddah. The possibility of coordinated, multiple attacks across different cities in Saudi Arabia on the same day underscores the threat the kingdom faces from extremists who view the Western-allied Saudi monarchy as heretics and enemies of Islam. Saudi Arabia is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The attack in the eastern region of Qatif did not appear to cause any injuries, said resident Mohammed al-Nimr, whose brother is Nimr-al-Nimr, a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric executed in January. He told The Associated Press the bomber detonated his suicide vest when most residents of the neighborhood were at home breaking the daily Ramadan fast. Qatif is heavily populated by Shiites, who are a minority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Al-Nimr said that near the body of a suicide bomber was a car bomb that also went off around the same time. The IS group's local affiliates in the kingdom have previously attacked Shiite places of worship, including an attack on a Shiite mosque in Qatif in May 2015 that killed 21 people. Earlier Monday, the Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber had detonated his explosives when security guards approached him near the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah. The attacker died and the two security men were lightly wounded, according to the ministry statement, which was published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Some cars in the parking lot were damaged. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki was quoted in the statement as saying the guards noticed the man was acting suspiciously at an intersection on the corner of the heavily fortified consulate, near a hospital and a mosque. The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed there were no casualties among consular staff, and said it remains in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Interior Ministry did not say whether the bomber intended to target the U.S. diplomatic compound, adding that an investigation is underway to determine his identity. The state-run news channel al-Ekhbariya, quoting the Interior Ministry, said the bomber was not a Saudi citizen, but a resident of the kingdom. It gave no further details on his nationality. There are around 9 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, which has a total population of 30 million. Footage aired on the channel after the attack showed crime scene investigators and police casing the area for evidence and dusting for fingerprints. Al-Ekhbariya said security forces detonated six explosive devices found at the scene. A 2004 al-Qaida-linked militant attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah killed five locally hired consular employees and four gunmen. The three-hour battle at the compound came amid a wave of al-Qaida attacks targeting Westerners and Saudi security posts. More recently, Saudi Arabia has been a target of Islamic State attacks that have killed dozens of people. In June, the Interior Ministry reported 26 terror attacks in the kingdom in the last two years. The U.S. Embassy regularly issues advisory messages for U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia. In a message issued Sunday and another one issued after the attack Monday, the embassy urged Americans to "remain aware of their surroundings, and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country." It also advised citizens to "carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia." In neighboring Kuwait on Monday, security forces said they had arrested several suspects with alleged ties to IS, including an 18-year-old man who was planning to attack a Shiite mosque in the final days of Ramadan. Officials did not say when the arrests took place. An IS affiliate claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing carried out by a Saudi man last year in one of Kuwait's oldest Shiite mosques. That attack killed 27 people. Associated Press Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AIM Share AP Privacy Policy | AP Terms of Use © Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Iraq car bombs kill +90, target Eid celebrations: يا قائم ال محمد لك نشتكي. (لماذا يقتلونا )

عااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااااجل الفات نظر لكل مسؤل يجلس على كرسي ووراء المكتب ومع الاسف ناسي الشعب وابناء الوطن النتخبوهم وصعدوهم للمناصب بعد ماكانو متسكعين بالدول الي هية هسة استباحة دمنة (((((((((((( اذا باقية عدكم ذرة من المروة والنخوة )))))))))) يمة يمحمد روح للسوك جيبنة دجاج وطرشي اوخظرة يمة يمحمد موتنسة للعطــار تمرلة وتجيب الجاي والكهوة يمة يمحمد لفانة الظيــــــف موتتأخر على امك ياابو المروة ليش اتأخرة يا ظوا العيــــــن عيب من خطارك فاتتة الغدوة يايمة اشمالك تأخر الوكة حيل يمة يمحمد وينك اروحلك فدوة يمة سمعة صوة انفجار ودوة عالي يمة يوليدي وينك يالعــــــزوة اسمعت صوة من ابعـــــــيد ام محمد محمد راحلج فدوة صحة الله اكبر حيــــــــــــل اشبيه اوليدي يربي وشسوة صاحو بية كل الموجيدين ها ام محمد وين محمد ابو النخوة كلت حيل ابلا شـــــــــعور محمد استشهد التحق بالدرة ذاك استشهد بسبب اسرائيل ومحمدنة استشهد بالفـــرة قبل يوم السياسين يقترعون عالمناصب والماينجح يطلع بينة الحرة انا اسف عن الاكمال لان اتفاعلة وية الموقف جدا اسف مشاعري سيطرة علية والدموع انهالة شفت بالعيد كوم دمووووووع-- وشموع الفرح صارت مطفاية طفل بالعيد يلعب وامه تفرح بيه ويصير انفجار وتبدي الدماية وتتحول الفرحة الحزن محتوم يبدي من الفرح بس ما اله نهاية ياريت ماعيدت يارييييييت---لان مو عيد هذا --حفل بجاية ردنة انجيب مطرب يطرب الناس-- بالاخر لطمنا وجبنا ملاية عالاساس نوزع كليجت فرح بالعيد-وزعناها بس اختلفت الغاية ردنا عالفرح تاكل كليجة الناس-اكلت عالثواب انكلبت الاية ضحكة طفل جنت انتظر بالعيد--بس الشفت اني دموع اماية مسؤلين عدنه جلاب ولد جلاب--بس بالاقتراع اذكرو لولاية واحدهم يريد الراتب يزيد---وثانيهم يكول اختلف وي راية بعيون الوطن مرسومة كوم اجراح وبوسط الكلب حطولة سلاية عندي حجاية وحدة وينتهى الموضوع اريد أسأل يناس بياذنب هاية؟؟؟؟؟؟ ياعراق أمتدت أوجاعك إلاما لا نهايه فصبرا صبرا فلقد ولدت لتكوني بلد التضحيات الا متناهيات فهيهات أن تهدأ الحسرات والونات،ويقبع في قلبك حسين شهيد طريد بعيد أعطيت الحزن وتجلببتي به ،وتخدتي الويلات والأكدار حصنا لك وملاذا فقط أطفال العراق مكتوب عليهم القتل اين العالم من هذه الجرائم هذه هدية العيد لهذا الطفل البرئ آلا لعنة الله على الساكتين عن الحق الله واكبر ياعراق شوكت ترتاح منظر يخلي العيون تبجي دمممممممممممممممممممممم بس اريد احد يجاوبني شنو ذنب هذا الطفل وين الحكومة والقادة الامنين والله كلبنة خلص كافي عاد واللة العظيم الحكومة هي المسؤلة الوحيدة سولنة حل كافي بعد الحمدلله رب العالمين ماذنب هولاء الصغار او هذا الشعب ذنبة انه شيعي اوعراقي انولدة على فطرة حب علي وعشنة بهذا البلد المشتكى الى الله سيعلم الذين ظلموا اي منقلب ينقلبون والعاقبة للمتقين انا لله وانا اليه راجعون مؤمل الكربلائي يا قائم ال محمد لك نشتكي. (لماذا يقتلونا ) ﻻ أريد أشكر احد على مروره كلنا أصحاب عزاء، وفي بداية البوست علقت ،وفوضت أمري الى موﻻي الحجه بن الحسن وأنا الآن أخذ باياديكم الكريمه ونرفعها إلى بارئنا ان لم يجيبنا قائمنا فقط نترحم ونشجب ونستنكر هذا هو كل ما لدينا إذن دعوهم يطغون أكثر واكثر أولاد العواهر لاحول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم. تبا للجبن وللجبناء الكل يغطي عيونه حتى لا ينظر الى تخاذل وجبن وذل شيعة العراق الله يلعنا في الدنيا وألأخره وتبا لنا من امة نجسة الم ياخذ المالكي رئاسته الوزراء من خلال مرجعيتكم العليا؟ هل الحكومة الحاليه تمثل الشيعه في العراق؟ اهكذا كان علي بن ابي طالب يحكم؟ وهكذا يعامل المواطنين؟ لما هذا الاختلاف الشاسع في بين حكم علي و حكم من يقولون اننا على طريق علي بن ابي طالب؟ اي وبعدين إلى متى والساده ساكتين على اﻻقل اي تصريح يبرد القلب اي تعليق على الوضع الراهن لو نبقى بس على اضعف الايمان! !!!!! جرح والف سؤال .ماذا جنت اطفالنا.... آآآه آه يامنتقم,يامنتقم على العراق اقروا السلام,,, بعد مااحجي من يسمع اطفال بعمر الزهور يملئهم الفرح وهم يحصلون على بعض من النقود (العيديات ) متجهين بها الى اشباه الالعاب لا كالتي في دبي بل هي ارجوحة وبضع العاب بسيطة... المهم الاطفال فرحيين بالعيد وفجأءة تتلاشى احلامهم بعد ان تلاشت اجسادهم باحدى العاب الاجرام فما ذنب الاطفال استشهدوا وهم فرحيين بعيد الفطر. اللهي نشكوا اليك من ضلمنا فانت ربنا وانت تأخذ بحقنا. لا تخرج قبل ان تقل اللهم ارحم شهداء العراق. Sat, Aug 10 13:30 PM EDT "In my country, Eid has died." 11 after noon explosions,took place within an hour, rocked Kadhmiya, New Baghdad, Al-Amel,Ma'alef,Al-Jawadain,Al-Hurriya &Abu Dushair # AFP tracking attacks today in Baghdad, Tuz Khurmatu, Kirkuk, Nasiriyah, Neel (in Babil), Hilla, Qaiyarah, al-Jadaa (in Nineveh). on #Iraq-iyia official TV ,Baghdad's Op commander on+11 car bomb explosions "blames media" for reporting untrue high casualties,#cry loud 1h 55 قتيلا على الاقل وأكثر من 200 جريح في سلسلة تفجيرات في العراق استشهاد واصابة 14 مدنيا بانفجار مفخخة وسط كركوك استشهاد واصابة 40 مدنيا بانفجار 3 مفخخات وسط ذي قار people killed /35 wounded in 3 car bomb explosions in 3 different central Thiqar neighborhoods. استشهاد واصابة 16 مدنيا بانفجار مفخخة وسط كربلاء 1h #Iraq 's uncertain future amid wave of violence :bbc http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23637296 …? Suicide bomber detonated bomb in car on busy street in town of Tuz Khurmato, killing at least 10 people /injuring 45 #Iraq RT "@prashantrao: This is becoming an all-too-familiar sight in the @AFP Baghdad bureau: pic.twitter.com/Idfey6khGM ============== By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of car bombs in mainly Shi'ite areas of Baghdad killed 50 people and wounded 140 on Saturday, in what appeared to be coordinated attacks on people celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Ten separate blasts targeting markets, busy shopping streets and parks where families like to mark Eid, were part of a surge in sectarian violence in Iraq since the start of the year. This has been one of the deadliest Ramadan months in years, with regular bomb attacks killing scores of people, especially in the capital. The latest bombings were similar to attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday in which 50 died. More than 1,000 Iraqis have been killed in July, the highest monthly death toll since 2008, according to the United Nations. The Interior Ministry has said the country faced an "open war" fuelled by Iraq's sectarian divisions. Sunni Islamist militants have been regaining momentum in their insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government, and have been emboldened by the civil war in neighboring Syria, which has stoked sectarian tensions across the Middle East. On Saturday, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan said his region was prepared to defend Kurds living in neighboring Syria, in what appears to be the first warning of a possible intervention and a further sign that the conflict is spilling over Syria's borders. Outside Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a car on a busy street in the town of Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of the capital, killing at least 10 people and wounding 45, medical and police sources said. Tuz Khurmato is located in a particularly violent region over which both the central government and autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan claim jurisdiction. Police believe the bomber was trying to reach the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party, but was unable to reach the building because of increased security in the area, a police source said. In the town of Nassiriya, 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad, twin car bombs near a park killed four people and wounded eight, police sources said. Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been rising, and the renewed violence has sparked fears of a return to the sectarian slaughter of 2006-2007. Iraqis have endured extreme violence for years, but since the since the start of 2013 the intensity of attacks on civilians has dramatically increased, reversing a trend that had seen the country grow more peaceful. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk and Gassan Hassan in Tikrit; Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mike Collett-White) ================== #Iraqi media claims The Guardian published secret Christopher Hill telegrams on #Saudi terrorist support,any 1 read it in the Guardian?? In Hasakah province, Salafi battalions of SIF like Jaysh al-Tawheed coordinate w/ ISIS/Nusra against Kurdish forces. Note also the boundary between Jabhat al-Nusra & Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham not clear-cut in Hasakah province. Blurring. observation can be inferred from fact Kurdish sources using Jabhat al-Nusra & Islamic State of Iraq & ash-Sham's name. Further, jihadi sources that report on the fighting of the 'apostates' of YPG generally report operations as joint Nusra-ISIS interchangeably رئيس أقليم كردستان #العراق مسعود برزاني يعلن أستعداد الأقليم للدفاع عن أكراد #سوريا اذا تعرضوا للأعتداء من قبل بعض الجماعات المسلحة Local Manbij outlet in rural #Aleppo reporting that FSA and ISIS fighting PKK: ..عن شاهد عيان|| ريف حلب || منطقة الشيوخ وماحولها ||108-2013:: عودة الاشتباكات بين دولة الاسلام في العراق والشام والجيش الحر ضد عناصر البي كي كي تقدم لعناصر الحر في المنطقة والسيطرة على 3 دوشكات واسر عدد من قناصي البي كي كي وقتل مايزيد عن 40 منهم https://www.facebook.com/manbejalfyha/posts/558918884173002 … #Syria @Brown_Moses @vvanwilgenburg === First 60 days of PMLN 360 lost their lives in terror related incidents foreign reserves fall to USD 10.053B in first 50 days and deficit raised to 2 B USD in first 50 days of PMLN govt =========== Attacks Amount to Crimes Against Humanity Reportfrom Human Rights Watch Published on 11 Aug 2013 PrintEmailAuthorities Should End Draconian Responses (Baghdad, August 11, 2013) – Militants who carried out a series of bomb attacks in Iraq on July 29, 2013, deliberately killing more than 60 people committed crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today. Crimes against humanity are some of the most serious crimes under international law. The Islamic State of Iraq, as Al-Qaeda in Iraq now calls itself, has claimed responsibility, saying publicly that it organized and committed the July 29 attacks and a series of others over the last four months. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has issued statements claiming responsibility for numerous lethal suicide, car bomb, and other attacks in Iraq that, taken together, amount to an ongoing and systematic policy of killing civilians in gross breach of international law. On August 6 and August 10, another series of car bombs targeted busy markets, shopping streets, and parks where families were celebrating the end of Ramadan in and around Baghdad, killing at least 130 people, though no one has claimed responsibility. “The July 29 attacks, coming on top of other horrific attacks in recent months, provide clear evidence that Al-Qaeda in Iraq is guilty of crimes against humanity,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “No political goal or grievance can possibly justify this widespread and organized murder campaign, which is wreaking terrible suffering on Iraqis.” The July 29 attacks were some of the deadliest of 2013. The car bomb explosions, predominantly in Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad, killed more than 60 people and injured hundreds more, including many civilians. They were part of a surge of bomb attacks by al-Qaeda and other militant groups during Ramadan in both Shia and Sunni areas. Attacks also targeted state institutions and military installations. Together, these attacks made July the bloodiest month in over five years according to the United Nations. On August 1, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) released figures showing that acts of terrorism and violence in July claimed the lives of 1,057 Iraqis and wounded 2,326 others. The dead included 204 police officers and 129 members of the Iraqi Security Forces. The acting special representative for Iraq of the United Nations Secretary-General, Gyorgy Busztin, issued a statement on August 1 warning that the past months’ violence may herald a return to an era “when the blind rage of sectarian strife … inflicted … deep wounds upon this country.” According to a report from the Institute for the Study of War, an independent research organization based in Washington, DC, Al-Qaeda in Iraq has repeatedly carried out attacks with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices during a recent 12-month period. The report said these attacks – as many as eight bombings a day – “became more frequent and lethal” in spring 2013,” sometimes occurring twice a week. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility on July 30 for the July 29 bombings. On July 23, the group issued a statement claiming responsibility for attacks two days earlier on two Baghdad-area prisons, Abu Ghraib and al-Tajji, which led to a mass escape of prisoners. According to a Justice Ministry statement, the attack on Abu Ghraib killed at least 68 members of the security forces and an unknown number of prisoners. Between 500 and 1,000 detainees escaped. In claiming responsibility for the prison attacks, the group said that attack, and others during the previous four months, were retaliation for an attack by government security forces on a Sunni protest camp in Hawija on April 23 that killed 51 people. On August 6, car bombs in northern, eastern, and southern Baghdad targeted areas crowded with shoppers and worshipers near a mosque, mainly in Shia neighborhoods. A bombing at a football field on June 30 killed 12 people, mostly boys under 16. In another, on July 12, 10 people died when a car bomb explosion at a Shia funeral in Moqdadeya, west of Baghdad, was followed by a suicide bomber’s attack on emergency services workers going to assist the first set of casualties. Other attacks have targeted cafes in a busy Shia neighborhood of Baghdad, government security installations, and both Sunni and Shia mosques. Other armed groups, including Shia militias, have also carried out numerous suicide and car bomb attacks, as well as targeted assassinations. Residents of Moqdadeya town told Human Rights Watch that umat least 100 families fled their homes after the Shia militia group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq distributed flyers threatening to kill Sunni residents who failed to vacate the area. One local man told Human Rights Watch that he believed that the militia group had issued the threats in reprisal for the attack on the funeral procession. Neither Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq nor Iraqi Hezbollah, another Shia militia, have claimed responsibility for attacks, but the threatening flyers, which Human Rights Watch saw, clearly bear the logo of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. A third Shia militia, the Moqtar Army, has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks, including repeated attacks on Camp Liberty, where members of an Iranian dissident group are currently accommodated. Crimes against humanity are crimes of universal jurisdiction, meaning that those responsible, including those complicit in such crimes, can be prosecuted anywhere in the world. As a matter of customary international law, the term “crimes against humanity” includes a range of serious human rights abuses, including murder, committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack by a government or organized non-state group against a civilian population. Those who commit crimes against humanity, order, or are otherwise complicit, should be held individually criminally responsible for their actions, Human Rights Watch said. The Iraqi authorities’ failure to hold anyone accountable for security force violence against Sunni protesters, their widespread use of torture to extract confessions from detainees, regardless of their sect, and the courts’ reliance on secret informant testimony that the defense cannot see and coerced confessions to issue arrest warrants and obtain convictions may constitute a failure to take the necessary steps to prevent and prosecute crimes against humanity. Iraqi authorities need to take all possible measures to protect the right to life through ending these attacks. They should identify, arrest, and prosecute those responsible, and others complicit in assisting the attacks. To do that, Iraqi authorities should undertake urgently needed criminal justice reforms, including revising the Draconian anti-terror law. Iraqi authorities should also repeal criminal procedure code articles that allow the use of secret informant testimony and coerced confessions that taint court proceedings. Judges and security officials should base convictions on evidence, not on confessions, which may be coerced. The government should put into effect a zero-tolerance policy for bribery, which permeates much of the justice system, ranging from detention officials who seek bribes to release detainees to security forces who bribe judges for false or after-the-fact arrest warrant. In the past 12 months, Human Rights Watch has spoken to at least 20 current and former detainees who allege that police, army, or other security forces that answer directly to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki held them in prolonged incommunicado detention due to corrupt relations between those holding them and judges who issue detention orders or to coerce them to confess. Some detainees’ families told Human Rights Watch that security forces demanded sums of over US$6,000 to release their relatives. Since the prison breakout on July 21, reports from members of parliament and local activists suggest that the security forces have carried out mass arrests in the Sunni areas, to which they believe the escapees have fled. A member of the parliament’s security and defense committee told Human Rights Watch that Abu Ghraib and Tajji residents told him that security forces had conducted numerous mass arrest operations in these areas, detaining several of their family members at a time, but that he had been unable to verify them because of a security forces clampdown in the areas. A Ramadi lawyer told Human Rights Watch that, according to Anbar residents, the security forces had arrested “entire families” of escaped prisoners to coerce the escapees to surrender. The two prisons remain “on lockdown,” Ali Shubbar, a member of the parliament’s Human Rights Committee, told local media. He said that he and other members of an official investigation into the prisoner escapes and allegations that guards shot prisoners during the attack could not yet visit either prison. “In the current climate, attacks are committed by all sides – Sunni insurgent groups, Shia militias, and government security forces – and each invokes the others’ violence as a justification for their own,” Stork said. “Rather than responding with increased brutality and resorting to torture, forced confessions, mass arrests, and unfair trials, the government needs to take the lead to end this brutal cycle.” For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Iraq, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/iraq Human Rights Watch: ============================== Al Qaeda claims bombings in Iraq, warns of more Mon, Aug 12 07:12 AM EDT 1 of 3 By Sylvia Westall BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Iraq which killed dozens of people during a Muslim holiday and warned the government to stop arresting suspected militants or face more violence. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formed earlier this year through a merger of al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said on jihadist forums it was behind the attacks across Baghdad and southern provinces on Saturday. "The Islamic State deployed some of its security efforts in Baghdad and the southern province and other places to deliver a quick message," ISIL said, according to the SITE Monitoring group, which tracks jihadist websites. Bombs ripped through markets, shopping streets and parks late on Saturday as Iraqi families were out celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Nearly 80 people were killed and scores wounded, police and medical sources said. On Monday, there was no respite from the violence. A roadside bomb close to a school killed two people and wounded 11, including children, in the town of Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. It has been one of the deadliest Ramadan holidays in years in Iraq, where Sunni Islamist militants are waging an insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government. July had the highest monthly death toll from attacks since 2008, with more than 1,000 Iraqis killed, according to United Nations statistics. The renewed violence prompted a statement from Washington condemning the attacks and offering to work closely with Baghdad to confront al Qaeda and other groups. ISIL, which has also claimed responsibility for jail breaks in Iraq last month in which hundreds of convicts escaped, said a government campaign to arrest suspects and ramp up security in the capital had only made things worse. "They will pay a high price for what they did, and they will not be secure day or night during Eid or other times," the ISIL statement said according to the SITE translation. "They should watch their footsteps and stop the detention campaigns and cease harming the Sunni clans, and ... expect more of what will harm them and what will bring them to their senses." The Interior Ministry, which said last month it was facing an "open war", said on Sunday that media reports about the attacks had been exaggerated and that its recent security crackdown had been effective. (Editing by Elizabeth Piper) ===================== Baghdad Nightlife Cloaked in Fear Smoke rises in Baghdad, July 16, 2011, after a parked car bomb targeted a nightclub. (photo by REUTERS/Saad Shalash) By: Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor Iraq Pulse Posted on August 12. إقرأ باللغة العربية Ali al-Karadi owns a share in several nightclubs in Baghdad. He drives to his venues after midnight, and with the start of the curfew, carries a special permit for artists and singers who are allowed to commute at that hour. Amid curfews and an unstable security environment, Iraqis in the nightlife business live in constant fear of militia attacks, security raids and customer brawls. The Nights of Baghdad Between Nightclubs and Police Patrols.. And Its Songs Are Captives of Curfews and Customer Greetings Author: Mushreq Abbas Posted on: August 12 2013 Translated by: Naria Tanoukhi Categories : Originals Iraq Security Karadi recently resumed work after Ramadan, during which nightclubs and liquor stores close. He is not sure, however, if his business can survive in light of Ramadan attacks on a number of Baghdad cafes on the ground that they spread vice. Karadi said with concern, “If they have attacked cafes that serve tea and shisha, what will they do to us?" In September 2012, heavily armed security forces descended on nightclubs and other social establishments in Baghdad. They were closed under the pretext that they lacked official permits to conduct business. Karadi told Al-Monitor from Baghdad on Aug. 9, “The government does not issue such permits. The local government in Baghdad municipality has delegated the responsibility of granting permits to the tourist police, and the latter has delegated the responsibility to the Ministry of Tourism." He explained, “No one in Iraq, be they a politician or administrative official, assumes the responsibility of issuing permits to open nightclubs, or even liquor stores, since the religious parties that dominate the state fear that such an act would be used against them by political opponents.” Karadi also revealed, “Still, Baghdad nightclub-goers, who willfully lock themselves inside nightclubs from midnight until the end of the curfew in the morning, do not hesitate to head to clubs, which take the risk of opening on the Eid holidays, especially in major hotels.” During his night rides, Karadi takes along bags filled with food or nuts, which he hands out at checkpoints when he is stopped. Most of the policemen at the checkpoints know him and greet him enthusiastically. They consider these night shifts to be a vacation, some kind of reward, with some bribing their bosses to move them to these slots. Hassan, manning a checkpoint on Sadoun Street in Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, "We relax after the curfew, since hardly any cars drive by, except those carrying government officials. Also, there have been no attacks or operations against checkpoints after midnight, while the day shift carries the risk of death by any of the thousands of vehicles that stop at our checkpoint daily." Speaking of Baghdad's nightlife, Karadi offered, “The police, and even high-ranking officers, do not have negative views about nightclubs. Many of them go to nightclubs in civilian attire. However, some senior officers and government officials would rather see them closed since they attract their children.” According to Karadi, “Senior officers and their children are regular customers at our [nightclubs]. We offer them discounts and facilities in return for protection.” He shared an incident in which a senior officer came to a nightclub frequented by his young son and threatened to close it. Karadi asserted, "I told him quietly that closing the club would not protect your son, as he will find another source of entertainment, either inside and outside Iraq. Here, he is [at least] in front of your eyes and near you." He continued, “The officer only left after I promised to watch his son’s movements. I send him text messages daily about when his son comes to the club, the people he meets and what time he leaves." Sometimes big problems do occur. Said Karadi, "In the presence of prostitutes, dancers, singers, alcohol and impulsive youths, quarrels are inevitable. We have a security team that handles such incidents. But sometimes, incidents happen between gangs or officers and develop into fights that we try to move outside the club." Karadi described a club, saying, “The show opens with a singer and usually lasts for an hour. However, the singer only sings for a few minutes. He wastes most of the time walking between tables and sending greetings from one table to another or to themselves and their families. This is accompanied by the scattering of hundreds of bills, as a display of wealth, influence and clout." A young singer who requested anonymity told Al-Monitor, "We are forced to do this. The market price of a singer in Baghdad is determined based on the amount of money scattered during his show, and not his singing." The singer, who wore shiny white clothes and hair gel, added, "The problem is that when these greetings begin to convey political, racial or sectarian messages, we find ourselves in a very awkward position. Sometimes, we get attacked, whether for sending these greetings or refraining from doing so." The singer, who has worked at clubs in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, says that nightlife in Baghdad is no different from anywhere else in the world. It is secretive, however, constrained by curfews and filled with anxiety about potential attacks by militias or security agencies and fist fights between customers who have grown tired of showing off by spending money. Mushreq Abbas is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor’s Iraq Pulse. He has been managing editor of Al-Hayat’s Iraq bureau since 2005 and has written studies and articles on Iraqi crises for domestic and international publication Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/nighclub-workers-baghdad-attacks-fear.html#ixzz2bowoAO6W ========================= Deadly Iraq bombings target cafe, school and playground Mon, Aug 12 14:04 PM EDT 1 of 3 By Sylvia Westall BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 16 people were killed and 41 wounded on Monday in a suicide bomb attack on a crowded cafe in Balad, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, part of the worst wave of violence in Iraq in around five years. Two roadside bombs - one planted near a playground and another near a school - also killed six people and wounded dozens, some of them children, in the town of Muqdadiya, 80 km northeast of the capital. Those blasts underlined a shift in tactics by suspected Islamist militants, who are increasingly targeting not only military checkpoints and marketplaces, but also cafes and recreational areas used by families and children. The latest bloodshed came as al Qaeda claimed responsibility for weekend bombings across Iraq which killed dozens of people during Eid al-Fitr, the festive end to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, heightening fears of even wider sectarian slaughter. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formed earlier this year through a merger of al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said on jihadist forums it was behind the attacks across Baghdad and southern provinces on Saturday. It also warned the government to stop arresting suspected militants or face more violence. "The Islamic State deployed some of its security efforts in Baghdad and the southern province and other places to deliver a quick message," ISIL said, according to the SITE Monitoring group, which tracks jihadist websites. Bombs ripped through markets, shopping streets and parks late on Saturday as Iraqi families were out celebrating Eid. Nearly 80 people were killed and scores wounded, police and medical sources said. DEADLY RAMADAN It has been one of the deadliest Ramadan holidays in years in Iraq, where Sunni Islamist militants are waging an insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government. July had the highest monthly death toll from attacks since 2008, with more than 1,000 Iraqis killed, according to United Nations statistics. The renewed violence prompted a statement from Washington condemning the attacks and offering to work closely with Baghdad to confront al Qaeda and other groups. The worst single incident on Monday occurred in Balad, where mayor Maliki Laftah told Reuters that all of the casualties were civilians. In a separate attack near the city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, gunmen intercepted a car carrying three soldiers who were on their way to join their unit and shot them dead, police said. It was not immediately clear who was behind Monday's violence, although suspicion is likely to fall on ISIL. The group, which has also claimed responsibility for jail breaks in Iraq last month in which hundreds of convicts escaped, said a government campaign to arrest suspects and ramp up security in the capital had only made things worse. "They will pay a high price for what they did, and they will not be secure day or night during Eid or other times," the ISIL statement said, according to the SITE translation. "They should watch their footsteps and stop the detention campaigns and cease harming the Sunni clans, and ... expect more of what will harm them and what will bring them to their senses." The Interior Ministry, which said last month it was facing an "open war", said on Sunday that media reports about the attacks had been exaggerated and that its recent security crackdown had been effective. (Additional reporting by Ziyad al-Sanjari in Mosul, a Reuters reporter in Baquba, Ghazwan Hassan in Tikrit and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad; Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mike Collett-White) ==================

Car bombs in Shi'ite areas of Iraq kill >100

Top News Car bombs in Shi'ite areas of Iraq kill 34 Fri, Feb 08 08:52 AM EST 1 of 2 By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Five car bombs killed at least 34 people in Shi'ite areas of Iraq on Friday, police and medics said, as sectarian and ethnic tensions intensify ahead of provincial elections in April. Two car bombs were detonated simultaneously at a bus stop near a Friday street market selling birds and other pets in the Shi'ite district of Kadhimiya in Baghdad, killing at least 16 people and wounding another 44, police and hospital sources said. Footage of the scene showed dozens of buses and taxis destroyed by the explosion and blood on the ground. Ongoing violence following the withdrawal of U.S. troops in late 2011 is stoking fears of a return to the sectarian strife that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis in 2006 and 2007. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, is facing mass protests by disenchanted Sunni Muslims and is at loggerheads with ethnic Kurds who run their northern region autonomously from Baghdad. The prospect of the election is hardening the divisions as political leaders appeal to their constituencies with often hostile rhetoric that rejects compromise. In the Shi'ite city of Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, 15 people were killed in two car bomb explosions at a vegetable market. "I was shopping when I heard the first explosion. I was scared and tried to reach my car to run away but before I got in the second explosion went off," said Habib al-Murshidi who was at the scene. "I saw many people, women and old men lying on the ground which was covered with blood and scattered fruit and vegetables". Another three people were killed by a parked car bomb in Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad, police said. Thousands of Sunni Muslims have taken to the streets since late December in protest at what they see as the marginalization of their sect since the fall of Saddam Hussein and the empowerment of Iraq's Shi'ite majority through the ballot box. The demonstrations in the Sunni heartland of Anbar are also compounding fears that war in neighboring Syria, where Sunni rebels are fighting to topple a leader backed by Shi'ite Iran, could further upset Iraq's own delicate sectarian and ethnic balance. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday. Iraq is home to several Sunni insurgent groups that have carried out at least one high-casualty attack a month since the U.S. withdrawal. They include a local branch of al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq, which often targets Shi'ites, seeking to reignite sectarian strife. On Monday, a suicide bomber attacked a government-backed militia in Taji, killing at least 22 people -- the seventh of eight suicide bombings in Iraq over the past month alone. (Additional reporting by Ali al-Rubaie in Hilla; Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Isabel Coles and Jon Hemming) =============== Fifty killed in Syria bombing: monitor group Fri, Feb 08 08:39 AM EST BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 50 workers at a military factory in central Syria were killed in a bombing earlier this week, an opposition watchdog which monitors violence in Syria said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 54 people died in Wednesday's explosion which struck their bus as they were preparing to return home at the end of their shift, and the number could rise further. The Observatory said 11 of the victims from the bombing in Buraq, about 10 km (six miles) south of the city of Hama, were women. The workers were from cities of Homs, Hama and the town of Salamiyah. There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, which angered many Syrian activists, who blamed Islamist hardliners for the attack. Some described it as "terrorist" attack which targeted civilians. "They are workers, they are civilians. Some people need to work to feed their families. This does not make them criminals," said an activist from Hama province who declined to be named. The Islamist Nusra Front last month said it was behind a car bombing which killed 42 people, including women and children in Salamiyah. The target of that attack was a pro-government militia, they said. Activists in Salamiyah posted pictures of children and young people who were killed in the attack. (Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Jon Boyle) ============ More than 70 killed in wave of Baghdad bombings Mon, May 27 13:39 PM EDT 1 of 2 By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighborhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq. No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts. More than a dozen blasts tore into markets and shopping areas in districts across the Iraqi capital, including twin bombs just several hundred meters apart that killed at least 13 people in the capital's Sadr City area, police and hospital officials said. "A driver hit another car and left pretending to bring traffic police. Another car rushed to take him away and right after his car exploded among people who had gathered to see what was happening," said bystander Hassan Kadhim. "People were shouting for help and blood covered their faces." Tensions between the Shi'ite leadership and the Sunni Muslim minority are at their worst since U.S. troops left in December 2011, and the conflict in Syria is straining Iraq's fragile communal balance. More than 700 people were killed in attacks in April, according to a U.N. count, the highest monthly toll in almost five years. So far in May more than 300 have died. Thousands of Sunnis began staging street protests last December against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whom they accuse of marginalizing their sect since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion. The latest surge in violence began in April after a raid by the Iraqi army on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in the town of Hawija led to clashes with the security forces and more attacks. Bombings on Shi'ite and Sunni mosques, security forces and Sunni tribal leaders over a month-long surge in violence are heightening worries Iraq risks returning to the level of sectarian violence that killed thousands in 2006-2007. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Angus MacSwan) ===============

Suicide car bomber kills 27 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq

أفاد مصدر في شرطة محافظة بابل، الخميس، بأن 60 شخصا على الاقل سقطوا بين قتيل وجريح في التفجير الذي استهدف زوار الأربعينية شمال المحافظة. وقال المصدر في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "حصيلة انفجار السيارة المفخخة التي استهدفت زوار الأربعينية وسط قضاء المسيب شمال بابل، بلغت مقتل 25 شخصا وإصابة 35 آخرين بجروح متفاوتة غالبيتهم زوار من أهالي العاصمة بغداد". وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه أن "قوة أمنية طوقت مكان الحادث ومنعت الاقتراب منه، فيما هرعت سيارات الإسعاف لنقل الجرحى إلى مستشفى قريب لتلقي العلاج، وجثث القتلى إلى دائرة الطب العدلي". وكان مصدر في شرطة محافظة بابل أفاد، في وقت سابق من اليوم الخميس (3 كانون الثاني 2013)، بأن عدداً من الأشخاص سقطوا بين قتيل وجريح بتفجير سيارة مفخخة استهدفت الزوار العائدين من كربلاء قرب تقاطع مركز شرطة التحرير بقضاء المسيب شمال بابل. وتعد زيارة الأربعين واحدة من أهم المناسبات الدينية للمسلمين الشيعة، ويحرص الآلاف منهم على إحيائها من خلال الذهاب إلى كربلاء مشياً على الأقدام، في حين تنتشر آلاف المواكب والهيئات على الطرق المؤدية إلى المدينة لإيواء الزائرين وتقديم الطعام لهم، وقد استهدفت الجماعات المسلحة في الأعوام السابقة، الزوار في الطرق المؤدية إلى كربلاء بسيارات مفخخة وعبوات ناسفة. يذكر أن محافظة بابل، ومركزها مدينة الحلة 100 كم جنوب العاصمة بغداد، تتمتع باستقرار نسبي، إلا أن مناطق شمال المحافظة ما تزال تشهد حركة للمسلحين، الذين يقومون بين فترة وأخرى بأعمال عنف تستهدف المدنيين والقوات الأمنية. الخميس 03 ك2 2013 امن العراق 18:35 هيلاري كلينتون تامل في استئناف عملها الاسبوع المقبل 17:51 القبض على عصابة لتزوير العملة في صلاح الدين واعتقال ... 16:46 ميلان يغادر ارض الملعب بسبب هتافات عنصرية ضد بواتنغ 16:27 إصابة عشرة أشخاص على الأقل بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت ... 15:48 عرب كركوك: نؤيد حق التظاهر ومن يقف ضد إرادة الشعب خائن ... 15:07 العلاقات الإماراتية المصرية على حافة الهاوية على ... إصابة عشرة أشخاص على الأقل بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت حافلتين للزوار شرق بغداد المحرر: GS الخميس 03 ك2 2013 16:27 GMT السومرية نيوز/ بغداد أفاد مصدر في الشرطة العراقية، الخميس، بأن عشرة أشخاص على الأقل أصيبوا بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت حافلتين لنقل الزوار شرق بغداد. وقال المصدر في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "عبوة ناسفة كانت مزروعة على جانب طريق في منطقة بغداد الجديدة شرق بغداد انفجرت، مساء اليوم، لدى مرور حافلتين لنقل الزوار العائدين من كربلاء، مما أسفر عن إصابة عشرة منهم على الأقل بجروح". وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه، أن "سيارات الإسعاف هرعت إلى مكان التفجير لنقل المصابين إلى مستشفى قريب لتلقي العلاج". يذكر أن العاصمة بغداد ومحافظات أخرى تشهد منذ شهر آذار الماضي، تصعيداً بأعمال العنف أودت بحياة المئات بينهم عدد من الضباط ومسؤولون حكوميون. Suicide car bomber kills 27 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq Thu, Jan 03 12:29 PM EST HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 27 Shi'ite Muslims at a bus station in the Iraqi town of Mussayab on Thursday, police and medics said, as they were gathering to return home from a religious rite. The attack, which also wounded at least 60, underlines sectarian tensions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after U.S. troops left. Police said the bomber drove into a busy bus station where pilgrims were catching buses back to Baghdad and the northern provinces after the Arbain rite in the holy city of Kerbala, where thousands make an annual pilgrimage. Mussayab is 60 km (40 miles) south of the capital Baghdad. "I was getting a sandwich when a very strong explosion rocked the place and the blast threw me away. When I regained my senses and stood up, I saw dozens of bodies," said Ali Sabbar, a pilgrim who witnessed the explosion. "Many cars were set on fire. I just left the place and didn't even participate in the evacuation of the victims." Arbain has been a frequent target for militants since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who banned Shi'ite festivals. A roadside bomb targeting a minibus transporting Shi'ite pilgrims back from Kerbala also wounded 8 people in New Baghdad. The latest violence followed nearly two weeks of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by thousands of people from the minority Sunni community in the western province of Anbar, which shares a border with Syria. The protesters accuse Maliki of being under the sway of non-Arab Shi'ite neighbor Iran and of marginalizing Sunnis, who dominated Iraq until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. They want Maliki to abolish anti-terrorism laws they say are used to persecute them. The conflict in neighboring Syria, where a Sunni majority is fighting to topple government backed by Shi'ite Iran, is also whipping up sectarian sentiment in Iraq and the wider region. Although violence is far lower than during the sectarian slaughter of 2006-2007, a total of 4,471 civilians died last year in what one rights group described as a "low-level war" with insurgents. No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks, but Iraq is home to several Sunni insurgent groups including a local branch of al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq, which often targets Shi'ites, seeking to re-ignite sectarian strife. At least 23 people were killed and 87 wounded in attacks across Iraq on Monday. (Reporting by Ali al-Rubaie; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Louise Ireland) ============== Al Qaeda claims assassination of Sunni lawmaker in Iraq Mon, Jan 21 04:24 AM EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate said it had carried out a suicide bomb attack that killed a Sunni Muslim lawmaker last week as he toured a construction site in the westerly Anbar province, where Sunnis have been protesting against the government for three weeks. Members of the Sunni minority accuse the Shi'ite-led government of marginalizing them, and the wave of protests has raised fears that the OPEC country could again slide into widespread sectarian conflict. The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents, said it was responsible for the assassination of Efan al-Esawi, describing him as the "dog of the Americans" and the "tail of the Shi'ites". Esawi was one of the architects of the Sahwa tribal resistance that helped to subdue al Qaeda-linked insurgents battling U.S. troops in the Sunni heartland of Anbar at the height of the conflict of the last decade. Posing as a worker, the attacker hugged Efan al-Esawi before detonating an explosive vest, killing them both on the spot. "He insisted on his disbelief, treachery and war against Muslims ... until he died at the hands of the mujahideen in his current state, to be an example and a lesson for those after him," the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group quoted ISI as saying in a statement on Sunday. The ISI also claimed responsibility for other attacks in Anbar province and across the country, without giving details. On Wednesday more than 35 people died in a suicide bomb attack and other bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad. Al Qaeda's Iraqi branch also voiced support for the Sunni protests and said it was fighting to "cut off the vein that is extending the life of the criminal Nusayri regime to kill your brothers in the Levant". In neighboring Syria, mainly Sunni rebels are fighting President Bashar al-Assad, most of whose ruling establishment are members of the Shi'ite-derived Alawite or Nusayri sect, adding to the strain on Iraq's own delicate sectarian and ethnic balance. Sunni anti-government protests erupted in Iraq in late December after state officials arrested members of a Sunni finance minister's security team on terrorism charges. Authorities denied the arrests were political, but Sunni leaders saw them as a crackdown. Since the fall of Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein after the U.S.-led invasion, many Sunnis feel they have been marginalised by the Shi'ite leadership. Violence in Iraq is well down since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-2007. But last year saw a rise in violent deaths for the first time in three years, with more than 4,400 people killed. (Reporting by Aseel Kami; Editing by Isabel Coles and Kevin Liffey) =============== Two blasts, suicide attack kill 17 in Baghdad Tue, Jan 22 06:03 AM EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three blasts, including a suicide bomber attack near an army base, killed least 17 people across Baghdad on Tuesday, the latest violence as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces increasing pressure from a political crisis. The most deadly explosions took place in Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives detonated his bomb near an army base, killing at least seven people and wounding 24. Another parked car bomb exploded in a crowded market in the Shi'ite neighborhood of Shula, northwestern Baghdad, killing 5 people and wounded 13, police and hospital sources said. In Mahmudiya, a town 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, a car bomb attack near an army checkpoint killed five people, including two soldiers and wounded 14 more, including four soldiers. Violence in Iraq has eased since the widespread sectarian carnage of 2006-2007, but Sunni Islamist insurgents still launch frequent attacks, seeking to reignite confrontation between the Shi'ite majority, Sunni Muslims and ethnic Kurds. Shi'ite premier Maliki's government is trying to ease mass Sunni protests that erupted a month ago and his central government is also locked in a dispute with the country's autonomous Kurdistan region over control of oilfields. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem and Ahmeed Rasheed; writing by Patrick Markey) ===============

16 ROADSIDE BOMBS IN SOUTHWESTERN BAGHDAD KILLS 72, WOUND 250- POLICE SOURCE

Iraq PM warns Sunnis could be shut from power وشهدت بغداد، صباح اليوم، سلسلة تفجيرات بسيارات مفخخة واحزمة ناسفة وعبوات في مناطق الكرادة والعلاوي وحي العامل والشعب والوزيرية وأبو دشير والشعلة والحارثية، اسفرت عن مقتل وإصابة العشرات من المدنيين. DEATH TOLL IN BAGHDAD'S COMMERCIAL KARRADA AREA BOMBING RISES TO AT LEAST 63 KILLED, 200 WOUNDED - HOSPITAL SOURCE By Suadad al-Salhy and Aseel Kami BAGHDAD | Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:31pm EST (Reuters) - Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority rejected a call for all-party talks on Wednesday, ignoring U.S. pressure for dialogue to resolve a sectarian crisis that has erupted since American forces left the country this week. With fears mounting that the nation of 30 million might one day fragment in chaos in the absence of the U.S. troops who toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned Saddam's fellow Sunnis they faced exclusion from power if they walked out on his ruling coalition. The main Sunni-backed party, furious at terrorism charges leveled by the Shi'ite-run authorities against Iraq's Sunni vice president on the day Americans left, rejected Maliki's call for all-party talks in the coming days and vowed to try and unseat the prime minister in parliament, a move unlikely to succeed. Having stuck by a decision to withdraw U.S. forces in 2011, a return of the kind of sectarian blood-letting that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis after Saddam fell could embarrass President Barack Obama as he campaigns for re-election. Vice President Joe Biden called Maliki and the Sunni speaker of parliament on Tuesday to press for urgent talks among Iraq's leaders. But there was little sign of a thaw on Wednesday, although it remained unclear how far the rhetoric reflected a real threat to the fragile coexistence of Sunnis with the majority Shi'ites and ethnic Kurds, both oppressed under Saddam. Maliki, calling on the Kurds to hand over Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi who has taken refuge in their autonomous region, said he wanted Hashemi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya block to end a boycott of parliament and of his year-old power-sharing government. "But," he warned, "If they insist, they are free to do so and they can withdraw permanently from the state and all its institutions." SUNNIS SLAM MALIKI Iraqiya said it would not attend talks with Maliki, "since he represents the main reason for the crisis and the problem, and he is not a positive element for a solution." As well as Hashemi, who stands accused of running death squads based on televised confessions by men claiming to be his bodyguards, the other most senior Sunni politician, deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, is also under fire from Maliki, who has asked parliament to remove Mutlaq from office. Hashemi has dismissed the charges against him as a fabrication, a denial that has credibility in Washington, where one U.S. official said he believes the charges were unfounded. The White House on Tuesday said it was "obviously concerned" about the arrest warrant issued for Hashemi. In his calls to Baghdad, Biden had "stressed the urgent need for the prime minister and the leaders of the other major blocs to meet and work through their differences together." Shi'ite leaders insist there is no political motive behind the case against Hashemi. But Sunnis, outnumbered about two to one by Shi'ites, see it as proof that Maliki, now freed of the trammels of U.S. occupation, is determined to tighten his personal grip on government and to marginalize the Sunnis. In a system devised under U.S. occupation to divide power, Iraq has a Shi'ite prime minister with Sunni and Kurd deputies, a Kurdish president with Shi'ite and Sunni vice presidents, and a Sunni parliament speaker with Shi'ite and Kurd deputies. Having long shunned the U.S.-backed institutions set up when Saddam's decades of one-man rule ended, Sunni voters propelled Iraqiya into first place in a fragmented parliament last year. But Maliki was able to draw on other Shi'ite and Kurdish groups to build a coalition, in which Iraqiya eventually took part. Tensions among the major groups has, however, hamstrung the government, leaving key posts such as that of defense and interior minister unfilled and obstructing legislation that could clarify rules for investing and exploiting Iraq's vast oil and gas reserves. Iraq sits astride a Sunni-Shi'ite faultline running through the Middle East, fuelling mutual accusations of foreign influence, whether from Shi'ite Iran to the north or from the Sunni-ruled Arab states to the south. In an interview with Reuters, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, an ethnic Kurd, said that the country's domestic schisms risked inviting more interference from outside: "As long as your internal front is fragmented and not united ... others who want to interfere will be encouraged," he said. "That's why it is very important to deal with this crisis as soon as possible." (Additional reporting by Serena Chaudry in Baghdad; Writing by Alastair Macdonald) TWO ROADSIDE BOMBS IN SOUTHWESTERN BAGHDAD KILL 7, WOUND 21- POL 22 Dec 2011 06:05 Source: Reuters // Reuters TWO ROADSIDE BOMBS IN SOUTHWESTERN BAGHDAD KILL 7, WOUND 21- POLICE SOURCE نجاة مستشار البنك المركزي من محاولة اغتيال بتفجير استهدف موكبه شرق بغداد (700) US trainers will stay in Iraq , Maliki 12/21/2011 7:30 PM BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Premier Nouri al- Maliki said that 700 US trainers will work to train Iraqi forces, adding that the number of US embassy in Baghdad will not exceed 2000. In a press conference, held today, he added that they will be in their barracks, with possibilities to decrease this figure. Parliament foreign relations MP Sami al-Askari said, earlier, that the number of diplomats will reach to 1500, while other employees do not have US citizenship and have no immunity. Governmental responsible sources stated that 15.000 employees will remain in the US embassy after US forces withdrawal BAGHDAD - A series of explosions struck Baghdad on Thursday, the first apparently coordinated attacks on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last US troops, police said. Two roadside bombs exploded in the central....... Series of blasts hits Iraqi capital - police 22 Dec 2011 05:13 Source: Reuters // Reuters BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A series of explosions struck Baghdad on Thursday, the first apparently coordinated attacks on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, police said. Two roadside bombs exploded in the central Baghdad area, killing at least four people and wounding 14 more, while a car bomb hit the commercial Karrada district, wounding five people, police and security officials said. Two more explosions hit northern Baghdad, police and witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties from those blasts. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem; writing by Patrick Markey) Bombs kill 10 in Baghdad, wound 27- police 22 Dec 2011 06:15 Source: Reuters // Reuters BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Three bombs hit mainly Sh'ite areas in Iraq's capital, killing at least 10 people and wounding 27 others on Thursday, a police source said. Two roadside bombs blew up in Baghdad's southwestern Amil district and a car bomb struck Doura in the south, police said. A series of explosions struck Baghdad on Thursday, the first apparently coordinated attacks on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops. (Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Michael Roddy) =========== BAGHDAD | Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:20am EST (Reuters) - A series of explosions struck Baghdad on Thursday, the first apparently coordinated attacks on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, police said. Two roadside bombs exploded in the central Baghdad area, killing at least four people and wounding 14 more, while a car bomb hit the commercial Karrada district, wounding five people, police and security officials said. Two more explosions hit northern Baghdad, police and witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties from those blasts. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem; writing by Patrick Markey) ================ Iraq: Death toll in Baghdad bomb wave climbs to 18 A soldier's boot and blood stains are seen on the ground after a bomb attack occurred in Alawi district in central Baghdad December 22, 2011. Baghdad blasts kill 17 as tensions rise 22 Dec 2011 07:11 Source: Reuters // Reuters * Most attacks in mainly Shi'ite neighbourhoods * Two roadside bombs hit Amil area, killing seven * Fragile power-sharing government gropes with crisis (Updates death toll, details) By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A series of blasts hit mainly Shi'ite areas in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 17 people in the first wave of attacks on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the U.S. troop withdrawal. The apparently coordinated attacks are the first sign of rising violence since Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to sideline Sunni rivals, just a few years after sectarian slaughter drove the country to the edge of civil war. Two roadside bombs struck Baghdad's southwestern Amil district, killing at least seven people and wounding 21 others, while a car bomb blew up in a Shi'ite neighbourhood in Doura in the south, killing three people and wounding six, security sources said. More bombs ripped into the central Alawi area, the commercial Karrada neighbourhood, Shaab and Shula in the north -- all are mainly Shi'ite areas. One roadside bomb killed one and wounded five near the Sunni neighbourhood of Adhamiya, police and witnesses said. More than 70 were wounded in the blasts. "I saw all the windows were blown out and glass scattered everywhere. The children were scared and crying," said Raghad Khalid, a teacher at a kindergarten near the Karrada blast, where a car bomb blew up near a governmental office. "Some parts of the car bomb are inside our building." Smoke hung over the blast site in Karrada as ambulances rushed in to ferry the wounded to hospital. Violence in Iraq has ebbed since the height of sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007 when suicide bombers and hit-squads targeted Sunni and Shi'ite communities in attacks that killed thousands and pushed the country to the brink of civil war. Thursday's attacks were the first major offensive in Baghdad since November when three bombs exploded in a commercial Baghdad district and another blast hit the city's western outskirts on Saturday, killing at least 13 people. In October, bomb attacks on a busy commercial street in northeastern Baghdad killed at least 30, with scores wounded. Iraq is fighting a stubborn insurgency with Sunni Islamists tied to al-Qaeda and Shi'ite militias, who U.S. officials say are backed by Iran, still stage daily attacks. Days after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops on Sunday nearly nine years after the invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq's fragile power-sharing government is grappling with its worst turmoil since its formation a year ago. Shi'ite Maliki is seeking the arrest of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he organised assassinations and bombings, and he wants parliament to fire his Sunni deputy Saleh al-Mutlaq after he likened Maliki to Saddam. The move against the senior Sunni leaders are stirring sectarian tensions as Sunnis fear the prime minister wants to consolidate Shi'ite control. Iraq's Sunni minority feel marginalised since the rise of the Shi'ite majority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami; Writing by Patrick Markey and Rania El Gamal; Editing by Michael Roddy) KIRKUK - Two sticky bombs attached to two cars carrying a judge and his son killed the judge and his guard and wounded his son and two pedestrians in the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. Reuters – Smoke rises from the site of a bomb attack in central Baghdad December 22, 2011. A series of explosions … Slideshow:Iraq Play VideoIraq Video:Wisconsin doctor treats other Iraq veterans AP Play VideoIraq Video:PTSD Warning For Soldiers Returning Home From The Battlefield CBS 3 Philadelphia By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press – 23 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say the death toll in a wave of bombings in Baghdad has climbed to 18 people. There were at least nine blasts across the Iraqi capital on Thursday morning and dozens of people were injured. The worst attack was in the al-Amal neighborhood where at least seven people were killed in a blast that appeared to target rescuers and officials who came to the scene after a previous explosion. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The blasts were the worst violence to hit the country since a political crisis between Iraq's Sunni and Shiite factions erupted this weekend. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of blasts Thursday morning in Baghdad killed at least seven people and injured dozens more in what appeared to be a coordinated attack across the Iraqi capital. The blasts were the worst violence to hit the country since a political crisis between Iraq's Sunni and Shiite factions erupted this weekend. The political spat, which pits Iraq's Shiite prime minister against the highest-ranking Sunni political leader, has raised fears that the Iraq's sectarian wounds will be reopened. Iraqi officials said at least seven blasts went off early Thursday morning in neighborhoods around the city. At least four people were killed in one western Baghdad neighborhood when two roadside bombs exploded. Three others died in three separate explosions. All the information came from police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. In the southwestern neighborhood of Karrada, where one of the victims was killed, sirens could be heard as ambulances rushed to the scene and a large plume of smoke rose over the explosion site. While Baghdad and Iraq have gotten much safer over the years, explosions like Thursday's are still commonplace. ===================== Dead and wounded, a double car bombing north of Baghdad car bombs is the seventh of its kind today Editor: HAH Thursday, 22 k 1 2011 05:53 GMT Alsumaria News / Baghdad A source in the Iraqi police on Thursday that a number of people had been killed and wounded a double car bombing north of Baghdad car bombs, the seventh such incident today. The source said in an interview for "Alsumaria News", "the outcome of the bombing twin car bombs, this morning, in the Shaab district, north of Baghdad, was killed three people and injuring nine others were injured," likely "the high death toll due to the intensity of the bombing." The source, who asked not to be named "The ambulances ferried the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment, and the bodies of the dead to the forensic medicine department, while the security forces imposed a security cordon at the scene and cut all roads leading to it." Baghdad has seen a day of eight bombings in the Karrada area and Allawi Group and inspired by the people and the Waziriya and Abu Dshir have left dozens dead and injured. The capital Baghdad and other provinces have been witnessing an escalation of months the violence has claimed hundreds of lives, including a number of officers and government officials, at a time when the country's ongoing disputes between politicians on the names of the ministers who will be the security bags. ============= Killed five people and injured children from one family, an armed attack northwest of Baquba Author: AK Editor: OH | HAH Thursday, 22 k 1 2011 07:01 GMT Alsumaria News / Diyala According to a police source in Diyala province, Thursday, that five people were killed and a child from one family, an armed attack targeted a house northwest of Baquba, while security forces arrested six suspects over the incident. The source said in an interview for "Alsumaria News", "Unidentified gunmen stormed in the early hours of this morning, a house belonging to a person named Abdul Barakat Almikdma in the village of Arab seventh of the area Hashimiyat, (12 km northwest of Baquba), and fired from weapons machine gun, killing the owner and his wife and his son, his wife and daughter and injured children were seriously injured. " The source, who asked not to be identified said that the "security force cordoned off the area of ​​the accident and transported the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment, and the bodies of the dead to the forensic medicine department, as carried out the raids and searches and arrested six people suspected of involvement the incident." Diyala has seen, on Wednesday, arresting eight people make up a cell of al Qaeda hand in the great north of Baquba, wounding a mayor and a residential neighborhood armed attack by unknown assailants in the Mafraq area, 5 km west of Baquba. The security sources in the province of Diyala, 55 km northeast of Baghdad, referring to the families of genocide repeat the entire series of armed attacks, but that the investigation confirms that some of the motives of revenge, while the motive is revenge mostly armed groups linked to the families of some of its members Basahoat. ============= A source in the Iraqi police on Thursday that 74 people had been killed and wounded at least the outcome of the bombings, which saw the capital, Baghdad. Killed and injured in a car bombing in central Baghdad is the ninth of its kind today Death toll in Baghdad bombings rises to 40-official 22 Dec 2011 07:35 Source: Reuters // Reuters BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The death toll from a series of bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital has climbed to at least 40, with scores wounded, a government health official said on Thursday. More than 10 explosions struck Baghdad on Thursday morning, in the first apparently coordinated attack on Iraq's capital since a crisis erupted between its Shi'ite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops. At least 149 people were wounded, said Ziad Tareq, a spokesman of Iraq's health ministry. (Reporting by Aseel Kami; Writing by Rania El Gamal) ===================== Baghdad (CNN) -- A wave of explosions in Baghdad Thursday killed at least 63 people and wounded 185, authorities say, raising fears about the stability of the country amid political upheaval that threatens to undo Iraq's government just days after U.S. troops withdrew from the country. The explosions -- four car bombs and ten roadside bombs -- occurred within two hours of one another, targeting residential, commercial and government districts in the Iraqi capital, two police officials told CNN. There have been no immediate claims of responsibility, though the attacks resemble previous bombings that have been claimed by both the Sunni and Shiite insurgents as well as al Qaeda in Iraq. Among the attacks was a parked car bomb explosion outside the offices of the Integrity Commission, the country's main anti-corruption body, that killed at least one person and wounded five others, said the police officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media. At the Medical City hospital in central Baghdad, doctors treated the wounded whose bodies were peppered with what appeared to be shrapnel from explosions, according to CNN television footage. Images of bloodied, battered bodies and destroyed storefronts and homes were broadcast on Iraqi television stations. While violence in Iraq has fallen off in recent years, the latest spate of attacks are among the worst since August when a series of coordinated bombings killed at least 75 people in 17 Iraqi cities. ================ Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said the recent attacks which have left at least 72 people dead and more than 217 others injured were politically motivated. "The time and the place of such crimes underscore the political nature of the goals that they (attackers) want to achieve," Maliki said in a statement on Thursday. The statement said the perpetrators would be brought to justice, adding that “The criminals and those who stand behind them will not be able to change the course of events and the political process.” A wave of 16 bombings ripped across the capital Thursday, including a roadside bomb and then a car bomb in the latest attack in the evening, which both exploded outside a café in southwest Baghdad. The deadliest attack took place near a government building in Baghdad's Karrada district, sending up a huge smoke cloud and scattering car parts into a kindergarten. Several attacks were carried out in the Allawi, Bab al-Muatham and Karrada districts of central Baghdad, the Adhamiyah, Shuala and Shaab neighborhoods in the north, Jadriyah in the east, Ghazaliyah in the west and Amal and Dura in the south. =============== Baghdad Operations Command prevent reporters to shoot photos of areas attacked on Thursday 12/22/2011 2:03 PM BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Baghdad Operations Command (BOC)has witnessed reporters to shoot photos of areas that witnessed explosions in central Iraq's Karrrada district, where dozens of people were killed and injured, along with other Baghdad areas, that witnessed similar blast that killed 69 civilians and injured 185 others on Thursday, press sources reported. "The BOC has banned press photographers to shoot photos of the explosion site in Karrada, targeted against the office of the Integrity Commission, killing and wounding dozens of civilians and completely destroying the building," an Iraqi press photographer told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Another reporter said that "the Integrity Commission's building, opposite to the Christian Nun's Hospital in Karrada, was completely destroyed, setting a huge fire to the building, along with causing damage to nearby shops and houses." Meanwhile, Iraqi Civil Defense sources told Aswat al-Iraq that "about 30 bodies of employees of the said Commission have been evacuated, whilst efforts continued to pull corpses of other victims of the destroyed building." Baghdad had witnessed a series of explosions of booby-trapped cars and other explosive charges on Thursday, that killed and injured dozens of civilians, following the outbreak of a huge political crisis that took place in the background of charges against Iraq's Vice- President, Tareq al-Hashimy, by Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, with having been involved in terrorist acts, along with another decision by Maliki to sack his Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq from his post, with both officials are leading members of al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by former Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. ============== مقتل وإصابة 25 شخصا بانفجار عبوة ناسفة وسيارة مفخخة بالتزامن جنوب غرب بغداد المحرر: NQ | HAH الجمعة 23 ك1 2011 06:20 GMT السومرية نيوز/ بغداد أفاد مصدر في الشرطة العراقية، الجمعة، بأن 25 شخصا سقطوا بين قتيل وجريح بانفجار عبوة ناسفة وسيارة مفخخة بالتزامن جنوب غرب بغداد. وقال المصدر في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "عبوة ناسفة انفجرت، في ساعة متقدمة من ليل أمس، في سوق شعبية بمنطقة حي الجهاد، جنوب غرب بغداد، من دون معرفة الخسائر البشرية"، مضيفا أن "سيارة مفخخة انفجرت في المنطقة ذاتها مما أسفر عن مقتل خمسة مدنيين وإصابة عشرين آخرين جروح متفاوتة". وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه أن "سيارات الاسعاف نقلت الجرحى إلى مستشفى قريب لتلقي العلاج وجثث القتلى إلى دائرة الطب العدلي، فيما فرضت قوة أمنية طوقا امنيا على منطقة الحادث وقطعت جميع الطرق المؤدية إلى المنطقة". وشهدت بغداد، يوم أمس، مقتل 58 شخصا وإصابة 177 آخرين في سلسلة تفجيرات بعبوات ناسفة ولاصقة وأحزمة ناسفة وسيارات مفخخة هزت مناطق عديدة من العاصمة، فيما نجا مستشار البنك المركزي العراقي من محاولة اغتيال، أسفرت عن إصابة احد عناصر حمايته بجروح شمال بغداد. وتأتي هذه التفجيرات في وقت تشهد فيه الساحة العراقية أزمة سياسية كبيرة، تتمثل بإصدار مذكرة قبض بحق نائب رئيس الجمهورية القيادي في القائمة العراقية طارق الهاشمي، وتقديم رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي طلبا إلى البرلمان بسحب الثقة عن نائبه القيادي في القائمة العراقية أيضا صالح المطلك، الأمر الذي دفع القائمة العراقية بزعامة إياد علاوي إلى تعليق عضويتها في مجلسي الوزراء والنواب، وتقديمها طلبا إلى البرلمان بحجب الثقة عن رئيس الحكومة نوري المالكي، وتتزامن هذه الأزمة مع الانسحاب الأميركي من البلاد، والذي حذر الكثيرون من خطورته على البلاد. يذكر أن العاصمة بغداد ومحافظات أخرى تشهد منذ أشهر تصعيداً بأعمال العنف أودت بحياة المئات بينهم عدد من الضباط ومسؤولون حكوميون، في وقت تعيش فيه البلاد خلافات مستمرة بين السياسيين على أسماء الوزراء الذين سيتولون الحقائب الأمنية. ================ Iraq crisis stirs protests in Sunni strongholds 23 Dec 2011 16:56 Source: Reuters // Reuters * Protests in Sunni areas over VP arrest * Demonstrations come day after Baghdad bombings (Adds Allawi comment, background) By Ghazwan Hassan SAMARRA, Iraq, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Several thousand Iraqis in Sunni Muslim strongholds protested on Friday against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, responding to his moves against two Sunni leaders and taking to the streets a day after fatal bombings hit the capital Baghdad. Maliki this week sought Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi's arrest on terrorism charges and moved to fire a Sunni deputy. On Thursday at least 72 people were killed in Baghdad by bombings in mainly Shi'ite neighbourhoods. The events threaten to splinter Iraq's fragile sectarian and ethnic faultlines and highlight the risk of the country tumbling into the kind of bloody slaughter that a few years ago led the OPEC oil-producer to the edge of civil war. After Friday prayers, with Sunni imams warning Maliki was seeking to foment sectarian divisions, protesters were on the streets of Sunni-dominated Samarra, Ramadi, Baiji and Qaim, many waving banners in support of Hashemi, and criticising the government. "The charges against Hashemi were orchestrated behind closed doors. Maliki is trying to remove Sunnis from power to get a tight grip, like as a new dictator of Iraq," said Ahmed al-Abbasi, a+ protester from Samarra. The crisis could scuttle a delicate power-sharing agreement that splits posts among Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders just days after the last American troops withdrew nearly nine years after the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein. "What's happening in Iraq is settling political scores," Iyad Allawi, Maliki's predecessor and head of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, told al-Arabiya television. An emergency session in parliament among leaders of political blocs to debate the crisis was cancelled on Friday. For many Sunnis who feel marginalised by the rise of Iraq's Shi'ite majority since the fall of Saddam, Maliki's measures have deepened worries the Shi'ite leader is making a power grab to consolidate Shi'ite power. "Hashemi, fear not, with our blood we support you," one banner read in Samarra. Hashemi denies charges his office ran an assassination squad. After the interior ministry broadcast what it said were confessions from Hashemi's bodyguards, the Sunni leader left for semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, where he is unlikely to be handed over to central government authorities. U.S. DIPLOMACY, REGIONAL WORRIES Baghdad was quiet on Friday with many people deciding to stay off the streets following Thursday's string of bombings, which included a suicide bomber, driving an ambulance, who detonated his explosives outside a government office. The last American troops left Iraq over the weekend, nearly nine years after the invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam. Many Iraqis fear a return to sectarian violence without a U.S. military buffer. U.S. officials are trying to stay engaged in Iraq. Vice President Joe Biden called Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to support efforts to resolve tensions and Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno met with Maliki on Thursday. U.S. intelligence agencies had warned that security gains in Iraq could degenerate into sectarian violence after the withdrawal. Turmoil in Iraq would have wider consequences in a region where a crisis in neighbouring Syria is becoming increasingly sectarian, and Shi'ite Iran, Turkey and Sunni Arab Gulf nations are all positioning for more influence. Iraqi Shi'ite leaders worry a shift to a hardline Sunni government in Damascus if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad falls would unbalance their country's own delicate sectarian makeup, or spill instability over the border. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey and Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Matthew Jones) ============= http://www.alsumarianews.com/ar/1/33484/news-details-Iraq%20politics%20news.html A protest in central Basra to demand the government to provide for the trial of al-Hashemi Author: MB Editor: SZ | AA Saturday, 24 k 1 2011 11:20 GMT Alsumaria News / Basra A number of activists in civic organizations, Saturday, in a protest in central Basra, demanding the government to provide the Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi to the trial, called in to clean up the political process, a supporter of organizations and armed groups, and response to external interventions. He said one of the organizers of the vigil and called Makki al-Tamimi said in an interview for "Alsumaria News", "a number of young activists in the civil society organizations participated in the vigil which witnessed a public square in the tax collector, which is the center of the city of Basra to demand the government to expedite the provision of Tareq al-Hashemi and all political accused of supporting armed groups to trial, "noting that" the protesters demanded that the government is also responding to external interventions. " He Tamimi, a Secretary General of a local organization concerned with the care of children with cancer to be "participants in the vigil expressed their absolute rejection of the confusion deliberate policy issues, terrorism and corruption," explaining that "the people of Basra want more than ever, knowledge of those involved with bombings and acts of displacement and assassinations committed since the year 2004 until now. " Tamimi called on the government to "clearly announced for the killers of the people who made the cover of the political process for the implementation of malicious crimes," he says. In turn, said participating in the vigil Nuri al-Habib, Mohsen "Alsumaria News", "The goal of the vigil peaceful emphasis on the importance of the trial all the politicians accused of fomenting sectarian and support for terrorism, without exceptions based on considerations of political and sectarian," asserting that "citizens is about patience running out of the continued deterioration of basic services and frequency of attacks aimed at them. " He improved on that, "Hashemi should be brought before the judiciary in public." And see the political situation in Iraq accelerated dramatically in the events, most notably the Ministry of view and the confessions of some internal protections Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on their acts of violence, and issued an arrest warrant for al-Hashemi on charges of "terrorism." The carry-Hashemi during a press conference held in Erbil on 20 December, the current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the responsibility of being accused of "terrorism," and expressed his readiness to appear before the courts if his case was transferred to the Kurdistan region. The president of the House of Representatives Osama Najafi, the confessions, the hallmarks of an explicit discourse of sectarian and promotion, calling for the formation of a joint committee of all the political blocs to oversee the investigation, and while he supported the initiative of President of Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani, to convene a national conference in general, called on President Jalal Talabani, to respect the work of and specialization of the judiciary and trust, non-interference in its affairs and to challenge its decisions. Warned the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a press conference held in December 21 the current of the Kurdistan Regional Government to allow the escape Hashemi, stressing that the lack of extradition or allow him to escape will cause problems with the province, asked him to turn himself in to the Iraqi judiciary. The security forces in the Baghdad airport, banned in the 18 of December, the current, jet-Hashemi and seven wanted to protect him from quitting, as revealed political source that the security forces Geert Hashemi between extradition listed in the investigations as soon as possible or the application of legal procedures. Is not considered an arrest warrant issued against Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges of terrorism is the first right of Iraqi political Over the past eight years have seen the Iraqi arena issuance of a series of arrest warrants have not been implemented for political reasons, and security was thus the first arrest warrant issued in 2005, against the president of the Muslim Scholars Harith al-Dhari, terrorism-related charges, in addition to the issuance of an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan in 2005 on corruption charges. It also issued an arrest warrant for former Culture Minister Asad al-Hashemi in 2007 and a close associate of Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on charges related to terrorism, including the killing of the sons of former MP Mithal al-Alusi, also issued several arrest warrants against several officials after or during their escape out of the country, including arrest warrant against former President of the Integrity Commission Radi Radi and former MP Mohammed Daini unknown residence for the bombing of the parliament. ================= 75 شيخ عشيرة بكربلاء يطالبون الهاشمي بالمثول أمام القضاء 23/12/2011 09:49 م كربلاء /أصوات العراق: طالب نحو 75 شيخ عشيرة في محافظة كربلاء، الجمعة، نائب رئيس الجمهورية طارق الهاشمي بالمثول أمام القضاء العراقي على خلفية إصدار مذكرة قبض بحقه، منددين بسلسلة التفجيرات التي ضربت العاصمة بغداد أمس. وتأتي هذه المطالبة مقابل مطالبات مضادة عبرت عنها عشائر في سامراء والرمادي، وسط أزمة سياسية فجرها بث اعترافات لأفراد من حمايات نائب رئيس الجمهورية طارق الهاشمي قالوا فيها إنهم قاموا بتنفيذ عمليات اغتيالات وزرع وتفجير عبوات ناسفة منذ 2007 بعلم الهاشمي وبتكليف من سكرتيره، ما أدى لإصدار مذكرة قبض بحقه بعد يوم من انتقاله إلى إقليم كردستان. وقال مدير عشائر كربلاء النقيب الحقوقي سلمان الحسناوي لوكالة (أصوات العراق ) "عقد نحو 75 شيخا من شيوخ عشائر كربلاء مؤتمرا لهم الجمعة ناقشوا فيه عدة قضايا مطروحة في العراق وطالبوا العراقيين بالوحدة والتصدي للهجمات الإرهابية التي تستهدف وحدتهم وتريدهم العودة للعنف الطائفي". واضاف الحسناوي أن "شيوخ العشائر طالبوا نائب رئيس الجمهورية طارق الهاشمي بالمثول أمام القضاء وهو الذي يحدد براءته رافضين حل الموضوع سياسيا". وتابع أن شيوخ العشائر الذين اجتمعوا في مبنى قيادة شرطة مدينة كربلاء وبحضور قائد عمليات الفرات الأوسط الفريق الركن عثمان الغانمي ومدير عام شرطة كربلاء اللواء علي زويني "سيقفون بقوة أمام كل من يستهدف وحدة العراقيين مهما كان منصبه ومكانته وإنهم سيخاطبون عشيرة الهاشمي بأن يعدل عن مواقفه". وندد شيوخ العشائر بالتفجيرات التي ضربت بغداد امس الخميس واسفرت عن سقوط العشرات من الجرحى والقتلى، وبحسب الحسناوي فإن الشيوخ "أعلنوا وقوفهم مع الأجهزة الأمنية في المرحلة المقبلة التي شهدت الانسحاب الكامل للقوات المحتلة". ع ن (خ -1) ============= INTERVIEW-Iraq Sunni leader says charges could reignite sectarian war 24 Dec 2011 20:35 Source: Reuters // Reuters Iraqi security forces arrest suspected militants during a raid in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad December 23, 2011. REUTERS/Atef Hassan By Rania El Gamal QALACHOWLAN, Iraq, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, wanted on charges he led death squads, called the case a plot to destroy opponents of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that could reignite the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07. Iraq has been plunged into a political crisis in the week since the final U.S. troops withdrew, after Maliki's Shi'ite-led government unveiled an arrest warrant for Hashemi, who left Baghdad for the semi-autonomous Kurdish north of the country. Maliki also asked parliament to fire his Sunni deputy prime minister, sidelining Iraq's two most powerful Sunni Arab leaders and potentially undoing a shaky power-sharing deal that Washington hoped would keep peace after nine years of war. "Today the outcome of this crisis, which was unfortunately blown up by the prime minister, is very dangerous," Hashemi told Reuters in an interview at a guesthouse of Iraq's President Jalal Talabani, in the Kurdish north's Sulaimaniya province. "Today Iraqis live under the atmosphere of sectarian tension that we lived through in the hard years of 2005-2007," he said. Speaking about himself and his Sunni Arab community, Hashemi added: "Mr Maliki knows the supporters of Tareq al-Hashemi and which community he belongs to, and therefore he should have thought about the negative consequences of these issues." Violence in Iraq has subsided since the sectarian civil war of 2006-07, when Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militia killed thousands of civilians each month, but without U.S. troops to act as a buffer, many Iraqis now fear a return to those days. At least 72 people were killed in bombings across Baghdad in mainly Shi'ite neighbourhoods on Thursday, in the first sign of a possible violent backlash against Maliki's moves. The main goal of U.S. policymakers in the final years of the war was to prevent a recurrence of that bloodshed by ensuring that Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds all remained represented in the government in Baghdad. A power-sharing deal reached a year ago kept Maliki in office at the helm of a fragile unity coalition. But that appears to have unravelled just as the final U.S. troops pulled out a week ago. Hashemi's Iraqiya bloc, the main Sunni-backed group has suspended its participation in parliament. "POLITICAL HIT" Hashemi said the timing of the accusations against him to coincide with the U.S. withdrawal was "deliberate". "The target is clear, a political hit for Tareq al-Hashemi... The political dimension for this is to get rid of all those who oppose Nuri al-Maliki, it is clear. So Iraq can stay in the grip of one-man rule and one-party rule." Shi'ite leaders say the case against Hashemi is criminal and not motivated by politics. It cannot be negotiated because it is now with the courts. Iraq's interior ministry broadcast taped confessions it said were from Hashemi's security detail, talking about payments Hashemi made to them to carry out assassinations and bombings. Hashemi denied all charges which he said were "fabricated". He said the three bodyguards worked for him but the confessions showed on Iraqi TV were "taken by force". Hashemi said he had no plans to seek political asylum or flee Iraq, but had requested that the case against him be moved to a court in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, rather than Baghdad where "the executive power controls the judiciary". "If they are seeking justice, let them agree to my request and I will stand trial and will accept any verdict by Kurdistan's courts," he said. "They are not part of Maliki's project and they are not part of Hashemi's project. Kurdistan will be the fair judge in this issue." Asked if he would consider leaving Iraq or seeking asylum, he said: "This is my country, these are not my thoughts and not in my plans... I will not run from justice." Looking weary during the interview, Hashemi said he had initially come to Sulaimaniya with a small suitcase and two suits - and had told his wife he would be back in Baghdad after 48 hours. He planned to stay in the semi-autonomous Kurdish zone for now, and his family had left Iraq after a wave of raids by security forces on his house and office and arrests of his staff, he said. (Editing by Patrick Markey) ==================== Two car bombs kill 10, wound 38 in Iraq capital 24 Jan 2012 07:10 Source: Reuters // Reuters * First blast hits labourers waiting for work * Latest attack of political crisis in Shi'ite areas (Adds details, quotes) By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Two car bombs exploded in Baghdad's Sadr City on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 38 in the latest attack targeting Shi'ite areas as a political crisis threatens to revive sectarian strife in Iraq. The first blast hit a group of labourers gathering to wait for jobs, leaving a chaotic scene of scattered shoes and food, and pools of blood. The bomb killed at least eight people and wounded 24, police and hospital sources said. "We were all standing waiting to earn our living and all of a sudden it was like a black storm and I felt myself thrown on the ground," said Ahmed Ali, a 40-year-old labourer whose face and hair were burned by the explosion. "I fainted for a while then I woke up and hurried to one of the cars to take me to the hospital," said Ali, lying on a bed in the emergency room at Imam Ali hospital in Sadr City. The second blast near a traffic roundabout in Sadr City killed two people and wounded 14 others, the sources said. Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply from the height of sectarian killing in 2006-2007, but insurgents and militias still carry out daily attacks and assassinations in an attempt to undermine the government. Iraq has been hit by a series of bombings targeting Shi'ites during the worst political crisis in a year, which threatens to break up a fragile coalition government and has raised fears of renewed sectarian violence after U.S. troops left on Dec. 18. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government moved to arrest Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he ran a death squad and then sought to sideline a Sunni deputy prime minister after he branded Maliki a dictator. Hashemi denied the charges and sought refuge in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where he is unlikely to be arrested. The Sunni-backed Iraqiya political bloc then announced a boycott of parliament and several Iraqiya ministers have stayed away from cabinet meetings in protest. Others have attended, underscoring splits in the alliance. The turmoil has fuelled fears that Maliki is trying to shore up Shi'ite power and sideline Iraqiya. The political blocs began talks last week to try to organise a national conference to resolve their differences. A series of bombings in Shi'ite areas of the capital on Dec. 22 killed at least 72 people and wounded 200 others. Scores more were killed in attacks targeting Shi'ite pilgrims this month. (Writing by Aseel Kami; Editing by Louise Ireland) ================ Car bombs kill 13, wound 75 in Iraq capital 24 Jan 2012 09:03 Source: Reuters // Reuters * Blasts hit mainly Shi'ite Muslim areas of Baghdad * Political crisis threatens coalition government (Adds two more bombings, updates toll) By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Four car bombs exploded in mainly Shi'ite Muslim areas of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding 75, underlining a political crisis that threatens to revive sectarian strife in Iraq. The first blast hit a group of day labourers gathering for jobs in the poor northeastern Sadr City area of the capital, leaving a chaotic scene of scattered shoes and food, and pools of blood. The bomb killed at least eight people and wounded 24, police and hospital sources said. "We were all standing waiting to earn our living and all of a sudden it was like a black storm and I felt myself thrown on the ground," said Ahmed Ali, a 40-year-old labourer whose face and hair were burned by the explosion. "I fainted for a while then I woke up and hurried to one of the cars to take me to the hospital," said Ali, lying on a bed in the emergency room at Imam Ali hospital in Sadr City. The second blast near a traffic roundabout in Sadr City killed two people and wounded 26 others, the sources said. Two other car bombs exploded in mainly Shi'ite northwestern areas of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 25, sources said. One car blew up near two schools in the Shula district, the other on a busy commercial street in Hurriya. Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply from the height of sectarian killing in 2006-07, but insurgents and militias still carry out daily attacks and assassinations in an attempt to undermine the government. Iraq has been hit by a series of bombings targeting Shi'ites during the worst political crisis in a year, which threatens to break up a fragile coalition government and has raised fears of renewed sectarian violence after U.S. troops left on Dec. 18. The government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved last month to arrest Sunni Muslim Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he ran a death squad and then sought to sideline a Sunni deputy prime minister after he branded Maliki a dictator. Hashemi denied the charges and sought refuge in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where he is unlikely to be arrested. The Sunni-backed Iraqiya political bloc then announced a boycott of parliament and several Iraqiya ministers have stayed away from cabinet meetings in protest. Others have attended, underscoring splits in the alliance. The turmoil has fuelled fears that Maliki is trying to shore up Shi'ite power and sideline Iraqiya. The political blocs began talks last week to try to organise a national conference to resolve their differences. A series of bombings in Shi'ite areas of the capital on Dec. 22 killed at least 72 people and wounded 200 others. Scores more were killed in attacks targeting Shi'ite pilgrims this month. (Writing by Aseel Kami; Editing by Jim Loney and Mark Heinrich) ===== Sadr warns of U.S. Embassy personnel in Baghdad curfew Editor: SS | NQ Monday, 23 K 2 2012 10:20 GMT Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Alsumaria News / Baghdad Warned cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from its employees roaming the streets of the capital, stressing that it will address them, "if not deterred." Sadr said in response to a question from his followers on the description of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad arrested four of its employees by the Iraqi security force action routine, and whether the function of the embassy to roam the streets with weapons, and received "Alsumaria News", a copy of it will "address so that the not deterred. " The chest, saying "I can wait for the resistance (exclusively) and it is not a reference for all of us," as he put it. The governor of Baghdad, Salah Abdul Razzaq, announced (12 January in the current), the arrest of four Americans, including two women in possession of pistols and machine guns were walking around in a car near his home, and called on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to take diplomatic action and verification of this "breach," while the governor announced in (January 17 now), that the U.S. Embassy in Iraq apologized to him because of the incident, and stressed to prevent the exit of any foreign diplomat in the streets of Baghdad without the knowledge or consent of local government, and threatened to kill any person or group immediately and without investigation, if recurrence of the incident. He said the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, in (January 19 now), the roaming armed Americans in Baghdad, the work of state terrorism, state terrorism, expressing support for the position of the province of Baghdad, Salah Abdul Razzaq on the arrest, while a student not to release them and prosecuted in Iraqi courts. He said the Sadrist movement, in (the twentieth of January now), that the presence of the U.S. embassy and security companies in Iraq is less dangerous for the presence of the "occupation", stressing that most of the murders that happen in Baghdad are linked to those companies, while the student government introduced the confessions of armed Americans who were arrested north of Baghdad. The United States ended official U.S. presence in Iraq in December of 2011, under the agreement signed between the two countries in 2008, after nine years of its military invasion in 2003, and the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein, a decision of the former U.S. President George W. Bush.