12 Jun 2008 13:29:42 GMT
Source: UNHCR
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
JAHROM, Iran, June 12 (UNHCR) – Abdul Karim has been waiting eight months to go back to Iraq. Like those who have gone before him, he is fully aware of the problems back home, but is still determined to put years of exile behind him.
The 50-year-old Iraqi refugee is among hundreds of thousands of mostly Shia Muslims who had fled persecution under the late President Saddam Hussein's regime and sought refuge in Iran between the 1970s and the early 1990s. Many returned home in the second half of the 1990s.
The fall of the Baathist regime in 2003 led to another wave of returns from Iran, most of them ethnic Arabs. "Unlike the gradual nature of the influx, repatriation took place overnight," said Shokrollah Kazemifar, the director-general of Iran's Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs in Ahwaz, south-western Iran, near the Iraqi border. "Once they decided to go, they demolished their homes and took everything."
Gaitrie Ammersing, UNHCR's protection officer in Ahwaz, noted several reasons for this: "Some refugees say the security situation and job opportunities are gradually improving in southern Iraq. They also tell us it is now much easier to obtain Iraqi documents upon return."
Others say it is getting harder to survive in Iran. "Life is hard here. I work nearby but it's not always easy to find jobs," said Attaye Heidari, who has lived in south-western Iran's Bani Najjar camp for the last 16 years. "I'm hard pressed and thinking about return. I believe life will be better in Basra."
More than 18,000 Iraqi refugees in Iran have been assisted home since November 2003, mostly to areas such as Baghdad and the southern governorates. Numbers peaked in 2004, with over 12,500 returns. Some 230 have repatriated from Iran to the north and south of Iraq so far this year.
The UN refugee agency does not encourage returns to Iraq at the moment, due to the fragile security situation. But it provides some assistance to those who insist on going. This includes interviewing them to make sure return is voluntary and providing a cash grant to help them with transport and initial reintegration costs.
In some cases, complicated clearance procedures have delayed repatriation. Some 300 ethnic Arab Iraqi refugees in Jahrom camp, southern Iran, have been waiting since last year for security clearance from the Iraqi authorities before they can return. Recently, another 200 refugees in the camp expressed interest in returning to Iraq.
"I used to work in a cement factory for shelter construction," said Abdul Karim. "After I registered for repatriation, I sold all my equipment, thinking it would take one to two months. Now we're hearing that security clearance has not come. How long should we wait? My children and I have no jobs. We didn't know it would take this long."
Until recently, applications were sent to Amman in Jordan for processing in Baghdad, which took a long time. However, a new system has helped to speed up security clearance.
"A new Iraqi consul has been set up in Ahwaz, which should expedite the process instead of going through Amman and Baghdad," explained Carlos Zaccagnini, UNHCR's representative in Iran, during a recent visit to the camp. "It will cost US$25 for each family to apply for security clearance there."
Another obstacle to repatriation has been the sporadic closure of the borders at Shalamcheh and Mehran since April for security reasons.
When they finally manage to return home, the returnees will no doubt face many challenges in rebuilding their lives. But they also leave behind some problems in their host communities in Iran. In Bani Najjar camp, for example, sewage has seeped into the nearby farmland and affected the wheat fields. UNHCR has committed itself to helping repair the drainage system in the camp.
"We can't match the government in monetary contributions, but we can bring some technical expertise to lessen any negative impact of refugees' stay on local communities," said Zaccagnini.
There are an estimated 54,000 registered Iraqi refugees living in Iran today, the large majority of them living outside camps, in urban areas.
By Vivian Tan
In Ahwaz, Iran
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Head of Saddam tribe blown up in car bomb blast
The head of the Sunni tribe of Saddam was killed in a bomb attack near the home village of the executed Iraqi dictator(AFP/File/Dia Hamid)
Head of Saddam tribe blown up in car bomb blast 10 Jun 2008 11:24:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes, details, background)
By Nadheer al-Samarrai
TIKRIT, Iraq, June 10 (Reuters) - The head of Saddam Hussein's tribe was blown up by a bomb attached to his vehicle north of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
Major Hassan Emhimid, a police officer in the nearby town of Tikrit, said a bomb appeared to have been fixed to the undercarriage of Sheikh Ali al-Neda's car.
"Sheikh Neda was the victim of assassination. When he left his house there was a bomb in his car that killed him and a driver and wounded two of his guards," said Major Ahmed Subhi, head of a counter-terrorism unit in Salahuddin province.
A spokesman for Salahuddin Governor Hamad al-Qaisi confirmed the sheikh, head of the Albu-Naser tribe, had been killed.
The blast killed Neda after he left his house in Saddam's hometown of Awja and was travelling along the highway to Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, the spokesman and police said.
Qaisi imposed an indefinite curfew in Awja, which was sealed off by police who were searching for suspects, the spokesman said.
It was Neda, a member of Iraq's minority Sunni Arab sect, who took possession of Saddam's body for burial after the Iraqi leader was executed in December 2006 for crimes against humanity. Gunmen shot dead Neda's brother in 2006.
On the first anniversary of Saddam's hanging, Neda had called on Iraqis to forget the past and work for national reconciliation.
"We have to build a future without revenge," he had said. (Additional reporting by Khalid Ansary; Writing by Ross Colvin; Editing by Caroline Drees)
---------------
Agencies
BAGHDAD: US forces shot dead the 17-year-old son and a nephew of the governor of northern Iraq’s Salahuddin province in a raid yesterday, local officials said.
The US military said it shot two armed men, adding it was later found they were both related to the governor.
Gov. Hamad Al-Qaisi’s brother, Lt. Col. Saad Al-Qaisi, said American troops stormed a family house in the town of Beiji, where the governor’s son Hussam and his cousin were staying.
“They shot dead Hussam and his cousin and wounded three others. This is barbaric and inhuman,” he said.
A statement from the US military said its forces had wounded and captured an Al-Qaeda financier in the house. “As they entered the target building, coalition forces encountered two armed men. Perceiving hostile intent... they shot and killed the men. It was subsequently determined that the two... were related to the governor,” the statement said.
Local officials said Gov. Al-Qaisi had cut short a visit to Turkey because of the shooting.
“We demand an investigation into this incident,” Deputy Gov. Abdullah Jabara said.
Pullout timetable
The Pentagon’s top military officer, meanwhile, said yesterday that a fixed timetable for withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq could jeopardize political and economic progress.
Adm. Mike Mullen said the agreement between President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki to set a “general time horizon” for bringing more troops home from the war was a sign of “healthy negotiations for a burgeoning democracy.”
“I think the strategic goals of having time horizons are ones that we all seek because eventually we would like to see US forces draw down and come home,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said. “This right now doesn’t speak of either time lines or timetables, based on my understanding of where we are.”
The best way to determine troop levels, he said, is to assess the conditions on the ground and to consult with American commanders — the mission that Bush has given him.
“Should that mission change, and we get a new president, and should those conditions be conditions that get generated or required in order to advise a future president, I would do so accordingly,” Mullen said.
Head of Saddam tribe blown up in car bomb blast 10 Jun 2008 11:24:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes, details, background)
By Nadheer al-Samarrai
TIKRIT, Iraq, June 10 (Reuters) - The head of Saddam Hussein's tribe was blown up by a bomb attached to his vehicle north of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.
Major Hassan Emhimid, a police officer in the nearby town of Tikrit, said a bomb appeared to have been fixed to the undercarriage of Sheikh Ali al-Neda's car.
"Sheikh Neda was the victim of assassination. When he left his house there was a bomb in his car that killed him and a driver and wounded two of his guards," said Major Ahmed Subhi, head of a counter-terrorism unit in Salahuddin province.
A spokesman for Salahuddin Governor Hamad al-Qaisi confirmed the sheikh, head of the Albu-Naser tribe, had been killed.
The blast killed Neda after he left his house in Saddam's hometown of Awja and was travelling along the highway to Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, the spokesman and police said.
Qaisi imposed an indefinite curfew in Awja, which was sealed off by police who were searching for suspects, the spokesman said.
It was Neda, a member of Iraq's minority Sunni Arab sect, who took possession of Saddam's body for burial after the Iraqi leader was executed in December 2006 for crimes against humanity. Gunmen shot dead Neda's brother in 2006.
On the first anniversary of Saddam's hanging, Neda had called on Iraqis to forget the past and work for national reconciliation.
"We have to build a future without revenge," he had said. (Additional reporting by Khalid Ansary; Writing by Ross Colvin; Editing by Caroline Drees)
---------------
US troops kill son, nephew of Iraqi governor in raid
Agencies
BAGHDAD: US forces shot dead the 17-year-old son and a nephew of the governor of northern Iraq’s Salahuddin province in a raid yesterday, local officials said.
The US military said it shot two armed men, adding it was later found they were both related to the governor.
Gov. Hamad Al-Qaisi’s brother, Lt. Col. Saad Al-Qaisi, said American troops stormed a family house in the town of Beiji, where the governor’s son Hussam and his cousin were staying.
“They shot dead Hussam and his cousin and wounded three others. This is barbaric and inhuman,” he said.
A statement from the US military said its forces had wounded and captured an Al-Qaeda financier in the house. “As they entered the target building, coalition forces encountered two armed men. Perceiving hostile intent... they shot and killed the men. It was subsequently determined that the two... were related to the governor,” the statement said.
Local officials said Gov. Al-Qaisi had cut short a visit to Turkey because of the shooting.
“We demand an investigation into this incident,” Deputy Gov. Abdullah Jabara said.
Pullout timetable
The Pentagon’s top military officer, meanwhile, said yesterday that a fixed timetable for withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq could jeopardize political and economic progress.
Adm. Mike Mullen said the agreement between President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki to set a “general time horizon” for bringing more troops home from the war was a sign of “healthy negotiations for a burgeoning democracy.”
“I think the strategic goals of having time horizons are ones that we all seek because eventually we would like to see US forces draw down and come home,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said. “This right now doesn’t speak of either time lines or timetables, based on my understanding of where we are.”
The best way to determine troop levels, he said, is to assess the conditions on the ground and to consult with American commanders — the mission that Bush has given him.
“Should that mission change, and we get a new president, and should those conditions be conditions that get generated or required in order to advise a future president, I would do so accordingly,” Mullen said.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Answers From Iraqi Women, Part V
BAGHDAD — Welcome to the final installment of a weeklong Q&A with Iraq women. Today’s post features a questions from readers about the hijab, women’s equality and video excerpts from a number of our interviews.
As always, we stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here are those of the person asked; they may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq. Read more …
Q. Can woman be allowed to make their own choice to wear hijab or not?
— Posted by Mike Oliker
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Nidhal Toma, 53-year-old Christian
“If I feel comfortable then I will not hesitate to take off my hijab.”
Q. Since the invasion, have you become more limited in your day-to-day living (education, travel, employment, etc.) specifically because of gender?
— Posted by Nicole
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Sundos Turki, 44
“There is no traveling. No education. All the doors are closed in our faces.”
Thanks to everyone who sent in a question. To submit a suggestion for a future Q&A topic, please use the comment box below.
-----------
BAGHDAD — Welcome to Part 3 of a weeklong Q&A with Iraq women. Today’s post features questions from readers on female politicians and talking to children about the war.
As always, we stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here are those of the person asked; they may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq.
BAGHDAD — Welcome to Part 3 of a weeklong Q&A with Iraq women. Today’s post features questions from readers on female politicians and talking to children about the war.
As always, we stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here are those of the person asked; they may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq.
Coming tomorrow: questions on women’s rights and access to education.
Q. Do you predict female leadership in Iraq in the future?
— Posted by Tom White
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Um Mustafa, 37-year-old housewife
“The men can not control the situation so how can the women?”
Q. How do you explain this war to your children?
— Posted by Mariana B
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Um Sara, 49-year-old Shiite
“I tell them that Allah cursed and sent them to work against us.”
BAGHDAD — Welcome to Part 2 of a weeklong Q&A with Iraq women. Today’s post features questions from readers about respect for women, happiness and security and what it is like to wear an abaya.
As always, we stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here are those of the person asked; they may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq.
Coming tomorrow: questions on women as politicians and talking to children about the war.
Q. Do you, as an Iraqi women, feel happier or more secure since the American invasion of Iraq?
— Posted by Kinza
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Hiba Hussain, 24-year-old Shiite
“I quit school because of the security situation and because I was once kidnapped. So I left my education behind.”
Q. What is it physically like under an abaya or completely covered up in other clothing?
— Posted by Lisa Saffer
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Hiba Hussain, 24-year-old Shiite
“Young men really like to stare at uncovered women and their beauty. So I consider the hijab protection for me.”
----------
BAGHDAD — Welcome to Part 2 of a weeklong Q&A with Iraq women. Today’s post features questions from readers about respect for women, happiness and security and what it is like to wear an abaya.
As always, we stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here are those of the person asked; they may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq.
Coming tomorrow: questions on women as politicians and talking to children about the war.
Q. Do you, as an Iraqi women, feel happier or more secure since the American invasion of Iraq?
— Posted by Kinza
---------------
June 2, 2008, 8:03 am
Answers From Iraqi Women
By Eric OwlesVideo
BAGHDAD — We had been walking around for an hour asking women questions sent in by our readers when Rawdha Abbas, a 50-year-old Shiite woman, agreed to be interviewed on camera.
Ms. Abbas was dressed in expensive, colorful clothes and shopping in Karada, one of the nicer neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital. As we talked on a busy street corner, Ms. Abbas began to list the various ways that women are not respected in Iraq today. “They are searching us in an unreasonable way,” Ms. Abbas said. Women are shouted at in government offices and forced to pay bribes, she added. Finally, my interpreter asked, “Don’t you feel any freedom now?”
Ms. Abbas answered: “What is the meaning of freedom? There is no security!”
The Iraqi women we interviewed answered readers’ questions about shopping, politics, raising children, visiting relatives and women’s rights. Their responses often touched on the impact of the war and revealed the far-reaching influence of bombings, snipers and checkpoints on everyday life.
I was accompanied by Anwar J. Ali, a journalist working for The Times in Iraq. She acted as my interpreter, and also made the first contact with women. She would approach them, on the streets and in shops, while I hung a few feet back with my video equipment tucked inside a bag. Anwar would explain who we were and ask permission to film an interview.
Most often the answer was no. Some women would agree to an interview only if their faces would not be shown (audio from some of these interviews is available below, with the questions and answers translated into English). Others did not want their names to be used. These women are identified as Um, which translates to “the mother of.” Um Mustafa, for example, means “the mother of Mustafa.”
Q. If you currently have children, do you plan to have more? Or if you don’t currently have children, do you plan to have one?
— Posted by Ann Wilensky
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Asmaa Adnan, 22-year-old Shiite
“We are unable to meet our own needs. So how can we meet our children’s needs then?”
Q. What kind of meals and dishes does the family eat now and how is it prepared? Does this differ from before the American war/occupation and, if so, in what way and why?
— Posted by lois
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Israa Fadhul, 19-year-old Shiite
“Before we didn’t have Pepsi. It was hard to find. And now we’ve stopped drinking water.”
Q. Do you have friends or relatives that are Sunni and of different Shi’ite groups? What has happened to those relationships? What do you see happening to those relationships when the Americans leave?
— Posted by Deborah Levine
Listen to the answer (mp3)
Athraa Hussain, 18-year-old Shiite student
“We have relationships and those relationships continue whether the Americans are here or not.”
We’ll be publishing more answers from Iraqi women in video and audio formats for the rest of the week. Coming tomorrow: questions on respect for women, happiness, security and what it is like to wear an abaya. And we’ll provide video of our interview with Ms. Abbas.
To submit a suggestion for a future Q&A topic, please use the comment box below.
BAGHDAD — We had been walking around for an hour asking women questions sent in by our readers when Rawdha Abbas, a 50-year-old Shiite woman, agreed to be interviewed on camera.
Ms. Abbas was dressed in expensive, colorful clothes and shopping in Karada, one of the nicer neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital. As we talked on a busy street corner, Ms. Abbas began to list the various ways that women are not respected in Iraq today. “They are searching us in an unreasonable way,” Ms. Abbas said. Women are shouted at in government offices and forced to pay bribes, she added. Finally, my interpreter asked, “Don’t you feel any freedom now?”
Ms. Abbas answered: “What is the meaning of freedom? There is no security!”
The Iraqi women we interviewed answered readers’ questions about shopping, politics, raising children, visiting relatives and women’s rights. Their responses often touched on the impact of the war and revealed the far-reaching influence of bombings, snipers and checkpoints on everyday life.
I was accompanied by Anwar J. Ali, a journalist working for The Times in Iraq. She acted as my interpreter, and also made the first contact with women. She would approach them, on the streets and in shops, while I hung a few feet back with my video equipment tucked inside a bag. Anwar would explain who we were and ask permission to film an interview.
Most often the answer was no. Some women would agree to an interview only if their faces would not be shown (audio from some of these interviews is available below, with the questions and answers translated into English). Others did not want their names to be used. These women are identified as Um, which translates to “the mother of.” Um Mustafa, for example, means “the mother of Mustafa.”
As always, we like to stress that this is not a news survey. Opinions expressed here may not reflect the views of a majority of women in Iraq.
Q. If you currently have children, do you plan to have more? Or if you don’t currently have children, do you plan to have one?
— Posted by Ann Wilensky
Listen to the answer (Maliki Expelled Ibrahim Al-jaafari From Dawa, Jaafari may join Sadr Movement Shortly
To make his highness Maliki's lord and sponsor Bush happy, on Saturday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party said it had expelled his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, for setting up his own National Reform Party. Al-Jaafari's move was seen as a bid to reassert himself as part of a realignment of political forces in Iraq.
A senior aide to Dr. Jaafari, Abdul Aziz, declined to say whether Dr. Jaafari’s departure was tied to the leadership struggle in Dawa or differing positions on the security agreement. He said Dr. Jaafari was in meetings on Saturday evening and would not be available to comment.
Still, in a sign he may be staking out a more nationalist position.
After he created a political movement that opened talks with rivals of current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. After Jaafari fell out with Maliki, he formed the National Reform Movement. Kramer writes that the shakeup in Shi'ite politics comes at a delicate time, what with the rivalries between Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters and Maliki's. With Maliki negotiating an unpopular security arrangement, al-Sadr's people will likely try to recruit Jaafari and his followers to their side. Indeed, while a senior Jaafari aide declined to say whether his expelling was related to leadership issues or differences over the security agreement, supporters of al-Sadr said they had opened talks with the National Reform Movement.
Coalition Grouping Sadrists with Sunni and Shi'a Allies
what could a major political development, al-Hayat and al-Jazeera quoted Sadrist officials as announcing that a new political coalition will be born, grouping major Shi’a and Sunni factions. Al-Hayat cited â€کAqeel â€کAbd al-Husain, a Sadrist official, who revealed that a new coalition called “the Patriotic Parliamentary Assembly†will be announced soon. The coalition, which comes as Iraqi parties gear up for several upcoming electoral battles, will group the Sadrists, Fadhila, â€کAllawi’s Iraqi List, Khalaf al-â€کLayyan’s “National Dialogue Council,†The “Arab Bloc†and Ja’fari’s newly announced National Reform Current.
If it materializes, such a coalition could garner a popular majority among Shi’as and a large Sunni voting base. The coalition is made up of three factions belonging to the – practically defunct – Shi’a I’tilaf, two factions...
Followers of another former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, are in talks with Shiite and Sunni politicians to try to establish a new political movement to compete with the ruling coalition, dominated by Shiite religious parties.
Remember it was Maliki who joined US call to rule for puppet regime after Jaafari refused to follow US dictations. Fall of Maliki started and Baghadadis already chosed a nice mass grave reserved for Maliki the puppet.
I hope Maliki should be hanged in the same place where Saddam was hanged. He should be buried alongside ex-dictator SAD_DAMN.
A senior aide to Dr. Jaafari, Abdul Aziz, declined to say whether Dr. Jaafari’s departure was tied to the leadership struggle in Dawa or differing positions on the security agreement. He said Dr. Jaafari was in meetings on Saturday evening and would not be available to comment.
Still, in a sign he may be staking out a more nationalist position.
After he created a political movement that opened talks with rivals of current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. After Jaafari fell out with Maliki, he formed the National Reform Movement. Kramer writes that the shakeup in Shi'ite politics comes at a delicate time, what with the rivalries between Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters and Maliki's. With Maliki negotiating an unpopular security arrangement, al-Sadr's people will likely try to recruit Jaafari and his followers to their side. Indeed, while a senior Jaafari aide declined to say whether his expelling was related to leadership issues or differences over the security agreement, supporters of al-Sadr said they had opened talks with the National Reform Movement.
Coalition Grouping Sadrists with Sunni and Shi'a Allies
what could a major political development, al-Hayat and al-Jazeera quoted Sadrist officials as announcing that a new political coalition will be born, grouping major Shi’a and Sunni factions. Al-Hayat cited â€کAqeel â€کAbd al-Husain, a Sadrist official, who revealed that a new coalition called “the Patriotic Parliamentary Assembly†will be announced soon. The coalition, which comes as Iraqi parties gear up for several upcoming electoral battles, will group the Sadrists, Fadhila, â€کAllawi’s Iraqi List, Khalaf al-â€کLayyan’s “National Dialogue Council,†The “Arab Bloc†and Ja’fari’s newly announced National Reform Current.
If it materializes, such a coalition could garner a popular majority among Shi’as and a large Sunni voting base. The coalition is made up of three factions belonging to the – practically defunct – Shi’a I’tilaf, two factions...
Followers of another former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, are in talks with Shiite and Sunni politicians to try to establish a new political movement to compete with the ruling coalition, dominated by Shiite religious parties.
Remember it was Maliki who joined US call to rule for puppet regime after Jaafari refused to follow US dictations. Fall of Maliki started and Baghadadis already chosed a nice mass grave reserved for Maliki the puppet.
I hope Maliki should be hanged in the same place where Saddam was hanged. He should be buried alongside ex-dictator SAD_DAMN.
Blast kills four Iraqi police recruits
Blast kills four Iraqi police recruits 08 Jun 2008 09:08:33 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds background)
BAGHDAD, June 8 (Reuters) - An explosion killed at least four Iraqi police recruits and wounded 23 others in Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
In the capital, four police recruits were killed in an attack on the National Police headquarters in Baghdad, authorities said.
Another 22 people were wounded near the building's gate where recruits were gathering, they said. Police gave conflicting reports about whether the attack used mortars or a roadside bomb.
The recruits were gathered at a police recruiting centre in western Baghdad when they came under attack.
There were conflicting police reports on the cause of the blast. One police source said it was a mortar round. Another said it was a roadside bomb.
Two other roadside bombs targeting police patrols in different parts of the capital on Sunday wounded four policemen and five civilians, police said.
------------
Car bombings in Baghdad leave at least 6 dead By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jun 7, 4:18 PM ET
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomb and another car packed with explosives targeted Iraqi police patrols Saturday on opposite sides of Baghdad, killing at least six people, police said.
The suicide attacker rammed into a police patrol mid-afternoon in Nisoor Square on the capital's west side, killing a civilian and a policeman, police said. Another five people were wounded.
The other explosion took place nearly simultaneously across town at a crowded bus stop where passengers were lining up to catch rides to eastern Shiite neighborhoods, though police said the target was the passing convoy of a top Iraqi police general.
Four people were killed and 18 wounded, Brig. Gen. Nazar Majeed among them, said an officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media. Three of the dead were policemen, he said.
The area includes shops that sell spare auto parts and tires, and is frequently used as a shortcut for Interior Ministry convoys trying to avoid traffic jams on another main street leading to government buildings, the officer said.
Tareq Salman, who owns a tea stall nearby, said he heard a huge explosion and then saw smoke spewing from the bus station.
"I saw several passengers running and several minibuses on fire. I saw wounded men screaming for help and police cars taking some seriously wounded to the hospital," 54-year-old Salman said. "There were blood stains and one burned body."
"Most of my tea cups were broken and some car parts shops were damaged," he said.
Such blasts — once a somber but daily feature of life in Iraq's capital — have become far less frequent since a U.S. troop buildup last year. A truck loaded with rockets exploded Wednesday in northeast Baghdad, killing 18 people in the deadliest single blast in more than two months.
In Mosul, provincial Gov. Duraid Kashmola escaped assassination Saturday when gunmen attacked his convoy in the western part of the city. One of the vehicles was damaged in the attack, but there were no casualties, the provincial press office said.
Two policemen were killed Saturday evening in a drive-by shooting in downtown Mosul, police said. Five people including three civilian bystanders were wounded.
Mosul is believed to be one of the last urban strongholds of al-Qaida in Iraq, and U.S. and Iraqi forces have fought fierce battles against militants there in recent months.
The U.S. military said it killed four suspected militants, captured five others and destroyed two safehouses Saturday southwest of the city.
American soldiers called in airstrikes and killed the four men after coming under small-arms fire, a military statement said. They also destroyed two buildings filled with weapons, ammunition and graffiti indicating they were used for foreign militants, it said.
Five men were captured Saturday in a separate raid in Mosul, including two accused of conspiring with senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in the city, the military said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police said they found five bodies in a mass grave south of Baghdad. The partly decomposed bodies were believed to be those of Iraqi soldiers, with military uniforms and boots, an officer said on condition of anonymity because an investigation was ongoing.
An Iraqi military outpost is close to where the grave was found in the al-Wahda village about 23 miles south of the capital, the officer said. The U.S. military had no immediate confirmation of the find.
Also Saturday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party said it had expelled his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, for setting up his own National Reform Party.
Al-Jaafari's move was seen as a bid to reassert himself as part of a realignment of political forces in Iraq.
Followers of another former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, are in talks with Shiite and Sunni politicians to try to establish a new political movement to compete with the ruling coalition, dominated by Shiite religious parties.
Source: Reuters
(Adds background)
BAGHDAD, June 8 (Reuters) - An explosion killed at least four Iraqi police recruits and wounded 23 others in Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
In the capital, four police recruits were killed in an attack on the National Police headquarters in Baghdad, authorities said.
Another 22 people were wounded near the building's gate where recruits were gathering, they said. Police gave conflicting reports about whether the attack used mortars or a roadside bomb.
The recruits were gathered at a police recruiting centre in western Baghdad when they came under attack.
There were conflicting police reports on the cause of the blast. One police source said it was a mortar round. Another said it was a roadside bomb.
Two other roadside bombs targeting police patrols in different parts of the capital on Sunday wounded four policemen and five civilians, police said.
------------
Car bombings in Baghdad leave at least 6 dead By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jun 7, 4:18 PM ET
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomb and another car packed with explosives targeted Iraqi police patrols Saturday on opposite sides of Baghdad, killing at least six people, police said.
The suicide attacker rammed into a police patrol mid-afternoon in Nisoor Square on the capital's west side, killing a civilian and a policeman, police said. Another five people were wounded.
The other explosion took place nearly simultaneously across town at a crowded bus stop where passengers were lining up to catch rides to eastern Shiite neighborhoods, though police said the target was the passing convoy of a top Iraqi police general.
Four people were killed and 18 wounded, Brig. Gen. Nazar Majeed among them, said an officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media. Three of the dead were policemen, he said.
The area includes shops that sell spare auto parts and tires, and is frequently used as a shortcut for Interior Ministry convoys trying to avoid traffic jams on another main street leading to government buildings, the officer said.
Tareq Salman, who owns a tea stall nearby, said he heard a huge explosion and then saw smoke spewing from the bus station.
"I saw several passengers running and several minibuses on fire. I saw wounded men screaming for help and police cars taking some seriously wounded to the hospital," 54-year-old Salman said. "There were blood stains and one burned body."
"Most of my tea cups were broken and some car parts shops were damaged," he said.
Such blasts — once a somber but daily feature of life in Iraq's capital — have become far less frequent since a U.S. troop buildup last year. A truck loaded with rockets exploded Wednesday in northeast Baghdad, killing 18 people in the deadliest single blast in more than two months.
In Mosul, provincial Gov. Duraid Kashmola escaped assassination Saturday when gunmen attacked his convoy in the western part of the city. One of the vehicles was damaged in the attack, but there were no casualties, the provincial press office said.
Two policemen were killed Saturday evening in a drive-by shooting in downtown Mosul, police said. Five people including three civilian bystanders were wounded.
Mosul is believed to be one of the last urban strongholds of al-Qaida in Iraq, and U.S. and Iraqi forces have fought fierce battles against militants there in recent months.
The U.S. military said it killed four suspected militants, captured five others and destroyed two safehouses Saturday southwest of the city.
American soldiers called in airstrikes and killed the four men after coming under small-arms fire, a military statement said. They also destroyed two buildings filled with weapons, ammunition and graffiti indicating they were used for foreign militants, it said.
Five men were captured Saturday in a separate raid in Mosul, including two accused of conspiring with senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in the city, the military said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police said they found five bodies in a mass grave south of Baghdad. The partly decomposed bodies were believed to be those of Iraqi soldiers, with military uniforms and boots, an officer said on condition of anonymity because an investigation was ongoing.
An Iraqi military outpost is close to where the grave was found in the al-Wahda village about 23 miles south of the capital, the officer said. The U.S. military had no immediate confirmation of the find.
Also Saturday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party said it had expelled his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, for setting up his own National Reform Party.
Al-Jaafari's move was seen as a bid to reassert himself as part of a realignment of political forces in Iraq.
Followers of another former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, are in talks with Shiite and Sunni politicians to try to establish a new political movement to compete with the ruling coalition, dominated by Shiite religious parties.
