By MICHAEL SLACKMAN and NAZILA FATHI
Published: July 4, 2009
CAIRO — An important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment.
A statement by the group, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum, represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult.
“This crack in the clerical establishment, and the fact they are siding with the people and Moussavi, in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic,” said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. “Remember, they are going against an election verified and sanctified by Khamenei.”
The announcement came on a day when Mr. Moussavi released documents detailing a campaign of fraud by the current president’s supporters, and as a close associate of the supreme leader called Mr. Moussavi and former President Mohammad Khatami “foreign agents,” saying they should be treated as criminals.
The documents, published on Mr. Moussavi’s Web site, accused supporters of the president of printing more than 20 million extra ballots before the vote and handing out cash bonuses to voters.
Since the election, the bulk of the clerical establishment in the holy city of Qum, an important religious and political center of power, has remained largely silent, leaving many to wonder when, or if, the nation’s senior religious leaders would jump into the controversy that has posed the most significant challenge to the country’s leadership since the Islamic Revolution.
With its statement Saturday, the association of clerics came down squarely on the side of the reform movement.
The group had earlier asked for the election to be nullified because so many Iranians objected to the results, but it never directly challenged the legitimacy of the government and, by extension, the supreme leader.
The earlier statement also came before the election was certified by the country’s religious leaders, who have since said that opposition to the results must cease.
The clerics’ decision to speak up again is not itself a turning point and could fizzle under pressure from the state, which has continued to threaten its critics. Some seminaries in Qum rely on the government for funds, and Ayatollah Khamenei and the man he has declared the winner of the election, incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have powerful backers there.
They also retain the support of the powerful security forces and the elite Revolutionary Guards. In addition, the country’s highest-ranking clerics have yet to speak out individually against the election results.
But the association’s latest statement does help Mr. Moussavi, Mr. Khatami and a former speaker of Parliament, Mehdi Karroubi, who have been the most vocal in calling the election illegitimate and who, in their attempts to force change, have been hindered by the jailing of influential backers.
“The significance is that even within the clergy, there are many who refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the election results as announced by the supreme leader,” said an Iranian political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
While the government could continue vilifying the three opposition leaders, analysts say it was highly unlikely that the leadership would use the same tactic against the clerical establishment in Qum.
The backing also came at a sensitive time for Mr. Moussavi, because the accusations that he is a foreign agent ran in a newspaper, Kayhan, that has often been used to build cases against critics of the government.
The editorial was written by Hossein Shariatmadari, who was picked by the supreme leader to run the newspaper.
The clerics’ statement chastised the leadership for failing to adequately study complaints of vote rigging and lashed out at the use of force in crushing huge public protests.
It even directly criticized the Guardian Council, the powerful group of clerics charged with certifying elections.
“Is it possible to consider the results of the election as legitimate by merely the validation of the Guardian Council?” the association said.
Perhaps more threatening to the supreme leader, the committee called on other clerics to join the fight against the government’s refusal to adequately reconsider the charges of voter fraud. The committee invoked powerful imagery, comparing the 20 protesters killed during demonstrations with the martyrs who died in the early days of the revolution and the war with Iraq, asking other clerics to save what it called “the dignity that was earned with the blood of tens of thousands of martyrs.”
The statement was posted on the association’s Web site late Saturday and carried on many other sites, including the Persian BBC, but it was impossible to reach senior clerics in the group to independently confirm its veracity.
The statement was issued after a meeting Mr. Moussavi had with the committee 10 days ago and a decision by the Guardian Council to certify the election and declare that all matters concerning the vote were closed.
But the defiance has not ended.
With heavy security on the streets, there is a forced calm. But each day, slowly, another link falls from the chain of government control. Last week, in what appeared a coordinated thrust, Mr. Moussavi, Mr. Karroubi and Mr. Khatami all called the new government illegitimate. On Saturday, Mr. Milani of Stanford said, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani met with families of those who had been arrested, another sign that he was working behind the scenes to keep the issue alive.
“I don’t ever remember in the 20 years of Khamenei’s rule where he was clearly and categorically on one side and so many clergy were on the other side,” Mr. Milani said. “This might embolden other clergy to come forward.”
Many of the accusations of fraud posted on Mr. Moussavi’s Web site Saturday had been published before, but the report did give some more specific charges.
For instance, although the government had announced that two of the losing presidential contenders had received relatively few votes in their hometowns, the documents stated that some ballot boxes in those towns contained no votes for the two men.
Michael Slackman reported from Cairo, and Nazila Fathi from Toronto.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Obama to launch his own version of Bush constructive chaos as the cheapest way of cliiping the claws of Israeli hooves
After Gulf War I, Saddam grew too big for his shoes and had to be tricked into attacking Kuwait. The US ambassador at the time told Saddam "America still suffers from the Vietnam complex and will not make much fuss if Iraqi troops crossed the border into Kuwait". Saddam did fall in the trap and the rest is history. Now the Israelis have grown too big for their shoes and need to be taught a lesson. After giving Israel all the necessary weaponry and available intelligence, the Americans started to hint that “they are not going to stand in the way if Israel wants to attack Iran.” The Americans, as well as, Arabs and Muslims hope that the Israelis, like Saddam will take the American hint and launch an attack on Iran. Ahmedinejad is not a fool and can easily destroy most of Israel if Netanyahu dared to launch an attack attack using German-supplied submarines already in the Persian Gulf or warplanes to be fuelled by US tankers over Saudi Arabia, the way they did when attacking Iraq Oziraq reactor. But what about the oil installations and US bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE which are within the range of Iranian guns?
Obama seems to launch his own version of Bush constructive chaos as the cheapest way of cliiping the claws of Israeli hooves.
After what has happened to America in Iraq and the defeat of Israeli forces in Lebanon in 2006, no-one is afraid of the USraeli criminals. The harder they push the more ground they lose. Iran is a regional super power that can hurt Israel an damage US bases and oil installations in the Gulf. Americans may enable Netanyahu to attack Iran but at a very high cost.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
Obama seems to launch his own version of Bush constructive chaos as the cheapest way of cliiping the claws of Israeli hooves.
After what has happened to America in Iraq and the defeat of Israeli forces in Lebanon in 2006, no-one is afraid of the USraeli criminals. The harder they push the more ground they lose. Iran is a regional super power that can hurt Israel an damage US bases and oil installations in the Gulf. Americans may enable Netanyahu to attack Iran but at a very high cost.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
Four foreign soldiers killed in north Afghanistan
06 Jul 2009 12:47:58 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK]) (Adds Afghan, German defence officials, changes dateline)
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, July 6 (Reuters) - Four foreign soldiers with NATO-led forces were among six people killed by a roadside bomb in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan on Monday, a spokesman for the alliance and an Afghan police official said.
It was the worst security incident involving foreign troops in the north for several weeks. Northern Afghanistan is considered relatively safe compared with Taliban strongholds in the south and east.
A spokesman for the NATO-led alliance did not give any more details about the blast or the nationality of the victims.
Kunduz police chief Abdul Razaaq said two Afghan civilians were also killed.
"There was a joint police and NATO patrol which was hit by a roadside bomb to the east to the city," Razaaq told Reuters.
Germany has about 3,700 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in Kunduz and other northern provinces. However a German Defence Ministry spokesman in Berlin said the dead soldiers were believed to be Americans, not Germans.
There was no confirmation about the nationality of the dead soldiers from the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
"My understanding is that it was a mentoring team that was en route in a Humvee," the German Defence Ministry spokesman said.
In June, three German soldiers were killed when the armoured personnel carrier they were travelling in came under fire and crashed near Kunduz city.
(Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin in KABUL and Noah Barkin in BERLIN; Editing by Paul Tait)
---------
06 Jul 2009 14:26:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
* Bomb kills 6, including 4 foreign soldiers, in north
* Suicide bomber kills 2 Afghans near NATO base in Kandahar
* U.S. Marines push on with big new offensive
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 6 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were among six people killed by a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said, amid a spike in insurgency violence as the U.S. military pushed ahead with a major new offensive.
In southern Kandahar, a suicide bomber killed two people when he drove a car packed with explosives towards a line of truck drivers waiting to supply foreign troops at a key base in a province long considered the heartland of the Taliban insurgency.
In Zabul, north of Kandahar, two more foreign soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb, an alliance spokesman said. No other details were available.
Kandahar is adjacent to Helmand province, where thousands of Marines launched a new assault last week to wrest the initiative away from the Taliban in a province which also supplies most of the opium poppy that funds the insurgency.
The roadside bombing in Kunduz province was the worst security incident involving foreign troops in the north for several weeks. Northern Afghanistan is considered relatively safe compared with Taliban strongholds in the south and east.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said five soldiers were killed.
Kunduz police chief Abdul Razaaq also said two Afghan civilians were among the dead.
"There was a joint police and NATO patrol which was hit by a roadside bomb to the east to the city," Razaaq told Reuters.
Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, confirmed the dead soldiers were American but gave no further details.
German Defence Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said in Berlin a NATO team training Afghan troops was travelling in an armoured humvee vehicle when it was hit by the bomb. Germany has about 3,700 troops in Afghanistan, most of them in the north.
The U.S. Marines are the biggest wave of 17,000 new combat troops ordered into Afghanistan by U.S. President Barack Obama by the end of this year as part of his new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and stabilise Afghanistan. [ID:nSP535775]
The Helmand offensive, Operation Strike of the Sword, was launched with insurgency-related violence at its highest since the Taliban's austere Islamist government was ousted in 2001 for failing to hand over al Qaeda leaders wanted over the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
TWISTED METAL, SHRAPNEL
While no major battles have been reported in Helmand since the offensive began last Thursday, attacks across the country in the past three days have killed civilians as well as Afghan and foreign soldiers.
In Kandahar, the Taliban's base through the early 1990s where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden also lived for a time, the suicide bomber drove his car up to a line of supply trucks near the sprawling NATO base at Kandahar Air Field. [ID:nISL519651]
"It was a suicide car attack which killed two truck drivers and wounded 10 more of them, along with two (Afghan) army soldiers," said General Sher Mohammad Zazai in Kandahar.
Another army officer, who asked not to be identified, said four Afghan soldiers were also killed but there was no independent confirmation.
Reuters pictures showed the front of one truck badly twisted and pock-marked by shrapnel, its windshield blown out.
A Taliban spokesman told Reuters in Pakistan that the suicide bomber killed 12 NATO troops and four Afghan soldiers.
In neighbouring Uruzgan, Afghan security forces killed seven Taliban fighters, the local police chief said.
Afghan security officials also said four police and six Taliban fighters were killed during an attack on a police post in Helmand's Musa Qala, near the Helmand River, on Monday.
Suicide attacks and roadside bomb blasts are the most common weapons used by the Taliban in their campaign to drive out almost 90,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan and to destabilise President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government.
Washington is pouring in extra troops in part to ensure security for Aug. 20 presidential elections, the second in Afghanistan's short history as a democracy.
Two U.S. soldiers were also killed in an attack on a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province on Saturday.
Three British soldiers were also killed in roadside bomb blasts and a rocket grenade attack at the weekend in Helmand.
All three died in operations near Gereshk, Helmand's main industrial city in the Helmand River valley where U.S. Marines launched their new offensive. [ID:nL5720259]
One of the main objectives of the new Marines offensive is not just to take ground from the Taliban but to also hold it, something overstretched British-led NATO troops in Helmand have so far been unable to do.
There has also been a spate of kidnappings at the weekend, another tactic commonly used by Taliban insurgents as well as criminal gangs seeking ransom payments. [ID:nISL229615] (Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin and Golnar Motevalli in KABUL, Kamal Sadat in GARDEZ, Ismail Sameem in KANDAHAR and Saeed Ali Achakzai in CHAMAN, Pakistan; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK]) (Adds Afghan, German defence officials, changes dateline)
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, July 6 (Reuters) - Four foreign soldiers with NATO-led forces were among six people killed by a roadside bomb in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan on Monday, a spokesman for the alliance and an Afghan police official said.
It was the worst security incident involving foreign troops in the north for several weeks. Northern Afghanistan is considered relatively safe compared with Taliban strongholds in the south and east.
A spokesman for the NATO-led alliance did not give any more details about the blast or the nationality of the victims.
Kunduz police chief Abdul Razaaq said two Afghan civilians were also killed.
"There was a joint police and NATO patrol which was hit by a roadside bomb to the east to the city," Razaaq told Reuters.
Germany has about 3,700 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in Kunduz and other northern provinces. However a German Defence Ministry spokesman in Berlin said the dead soldiers were believed to be Americans, not Germans.
There was no confirmation about the nationality of the dead soldiers from the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
"My understanding is that it was a mentoring team that was en route in a Humvee," the German Defence Ministry spokesman said.
In June, three German soldiers were killed when the armoured personnel carrier they were travelling in came under fire and crashed near Kunduz city.
(Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin in KABUL and Noah Barkin in BERLIN; Editing by Paul Tait)
---------
Bomb kills 4 U.S. troops as Afghan violence flares
06 Jul 2009 14:26:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
* Bomb kills 6, including 4 foreign soldiers, in north
* Suicide bomber kills 2 Afghans near NATO base in Kandahar
* U.S. Marines push on with big new offensive
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 6 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were among six people killed by a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said, amid a spike in insurgency violence as the U.S. military pushed ahead with a major new offensive.
In southern Kandahar, a suicide bomber killed two people when he drove a car packed with explosives towards a line of truck drivers waiting to supply foreign troops at a key base in a province long considered the heartland of the Taliban insurgency.
In Zabul, north of Kandahar, two more foreign soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb, an alliance spokesman said. No other details were available.
Kandahar is adjacent to Helmand province, where thousands of Marines launched a new assault last week to wrest the initiative away from the Taliban in a province which also supplies most of the opium poppy that funds the insurgency.
The roadside bombing in Kunduz province was the worst security incident involving foreign troops in the north for several weeks. Northern Afghanistan is considered relatively safe compared with Taliban strongholds in the south and east.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said five soldiers were killed.
Kunduz police chief Abdul Razaaq also said two Afghan civilians were among the dead.
"There was a joint police and NATO patrol which was hit by a roadside bomb to the east to the city," Razaaq told Reuters.
Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, confirmed the dead soldiers were American but gave no further details.
German Defence Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said in Berlin a NATO team training Afghan troops was travelling in an armoured humvee vehicle when it was hit by the bomb. Germany has about 3,700 troops in Afghanistan, most of them in the north.
The U.S. Marines are the biggest wave of 17,000 new combat troops ordered into Afghanistan by U.S. President Barack Obama by the end of this year as part of his new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and stabilise Afghanistan. [ID:nSP535775]
The Helmand offensive, Operation Strike of the Sword, was launched with insurgency-related violence at its highest since the Taliban's austere Islamist government was ousted in 2001 for failing to hand over al Qaeda leaders wanted over the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
TWISTED METAL, SHRAPNEL
While no major battles have been reported in Helmand since the offensive began last Thursday, attacks across the country in the past three days have killed civilians as well as Afghan and foreign soldiers.
In Kandahar, the Taliban's base through the early 1990s where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden also lived for a time, the suicide bomber drove his car up to a line of supply trucks near the sprawling NATO base at Kandahar Air Field. [ID:nISL519651]
"It was a suicide car attack which killed two truck drivers and wounded 10 more of them, along with two (Afghan) army soldiers," said General Sher Mohammad Zazai in Kandahar.
Another army officer, who asked not to be identified, said four Afghan soldiers were also killed but there was no independent confirmation.
Reuters pictures showed the front of one truck badly twisted and pock-marked by shrapnel, its windshield blown out.
A Taliban spokesman told Reuters in Pakistan that the suicide bomber killed 12 NATO troops and four Afghan soldiers.
In neighbouring Uruzgan, Afghan security forces killed seven Taliban fighters, the local police chief said.
Afghan security officials also said four police and six Taliban fighters were killed during an attack on a police post in Helmand's Musa Qala, near the Helmand River, on Monday.
Suicide attacks and roadside bomb blasts are the most common weapons used by the Taliban in their campaign to drive out almost 90,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan and to destabilise President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government.
Washington is pouring in extra troops in part to ensure security for Aug. 20 presidential elections, the second in Afghanistan's short history as a democracy.
Two U.S. soldiers were also killed in an attack on a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province on Saturday.
Three British soldiers were also killed in roadside bomb blasts and a rocket grenade attack at the weekend in Helmand.
All three died in operations near Gereshk, Helmand's main industrial city in the Helmand River valley where U.S. Marines launched their new offensive. [ID:nL5720259]
One of the main objectives of the new Marines offensive is not just to take ground from the Taliban but to also hold it, something overstretched British-led NATO troops in Helmand have so far been unable to do.
There has also been a spate of kidnappings at the weekend, another tactic commonly used by Taliban insurgents as well as criminal gangs seeking ransom payments. [ID:nISL229615] (Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin and Golnar Motevalli in KABUL, Kamal Sadat in GARDEZ, Ismail Sameem in KANDAHAR and Saeed Ali Achakzai in CHAMAN, Pakistan; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Yemen sentences seven shi'ite rebels to death
06 Jul 2009 12:03:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
SANAA, July 6 (Reuters) - A Yemeni court sentenced seven rebels from a Shi'ite Muslim sect to death on Monday after convicting them of causing deaths in clashes with army in 2008.
Hundreds of people died in the conflict and thousands fled their homes in battles between government forces and the rebels in the north, which have raged on and off since 2004.
The state security court also jailed for terms of 12-15 years another five of the rebels accused of seeking to install Shi'ite Islamic rule in the country, which borders the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia.
In July 2008, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said the battles with the rebels, known as the Houthis, had ended and that dialogue should replace fighting. The rebels belong to the Shi'ite Zaydi sect and are led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
Officials have often said the rebels want to restore a form of clerical rule prevalent in the country until the 1960s. The rebels, who want Zaydi schools and oppose the government's alliance with the United States, say they are defending their villages against government oppression.
Sunni Muslims form a majority of Yemen's 19 million population, while most of the rest are Shi'ite Zaydis.
One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also grappling with a violent campaign by al Qaeda militants, dwindling oil and water resources, unemployment, corruption and a growing community of Somali refugees. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Editing by Inal Ersan; Editing by Jon Boyle)
--------------------
03 Sep 2009 09:27:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
SANAA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Yemen said on Thursday it had killed 11 rebels in fighting in the north of the country, while the rebels posted footage on the Internet that appeared to show government troops withdrawing from one area.
Last month fresh fighting erupted between Shi'ite Zaydi Muslims in the mountainous Saad region bordering Saudi Arabia and the central government in Sanaa. Conflict first broke out in 2004.
On Wednesday, the rebels fighting in the north of the Arabian Peninsula country warned of a "long war" after the government rejected a truce offer. [ID:nLR537448]
A military spokesman said government forces had taken control of five rebel hideouts and "destroyed a number of locations where the rebels and terrorists were".
The rebels, led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, published footage on their website that showed dozens of what they said were captured government troops being escorted out of the Maran area.
Information about the conduct of the war has been hard to verify since northern provinces have been closed to media.
More than 100,000 people, many of them children, have fled their homes during the surge in fighting, a U.N. agency said last month, and aid groups have complained of poor access to the war zone. [ID:nN2184004]
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday it had managed to distribute food aid to only 10,000 in Hajjah and Saada governorates in August compared to 95,000 people in July due to limited access.
The United Nations children's organisation UNICEF launched an appeal on Wednesday for $6.1 million to meet the needs of women and children affected by the fighting.
"Nearly half of the funding will help provide for the immediate water, sanitation and hygiene needs of the displaced population and the host communities," it said in a statement. Many are being housed in tented camps.
The rebels accuse Saudi Arabia of backing the government and the government sees an Iranian hand behind the rebels.
The government says the rebels want to restore a Shi'ite state overthrown in the 1960s and this week summoned the Iranian ambassador over Iranian media's coverage of the fighting.
The rebels say they want more autonomy, including Zaydi schools in their area. They oppose the spread of Saudi-influenced Sunni fundamentalism and accuse the government of indiscriminate bombing of villages. (Reporting by Mohamed Sudam; writing by Andrew Hammond and Tamara Walid)
-------------------
Yemen: ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent aid thousands as fighting continues
03 Sep 2009 08:07:32 GMT
The current armed clashes in northern Yemen have continued for almost three weeks, and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Thousands have fled, taking refuge with relatives or host families.
Makeshift shelters have been set up in neighbouring areas, but some people have fled as far as the capital Sana'a, more than 300 km to the south.
The ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent Society have registered over 25,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in the provinces of Sa'ada and Amran and staff of the two organizations are working around the clock to respond to the most urgent needs.
"The dire humanitarian situation is hitting women and children especially hard,” said Daniel Gagnon, the ICRC's acting head of sub-delegation in Sa'ada.
But ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent aid is making a difference.
"Some of us have already received mattresses, gas bottles and food," said a displaced woman in Wadi Khaiwan.
She and her family had to flee al-Harf city in the north of Amran province.
"This helps us get along and makes us less of a burden to our host families and neighbours, who have very little themselves." In and around Sa'ada city, over 4,200 people are living in Al-Ihsa', Sam and Al-Talh camps, which are run by the ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent.
But as Daniel Gagnon points out, "there are thousands more in Sa’ada governorate who need our help.” Over 5,500 people are staying with host families in Sa'ada city.
As the influx continues, the ICRC is looking for ways of accommodating more.
"What the people need most is clean water, food and shelter,” said Daniel Gagnon.
"With commercial traffic paralyzed because of the fighting, people find it difficult to get supplies.” The conflict makes it difficult to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid, with fighting in parts of Sa'ada and Amran provinces hampering operations.
Despite the obstacles, ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent staff continue to bring help whenever the situation allows them to move safely.
How displaced people have benefited from ICRC activities in recent days
Medical supplie
A health centre in Wadi Khaiwan (Amran province) received basic medicines and a tent to act as a “waiting room”.
Yemen Red Crescent staff in Baqim (Sa'ada province) received ICRC support in the form of medicines for the treatment 400 patients.
The Yemen Red Crescent doctor based in Al-Azgoul received medicines.
Food and water
In Sa'ada province, 5,000 displaced people in the Al-Talh area received flour, rice and cooking oil, while more than 250 people in the Qataber area received flour.
5,500 people living with host families in Sa'ada city received flour, rice and beans.
Several dozen displaced families in Baqim and Al-Mahader (Sa'ada province) received daily water deliveries.
850 displaced people in Wadi Khaiwan (Amran province) received drinking water.
Shelter and other essential items
Over 3,500 families who fled to Sa'ada city are receiving basic household items.
ICRC and YRCS teams have been distributing blankets, mattresses, tarpaulins, jerrycans, soap, stoves, gas cylinders and other items to 2,500 people in the Wadi Khaiwan, Amran province.
Over 1,900 people from Al-Mahader, west of Sa'ada city, and more than 560 people in Sa'ada city itself received such essential household items as blankets, mattresses, tarpaulins, jerrycans, soap, stoves and gas cylinders.
7,000 people registered in the Baqim area should be receiving shelter and other essential items in the next few days.
The ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent are working on accommodating 3,000 people as soon as possible.
The ICRC has been working in Yemen since 1962 and in Sa'ada governorate since 2004.
Its workforce has been increasing steadily since the beginning of the year; the organization currently has 111 staff based in the country – 69 in the capital Sana'a, including 19 expatriates, and 42 in Sa'ada, including five expatriates.
For more information, please contact:
Hicham Hassan, ICRC Sana'a, tel: +967 1 213 844 or +967 712 666 536
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 227 346 001 or +41 792 519 318
See also ICRC media contacts
This article on www.icrc.org =============================== Oct. 4, 2014 3:07 AM ET Shiite rebels are Yemen's new masters By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES AIM Hawthi Shiite rebels chant slogans at the compound of the army's First Armored Division, after they took it over, in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 22, 2014. Heavily armed Yemeni Shiite militiamen took over the headquarters and house of a powerful army general allied to Sunni Islamists on Monday and set up checkpoints across the capital, Sanaa, after sweeping across the city as the general and his allies fled and went into hiding. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Islamic State militants attack small Iraq town Oct. 2, 2014 3:40 PM ET Islamist-allied militias in Libya reject UN talks Sep. 30, 2014 12:07 PM ET Battle against Islamic State creates new alliances Sep. 29, 2014 4:20 PM ET Western Muslims, troubled, rally against extremism Sep. 26, 2014 2:34 PM ET Iraqi woman activist killed by Islamic State Sep. 25, 2014 3:02 PM ET SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The capital of Yemen, the Arab world's poorest and perhaps most chronically unstable nation, has new masters. Anti-American Shiite rebels man checkpoints and roam the streets in pickups mounted with anti-aircraft guns. The fighters control almost all state buildings, from the airport and the central bank to the Defense Ministry. Only a few police officers and soldiers are left on the streets. Rebel fighters have plastered the city with fliers proclaiming their slogan — "Death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews and victory to Islam" — a variation of a popular Iranian slogan often chanted by Shiite militants in Iraq and supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah. While the world has been focused on the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, Yemen at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula has seen its own sudden, seismic upheaval when Shiite rebels known as the Houthis overran Sanaa two weeks ago. Now the Houthis, who many believe are backed by Shiite-led Iran, are poised to become Yemen's version of the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon — top powerbrokers dominating the government and running a virtual state-within-a-state. Their takeover of the capital also threatens to bring a violent backlash from hard-line Sunnis, creating a sectarian battle that would boost al-Qaida's branch in Yemen, which the United States has been battling for years in a drone campaign and in coordination with the Yemeni military. The rallying cry of fighting against Shiite power could turn Yemen into a magnet for Sunni jihadis from around the region, like Syria and Iraq. Last week, an al-Qaida suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a hospital used by the Houthis in Maarib province, killing one person. The group, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, vowed to fight the rebels and called on other Sunnis to support it. "You will see your bodies scattered and your heads flying," al-Qaida said in a statement, addressing the Houthis. The U.S.-backed president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, is largely helpless, struggling to form a new government to meet the Houthis' demands. Neighboring Saudi Arabia is worried over a potential pro-Iranian outpost on its border. In an interview with The Associated Press, Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special envoy who has been mediating among the government, the Houthis and other factions, warned that "this takeover of Sanaa by the Hawthis will widely reverberate in Yemen and the region." "Yemen will now be seen as linked to other situations in the region, with regional and international involvement," he said. The Houthis, who call themselves Ansar Allah, Arabic for "Supporters of God," are followers of the Zaydi faith, a branch of Shia Islam that is almost exclusively found in Yemen and makes up about 30 percent of the country's population. Zaydi religious leaders ruled much of northern Yemen for centuries — and the Houthis, backers of the Houthi family, a clan that claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad, have sought to revive Zaydi identity. The rebels, currently led by 33-year-old Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, fought a series of civil wars since the mid-2000s from their stronghold of Saada north of Sanaa. In 2011, they took complete control of Saada province. But their advances this year have been startling. They swept south, defeating Sunni tribesmen loyal to the conservative Sunni Islah party, and in July captured Amran province, which borders the capital. They then overran the capital itself on Sept. 21 as the military largely collapsed. The Houthis present themselves as seeking to achieve the goals of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that led to the overthrow of longtime autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh. They reject a Gulf-brokered deal that led to Saleh stepping down and Hadi taking his place because it largely splits power between Saleh's supporters and the Islah party, which is the Muslim Brotherhood's branch in Yemen. Instead, they say, they want a broader government that includes their movement and southern Yemenis, who have long sought independence. And they want implementation of a plan reached by political parties in January to give greater autonomy to Yemen's regions. "We are not a group isolated from the rest of the country. We are part of the social fabric," Abu Ali al-Hakam, the commander who led the Houthi assault on Sanaa, told AP. He spoke as he visited the captured headquarters of the army's 1st Armored Division, an elite outfit with close links to the Islah party. It had spearheaded army campaigns against the Houthis. "It is not just the Houthis who are controlling Sanaa now, its Yemenis from everywhere," said the diminutive al-Hakam after receiving a hero's welcome by his fighters. The Houthis were quick to tap on the widespread grievances to show themselves as a feasible alternative. "I and my family feel safer now," said Faraj al-Raeeny, a schoolteacher from mainly Zaydi Amran province. "The Houthis resolved many disputes and put right many injustices. They strictly enforce order." Still, not all Zaydis back the rebels, and the takeover is likely to only polarize a nation where the central government is chronically weak. Much of the country is out of government control, plagued by tribal divisions, al-Qaida militant violence, widespread corruption and deep poverty that breeds resentment or rebellion. The scene is further complicated by political rivalries. Hadi's supporters have long accused Saleh loyalists, who still hold key posts in the military, security forces and government, of undermining Hadi in a bid to return to power. Saleh and his loyalists in the army are widely believed to have helped the Houthis by standing aside as the fighters swept into Sanaa. Ali al-Imad, a senior Houthi official, denied there were any "understandings" struck with Saleh's camp, but he acknowledged in an interview with the AP that the two sides — bitter foes in six wars between 2004 and 2010 — shared "temporarily mutual interests." Hadi appeared caught off guard. After Amran was captured in late July, Hadi met with politicians who warned him that the Houthis would move on Sanaa next. "He said he was convinced that the Hawthis will not come near Sanaa," rights lawyer Baraa Shiban, who attended the meeting, told AP. A new, U.N.-brokered accord that was hurriedly signed on the day Sanaa fell to the Houthis calls for a new government, for all armed factions to put down their arms and for the rebels to leave the capital. But there is little sign that will happen. "This peace agreement must be implemented, otherwise the prospect of the disintegration of Yemen as we know it will become real," warned Benomar, who negotiated the accord. Many doubt the Houthis have the need or resources to grab more territory. But they have virtual veto power over who becomes the next prime minister and over the makeup of the next government. And they are locking in their forces' position in the capital — emulating the model of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which in Lebanon is the de facto government in predominantly Shiite areas of southern Beirut and in the south and east of the country. In Sanaa, the Houthis have tightened their grip on the city's northern districts where Zaydis are dominant, as well as the nearby international airport. Tanks and armored vehicles looted from army bases have now been deployed in those areas. After the fall of Sanaa, Houthis staged a massive victory rally in the city, flying Hezbollah flags and portraits of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. "It is very clear that Hezbollah is their model. They will never give up control of the airport or the northern districts," Mohammed Qahtan, a senior Islah leader, told the AP in a hotel apartment where he has lived since his Sanaa home was stormed by the rebels. Associated Press Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. =================
Source: Reuters
SANAA, July 6 (Reuters) - A Yemeni court sentenced seven rebels from a Shi'ite Muslim sect to death on Monday after convicting them of causing deaths in clashes with army in 2008.
Hundreds of people died in the conflict and thousands fled their homes in battles between government forces and the rebels in the north, which have raged on and off since 2004.
The state security court also jailed for terms of 12-15 years another five of the rebels accused of seeking to install Shi'ite Islamic rule in the country, which borders the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia.
In July 2008, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said the battles with the rebels, known as the Houthis, had ended and that dialogue should replace fighting. The rebels belong to the Shi'ite Zaydi sect and are led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
Officials have often said the rebels want to restore a form of clerical rule prevalent in the country until the 1960s. The rebels, who want Zaydi schools and oppose the government's alliance with the United States, say they are defending their villages against government oppression.
Sunni Muslims form a majority of Yemen's 19 million population, while most of the rest are Shi'ite Zaydis.
One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also grappling with a violent campaign by al Qaeda militants, dwindling oil and water resources, unemployment, corruption and a growing community of Somali refugees. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Editing by Inal Ersan; Editing by Jon Boyle)
--------------------
Yemen says kills 11 rebels
03 Sep 2009 09:27:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
SANAA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Yemen said on Thursday it had killed 11 rebels in fighting in the north of the country, while the rebels posted footage on the Internet that appeared to show government troops withdrawing from one area.
Last month fresh fighting erupted between Shi'ite Zaydi Muslims in the mountainous Saad region bordering Saudi Arabia and the central government in Sanaa. Conflict first broke out in 2004.
On Wednesday, the rebels fighting in the north of the Arabian Peninsula country warned of a "long war" after the government rejected a truce offer. [ID:nLR537448]
A military spokesman said government forces had taken control of five rebel hideouts and "destroyed a number of locations where the rebels and terrorists were".
The rebels, led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, published footage on their website that showed dozens of what they said were captured government troops being escorted out of the Maran area.
Information about the conduct of the war has been hard to verify since northern provinces have been closed to media.
More than 100,000 people, many of them children, have fled their homes during the surge in fighting, a U.N. agency said last month, and aid groups have complained of poor access to the war zone. [ID:nN2184004]
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday it had managed to distribute food aid to only 10,000 in Hajjah and Saada governorates in August compared to 95,000 people in July due to limited access.
The United Nations children's organisation UNICEF launched an appeal on Wednesday for $6.1 million to meet the needs of women and children affected by the fighting.
"Nearly half of the funding will help provide for the immediate water, sanitation and hygiene needs of the displaced population and the host communities," it said in a statement. Many are being housed in tented camps.
The rebels accuse Saudi Arabia of backing the government and the government sees an Iranian hand behind the rebels.
The government says the rebels want to restore a Shi'ite state overthrown in the 1960s and this week summoned the Iranian ambassador over Iranian media's coverage of the fighting.
The rebels say they want more autonomy, including Zaydi schools in their area. They oppose the spread of Saudi-influenced Sunni fundamentalism and accuse the government of indiscriminate bombing of villages. (Reporting by Mohamed Sudam; writing by Andrew Hammond and Tamara Walid)
-------------------
Yemen: ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent aid thousands as fighting continues
03 Sep 2009 08:07:32 GMT
The current armed clashes in northern Yemen have continued for almost three weeks, and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Thousands have fled, taking refuge with relatives or host families.
Makeshift shelters have been set up in neighbouring areas, but some people have fled as far as the capital Sana'a, more than 300 km to the south.
The ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent Society have registered over 25,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in the provinces of Sa'ada and Amran and staff of the two organizations are working around the clock to respond to the most urgent needs.
"The dire humanitarian situation is hitting women and children especially hard,” said Daniel Gagnon, the ICRC's acting head of sub-delegation in Sa'ada.
But ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent aid is making a difference.
"Some of us have already received mattresses, gas bottles and food," said a displaced woman in Wadi Khaiwan.
She and her family had to flee al-Harf city in the north of Amran province.
"This helps us get along and makes us less of a burden to our host families and neighbours, who have very little themselves." In and around Sa'ada city, over 4,200 people are living in Al-Ihsa', Sam and Al-Talh camps, which are run by the ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent.
But as Daniel Gagnon points out, "there are thousands more in Sa’ada governorate who need our help.” Over 5,500 people are staying with host families in Sa'ada city.
As the influx continues, the ICRC is looking for ways of accommodating more.
"What the people need most is clean water, food and shelter,” said Daniel Gagnon.
"With commercial traffic paralyzed because of the fighting, people find it difficult to get supplies.” The conflict makes it difficult to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid, with fighting in parts of Sa'ada and Amran provinces hampering operations.
Despite the obstacles, ICRC and Yemen Red Crescent staff continue to bring help whenever the situation allows them to move safely.
How displaced people have benefited from ICRC activities in recent days
Medical supplie
A health centre in Wadi Khaiwan (Amran province) received basic medicines and a tent to act as a “waiting room”.
Yemen Red Crescent staff in Baqim (Sa'ada province) received ICRC support in the form of medicines for the treatment 400 patients.
The Yemen Red Crescent doctor based in Al-Azgoul received medicines.
Food and water
In Sa'ada province, 5,000 displaced people in the Al-Talh area received flour, rice and cooking oil, while more than 250 people in the Qataber area received flour.
5,500 people living with host families in Sa'ada city received flour, rice and beans.
Several dozen displaced families in Baqim and Al-Mahader (Sa'ada province) received daily water deliveries.
850 displaced people in Wadi Khaiwan (Amran province) received drinking water.
Shelter and other essential items
Over 3,500 families who fled to Sa'ada city are receiving basic household items.
ICRC and YRCS teams have been distributing blankets, mattresses, tarpaulins, jerrycans, soap, stoves, gas cylinders and other items to 2,500 people in the Wadi Khaiwan, Amran province.
Over 1,900 people from Al-Mahader, west of Sa'ada city, and more than 560 people in Sa'ada city itself received such essential household items as blankets, mattresses, tarpaulins, jerrycans, soap, stoves and gas cylinders.
7,000 people registered in the Baqim area should be receiving shelter and other essential items in the next few days.
The ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent are working on accommodating 3,000 people as soon as possible.
The ICRC has been working in Yemen since 1962 and in Sa'ada governorate since 2004.
Its workforce has been increasing steadily since the beginning of the year; the organization currently has 111 staff based in the country – 69 in the capital Sana'a, including 19 expatriates, and 42 in Sa'ada, including five expatriates.
For more information, please contact:
Hicham Hassan, ICRC Sana'a, tel: +967 1 213 844 or +967 712 666 536
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 227 346 001 or +41 792 519 318
See also ICRC media contacts
This article on www.icrc.org =============================== Oct. 4, 2014 3:07 AM ET Shiite rebels are Yemen's new masters By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES AIM Hawthi Shiite rebels chant slogans at the compound of the army's First Armored Division, after they took it over, in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 22, 2014. Heavily armed Yemeni Shiite militiamen took over the headquarters and house of a powerful army general allied to Sunni Islamists on Monday and set up checkpoints across the capital, Sanaa, after sweeping across the city as the general and his allies fled and went into hiding. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Islamic State militants attack small Iraq town Oct. 2, 2014 3:40 PM ET Islamist-allied militias in Libya reject UN talks Sep. 30, 2014 12:07 PM ET Battle against Islamic State creates new alliances Sep. 29, 2014 4:20 PM ET Western Muslims, troubled, rally against extremism Sep. 26, 2014 2:34 PM ET Iraqi woman activist killed by Islamic State Sep. 25, 2014 3:02 PM ET SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The capital of Yemen, the Arab world's poorest and perhaps most chronically unstable nation, has new masters. Anti-American Shiite rebels man checkpoints and roam the streets in pickups mounted with anti-aircraft guns. The fighters control almost all state buildings, from the airport and the central bank to the Defense Ministry. Only a few police officers and soldiers are left on the streets. Rebel fighters have plastered the city with fliers proclaiming their slogan — "Death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews and victory to Islam" — a variation of a popular Iranian slogan often chanted by Shiite militants in Iraq and supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah. While the world has been focused on the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, Yemen at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula has seen its own sudden, seismic upheaval when Shiite rebels known as the Houthis overran Sanaa two weeks ago. Now the Houthis, who many believe are backed by Shiite-led Iran, are poised to become Yemen's version of the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon — top powerbrokers dominating the government and running a virtual state-within-a-state. Their takeover of the capital also threatens to bring a violent backlash from hard-line Sunnis, creating a sectarian battle that would boost al-Qaida's branch in Yemen, which the United States has been battling for years in a drone campaign and in coordination with the Yemeni military. The rallying cry of fighting against Shiite power could turn Yemen into a magnet for Sunni jihadis from around the region, like Syria and Iraq. Last week, an al-Qaida suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a hospital used by the Houthis in Maarib province, killing one person. The group, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, vowed to fight the rebels and called on other Sunnis to support it. "You will see your bodies scattered and your heads flying," al-Qaida said in a statement, addressing the Houthis. The U.S.-backed president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, is largely helpless, struggling to form a new government to meet the Houthis' demands. Neighboring Saudi Arabia is worried over a potential pro-Iranian outpost on its border. In an interview with The Associated Press, Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special envoy who has been mediating among the government, the Houthis and other factions, warned that "this takeover of Sanaa by the Hawthis will widely reverberate in Yemen and the region." "Yemen will now be seen as linked to other situations in the region, with regional and international involvement," he said. The Houthis, who call themselves Ansar Allah, Arabic for "Supporters of God," are followers of the Zaydi faith, a branch of Shia Islam that is almost exclusively found in Yemen and makes up about 30 percent of the country's population. Zaydi religious leaders ruled much of northern Yemen for centuries — and the Houthis, backers of the Houthi family, a clan that claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad, have sought to revive Zaydi identity. The rebels, currently led by 33-year-old Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, fought a series of civil wars since the mid-2000s from their stronghold of Saada north of Sanaa. In 2011, they took complete control of Saada province. But their advances this year have been startling. They swept south, defeating Sunni tribesmen loyal to the conservative Sunni Islah party, and in July captured Amran province, which borders the capital. They then overran the capital itself on Sept. 21 as the military largely collapsed. The Houthis present themselves as seeking to achieve the goals of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that led to the overthrow of longtime autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh. They reject a Gulf-brokered deal that led to Saleh stepping down and Hadi taking his place because it largely splits power between Saleh's supporters and the Islah party, which is the Muslim Brotherhood's branch in Yemen. Instead, they say, they want a broader government that includes their movement and southern Yemenis, who have long sought independence. And they want implementation of a plan reached by political parties in January to give greater autonomy to Yemen's regions. "We are not a group isolated from the rest of the country. We are part of the social fabric," Abu Ali al-Hakam, the commander who led the Houthi assault on Sanaa, told AP. He spoke as he visited the captured headquarters of the army's 1st Armored Division, an elite outfit with close links to the Islah party. It had spearheaded army campaigns against the Houthis. "It is not just the Houthis who are controlling Sanaa now, its Yemenis from everywhere," said the diminutive al-Hakam after receiving a hero's welcome by his fighters. The Houthis were quick to tap on the widespread grievances to show themselves as a feasible alternative. "I and my family feel safer now," said Faraj al-Raeeny, a schoolteacher from mainly Zaydi Amran province. "The Houthis resolved many disputes and put right many injustices. They strictly enforce order." Still, not all Zaydis back the rebels, and the takeover is likely to only polarize a nation where the central government is chronically weak. Much of the country is out of government control, plagued by tribal divisions, al-Qaida militant violence, widespread corruption and deep poverty that breeds resentment or rebellion. The scene is further complicated by political rivalries. Hadi's supporters have long accused Saleh loyalists, who still hold key posts in the military, security forces and government, of undermining Hadi in a bid to return to power. Saleh and his loyalists in the army are widely believed to have helped the Houthis by standing aside as the fighters swept into Sanaa. Ali al-Imad, a senior Houthi official, denied there were any "understandings" struck with Saleh's camp, but he acknowledged in an interview with the AP that the two sides — bitter foes in six wars between 2004 and 2010 — shared "temporarily mutual interests." Hadi appeared caught off guard. After Amran was captured in late July, Hadi met with politicians who warned him that the Houthis would move on Sanaa next. "He said he was convinced that the Hawthis will not come near Sanaa," rights lawyer Baraa Shiban, who attended the meeting, told AP. A new, U.N.-brokered accord that was hurriedly signed on the day Sanaa fell to the Houthis calls for a new government, for all armed factions to put down their arms and for the rebels to leave the capital. But there is little sign that will happen. "This peace agreement must be implemented, otherwise the prospect of the disintegration of Yemen as we know it will become real," warned Benomar, who negotiated the accord. Many doubt the Houthis have the need or resources to grab more territory. But they have virtual veto power over who becomes the next prime minister and over the makeup of the next government. And they are locking in their forces' position in the capital — emulating the model of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which in Lebanon is the de facto government in predominantly Shiite areas of southern Beirut and in the south and east of the country. In Sanaa, the Houthis have tightened their grip on the city's northern districts where Zaydis are dominant, as well as the nearby international airport. Tanks and armored vehicles looted from army bases have now been deployed in those areas. After the fall of Sanaa, Houthis staged a massive victory rally in the city, flying Hezbollah flags and portraits of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. "It is very clear that Hezbollah is their model. They will never give up control of the airport or the northern districts," Mohammed Qahtan, a senior Islah leader, told the AP in a hotel apartment where he has lived since his Sanaa home was stormed by the rebels. Associated Press Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. =================
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Sandstorm blankets Iraq, sends hundreds to hospital
05 Jul 2009 15:28:35 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD, July 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iraqis are seeking medical help after one of the worst sandstorms in living memory stretched beyond a week on Sunday, choking throats, clogging eyes and afflicting asthma sufferers in particular.
The weeklong sandstorm forced visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to cancel plans to fly to Kurdistan and also interfered with the schedule of his meetings in Baghdad.
It has caused numerous flight delays out of the Iraqi capital and this week delayed Iraq's first international bidding round for its oil fields since the 2003 invasion by a day.
Many Baghdad shops stayed shut on Sunday, while police wearing masks directed thin streams of traffic through eerily misty streets. Hospital emergency rooms were packed with people complaining about breathing problems, officials said.
"We are on alert. This is the worst dust storm we have ever had in Iraq," said Doctor Jasib Lateef, operations manager at the Iraqi Health Ministry. "A large number of people are turning up at emergency rooms at hospitals, challenging our resources."
At least 300 people came to Baghdad's Ibn al-Nafees hospital with breathing difficulties on Sunday, a hospital official said.
"The weather has been dusty for a week. If healthy people can't breathe, how can the children cope?" Eman um Ali, who had brought her asthma-suffering son for treatment, told Reuters Television.
Iraq has long suffered blinding sandstorms, but several years of drought have aggravated the situation this year. The inadequate flow of water down its once-mighty rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, which are choked by dams in upstream countries like Turkey, has made things worse. Water shortages make the land dry out and become more dusty.
The fine windblown dust goes everywhere, filtering under doors and through windows to coat tables and desks, powder hair and leave an iron-like taste on tongues.
"There is too little water in the two rivers. On top of that we've had so little rain in the last year. That has turned our home into a desert," said Ayad Bader.
Doctor Thamer al-Ali, the manager of Baghdad's Al-Kindi hospital, said Iraqi medical institutions were used to dealing with health problems caused by sandstorms.
"But the sandstorms used to last for a day, not like now. It's lasted a very long time," Ali said. (Additional reporting by Hadir Abbas; editing by Michael Christie and Tim Pearce)
Source: Reuters
By Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD, July 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iraqis are seeking medical help after one of the worst sandstorms in living memory stretched beyond a week on Sunday, choking throats, clogging eyes and afflicting asthma sufferers in particular.
The weeklong sandstorm forced visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to cancel plans to fly to Kurdistan and also interfered with the schedule of his meetings in Baghdad.
It has caused numerous flight delays out of the Iraqi capital and this week delayed Iraq's first international bidding round for its oil fields since the 2003 invasion by a day.
Many Baghdad shops stayed shut on Sunday, while police wearing masks directed thin streams of traffic through eerily misty streets. Hospital emergency rooms were packed with people complaining about breathing problems, officials said.
"We are on alert. This is the worst dust storm we have ever had in Iraq," said Doctor Jasib Lateef, operations manager at the Iraqi Health Ministry. "A large number of people are turning up at emergency rooms at hospitals, challenging our resources."
At least 300 people came to Baghdad's Ibn al-Nafees hospital with breathing difficulties on Sunday, a hospital official said.
"The weather has been dusty for a week. If healthy people can't breathe, how can the children cope?" Eman um Ali, who had brought her asthma-suffering son for treatment, told Reuters Television.
Iraq has long suffered blinding sandstorms, but several years of drought have aggravated the situation this year. The inadequate flow of water down its once-mighty rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, which are choked by dams in upstream countries like Turkey, has made things worse. Water shortages make the land dry out and become more dusty.
The fine windblown dust goes everywhere, filtering under doors and through windows to coat tables and desks, powder hair and leave an iron-like taste on tongues.
"There is too little water in the two rivers. On top of that we've had so little rain in the last year. That has turned our home into a desert," said Ayad Bader.
Doctor Thamer al-Ali, the manager of Baghdad's Al-Kindi hospital, said Iraqi medical institutions were used to dealing with health problems caused by sandstorms.
"But the sandstorms used to last for a day, not like now. It's lasted a very long time," Ali said. (Additional reporting by Hadir Abbas; editing by Michael Christie and Tim Pearce)
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Military deaths in Afghanistan
Two U.S. soldiers killed in complex Afghan attack
04 Jul 2009 11:26:49 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 4 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes on Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.
The attack included an attempted suicide truck bombing of the base in the Zirok district of southeastern Paktika province, local officials said. As many as 30 Taliban insurgents might have been killed in the air strikes, they said.
It came after thousands of U.S. Marines launched a major offensive in southern Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and major opium poppy producing area, on Thursday, the first big operation of U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and stabilise Afghanistan [ID:nSP401743].
The Marines and other forces have so far met little resistance and there have been no reports of big reprisal attacks by the Taliban or its allies since Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, began in Helmand.
Another seven U.S. soldiers and two Afghan troops were wounded in Saturday's attack on the combat operating post near Zirok, Lieutenant Commander Christine Sidenstricker said.
"It was a complex attack that started with small-arms and indirect fire on the post, then an improvised explosive device went off," Sidenstricker said.
"Air strikes were called in some time after," she said.
Hamidullah Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said a suicide bomber drove a truck towards the base during the attack but was shot before he could reach it. Explosives in the truck detonated during the shooting, he said.
Zwak said the soldiers died in the explosion but neither the U.S. military nor the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan gave any details.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said "several Afghan and foreign soldiers were killed". There was no independent verification of his claim.
Zwak said about 30 Taliban fighters were killed in the air strikes but those figures again could not be verified independently. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said in a statement about 20 insurgents were killed.
Saturday's attack came in the same area where a U.S. soldier was reported missing this week. The soldier has been missing since Tuesday and is believed to have been captured by insurgents, the U.S. military has said.
Some of the most active insurgents in the area include the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, against which U.S. and other NATO troops have launched a number of operations in recent weeks.
The network is allied with the Taliban and has been behind several high-profile attacks in attacks.
It is headed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a former government minister under the Taliban, although effective leadership of the group has passed to his more radical eldest son Sirajuddin.
The U.S. Marines launched their new operation in Helmand with violence in the Taliban-led insurgency at its worst since the austere Islamist group was ousted from government in late 2001.
The new operation was launched after years of stalemate in the south, which provides most of the poppy crop that funds the insurgency, with the hope that it would turn the tide of a war some in Washington say they are not winning.
Its intention is to seize ground from the Taliban and hold it, something overstretched NATO troops have so far been unable to do, and to win the trust of local communities and turn people away from the insurgency.
The new strategy is also meant to help improve security for Aug. 20 presidential elections in Afghanistan. (Additional reporting by Elyas Wahdat in KHOST and Hamid Shalizi in KABUL; Editing by Valerie Lee)
FACTBOX-
04 Jul 2009 12:10:32 GMT
Source: Reuters
July 4 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes on Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.
A Canadian soldier was killed in bomb blast on Friday southwest of Kandahar.
Here are figures for foreign military deaths as a result of violence or accidents in Afghanistan since 2001:
NATO/U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES:
Britain 171
Canada 121
Denmark 22**
France 28*
Germany 35
Spain 25
Netherlands 19
United States 719
Other nations 67
TOTAL: 1,207
NOTES:
** Figures supplied by Danish Central Command, includes one suicide.
* Figures supplied by French military.
Sources: Reuters/icasualties (www.icasualties.org/oef), compiled from official figures. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Sophie Hares)
-----------
KABUL (Reuters) - Three soldiers from the NATO-led force were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the alliance in Afghanistan said in on Tuesday.
The helicopter crashed on takeoff from a base in Zabul, southern Afghanistan. The dead were two Canadians and a Briton, ISAF said, while two other Canadians were also injured.
"An airwing flight safety investigation is underway and it has determined that the crash did not occur as a result of enemy fire," Major Luc Gaudet a spokesman for NATO said.
The incident happened on Monday when seven U.S. soldiers were killed in separate Taliban attacks in various parts of Afghanistan.
The crash comes as thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of other NATO troops, as well as Afghan forces have launched an operation last week to wrest control of several districts of southern Helmand, from Taliban control.
(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin and Golnar Motevalli; Editing by David Fox)
----------
Kabul - Four US soldiers participating in NATO-led operations were killed in two roadside bomb blasts in southern Helmand province, an alliance military spokeswoman said Sunday. The US service members were killed on Saturday in two separate incidents......
Kabul - Four US soldiers participating in NATO-led operations were killed in two roadside bomb blasts in southern Helmand province, an alliance military spokeswoman said Sunday. The US service members were killed on Saturday in two separate incidents......
Sun Jul 12, 9:07 AM
LONDON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said US and NATO-led troops had pushed back the Taliban in Afghanistan but he warned that there was still a long, hard campaign ahead.
"We knew that this summer was going to be tough fighting, that there was an interest in the Taliban exerting control. They have, I think, been pushed back but we still have a long way to go. We've got to get through elections.
"We've got a serious fight on our hands and we've got to deal with it smartly but we've got to deal with it effectively," Obama said in an interview with Britain's Sky News on Saturday during his visit to Ghana.
Fifteen British soldiers have been killed this month in southern Afghanistan, where US and British forces are battling Taliban insurgents ahead of the presidential and provincial council elections on August 20.
The surge in casualties has raised the British death toll in Afghanistan above the number of dead in the Iraq campaign and raised questions in Britain about tactics and strategy.
Obama said the contribution of the British military was "critical" and establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan was essential to prevent it again becoming a launch pad for terror attacks on the West.
"This is not an American mission. The mission in Afghanistan is one that the Europeans have as much, if not more, of a stake in than we do... The likelihood of a terrorist attack in London is at least as high, if not higher, than it is in the United States.
"And that's the reason why (former and current British prime ministers) Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and others have made this commitment."
Obama said he wanted a new push after the election to train Afghanistan's army and police so Afghans could take greater responsibility for controlling their own security.
"I think we need to start directing our attention to how do we create an Afghan army, an Afghan police, how do we work with the Pakistanis effectively, so that they are the ones who are really at the forefront at controlling their own countries.
"All of us are going to have to do an evaluation after the Afghan election to see what more we can do.
"It may not be on the military side, it might be on the development side providing Afghan farmers alternatives to poppy crops, making sure that we are effectively training a judiciary system and a rule of law in Afghanistan that people trust."
Brown defended Britain's strategy for Afghanistan on Saturday, saying it was "the right one" and he insisted the western allies were winning the battle against Taliban insurgents in their heartlands of Helmand Province.
The prime minister said it was vital that the country not become an "incubator for terrorism" where the Taliban could provide a safe haven for Al-Qaeda.
Fatalities have risen since British forces launched Operation Panther's Claw, an assault on the Taliban in Helmand Province which is designed to create safe conditions for Afghans to vote in next month's elections.
The Afghan interior ministry said Sunday that British and Afghan troops had killed up to 200 insurgents in the operation.
The United States has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year as the Taliban -- ousted from power by the US-led invasion in 2001 -- has regrouped.
Thousands of the additional US troops have been deployed in Helmand, where most British troops are based.
But defence minister Bob Ainsworth rejected angrily to accusations from a British political rival that British troops had been "bailed out" by the US forces.
"This is not an American takeover, I think it is quite disgraceful for people to suggest," he told Sky News.
British forces organised "coordinated operations" with the US forces as soon as they arrived in Helmand, Ainsworth said, and troops were working as a coalition.
-----------
Thousands of people lined the streets of Wootton Bassett today to pay their respects to eight British soldiers killed during the Army's bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan.
Published: 5:51PM BST 14 Jul 2009
As the bodies were flown home, the families of the fallen men, three of whom were teenagers, were at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire to see the coffins, draped in Union flags, carried from a C17 aircraft.
A private ceremony was held at the chapel of rest before a cortege of eight hearses left the base.
A church bell tolled as the cortege drove slowly through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett, with a crowd of thousands standing in tribute.
Many people threw flowers on the hearses as they drove by. Veterans saluted and some in the crowd clapped and even cheered.
Tearful family members, who were also standing in the crowd, comforted each other.
Among the servicemen being repatriated were five soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles who died near Sangin in Helmand province on Friday in two "daisy-chain" explosions.
And The Earl of Wessex, the battalion's Royal Colonel, attended the chapel to pay his respects.
Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, and Riflemen William Aldridge, James Backhouse and Joseph Murphy, all 18, were rescuing comrades from an earlier blast when a second device detonated.
Rifleman Murphy was carrying Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20 – who was injured by the first makeshift bomb – when both were killed in the following explosion.
Rifleman Aldridge, from Bromyard, Herefordshire, was attempting to reach casualties from the first blast, despite being wounded himself.
His aunt, Alison Aldridge, was in the crowd today, carrying eight roses in tribute to the men.
Ms Aldridge, 40, from Bristol, said: "It is extremely sad that his life was taken so swiftly, but I take comfort from the fact that he had two very fulfilling years rather than a lifetime of regrets.
"As a boy he was loving and adventurous. He had a loving, caring mother and he got his strength of character from her. He was a family boy and that's what the army is all about.
"His ambition was the SAS – and he would have got there too. He was mentally prepared. He had affection for people and that's what drives ambition.
"It's lovely that so many people are here – young and old. It's amazing how so many young people here understand and respect what's going on."
Also on the flight home was Corporal Lee Scott, 26, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in an explosion on Friday, just north of Nad-e-Ali, during Operation Panther's Claw.
And making up the eight were two men killed in separate incidents on Thursday.
Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales' Company, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was shot at Char-e-Anjir near Lashkar Gah while on sentry duty.
Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol, again near Nad-e-Ali.
Some 60 friends of Rifleman Hume had travelled to Wootton from Maidstone and Slough.
Among them was his ex-girlfriend Bianca Bond, 21, from Hampshire, now living in Dubai, who said the continuing war made her "very angry".
Ms Bond said: "I just can't believe he's gone. I'm very proud of the people who have come here and so proud of him.
"
Another of his school friends, Natasha Straw, 20, from Maidenhead, said he had never said he lacked equipment and "wouldn't have it any other way".
The procession was the largest to pass through the market town since it became an official repatriation station in 2007.
Veterans and serving soldiers stood alongside shopkeepers, pub landlords, restaurant owners and children.
Mayor of Wootton Bassett Steve Bucknell said: "Every repatriation is a very sad event, whether it is one person or eight.
"What makes it so much sadder is when you see the friends and family of the fallen and it brings it home that these are real people with real lives – someone's son, grandson, brother and father. They are going to leave a hole in many lives.
"The people of Wootton Bassett are fantastic. They never fail to amaze me with their ability to always do the right thing."
The return of the eight bodies comes amid renewed controversy over the resources and manpower committed to Afghanistan.
A total of 15 soldiers were killed in 10 days, bringing the number of UK military fatalities in the country since 2001 to 184 – surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.
The Prime Minister has insisted it is right to press on with efforts to stop al-Qaeda using Afghanistan as a base for worldwide terror.
----------
20 Jul 2009 10:19:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
* Pilots eject safely from jet, suffer minor injuries
* Third aircraft mishap in three days
* Roadside bomb kills 12 traders in Afghan west
KABUL, July 20 (Reuters) - A British Tornado fighter jet crashed at a major NATO base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said, the third aircraft mishap in as many days as foreign forces press their new offensives against the Taliban. With military casualties rising, Afghanistan's growing insurgency is also taking a heavy toll on civilians. In the remote west, 12 Afghan traders were killed when their van hit a roadside bomb most likely meant for Afghan or foreign troops.
NATO spokesman Captain Glen Parent said the Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft crashed shortly after take-off at the sprawling Kandahar Air Field, the main military base for foreign troops in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban.
NATO officials said the crash was not the result of an attack by insurgents. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousuf said the insurgents had shot down a NATO aircraft near the Kandahar base, killing several soldiers.
The Taliban routinely claim responsibility for downing U.S. and NATO aircraft, usually with inflated casualty numbers.
Speaking to Reuters by a satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Yousuf said foreign troops have been suffering "huge casualties" in Afghanistan.
July has indeed become the deadliest month for foreign troops in the 8-year-old war after thousands of U.S. Marines and British soldiers launched major new offensives in the Taliban heartland of Helmand, adjacent to Kandahar.
The offensives are the first major operation under U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and its militant Islamist allies in the region and stabilise Afghanistan.
But growing battlefield casualties, and warnings from commanders that more are to come in heavy fighting ahead, have started raising questions at home about tactics and force levels.
British troops have suffered their greatest battlefield losses since the 1980s Falklands War, including eight killed in a single day, prompting debate at home over whether soldiers are adequately equipped and whether they should be there at all.
British commanders are warning that an extra 700 troops sent to help secure the Aug. 20 presidential election will have to stay longer and even more may be needed if the goal of seizing ground from the Taliban and then holding it is to be achieved.
Concern is also growing at the lack of adequate Afghan troops available to hold ground once it is taken, adding to pressure on foreign forces even as thousands more troops and trainers are poured into the country.
CRASHED IN FLAMES
The two-seater Tornado crashed in flames inside the Kandahar base, Parent said, but the fire was later extinguished.
"It had British crew. They both ejected safely from the aircraft and are being treated for minor injuries," Parent said.
The Tornado is an aircraft capable of flying at low supersonic speeds and is used as a day-or-night attack aircraft able to fly at low altitudes. It can drop 1,000 lb bombs and carries Sidewinder and Storm Shadow missiles.
On Sunday, a Soviet-built Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at the Kandahar base, killing 16 of the 20 people on board, the second fatal crash involving a Soviet-era helicopter in the south in less than a week.
In the east, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed on Saturday, with both crew members killed.
In western Farah province, witnesses and officials said 12 men were killed and five wounded as a van carrying traders drove along a road linking two districts on Sunday.
"I saw 12 men were killed and four were wounded," Abdul Razzaq Samadi, a local tribal chief who was at the scene of the blast, told Reuters. "I took four wounded men to the hospital. Their condition was not good."
Highly destructive home-made bombs planted in the road are by far the most deadly weapons used by the Taliban and other insurgents, frequently killing civilians as well as the convoys and patrols of security forces they traditionally target.
In northern Kunduz province, German soldiers shot and killed two Afghan civilians, including a child, when their car's driver ignored warnings to stop as they approached a military post on Sunday, the German Defence Ministry said on its website.
Another three people in the car were seriously wounded.
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan this month issued a new tactical directive aimed at reducing civilian casualties, often caused by air strikes, a source of great friction between Kabul and its Western allies. (Additional reporting by Saeed Ali Acahkzai in CHAMAN, Sharafuddin Sharafyar in HERAT, Sayed Salahuddin, Hamid Shalizi and Jonathon Burch in Kabul; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
-----------------
20 Jul 2009 19:04:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
- For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK]
* Four U.S. soldiers killed in roadside blast
* British fighter jet crashes in south
* Roadside bomb kills 12 traders in Afghan west
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 20 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, military officials said, making July the deadliest month of the war for American forces.
In the south, a British Tornado fighter jet crashed at a major NATO base. Both crew members escaped serious injury but it was the third aircraft incident in as many days as foreign forces press ahead with new offensives against the Taliban.
With military casualties rising, Afghanistan's growing insurgency is also taking a heavy toll on civilians. In the remote west, 12 Afghan traders were killed when their van hit a roadside bomb most likely meant for Afghan or foreign troops.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan issued a short statement late on Monday saying four of its soldiers had been killed by a roadside bomb.
A spokesman for the U.S. military confirmed the casualties were all Americans. No other details were available.
U.S. commanders have warned of a spike in casualties after thousands of U.S. Marines and British soldiers launched major new offensives in the Taliban heartland of Helmand this month.
The offensives are the first major operation under U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and its militant Islamist allies in the region and stabilise Afghanistan.
At least 27 U.S. soldiers have been killed in combat so far in July, according to U.S. military figures, more than in any other month of the eight-year-old war. The previous highest monthly total was 26 killed in September last year.
Soldiers are now dying at rates nearing the worst suffered during the war in Iraq.
DEADLIEST MONTH
July had already become the deadliest month of the war for all foreign troops with well over 50 killed, Britain and its previously over-stretched troops in southern Helmand suffering most alongside the Americans.
British troops have suffered their greatest battlefield losses since the 1980s Falklands War, with eight killed in a single day this month, prompting debate over whether soldiers are adequately equipped and whether they should be there at all.
A British soldier was killed by an explosion in Helmand on Sunday, defence officials said. At least 187 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, more than the 179 lost during the six years of the Iraq war.
British commanders are warning that an extra 700 troops sent to help secure the Aug. 20 presidential election will have to stay longer and even more may be needed if the goal of seizing ground from the Taliban and then holding it is to be achieved.
Concern is also growing at the lack of adequate Afghan troops available to hold ground once it is taken, adding to pressure on foreign forces even as thousands more troops and trainers are poured into the country.
"EJECTED SAFELY"
NATO spokesman Captain Glen Parent said a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft crashed shortly after take-off at the sprawling Kandahar Air Field, the main military base for foreign troops in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban.
NATO officials said the crash was not the result of an attack by insurgents. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousuf said the insurgents had shot down a NATO aircraft near the Kandahar base, killing several soldiers.
The Taliban routinely claim responsibility for downing U.S. and NATO aircraft, usually with inflated casualty numbers.
Speaking to Reuters by a satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Yousuf said foreign troops have been suffering "huge casualties" in Afghanistan.
The two-seater Tornado crashed in flames inside the base, Parent said. "It had British crew. They both ejected safely from the aircraft and are being treated for minor injuries," he said.
On Sunday, a civilian Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at the Kandahar base, killing 16 people, the second fatal crash of a Soviet-era helicopter in the south in less than a week.
In the east, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed on Saturday, with both crew members killed. [ID:nSP234809] (Additional reporting by Saeed Ali Achakzai in CHAMAN, Sharafuddin Sharafyar in HERAT, Sayed Salahuddin, Hamid Shalizi and Jonathon Burch in Kabul; Editing by Diana Abdallah)
04 Jul 2009 11:26:49 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 4 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes on Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.
The attack included an attempted suicide truck bombing of the base in the Zirok district of southeastern Paktika province, local officials said. As many as 30 Taliban insurgents might have been killed in the air strikes, they said.
It came after thousands of U.S. Marines launched a major offensive in southern Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and major opium poppy producing area, on Thursday, the first big operation of U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and stabilise Afghanistan [ID:nSP401743].
The Marines and other forces have so far met little resistance and there have been no reports of big reprisal attacks by the Taliban or its allies since Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, began in Helmand.
Another seven U.S. soldiers and two Afghan troops were wounded in Saturday's attack on the combat operating post near Zirok, Lieutenant Commander Christine Sidenstricker said.
"It was a complex attack that started with small-arms and indirect fire on the post, then an improvised explosive device went off," Sidenstricker said.
"Air strikes were called in some time after," she said.
Hamidullah Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said a suicide bomber drove a truck towards the base during the attack but was shot before he could reach it. Explosives in the truck detonated during the shooting, he said.
Zwak said the soldiers died in the explosion but neither the U.S. military nor the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan gave any details.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said "several Afghan and foreign soldiers were killed". There was no independent verification of his claim.
Zwak said about 30 Taliban fighters were killed in the air strikes but those figures again could not be verified independently. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said in a statement about 20 insurgents were killed.
Saturday's attack came in the same area where a U.S. soldier was reported missing this week. The soldier has been missing since Tuesday and is believed to have been captured by insurgents, the U.S. military has said.
Some of the most active insurgents in the area include the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, against which U.S. and other NATO troops have launched a number of operations in recent weeks.
The network is allied with the Taliban and has been behind several high-profile attacks in attacks.
It is headed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a former government minister under the Taliban, although effective leadership of the group has passed to his more radical eldest son Sirajuddin.
The U.S. Marines launched their new operation in Helmand with violence in the Taliban-led insurgency at its worst since the austere Islamist group was ousted from government in late 2001.
The new operation was launched after years of stalemate in the south, which provides most of the poppy crop that funds the insurgency, with the hope that it would turn the tide of a war some in Washington say they are not winning.
Its intention is to seize ground from the Taliban and hold it, something overstretched NATO troops have so far been unable to do, and to win the trust of local communities and turn people away from the insurgency.
The new strategy is also meant to help improve security for Aug. 20 presidential elections in Afghanistan. (Additional reporting by Elyas Wahdat in KHOST and Hamid Shalizi in KABUL; Editing by Valerie Lee)
FACTBOX-
04 Jul 2009 12:10:32 GMT
Source: Reuters
July 4 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes on Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.
A Canadian soldier was killed in bomb blast on Friday southwest of Kandahar.
Here are figures for foreign military deaths as a result of violence or accidents in Afghanistan since 2001:
NATO/U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES:
Britain 171
Canada 121
Denmark 22**
France 28*
Germany 35
Spain 25
Netherlands 19
United States 719
Other nations 67
TOTAL: 1,207
NOTES:
** Figures supplied by Danish Central Command, includes one suicide.
* Figures supplied by French military.
Sources: Reuters/icasualties (www.icasualties.org/oef), compiled from official figures. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Sophie Hares)
-----------
KABUL (Reuters) - Three soldiers from the NATO-led force were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the alliance in Afghanistan said in on Tuesday.
The helicopter crashed on takeoff from a base in Zabul, southern Afghanistan. The dead were two Canadians and a Briton, ISAF said, while two other Canadians were also injured.
"An airwing flight safety investigation is underway and it has determined that the crash did not occur as a result of enemy fire," Major Luc Gaudet a spokesman for NATO said.
The incident happened on Monday when seven U.S. soldiers were killed in separate Taliban attacks in various parts of Afghanistan.
The crash comes as thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of other NATO troops, as well as Afghan forces have launched an operation last week to wrest control of several districts of southern Helmand, from Taliban control.
(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin and Golnar Motevalli; Editing by David Fox)
----------
Kabul - Four US soldiers participating in NATO-led operations were killed in two roadside bomb blasts in southern Helmand province, an alliance military spokeswoman said Sunday. The US service members were killed on Saturday in two separate incidents......
Kabul - Four US soldiers participating in NATO-led operations were killed in two roadside bomb blasts in southern Helmand province, an alliance military spokeswoman said Sunday. The US service members were killed on Saturday in two separate incidents......
Sun Jul 12, 9:07 AM
LONDON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said US and NATO-led troops had pushed back the Taliban in Afghanistan but he warned that there was still a long, hard campaign ahead.
"We knew that this summer was going to be tough fighting, that there was an interest in the Taliban exerting control. They have, I think, been pushed back but we still have a long way to go. We've got to get through elections.
"We've got a serious fight on our hands and we've got to deal with it smartly but we've got to deal with it effectively," Obama said in an interview with Britain's Sky News on Saturday during his visit to Ghana.
Fifteen British soldiers have been killed this month in southern Afghanistan, where US and British forces are battling Taliban insurgents ahead of the presidential and provincial council elections on August 20.
The surge in casualties has raised the British death toll in Afghanistan above the number of dead in the Iraq campaign and raised questions in Britain about tactics and strategy.
Obama said the contribution of the British military was "critical" and establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan was essential to prevent it again becoming a launch pad for terror attacks on the West.
"This is not an American mission. The mission in Afghanistan is one that the Europeans have as much, if not more, of a stake in than we do... The likelihood of a terrorist attack in London is at least as high, if not higher, than it is in the United States.
"And that's the reason why (former and current British prime ministers) Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and others have made this commitment."
Obama said he wanted a new push after the election to train Afghanistan's army and police so Afghans could take greater responsibility for controlling their own security.
"I think we need to start directing our attention to how do we create an Afghan army, an Afghan police, how do we work with the Pakistanis effectively, so that they are the ones who are really at the forefront at controlling their own countries.
"All of us are going to have to do an evaluation after the Afghan election to see what more we can do.
"It may not be on the military side, it might be on the development side providing Afghan farmers alternatives to poppy crops, making sure that we are effectively training a judiciary system and a rule of law in Afghanistan that people trust."
Brown defended Britain's strategy for Afghanistan on Saturday, saying it was "the right one" and he insisted the western allies were winning the battle against Taliban insurgents in their heartlands of Helmand Province.
The prime minister said it was vital that the country not become an "incubator for terrorism" where the Taliban could provide a safe haven for Al-Qaeda.
Fatalities have risen since British forces launched Operation Panther's Claw, an assault on the Taliban in Helmand Province which is designed to create safe conditions for Afghans to vote in next month's elections.
The Afghan interior ministry said Sunday that British and Afghan troops had killed up to 200 insurgents in the operation.
The United States has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year as the Taliban -- ousted from power by the US-led invasion in 2001 -- has regrouped.
Thousands of the additional US troops have been deployed in Helmand, where most British troops are based.
But defence minister Bob Ainsworth rejected angrily to accusations from a British political rival that British troops had been "bailed out" by the US forces.
"This is not an American takeover, I think it is quite disgraceful for people to suggest," he told Sky News.
British forces organised "coordinated operations" with the US forces as soon as they arrived in Helmand, Ainsworth said, and troops were working as a coalition.
-----------
Eight British soldiers killed in Afghanistan: thousands pay respects in Wootton Bassett
Thousands of people lined the streets of Wootton Bassett today to pay their respects to eight British soldiers killed during the Army's bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan.
Published: 5:51PM BST 14 Jul 2009
As the bodies were flown home, the families of the fallen men, three of whom were teenagers, were at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire to see the coffins, draped in Union flags, carried from a C17 aircraft.
A private ceremony was held at the chapel of rest before a cortege of eight hearses left the base.
A church bell tolled as the cortege drove slowly through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett, with a crowd of thousands standing in tribute.
Many people threw flowers on the hearses as they drove by. Veterans saluted and some in the crowd clapped and even cheered.
Tearful family members, who were also standing in the crowd, comforted each other.
Among the servicemen being repatriated were five soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles who died near Sangin in Helmand province on Friday in two "daisy-chain" explosions.
And The Earl of Wessex, the battalion's Royal Colonel, attended the chapel to pay his respects.
Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, and Riflemen William Aldridge, James Backhouse and Joseph Murphy, all 18, were rescuing comrades from an earlier blast when a second device detonated.
Rifleman Murphy was carrying Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20 – who was injured by the first makeshift bomb – when both were killed in the following explosion.
Rifleman Aldridge, from Bromyard, Herefordshire, was attempting to reach casualties from the first blast, despite being wounded himself.
His aunt, Alison Aldridge, was in the crowd today, carrying eight roses in tribute to the men.
Ms Aldridge, 40, from Bristol, said: "It is extremely sad that his life was taken so swiftly, but I take comfort from the fact that he had two very fulfilling years rather than a lifetime of regrets.
"As a boy he was loving and adventurous. He had a loving, caring mother and he got his strength of character from her. He was a family boy and that's what the army is all about.
"His ambition was the SAS – and he would have got there too. He was mentally prepared. He had affection for people and that's what drives ambition.
"It's lovely that so many people are here – young and old. It's amazing how so many young people here understand and respect what's going on."
Also on the flight home was Corporal Lee Scott, 26, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in an explosion on Friday, just north of Nad-e-Ali, during Operation Panther's Claw.
And making up the eight were two men killed in separate incidents on Thursday.
Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales' Company, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was shot at Char-e-Anjir near Lashkar Gah while on sentry duty.
Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol, again near Nad-e-Ali.
Some 60 friends of Rifleman Hume had travelled to Wootton from Maidstone and Slough.
Among them was his ex-girlfriend Bianca Bond, 21, from Hampshire, now living in Dubai, who said the continuing war made her "very angry".
Ms Bond said: "I just can't believe he's gone. I'm very proud of the people who have come here and so proud of him.
"
I'm going to miss him. I keep expecting him to call or sign in to Facebook. I hope it all stops soon – they should get Gordon Brown to go out there and fight himself. They are not doing anything about it."
Another of his school friends, Natasha Straw, 20, from Maidenhead, said he had never said he lacked equipment and "wouldn't have it any other way".
The procession was the largest to pass through the market town since it became an official repatriation station in 2007.
Veterans and serving soldiers stood alongside shopkeepers, pub landlords, restaurant owners and children.
Mayor of Wootton Bassett Steve Bucknell said: "Every repatriation is a very sad event, whether it is one person or eight.
"What makes it so much sadder is when you see the friends and family of the fallen and it brings it home that these are real people with real lives – someone's son, grandson, brother and father. They are going to leave a hole in many lives.
"The people of Wootton Bassett are fantastic. They never fail to amaze me with their ability to always do the right thing."
The return of the eight bodies comes amid renewed controversy over the resources and manpower committed to Afghanistan.
A total of 15 soldiers were killed in 10 days, bringing the number of UK military fatalities in the country since 2001 to 184 – surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.
The Prime Minister has insisted it is right to press on with efforts to stop al-Qaeda using Afghanistan as a base for worldwide terror.
----------
British fighter jet crashes in south Afghanistan
20 Jul 2009 10:19:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK])
* Pilots eject safely from jet, suffer minor injuries
* Third aircraft mishap in three days
* Roadside bomb kills 12 traders in Afghan west
KABUL, July 20 (Reuters) - A British Tornado fighter jet crashed at a major NATO base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said, the third aircraft mishap in as many days as foreign forces press their new offensives against the Taliban. With military casualties rising, Afghanistan's growing insurgency is also taking a heavy toll on civilians. In the remote west, 12 Afghan traders were killed when their van hit a roadside bomb most likely meant for Afghan or foreign troops.
NATO spokesman Captain Glen Parent said the Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft crashed shortly after take-off at the sprawling Kandahar Air Field, the main military base for foreign troops in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban.
NATO officials said the crash was not the result of an attack by insurgents. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousuf said the insurgents had shot down a NATO aircraft near the Kandahar base, killing several soldiers.
The Taliban routinely claim responsibility for downing U.S. and NATO aircraft, usually with inflated casualty numbers.
Speaking to Reuters by a satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Yousuf said foreign troops have been suffering "huge casualties" in Afghanistan.
July has indeed become the deadliest month for foreign troops in the 8-year-old war after thousands of U.S. Marines and British soldiers launched major new offensives in the Taliban heartland of Helmand, adjacent to Kandahar.
The offensives are the first major operation under U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and its militant Islamist allies in the region and stabilise Afghanistan.
But growing battlefield casualties, and warnings from commanders that more are to come in heavy fighting ahead, have started raising questions at home about tactics and force levels.
British troops have suffered their greatest battlefield losses since the 1980s Falklands War, including eight killed in a single day, prompting debate at home over whether soldiers are adequately equipped and whether they should be there at all.
British commanders are warning that an extra 700 troops sent to help secure the Aug. 20 presidential election will have to stay longer and even more may be needed if the goal of seizing ground from the Taliban and then holding it is to be achieved.
Concern is also growing at the lack of adequate Afghan troops available to hold ground once it is taken, adding to pressure on foreign forces even as thousands more troops and trainers are poured into the country.
CRASHED IN FLAMES
The two-seater Tornado crashed in flames inside the Kandahar base, Parent said, but the fire was later extinguished.
"It had British crew. They both ejected safely from the aircraft and are being treated for minor injuries," Parent said.
The Tornado is an aircraft capable of flying at low supersonic speeds and is used as a day-or-night attack aircraft able to fly at low altitudes. It can drop 1,000 lb bombs and carries Sidewinder and Storm Shadow missiles.
On Sunday, a Soviet-built Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at the Kandahar base, killing 16 of the 20 people on board, the second fatal crash involving a Soviet-era helicopter in the south in less than a week.
In the east, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed on Saturday, with both crew members killed.
In western Farah province, witnesses and officials said 12 men were killed and five wounded as a van carrying traders drove along a road linking two districts on Sunday.
"I saw 12 men were killed and four were wounded," Abdul Razzaq Samadi, a local tribal chief who was at the scene of the blast, told Reuters. "I took four wounded men to the hospital. Their condition was not good."
Highly destructive home-made bombs planted in the road are by far the most deadly weapons used by the Taliban and other insurgents, frequently killing civilians as well as the convoys and patrols of security forces they traditionally target.
In northern Kunduz province, German soldiers shot and killed two Afghan civilians, including a child, when their car's driver ignored warnings to stop as they approached a military post on Sunday, the German Defence Ministry said on its website.
Another three people in the car were seriously wounded.
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan this month issued a new tactical directive aimed at reducing civilian casualties, often caused by air strikes, a source of great friction between Kabul and its Western allies. (Additional reporting by Saeed Ali Acahkzai in CHAMAN, Sharafuddin Sharafyar in HERAT, Sayed Salahuddin, Hamid Shalizi and Jonathon Burch in Kabul; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
-----------------
Bomb kills 4 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan - military
20 Jul 2009 19:04:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
- For full coverage on Afghanistan, double click on [ID:nAFPAK]
* Four U.S. soldiers killed in roadside blast
* British fighter jet crashes in south
* Roadside bomb kills 12 traders in Afghan west
By Paul Tait
KABUL, July 20 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, military officials said, making July the deadliest month of the war for American forces.
In the south, a British Tornado fighter jet crashed at a major NATO base. Both crew members escaped serious injury but it was the third aircraft incident in as many days as foreign forces press ahead with new offensives against the Taliban.
With military casualties rising, Afghanistan's growing insurgency is also taking a heavy toll on civilians. In the remote west, 12 Afghan traders were killed when their van hit a roadside bomb most likely meant for Afghan or foreign troops.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan issued a short statement late on Monday saying four of its soldiers had been killed by a roadside bomb.
A spokesman for the U.S. military confirmed the casualties were all Americans. No other details were available.
U.S. commanders have warned of a spike in casualties after thousands of U.S. Marines and British soldiers launched major new offensives in the Taliban heartland of Helmand this month.
The offensives are the first major operation under U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to defeat the Taliban and its militant Islamist allies in the region and stabilise Afghanistan.
At least 27 U.S. soldiers have been killed in combat so far in July, according to U.S. military figures, more than in any other month of the eight-year-old war. The previous highest monthly total was 26 killed in September last year.
Soldiers are now dying at rates nearing the worst suffered during the war in Iraq.
DEADLIEST MONTH
July had already become the deadliest month of the war for all foreign troops with well over 50 killed, Britain and its previously over-stretched troops in southern Helmand suffering most alongside the Americans.
British troops have suffered their greatest battlefield losses since the 1980s Falklands War, with eight killed in a single day this month, prompting debate over whether soldiers are adequately equipped and whether they should be there at all.
A British soldier was killed by an explosion in Helmand on Sunday, defence officials said. At least 187 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, more than the 179 lost during the six years of the Iraq war.
British commanders are warning that an extra 700 troops sent to help secure the Aug. 20 presidential election will have to stay longer and even more may be needed if the goal of seizing ground from the Taliban and then holding it is to be achieved.
Concern is also growing at the lack of adequate Afghan troops available to hold ground once it is taken, adding to pressure on foreign forces even as thousands more troops and trainers are poured into the country.
"EJECTED SAFELY"
NATO spokesman Captain Glen Parent said a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft crashed shortly after take-off at the sprawling Kandahar Air Field, the main military base for foreign troops in Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban.
NATO officials said the crash was not the result of an attack by insurgents. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousuf said the insurgents had shot down a NATO aircraft near the Kandahar base, killing several soldiers.
The Taliban routinely claim responsibility for downing U.S. and NATO aircraft, usually with inflated casualty numbers.
Speaking to Reuters by a satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Yousuf said foreign troops have been suffering "huge casualties" in Afghanistan.
The two-seater Tornado crashed in flames inside the base, Parent said. "It had British crew. They both ejected safely from the aircraft and are being treated for minor injuries," he said.
On Sunday, a civilian Mi-8 transport helicopter crashed at the Kandahar base, killing 16 people, the second fatal crash of a Soviet-era helicopter in the south in less than a week.
In the east, a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed on Saturday, with both crew members killed. [ID:nSP234809] (Additional reporting by Saeed Ali Achakzai in CHAMAN, Sharafuddin Sharafyar in HERAT, Sayed Salahuddin, Hamid Shalizi and Jonathon Burch in Kabul; Editing by Diana Abdallah)
Friday, July 03, 2009
US puts sanctions on Iraq Shiite group, Iran adviser
Thu Jul 2, 2:20 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States imposed financial sanctions Thursday on an adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a Iraq-based Shiite group Kata'ib Hezbollah, branded a foreign terrorist outfit.
The US Treasury Department said it froze the assets of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an adviser to the commander of Iran's Qods Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Shiite "extremist" group Kata'ib Hezbollah for being a security threat in Iraq.
Al-Muhandis was identified also with 19 aliases.
The IRGC was accused of providing material support to various militant groups -- Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command.
Further, the IRGC-Qods Force provided "lethal support to Kata'ib Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shia militia groups who target and kill" US or Coalition troops and Iraqi security forces, a Treasury statement said.
The IRGC-Qods Force was named a "specially designated global terrorist" group by the Treasury Department in 2007.
The State Department also on Thursday designated Kata'ib Hizballah a "foreign terrorist organization" for allegedly "committing or posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism."
"Al-Muhandis and Kata'ib Hezbollah have committed, directed, supported, or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces," the statement said.
Between March 2007 and June 2008, Baghdad-based Kata'ib Hezbollah members participated in multiple rocket-propelled grenade and improvised rocket-assisted mortar attacks against US forces, it said.
It alleged that Kata'ib Hezbollah was funded by the IRGC-Qods Force and received weapons training and support from Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
In one instance, the statement said, Hezbollah provided training to Kata'ib Hezbollah members in Iran.
The Treasury sanctions came under under an executive order targeting insurgent and militia groups and their supporters.
"These designations play a critical role in our efforts to protect coalition troops, Iraqi security forces, and civilians from those who use violence against innocents to intimidate and to undermine a free and prosperous Iraq," said Stuart Levey, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States imposed financial sanctions Thursday on an adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a Iraq-based Shiite group Kata'ib Hezbollah, branded a foreign terrorist outfit.
The US Treasury Department said it froze the assets of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an adviser to the commander of Iran's Qods Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Shiite "extremist" group Kata'ib Hezbollah for being a security threat in Iraq.
Al-Muhandis was identified also with 19 aliases.
The IRGC was accused of providing material support to various militant groups -- Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command.
Further, the IRGC-Qods Force provided "lethal support to Kata'ib Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shia militia groups who target and kill" US or Coalition troops and Iraqi security forces, a Treasury statement said.
The IRGC-Qods Force was named a "specially designated global terrorist" group by the Treasury Department in 2007.
The State Department also on Thursday designated Kata'ib Hizballah a "foreign terrorist organization" for allegedly "committing or posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism."
"Al-Muhandis and Kata'ib Hezbollah have committed, directed, supported, or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces," the statement said.
Between March 2007 and June 2008, Baghdad-based Kata'ib Hezbollah members participated in multiple rocket-propelled grenade and improvised rocket-assisted mortar attacks against US forces, it said.
It alleged that Kata'ib Hezbollah was funded by the IRGC-Qods Force and received weapons training and support from Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
In one instance, the statement said, Hezbollah provided training to Kata'ib Hezbollah members in Iran.
The Treasury sanctions came under under an executive order targeting insurgent and militia groups and their supporters.
"These designations play a critical role in our efforts to protect coalition troops, Iraqi security forces, and civilians from those who use violence against innocents to intimidate and to undermine a free and prosperous Iraq," said Stuart Levey, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
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