Archives for June 2004

National Congress Planned; Muqtada Invited Chalabi mediates with Kurds Al-Hayat: On Sunday, the preparatory board met to begin planning a national congress of 1000 notables, politicians, religious leaders and tribal sheikhs to be held in July. It will involve twenty members of the old Interim Governing Council, including Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Muhammadawi, against whom an […]

Thousands of Indian Shiites Protest US Policies in Iraq Thousands of Indian Shiites came out into the streets of New Delhi Sunday to protest harsh US policies in Iraq and to demand that the United Nations take the leading role in putting the country back on its feet. They were supported by Hindu friends. The […]

Controversy at UC Irvine over Muslim Witness to Faith The Orange County Register reports a controversy over graduation ceremonies at the University of California Irvine, where 11 Muslim students had been planning to wear green stoles with Islamic inscriptions over their robes. One side would say “Lord, increase my knowledge.” The other would have the […]

3 Wounded by Bomb at Central Bank; 22 Guerrillas Die in Fallujah Bombing Guerrillas detonated a bomb outside Iraq’s central bank in Baghdad on Sunday, wounding 2 employees and a guard. Guerrillas blew up another bomb in a crowded market in Baghdad on Sunday, injuring at least 5. Fighting continued near the eastern city of […]

Pepe Escobar’s interview with me on Iraq at the Asia Times is available online. An excerpt: ATol: Let’s start with the credibility of the Iraqi caretaker government vis-a-vis the Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds, more than vis-a-vis the US and the UN. Virtually everyone in the Sunni triangle and also in the Shi’ite south used to […]

One US Soldier Killed, 3 Injured along with Contractor AP reports that guerrillas set off a roadide bomb in the Kamalaya district of Baghdad, after which snipers on rooftops fired at US troops, wounding three. The latter returned fire, inflicting some casualties on the guerrillas. Later in the day, guerrillas fired six mortar shells into […]

Destruction of Key Bridge Halts Southern Rails Muqtada Aide Declares East Baghdad an American no-go Zone Ash-Sharq al-Awsat: Guerillas blew up a key bridge just south of Baghdad Friday, halting rail traffic to four southern provinces from the capital, including Hilla, Amara, Nasiriyah, and Basra. Meanwhile, the port of Basra was unable to export any […]

Iraqi Impotence in Every Sense Viagra importation and use is way up in Iraq. Pharmacists say that the violence and tension has reduced Iraqi libido, so more men need help to get interested in sex. The pills are being smuggled or imported. The psycho-biological effects of national crisis are increasingly easy to trace in this […]

42 Killed, 138 Wounded in 3 Thursday Bombings Coalition Soldier Among Dead The LA Times reports that guerrillas detonated two enormous bombs in Iraq on Thursday. A suicide bomber blew up an Iraqi army recruitment office in downtown Baghdad. He killed 35 Iraqis and injured 138, according to Baghdad health authorities. Later on Thursday, a […]