Turkish war planes attacked targets inside Iraq again on Wednesday, only days after the Turkish military withdrew ground troops after a major incursion. Reuters says: ‘n Iraqi border guard official said Turkish aircraft struck a village in the Amadiya area close to the Turkish border on Tuesday evening. There were no reports of casualties. At […]
Sadrists Demand Release of al-Zamili; More Schisms among Sadrists
A three-judge panel in Iraq acquitted Hakim al-Zamili, a former deputy health minister, and Brigadier General Hamid al-Shammari, the chief of the health ministry’s security forces, of the charges of murder, kidnapping, and embezzlement. The judges ruled that no compelling evidence had been presented of the charges against al-Zamili. Critics of the process complained that […]
Iranian Daily Sees ties consolidating between Iran, Iraq
The USG Open Source Center translates an Iranian op-ed on the significance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Iraq. Daily sees ties consolidating between Iran, Iraq, urges unityResalat (Internet Version-WWW)Monday, March 3, 2008 . . .Document Type: OSC Translated Text Daily sees ties consolidating between Iran, Iraq, urges unity Iran press: Daily sees ties consolidating […]
26 Killed in 2 Baghdad Bombings; Ahmadinejad calls for US Withdrawal; Public Rues Economic Cost of Iraq War
Som 92 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of independents are opposed to the Iraq War, which cannot be good news for John McCain, who has tied his campaign to staying in Iraq. Peter Slevin of WaPo argues that the public is now understanding the Iraq War in terms of other issues, especially the economy. […]
Ahmadinejad in Baghdad, Day II
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began the second day of his state visit to Iraq on Monday. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called Iran’s stance toward Iraq “helpful,” contradicting his American allies. The entire love fest of Ahmadinejad’s visit underscores how George W. Bush has inadvertently opened the Iranian sluice gates. Iran is the regional victor in […]
Ahmadinejad in Baghdad; Iraqi Death Toll up 33% in February; Sadrists Protest Veto of Provinces Law
The Iraqi civilian death toll was up 33% in February over January. AFP says, “The combined figures from the interior, defence and health ministries showed that the total number of Iraqis killed in February was 721, including 636 civilians, compared with 541 dead in January.” Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Baghdad on Sunday […]
Walleser Guest Editorial on Imperilled US Allies among the 4 Million Iraqi Refugees
ON MERCY AND REDRESS Matthew Walleser There have been over four million Iraqis displaced because of the war and its effects, both inside and outside Iraq. They have fled to destinations that span the far reaches of the globe, from Jordan to Sweden, and many places in between. Some of those who have fled have […]
Fact Check on McCain and Political Progress in Iraq
John McCain has been running mainly against Barack Obama in recent days, and has been running on the successes he says that the Iraqi government has racked up. McCain (and the US corporate media) manages to avoid noticing that Turkey has staged a major incursion into Iraq and still has ground troops there and is […]
Burke’s Peerage: Queen Elizabeth II Descended from the Prophet Muhammad
I was surprised that the writers of comments over at Salon.com did not know the below. It is common knowledge to anyone interested in genealogy. I know that it is hard for people invested in a hard East/ West dichotomy to imagine that the icon of Western civilization, the British royal family, has Arab Muslim […]