Juan Cole

The Iraqi interim Interior Ministry announced that it has hired 1000 school guards to prevent the kidnapping of children and the holding of them for ranson. Lack of security has discouraged some families from sending children to school, especially girls. There has been a wave of such kidnappings in the past few months.

British representative in Iraq Jeremy Greenstock complained Thursday about Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq. He warned Iran to cease using them to interfere. He named the Badr Corps of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iran as “harmful” and as posing a threat to Coalition troops. SCIRI had announced that the Badr Corps would […]

Pessimistic Rumsfeld Memo Leaked Donald Rumsfeld sent a memo to four of his associates in the Department of Defense on October 16 that worried about how the US is doing in the war on terror. He admitted that there was little in the way of a measurement for progress, but worried that the US had […]

Guerrillas Kill 2 US troops, wound 10 Guerrillas killed two US troops at Kirkuk on Wednesday, according to al-Sharq al-Awsat; this report was not confirmed at press time by the US military. The paper also reported three US troops wounded at a Kurdish village, Laylan, near Kirkuk.. Guerrillas wounded 2 US soldiers in Baghdad with […]

Firefight in Najaf A group of armed men attacked the Najaf headquarters of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq at midnight Tues.-Weds. Four of six assailants were apprehened, and a spokseman for SCIRI said that they admitted to being Saddam loyalists. It was alleged in September that Baathists attempted to assassinate Ayatollah Hussein […]

Demonstration in Khalidiya Hundreds of protesters rallied on Wednesday in the Western Sunni city of Khalidiya, demanding that three women arrested by the Americans be released. AFP alleges that US soldiers went to their homes searching for their husbands, who are suspected in guerrilla attacks against US forces. The men had disappeared, so the soldiers […]

Arrest Warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr? The Guardian reports today that sources close to the Interim Governing Council say an arrest warrant is being prepared for fiery young Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. They say his organizing activities have come to be seen as a growing threat, and he will be charged in the murder of Majid […]

Demonstration in Fallujah The arrest of a senior prayer leader in Fallujah sparked a protest Wednesday by 100 religious and tribal leaders. AFP says they shouted “Death to Americans, their spies and collaborators” as they made their way to the government offices. It was a small demonstration, but if it is true that they were […]

Demonstration Tuesday in Karbala AP reports that a demonstration was held by followers of Muqtada al-Sadr in Karbala on Tuesday to protest the closing of the al-Mukhayyam Mosque and the arrest of numerous followers of Muqtada there. On Wednesday the Shiite party, al-Da`wa, issued a statement condemning the recent violence in Karbala and urging that […]