Middle East

VOA reports that on May 15, ‘Clashes in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad’s Sadr City district have left at least seven people dead, despite a deal aimed at ending the bloodshed. Iraqi officials said Thursday the fighting between Iraqi security forces and Shi’ite militants loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr broke out overnight and in the […]

No sooner had the truce between the Mahdi Army and the US & Iraqi military been signed than it appeared to break down. Clashes broke out Monday night into Tuesday morning between the Mahdi Army militiamen and US troops, leaving 11 Iraqis dead and 20 wounded. The militia also targeted some government ministries with mortar […]

The Mosul operation came so unexpectedly for residents of the major northern city that they did not have time to stock up on food. Alexandra Zavis interviews Mosulis who say that they have been living in fear. What is odd is that we weren’t having these stories of living in fear in Mosul 2 months […]

The al-Maliki government and the Sadrists pulled back from the brink in Sadr City on Saturday. PM Nuri al-Maliki had demanded that the Mahdi Army militia that serves as the Sadrist paramilitary give up its arms and dissolve itself. The compromise simply states that the Iraqi security forces would be allowed in to Sadr City […]

AFP reports, “25 killed as Rockets Shatter Basra Calm.” Shiite guerrillas fired a barrage of rockets at the British base out at the airport in Basra, killing two civilians. There was retaliatory fighting in Basra that left more dead. Tina Susman of the LAT has some fun with the Bush administration’s fixation on Iran as […]

The USC Open Source Center translates a statement by a Sunni Salafi cleric in Kuwait that allows that some Arab Shiites in Iraq are “honorable” but not those allied with Iran. Kuwaiti Shaykh Differentiates Between Iraqi Shia Supporting, Opposing IranJihadist Websites — OSC SummaryWednesday, May 7, 2008 . . . Terrorism: Kuwaiti Shaykh Differentiates Between […]

The killing of a US soldier in al-Anbar province by Iraqi guerrillas was announced on Wednesday morning. The Scotsman reports: ‘ IRAQI soldiers yesterday detained dozens of policemen and closed down a hospital suspected of treating Shiite militiamen in a Baghdad stronghold of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. ‘ It doesn’t seem to me like […]

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has caused a firestorm of criticism in Iran. AFP writes: ‘ In his speech, Khatami referred to the ambition of Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to export the 1979 Islamic revolution around the world, but expressed fear this wish was being distorted. “What did the imam (Khomeini) mean by […]

The USG Open Source Center translates a discussion on al-Arabiya’s Panorama program about Iranian intervention in Iraq. May 5, 2008 Monday Al-Arabiya discusses Iraq government, Al-Sadr Trend criticism of Iran role [“Panorama” programme moderated by Muntaha al-Ramahi discusses Iran’s intervention in Iraq, the Iraqi Government’s escalatory tone against Iran, Al-Sadr Trend’s criticism of Iran – […]