Middle East

Parliament Building Shelled Iraqi Military Makes Plans for If the US Suddenly Decamps Gulf States Fear Iraqi Violence Guerrilla mortar shells hit the Iraqi parliament building on Monday. The air in the chamber filled with dust, but there were no casualties. Reuters reports large numbers of bombings and attacks around the country, which on Monday […]

The Incredible Vanishing Iraqi Political Leadership: Al-Hakim to Iran, Talabani to US Abdul Aziz al-Hakim has chosen to seek chemotherapy for his lung cancer in Iran rather than in the US. His condition was confirmed during a visit to a hospital in Houston this weekend. He is likely to be absent from Iraq in Iran […]

The Beginning of the End of Anglo-American Iraq Incoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will remove all British troops from Iraq within two years (before the next election) as a way of gaining back the trust of Labour voters, according to The Scotsman. Since petroleum supply trucks come up from Kuwait and Basra to Baghdad […]

8 US GIs Killed 16 Shiite Kurds Massacred Suhail: Iraq has 3 million widows *8 US troops were announced killed in Iraq on Saturday. British forces on Saturday arrested Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji as he was trying to leave Iraq via Basra airport. He had been for some months the Sadrist Friday prayer leader in Basra, […]

Oil Sabotage is “As Bad as Ever”: Shahristani 60 Dead in violence In an interview with Patrick Cockburn of the Independent, Iraq’s Oil Minister, Hussein Shahristani said that the sabotage of petroleum pipelines has interfered with the Iraqi economy and is “as bad as it has ever been.” He also revealed that Iraq exports only […]

200 Guerrillas Attack Mosul Police Truck Bombing Kills 45 (Chlorine?} Zebari rejects Pakistani Troops I don’t know if it was all hell, but a good deal of hell, a generous dollop of hell, broke loose in Iraq on Wednesday. Police found thirty bodies in the streets of Baghdad yesterday. I think we would all be […]

A Brief History of the Islamic State of Iraq The USG Open Source Center translates a history of the Islamic State of Iraq posted to a jihadi internet site. ‘ Forum Participant Posts Analysis, History, Objectives of Islamic State of IraqJihadist Websites — OSC SummaryTuesday, May 15, 2007 Terrorism: Forum Participant Posts Analysis, History, Objectives […]

Mahdi Army, Police Fight in Nasiriyah Fallon said to Oppose Iran Strike Serious fighting broke out Wednesday morning in the southern Shiite city of Nasiriyah, between local police and the miltiamen of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. Most local police forces are heavily infiltrated by the Badr Corps of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, so that […]

Jordanian Dailies on Cheney Visit Condemn Iran “Madness” The USG Open Source Center paraphrases the Jordanian newspapers on Cheney’s visit to Amman and talks with King Abdullah II. Note the insistence that the Arabs don’t want a conflict with Iran, contrary to what the American Right keeps suggesting. ‘ Jordan: Dailies on Cheney-King Talks, Jordan’s […]