Iraq War News
Iraq's insurgents grow proficient in violence: "Washington - By key measures of the level of insurgent violence against American forces in Iraq - numbers of dead, wounded and insurgent attacks - the situation has grown worse since summer. While tho...




[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Parliament deadlock delays approval on extended SKorean mission in Iraq: "Photo: AFP SEOUL (AFP) - Opposition lawmakers put up a human wall in parliament, delaying approval to extend the deployment of South Korean troops in Iraq. Praliamentary work was paralized when doze...




[in AFP via Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Schofield Soldiers Return From Iraq: "WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Oahu, Hawaii -- More than 100 Schofield Barracks soldiers returned Thursday morning from a nearly yearlong deployment to Iraq.




[in The Hawaii Channel]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Militants warn Iraqis to shun elections: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Three militant groups released a statement saying democracy is un-Islamic and warned Iraqis that if they vote in Jan. 30 elections they risk being attacked."

In Modesto Bee: Iraq



1ST ID SOLDIERS DETAIN 49 SUSPECTS DURING OPERATION POWDER RIVER in CENTCOM: News Release



City Plans a Texas-Size Send-Off for Guard Troops Headed to Iraq: "WACO, Texas â?? Not far from the ranch where President Bush is spending the holidays, the impact of the war in Iraq is being driven home in this city of 113,000."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas: "US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas KABUL, Dec 25 (AFP) - "There but for the grace of God go I," is a common refrain among US troops stationed in Afghanistan for ...




[in General Sources]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Rebels attack Iraqi security forces: "BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents launched multiple attacks on Iraqi police across the dangerous Sunni Triangle on Tuesday, killing 24 people -- including 19 policemen -- a day after the major Sunni Muslim ...




[in Casper Star Tribune]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraq needs $55 billion for reconstruction: "DUBAI - Iraq has estimated a cost of approximately $55 billion for the reconstruction of the country for 2005-2007, said Dr Mehdi Hafedh, minister of planning and development cooperation and chairman ...




[in Business Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Mortar strike sets fire to Iraqi oil refinery: "Baghdad - A mortar strike set fire to Baghdad's Dura oil refinery on Thursday night, an interior ministry official said. Baghdad firefighters were struggling to put out the blaze and called for hel...




[in IOL]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Bush touts Iraqi election: "CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- President Bush on Wednesday denounced Osama bin Laden's call to boycott the Iraqi elections, saying the balloting offers a choice between free expression and a "dark vision of ...




[in Casper Star Tribune]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Turkish Truck Driver Killed In Iraq: "SAMARRA (AA) - A Turkish driver was killed in northern part of Iraq, sources said on Wednesday. The driver was killed in an ambush near Bidiyah town, south of Samarra. He could not be identified yet. ...




[in Turkish Press]"

In The US News: Iraq News



in

Iraq War News
in



Religious or secular government?: "Top Shiite Muslim leaders, who are expected to wield the most power after next month's parliamentary elections, are locked in a fierce dispute over whether the new Iraq should be a constitution-based democracy or an Iranian-style state in which clerics reign supreme."

In Kansas.com: Iraq



Iraq May Set Aside Seats for Sunnis: "CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Iraq's electoral commission is considering setting aside seats in the country's national assembly for Sunni Arab politicians and other




[in Washington Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraqis to stay on at bases: "AMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -American commanders are fully aware that Iraq's insurgents exploit their policy of employing locals on US military bases but insist the




[in Concord Monitor]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Two Terrorist Suspects Arrested in Irbil, Iraq: "Regarding intelligence that an Iraqi resistance group had ordered terrorist attacks on Korean troops stationed in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil, it has been




[in Chosun Ilbo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Luring Iraqis to polls rates as very tough task: "Full-page newspaper ads remind Iraqis that "divided we fall." Posters are plastered all around Iraq's streets, even on US Army concrete barriers, listing




[in AZ Central.com]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Bremer gets medal after Iraqi looting: "Paul Bremer, in charge of Iraq after Mission Accomplished, dismissed the entire Iraqi Batthist army that could have been used to guard and rebuild that country




[in Sun-Sentinel.com]"

In The US News: Iraq News



The Perfect Candidate for Iraq: "More than 100 slates of candidates are in the running, but I know whom Iraq voters' choice should be. Iraq is running out of its own politicians.




[in Common Dreams]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraqi police ambushed; U.S. launches new attack: "Baghdad, Iraq - U.S. forces launched a new offensive Wednesday against insurgents in an area south of the capital dubbed the "triangle of death," while militants ambushed an elite Iraqi police unit in...




[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News



New offensive launched south of Baghdad: "BAGHDAD, Iraq â?? U.S. forces launched a new offensive yesterday against insurgents in an area south of the capital after militants ambushed an elite Iraqi police unit in a Baghdad neighborhood kn...




[in The Seattle Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Dozens killed in Iraq clashes as two Lebanese kidnapped: "Click to enlarge BAGHDAD (AFP) - Pitched battles between US troops and Iraqi insurgents in strife-torn Mosul left at least 26 dead including one US soldier as two Lebanese businessmen were kidnapped...




[in AFP via Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas: "US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas KABUL, Dec 25 (AFP) - "There but for the grace of God go I," is a common refrain among US troops stationed in Afghanistan for ...




[in General Sources]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Zarqawi aide arrested: Baghdad: "December 30, 2004 US-led forces in Iraq have captured a senior member of the al-Qaeda-linked network led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi Government said today. Fadil Hussain Ahm...




[in The Australian]"

In The US News: Iraq News



in



U.S. Soldier Dies After Car Bomb Blast in Iraq: "MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier died in hospital Wednesday from wounds sustained in a car bomb attack on a patrol in the city of Mosul, the American military said on Thursday. Troops in Mosu...




[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Troops, Insurgents Clash In Mosul: "American troops and warplanes fought off insurgents launching and attack on a U.S. outpost in Mosul with a car bomb and explosives, the military said. At least 25 insurgents were said to be killed. One U.S. soldier died after the firefight."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

Iraq War News
Blast Kills 28 During Police Raid in Baghdad: "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A powerful blast destroyed a house in western Baghdad during an overnight raid by police, flattening several nearby buildings and killing at least 28 people including seven policem...




[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraq Govt. Mission: Luring Voters to Polls: "Print this story. BAGHDAD, Iraq - It seems like mission impossible: How will Iraq's interim government lure people to vote in the January election amid a deadly insurgency targeting polling stati...




[in Tuscaloosa News]"

In The US News: Iraq News



30 die as rebels hit Iraqi troops, cops: "An Iraqi man injured in a car-bomb explosion is brought into a hospital in Samarra on Tuesday. A suicide bomber detonated his car in the center of the city, wounding 10 people, including three childre...




[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News



KRAKOW, Poland (AP) A Polish woman held hostage in Iraq...: "KRAKOW, Poland (AP) A Polish woman held hostage in Iraq for nearly a month was terrified of being rescued by US troops because she believed any military-style




[in Boston Globe]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Speeches, Iraq could recast Bush's image: "That distinction, which pollsters and analysts blame on public discontent over the war in Iraq, comes as Bush begins drafting two major speeches that could




[in Houston Chronicle]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Uneasy agreement in fight over role of clerics in new Iraq: "BAGHDAD, Iraq â?? Top Shiite Muslim leaders, who are expected to wield the most power after next month's parliamentary elections, are locked in a dispute over whether the new Iraq should be a cons...




[in The Seattle Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Al-Zarqawi's Group Claims Iraq Attack: "In a statement posted on an internet web site, al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq said one of its members carried out the suicide attack near Abdel Aziz al-Hakim's office Monday that killed 15 people and w...




[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraq Signs First Postwar Oil Field Contract: "The ministry awarded last week the contract to develop Khormala Dome oil field, northwest of the Iraqi oil rich city of Kirkuk, to Britain's D.P.S, Turkey's Avrasya, and Iraq's K.A.R. (In a stor...




[in Morning Star]"

In The US News: Iraq News



A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq: "web sites ) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,187 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 931 deaths resulting from hostile action, ac...




[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Bin Laden Says Fighting in Iraq Muslims' Duty -- Web: "By Miral Fahmy DUBAI (Reuters) - An audio tape purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to wage holy war against U.S. forces and the government in Iraq, saying they would be c...




[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Claims Credit For Failed Assassination Attempt On Shiite Leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim: "

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist group, al-Qaida in Iraq formerly Tawhid and Jihad, has claimed credit for the failed assassination attempt on top Shiite leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim that killed 15 and wounded 50. The statement was posted to an internet website.

Yahoo/AP

The group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility Tuesday for the assassination attempt against the leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim party that killed and wounded dozens of people.

"On Monday morning, one of the lions of the martyrdom seekers brigades, belonging to the military wing of al-Qaida in Iraq launched an attack in order to wipe out one of the symbols of treason for the Americans," the statement said.

It added that "We tell you Hakim that if one arrow missed you we have many more arrows."

Tipped by: Chad at In The Bullpen (Crossposted to The Jawa Report). Chad has more to say on this.

Originally posted at Diggers Realm

"

In Command Post: Irak



IRAQI SECURITY FORCES DEFEAT INSURGENT COORDINATED ATTACKS, MNF DETAINS 18 in CENTCOM: News Release



RESETTLEMENT UPDATE FOR FALLUJAH in CENTCOM: News Release

Iraq War News
Iraqi Judges Start Quizzing Saddam Aides (AP): "AP - Iraqi judges on Saturday started interrogating Saddam Hussein's former defense minister and the notorious general known as Chemical Ali, who is accused of gassing thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, the lead judge said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



'Chemical Ali' Opens New Stage in Iraq Trials (Reuters): "Reuters - Saddam Hussein's cousin and feared lieutenant Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," and former defense minister Sultan Hashem appeared before an investigating magistrate on Saturday, an Iraqi judge said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



Shiite poll showing raises Iraq concerns: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A resounding Shiite victory in next month's elections will bring Iraq closer to Tehran, forming a "Super Iran" that could change the face of the Middle East, critics say."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq



Sailor dies on Gulf patrol: "A sailor serving in Iraq has died while on patrol in the Gulf."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Iraqis Face Winter Shivering by Candlelight: "As if the daily struggle to dodgebullets and bombings is not enough, many Iraqis now face afreezing winter shivering by candlelight as persistent attackskeep the power out for more than 12 hours a day."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Saudi Oil Giant Says Maintaining High Security: "State-owned giant Saudi Aramco said onSaturday it remained "on alert at all times" to secure theworld's biggest oilfields, after Osama bin Laden urgedmilitants to attack Iraqi and Gulf oil facilities."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Officer arraigned in Iraq killing case: "By David Rising, Associated Press | December 18, 2004. BERLIN -- An Army officer was arraigned yesterday on charges of dereliction




[in Boston Globe]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Tareq Aziz ages in Iraqi jail: "counsel. Aziz, who studied English literature and briefly worked as a journalist, was born in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.




[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraqis win death test case probe: "The families' lawyer said failing to adequately investigate had breached the Iraqis' human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.




[in BBC News]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraqi rebels kill 3 foreigners: "Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents killed at least three foreigners on Friday in Mosul, a northern city that became a stronghold after Fallujah fell to U.S. and Iraqi forces. Militants also ...




[in Billings Gazette]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraqi woman killed at US checkpoint: "US soldiers have killed an Iraqi woman at a checkpoint in Kirkuk after the driver allegedly failed to stop as US contractors came under attack in Baiji.




[in Al-Jazeera.Net]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Embassy Identifies U.S. Man Held in Iraq: "The U.S. Embassy confirmed the name of an American kidnapped six weeks ago in a deadly attack in the Iraqi capital, and his family pleaded Friday for his release.




[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Turkish embassy guards killed in Iraq >: "Last Updated 18/12/2004, 17:21:41 Attackers in Iraq have killed at least four Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad.Turkish foreign ministry says they were killed near the north...




[in Radio Australia]"

In The US News: Iraq News



Iraq violence surges ahead of elections: "Several Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad, were killed in an armed attack in Mosul, as Iraq braced for new violence ahead of January's historic elections.




[in Turkish Press]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq War News
They won the battle, but their losses will haunt: "FALLUJAH, Iraq â?? 1st Lt. Edward Iwan was taking a welcome break. Resting in a parked Humvee, he scrolled down a flat blue computer screen, mounted to the dashboard."

In Kansas City Star: Iraq



Four UK staff killed in Iraq attack: "Four former Gurkha soldiers working for a British security firm have been killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad's Green Zone."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



U.N.: 3,000 Iran Kurds Cut Off From Aid (AP): "AP - Nearly 3,000 Iranian Kurds at a decades-old refugee camp in western Iraq have been left without police protection as residents and local security forces flee fighting in the area, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



Insurgents at Fallujah claim to have Regrouped: "

From The Australian :

Insurgents in Fallujah have claimed in a statement that they have reorganised after a massive US-Iraqi onslaught against the rebel city and resumed their attacks.

â??After reorganising, the Mujahedeen resumed their attacks Wednesday with the aim of shattering the myth of the invincibility of the coalition forces, and the traitors and collaborators who are under the orders of Allawi and Naqib.â??
[â?¦]
Fridayâ??s Mujahedeen statement, posted on an Islamist website (www.al-moharer.net), claimed that clashes took place in northern Fallujah in recent days.

â??The Mujahedeen will teach a memorable lesson to the collaborators who sold Iraq and prove to Arab regimes that only the language of guns and martyrs makes a difference,â?? it said.

Historically, whenever one side talks about the â??Myth of Invincibilityâ?? of the other, it means theyâ??ve suffered nothing but an unending series of military catastrophes so far.

(Enemy Bluster)"

In Command Post: Irak



Top general thanks troops in Afghanistan: "Gen. John Abizaid pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and took his place behind a counter to serve steaming Thanksgiving food to U.S. troops Thursday. (USATODAY.com)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US troops find at least 12 more bodies in Mosul (AFP): "AFP - At least 12 more bodies were found by US troops fighting insurgents in Mosul, bringing to 40 the number of grim discoveries in the northern city over the past week."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



Iraqi PM Allawi to visit Germany for Schroeder talks (AFP): "AFP - Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is to visit Germany next week for talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



IRAQ: IRCS delivered aid to Fallujah: "BAGHDAD, 26 Nov 2004 (IRIN) - After more than two weeks of conflict inside Fallujah, 60km from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the Iraq Red Crescent Society (IRCS) delivered aid to the heart of the city on Thursday."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis

Iraq Today
RAF jets escort Pakistan airliner: "Two RAF fighter planes were scrambled to escort a passenger jet towards a British airport after the jumbo's crew repeatedly failed to contact air traffic controllers."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Bounties Offered on Americans in Iraq: "A portly Shiite cleric, Abu Qusai sheds his black robe for a training suit and exchanges his white turban for a baseball cap, an effort to mask his identity for a risky trip through what has become known as the "triangle of death." (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Site: Zarqawi Group Beheads Two Iraqi Soldiers: "The group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musabal-Zarqawi said it beheaded two Iraqi soldiers in broaddaylight in Mosul, a statement found on an Islamist Web site onFriday said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Grim, Angry Rites as Falluja Buries Its Dead: "The urban battlefield of Fallujais disgorging its dead. Slowly. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Site: Zarqawi Group Beheads Two Iraqi Soldiers (Reuters): "Reuters - The group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it beheaded two Iraqi soldiers in broad daylight in Mosul, a statement found on an Islamist Web site on Friday said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



French "Expert" condemns US "State Terrorism": "

From Islam Online :

Washington will win the military battle in the western Iraqi city of Fallujah but its strategic looses[sic] will certainly outweigh such a victory, said a French strategic expert.

Branding the US practices against the Fallujah residents as â??state terrorism,â?? Pascal Boniface, Director of the Institute for International and Strategic Studies [sic] in Paris, expected the onslaught to further fan anti-US feelings in the entire Islamic world.

Addressing a seminar organized by the Arab World Institute on Wednesday, November 17, Boniface said the cold-blooded killing of an unarmed, wounded Iraqi by a US soldiers in a Fallujah mosques was not an isolated incident.

He said the murder as well as the prisoners abuses in the infamous Abu Ghreib and Guantanamo Bay detentions demonstrate an established policy and doctrine.
[â?¦]
The French expert described the Fallujah offensive as a â?? strategic lossâ?? for the Bush administration.

The Americans would undoubtedly win the fighting but they would strategically lose the battle as they did with the Iraq invasion, Boniface said.
[â?¦]
The French expert considered the Fallujah operation as a new proof of American troubles in the Iraqis quagmire.

He refuted American allegations that the offensive was to eliminate terrorists from the city.

Boniface expected the onslaught to fan the already spiraling anti-US sentiments across Arab and Muslim countries and create more generations of those described by Washington as terrorists, not only in Iraq but in other parts of the world.

He added that the operation also killed stone dead the legitimacy of the planned January elections and its outcome.

The interim government lost credibility among Iraqis and Arabs who see it as a puppet in the hands of the US occupation forces, said the French expert.
[â?¦]
Boniface hailed Arab popular reaction to the Fallujah offensive.

He said that despite the absence of democracy and political pressure groups, the Arab public opinion is turning into a mighty force interacting with developments in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

The French expert noted that the emerging force of the public opinion, motivated by the Arab satellite channels, is now seen by the west and the Americans as the official spokesman of the Arab world.

The well-connected Paris-based IRIS (Institute for International and Strategic Relations) is not to be confused with the highly regarded IISS, (International Institute for Strategic Studies).

(Axis of Weasels)"

In Command Post: Irak



Al Zaquawi HQ an Intelligence Windfall: "

Elaborating on a previous post, from Middle East Online :

The US-led assault on Fallujah has â??broken the back of the insurgencyâ?? in Iraq by taking away its safe haven, scattering operatives and disrupting their command networks, the top US marine commander in Iraq said.

Lieutenant General John Sattler said the city was secure 11 days after the start of Operation Dawn, but not safe. Heavy fighting was still erupting in some quarters of the city as marines and Iraqi troops clear buildings of holdouts.

â??Based on some of the records and ledgers weâ??ve been able to uncover, we feel right now that we have â?¦ broken the back of the insurgency and weâ??ve taken away the safe haven,â?? Sattler said.

The offensive would force the insurgents to set up operations in less familiar areas with untested allies, he added.

(Intelligence Reports)"

In Command Post: Irak



US Marine, Iraqi Soldier Killed in Fallujah: "

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

The marine and soldier died during continuing mop-up operations in the former insurgent bastion, raising the coalition toll in the fighting to retake the city to 51 US dead and eight Iraqis, the top US Marine commander there said.

US-led troops continued to engage in sporadic battles against rebels in Fallujah after launching a major assault to wrest the Sunni Muslim city west of Baghdad from insurgents 10 days ago.
[â?¦]
Iraqi volunteers and US troops were able to clear 24 corpses from the battered city and evacuate five civilians.

The Iraqi Red Crescent said 150 families remained stranded.

From the New York Times :

The Department of Defense has identified 1,212 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the deaths of the following Americans this week:

HEFLIN, Christopher T., 26, Sgt., Marines; Paducah, Ky.; First Marine Division.

QUALLS, Louis W., 20, Lance Cpl., Temple, Tex.; Fourth Marine Division.

WULLENWABER, Luke C., 24, First Lt., Army; Lewiston, Idaho; Second Infantry Division.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak



Marine Intelligence Report warns against Premature Withdrawal: "

From The Age :

Senior US marine intelligence officers in Iraq are warning that insurgents will rebound from their defeat if planned cuts to US troop levels in Fallujah go ahead.

The rebels could thwart retraining of Iraqi security forces, intimidate local residents and derail January elections, the officers say.

They fear that despite the insurgentsâ?? heavy casualties in the week-long Fallujah battle, their numbers will continue to grow, there will be further guerilla attacks and fighters will foment unrest among Fallujahâ??s returning residents, using the idea that expectations for better conditions have not been met.

The warning is contained in a classified report prepared by intelligence officers in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force last weekend as the Fallujah offensive was winding down. The leaked assessment was distributed to senior officers in Iraq, where one called it â??brutally honestâ??.
[â?¦]
The intelligence assessment offers a stark counterpoint to more positive assessments by military chiefs in the wake of the Fallujah operation, which they say completed its goals well ahead of schedule and with fewer Iraqi civilian and US casualties than expected.

Senior military officers in Iraq and Washington who have read the report cautioned that the assessment was a subjective judgement by some marine intelligence officers near the front lines and did not reflect the views of all intelligence officials and senior commanders in Iraq.

â??The assessment of the enemy is a worst-case assessment,â?? the senior military intelligence officer in Iraq, Brigadier-General John DeFreitas, said.

â??We have no intention of creating a vacuum and walking away from Fallujah.â??

A senior officer in Washington said the view from the tactical intelligence level had generally been more pessimistic than that from officers at the strategic level.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak



French Casualties in Iraq: "

From the BBC :

Three Frenchmen have died fighting with insurgents against US-led troops in Iraq, reports say.

The men, all of Arab origin, were killed in the country over recent months as the insurgency has flared.

Two of the men were aged 19 and the third was 24 years old, a French official said.

Authorities estimate that around a dozen Frenchmen of North African or Arab background have travelled to Iraq to join the insurgency.

The men were identified as

• 24-year-old Tarek W, from Paris, killed on 17 September

• 19-year-old Redouane el-Hakim, killed on 17 July

• Abdel Halim Badjoudj, 19, killed on 20 October.

Note that a handful of Australians, Britons and Americans were caught fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.

(Axis of Weasels)"

In Command Post: Irak



Al Sadr Aide, 104 Others Arrested: "

From the AFP via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

Iraqi police have arrested a senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr in the southern city of Najaf.

â??Sheikh Hashem Abu Raghif was arrested at his home Wednesday night after detainees were forced to confess that he had ordered torture against prisoners detained by the Sadr movement,â?? Sheikh Ali Smeism said.

Before it was ousted from Najaf after an August offensive led by the US army, the Sadr movement had established its own tribunals and jails in the holy city.

Meanwhile Iraqi police and national guards have detained more than 100 suspected militants in raids around Haifa Street, a rebellious Sunni Muslim stronghold in Baghdad.

In all 104 people were arrested, including nine who were suspected of having escaped from the US-led offensive against the rebel city of Fallujah over the past 10 days.

(Torture)"

In Command Post: Irak



Marine to stand court-martial in slaying of his alleged lover: "The court-martial of a Marine accused of killing a married woman with whom he allegedly had an affair is scheduled to begin Nov. 29."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq



Al-Zarqawi command centre found: "US troops sweeping through Fallujah found what appeared to be a command centre used by followers of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as a general declared the battle for the city had "broken the back of the insurgency"."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Bodies of 4 Iraqis flown to US for autopsy--victims of videotape shooting? in IraqWar.info



Militants Try to Stir Arab-Kurd Violence (AP): "AP - Insurgents battling U.S. and Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul have been trying to drag the Kurdish minority into their fight and set off a sectarian war, Kurdish and Arab officials say."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



Marine commander shows pictures of insurgent weapons, hideouts in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror



Gehanna is Burning: "Smoke rises continually from the acres of garbage that fill the river bend in the Green Zone, US occupation headquarters, across the Tigris from our apartment. Apparently, with the security risks of dozens of garbage trucks entering and departing the Green Zone daily, someone decided to dump it all along the river, outside the concrete walls. It must be like the constantly burning â??Gehennaâ?? or hell that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. My memory is that Gehenna is an image of the valley below Jerusalem where the garbage was dumped and burned."

In Electronic Iraq



The Streets of Baghdad: "We had our daily car bomb today when a suicide bomber drove his car into a US patrol as it passed near the Yarmouk police station. Several Iraqis were killed, with no report yet on US casualties. I felt the rumble even though I was on a street far away from the blast-at least 5 miles distant. Walking and driving on the streets Baghdad I find myself in a sea of chaos. Traffic is mayhem for many reasons. The current fuel crisis being the lead cause. Lines at petrol stations stretch for miles at some of the stations. A common scene at these lines is that of people pushing their cars because they are already out of gas or to save what precious little may be left in their tank."

In Electronic Iraq

Iraq War News
31 U.S. Troops Killed So Far in Fallujah: "The weeklong U.S. offensive to retake the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah has claimed the lives of 31 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers, a U.S. general said Sunday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Falluja Residents Desperate for Food, Water, Aid: "No food. No water. No help. Asfierce fighting casts a pall of smoke over the rubble-strewnIraqi city of Falluja, thousands of Iraqi families remain cutoff from desperately needed supplies. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Bradley crew's shift: 19 hours in Fallujah shooting gallery (Chicago Tribune): "Chicago Tribune - After nearly 18 hours in the claustrophobic urban canyons that constitute the front lines of the battle for Fallujah, the crew of the lead Bradley Fighting Vehicle was cramped, weary and low on ammunition."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq



6 Kurdish Militia Killed, 2 ING Slaughtered: "

From the New York Times :

In Mosul, 225 miles north of the capital, sporadic fighting erupted Saturday, but clashes were smaller than on Thursday, when groups of insurgents overran at least a half-dozen police stations, said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings, a spokesman for Task Force Olympia, assigned to control the northern region. Hundreds of policemen fled the guerrillas that day, and the Iraqi government fired the cityâ??s police chief on Friday.

Mosul has sizable numbers of Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Christians, and ethnic tensions have run high since the Americans invaded Iraq. It is clear that the Sunni Arabs are leading the insurgency here, while the Kurds and Christians are more sympathetic to the American forces.

A car bomb exploded next to a Kurdish patrol in the afternoon, killing at least six militiamen, witnesses said. The cityâ??s health bureau said that at least 25 people were killed and 62 wounded in violence on Thursday and Friday, though it was unknown how many of them were civilians and how many were guerrillas.

It is clear that the American-led forces were taken by surprise by the magnitude of the uprising. The Stryker Brigade, a light-armored mechanized unit based in Mosul, had to recall a battalion from the fighting in Falluja. The Iraqi government ordered four battalions of national guardsmen, all Kurds, to the city.

Up to 500 insurgents, far more than American and Iraqi intelligence had predicted, carried out the first big wave of attacks on police stations on Thursday by working in groups of 15 to 50, Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the Stryker Brigade, said in a telephone interview late Friday.

The general said he believed that the insurgency was being organized by former members of Saddam Husseinâ??s security forces.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry appointed a new police chief in Mosul on Saturday, and police officers were returning to the stations, some of which had been set afire, Colonel Hastings said. But the police were being confined to security duties at six sites, he added, because American soldiers might not be able to tell the real police from insurgents who could be roaming the city in stolen police uniforms or body armor.

In Al Wehda, a neighborhood of Mosul, insurgents slit the throats of two Iraqi National Guardsmen in the street, witnesses said.

â??When I was driving back to my house, I saw a huge gathering of people, so I stopped the car and went to see what was the matter,â?? said Muhammad Hazim, a resident. â??I saw a number of insurgents holding two Iraqi National Guard soldiers and reading a statement calling them traitors and collaborators with the enemy, and then they slaughtered them by slitting their throats and yelling, â??God is great!â?? â??

General Ham, the commander in Mosul, said the performance of the Iraqi policemen on Thursday had been â??very disappointing.â?? While raiding six or seven of the cityâ??s 33 police stations, the insurgents made off with up to 40 police vehicles, hundreds of weapons, handheld radios, computers, telephones, police uniforms and body armor.

(Mosul)"

In Command Post: Irak



US Soldier Killed in Baghdad: "

From the Times-Reporter :

The American military said that a U.S. soldier in Baghdad was killed by â??indirect fire,â?? probably referring to a mortar or rocket attack.

(Combat)"

In Command Post: Irak



For Iraqi Leader, Political Risks of Attack on Falluja Grow: "Rising public denunciation of the invasion of Falluja by prominent Iraqi groups has put Ayad Allawi's political support at risk when he needs it most."

In New York Times: World Special



Military hails attacks...Bridge to reopen....Palestinians move on in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror



Police chief says terror attacks have been thwarted in U-K in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror



Commander says U-S ground assault on Fallujah goes quicker than expected in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror



Fallujah offensive 'ahead of schedule': "The U.S. military's ground and air assault of Fallujah has gone quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski said Sunday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Weary GI's Endure Relentless Combat: "

From the Chicago Tribune :

Jump out. Kick in door. Spray machine-gun fire. Run to rooftop. Kill enemy. Jump back into armored vehicle. Move to new location.

Repeat.

So goes the battle for Fallujah as experienced Friday by the exhausted and bewildered soldiers of the 3rd Brigade of the Armyâ??s 1st Infantry Division. Flanked by Marines, the bleary-eyed troops led the southern push to corner die-hard Sunni Muslim insurgents who were the last obstacles to full American control of the city.

(Media Bias)"

In Command Post: Irak



U.S. Says Aid Convoy Can't Go Into Falluja Today: "An Iraqi Red Crescent aid convoywaiting at the edge of Falluja will not be allowed to enter thecity center on Sunday, a U.S. Marine officer said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Fallujah falls...Body found...Elephants run amok in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror



Body of Western woman found: "US Marines have found the mutilated body of what they believe was a Western woman during a sweep of a street in central Fallujah."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Fallujah's Chamber of Horrors: "

From the AFP via The Australian :

The body of a woman in her 60s, with her legs and arms cut off and throat slit was found today in the city of Fallujah but it was unclear whether she was a foreigner or an Iraqi, marines said.

The discovery was made as the marines moved through the south of Fallujah, hunting out the remaining die-hard rebels after a week of fierce fighting to regain control of the city.

An AFP photographer embedded with the marines said the woman had grey hair, was wearing a blue dress and her face was completely disfigured.

The marines said she appeared to have been on the street for about two days.

Sweeps of rubble-strewn neighbourhoods in Fallujah have already uncovered a grisly underworld of hostage slaughterhouses, prisons and torture chambers as well as the corpses of Iraqis who had been executed, marines say.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak



3 Marines Die in Mined Building: "

From the AFP via The Australian :

Three Marines were killed yesterday by an explosion as they entered a booby-trapped building in central Fallujah, while another 13 were wounded in a firefight nearby, a marine officer told AFP today.

Of the 13, ten were seriously injured in the gun battle just south of the main road that cuts through the centre of the Sunni Muslim bastion, the officer said.

The latest deaths bring to at least 25 the number of US troops who have been killed in the fight for Fallujah, which was launched on Monday. Five Iraqi soldiers have also died along with more than 1000 rebels.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak



Marines Tackle Last Redoubt: "

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Resistance has dwindled in the last rebel redoubt in Fallujah, US officers said, but explosions still shook the smoke-wreathed city as an Iraqi Red Crescent convoy waited nearby to distribute relief.

â??Two days ago they were coming out and fighting us. Last night they were running. It looks like we are about to break their will,â?? Captain Robert Bodisch, a US tank company commander, told Reuters. â??I donâ??t think it will be long now.â??

Fighting was focused mainly on the Shuhada district, viewed by US forces as a stronghold for foreign fighters led by Jordanian Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

But a Reuters reporter with the Red Crescent convoy at Fallujahâ??s main hospital by the Euphrates river on the western edge of the city said explosions had been sending up plumes of smoke in central and southern areas since 6:00am (local time).

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak