Summary: Main Storys translated from the Arabic Language pages of the independent Iraqi News Service Aswat al Iraq (Voices of Iraq) in Iraq on Friday Dec 15 2006

Al Sadr

Al Sadr's attempts to reach out to the Sunni continue apace and appear to be bearing fruit.

Diwaniya

Two Iraqi policemen were killed in Diwaniya.

Falluja

A bomb exploded targeting an Iraqi army patrol in al-Halabsa village west of Falluja their vehicle was destroyed there are known to be casualties.

Deloiya (Salah Adin)

U.S. invader forces raided several houses and took into captivity several citizens, an arms cache was discovered.

Hilla

Car bomb one civilian killed.

Basra

Gunmen "dressed in police uniform" killed Sheikh Mohsen al-Kanaan of Bani Tamim tribe and two of his escorts.

Baquba

Three people carrying Iranian nationality documents arrested for illegally entering Iraq.

Baghdad

Three U.S. invader army troops were killed and two others wounded in military operations in Anbar and Ninewa.

Most Important Story:

Al-Sadr Issues Statement Favour of Istanbul Conference: Sadrists Attend Meeting Basra Great Mosque Pledge To Protect Sunnis:

This is a very big story. The story is about Muqtada al-Sadr supporting the "Iraqi People's Support Conference" in Istanbul. This was the Sunni conference held in Istanbul yesterday and the day before. Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a statement supporting it. He said that it "supports our brothers [the Ahl ul-Sunna, the Sunni people - Ali]," and that his entire concern was for the success of meetings such as this of people whose aim is: "to extricate themselves from the grasp of the occupation and of the Baathists" He went on to say: "I will not accept the intervention of any country in the affairs of Iraq, and will continue to reject the occupation." He added that he was "ready to attend conferences in support of the Ahl ul-Sunna, those in support of the Shiites, or those in support of Iraq as a whole or indeed of any Islamic country" Aswat al Iraq's reporter then reminds the readers that the green zone government spokesman issued yesterday a statement in which he (Ali al-Dabbagh) condemned the Turks for hosting such a conference which he described in these terms: "This conference currently held in a neighbouring country sends a wrong message to Iraq that is translated into acts of violence inside the country," Ali al-Dabbagh, the "government" spokesman went on to say this: "Such conferences are against the Iraqi people," and said that the neighbouring countries should refrain from holding such conferences.[You can read an English language account of this on the Aswat al Iraq English pages here - Ali] Muqtada al-Sadr also called in his statement for unity and the closing of ranks, saying that our only weapon against weapon power was that we Muslims unite.He added that he was innocent of shedding Muslim blood and that were he qualified to issue fatwahs he would "If I were a scholar qualified to issue fatwas, I would without hesitation ban the killing of our brothers [the Ahl ul-Sunna -Ali] in Iraq or outside of Iraq" and that whomsoever does that is "the enemy of God and His Prophet and his family until the Day of Judgment." The original URL of the story is here. There is a second much later story which you will find here that deals with the meeting in that was held today in the great mosque of Basra of clerics, and tribal leaders from both the Sunni and Shiite communities. The meeting was attended by a delegation representingMuqtada al-Sadr. The Sadrist delegates pledged to protect all members of the Ahl ul-Sunna. Amongst the others attending were members of:

• The Iraqi Islamic Party.
• The Association of Muslim Scholars.
• Various Sunni delegations.
• The Association of Islamic unity.

These "seized the opportunity" to reiterate their ban on belonging to takfiri and terrorist organisations, the spilling of blood, and their demand that the tombs of the Imams [in Samarra - Ali] be rebuilt. Following their issuing these fatwas Muqtada al-Sadr sent a delegation to the dialogue and today's meeting has been the result. It is important for readers to remember that al-Sadr's movement sent both weapons and fighters to Fallujah when the Americans laid waste to the city and slaughtered many of its civilian inhabitants. That al-Sadr's group were the only ones to send aid, weapons, and fighters, and this has not been forgotten. It is particularly important for American readers to remember this.

Related Story

Iraq Political Powers Conference| al-Aani | (Arabic):

The link to the Arabic version is here. The text below is from the English version. There are no substantial differences: Baghdad-Conference :: Aswat al Iraq :: Aswat al Iraq:

By Monther Hamad Zahi Baghdad, Dec 15, (VOI) - Between 200 to 250 Iraqi political figures will attend the political powers conference scheduled to be held on Saturday in Baghdad, a spokesman for the conference said on Friday. "The deteriorating security conditions were behind refusal by many figures opposing the political process going on in Iraq to attend the meeting," Nusayr al-Aani told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone. The government has granted assurances to those figures but fear is still dominating, he said. Aani noted that several workshops will be held on the sidelines of the conference to discuss different issues like getting former Iraqi army officers back to their jobs, expanding the space for political participation and the legitimacy of the Debaathification Commission. The conference resolutions, he said, would contribute to having common grounds of understandings among the Iraqi political blocs and figures outside the political process. The state ministry for national dialogue affairs had said on Sunday that December 16 will be the date for convening the conference. A statement by the Iraqi government said the gathering would be held under the aegis of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The conference raises the slogan "Iraqi political powers will be the mainstay of national unity and a guarantee for the success of the political process, reconciliation and rapprochement," it said. Last June, Maliki launched an initiative for reconciliation comprising four conferences, including Saturday's meeting of political powers. Two months ago a religious clerics' conference held in Mecca had issued the so-called Mecca Document, which urged an end to Iraqi bloodshed. The Mecca meeting was preceded by two conferences for Iraqi clans and civil society organizations.

Other Main Storys on Aswat al Iraq

Kirkuk bomb:

2 policemen injured by a bomb in central Kirkuk. Here:

Mosul 2 bombings: Police patrol attacked:

1. An American patrol was attacked by a bomber in the west of the city. One civilian injured.
2. Another patrol was was attacked by a bomber in the south east - one person injured.
3. A police patrol came under fire from a group of gunmen in a car. They returned fire no reports of injuries.

From here:

Basra British Bases Shelled:

The British occupiers carried out a raid in north Basra and claim to have seized an unspecified quantity of ammunition. The British occupiers were reminded of how the people of Basra feel about them when their bases in Basra came under rocket attack overnight. Link:

Basra: Assasination of Sheikh Mohsen Alkanaan:

An elder of the Bani Tamim tribe [The Bani Tamim are a large and powerful tribe. -Ali] and two of his security detail were shot dead by "gunmen wearing police uniforms" in central Basra today. Sheikh Mohsen Alkanaan's car was atttacked by the gunmen firing into the car in which he was travelling killing him and his companions.The URL for this story is here:

Hilla Bombing:

A civilian died in Hilla when his car was bombed. The blast completely destroyed the car and burnt the unfortunate man's body completely. The URL for this story is here:

Unprecedented Masters Awarded To Female StudentIraq:

What is unprecedented is that her supervisor was located in Taiwan and because of the distances (to say nothing of the security issues - Ali] involved the University of Mosul coordinated with her supervisor over the net. Other supervisors were in Dohuk. Everything was coordinated over the net and her masters is now awarded. It is something to do with using a technique called PCR for diagnosing brucellosis in sheep. [I have no idea what that sentence means please be gentle to my ignorance - Ali ;-)]The story quotes the Mosul university spokesman as saying that her initiative was impressive and her as saying "We have demonstrated for all time that we did not know the [meaning of]impossible" The URL for this story is here:

Diyala Three Arrested Crossing Illegaly Into Iraq:

Security forces in Diyala province have arrested three Iranian nationals who crossed into Iraq illegally The three were arrested near Mundhiriyah border crossing between Iraq and Iran in the province of Diyala, after they entered Iraqi territory illegally. The three are now being interrogated to know why they did this. [Probably businessmen or smugglers or pilgrims or people going to visit their relatives - people who live in the border zone cross "illegaly" everyday and have done so for centuries. - Ali ] The page for this story is here:

Fallujah (Halabsa Village) Bomb:

A bomb placed on the side of the road in Halabsa village (west of Fallujah) exploded as a patrol of the "Iraqi" army passed. There were casualties but their number is not known because a near by American patrol rushed to the scene and sealed it off. The vehicle that was attacked was completely destroyed the witness described the explosion as "strong and loud. " [Which in al-Fallujah and its environs means it must have been very large to be described like that - Ali] The URL for this story is here:

Diwaniyah 2 police shot dead:

2 policemen shot dead as they left home in the Iskan district of Diwaniya. Police rushed to scene but the gunmen had escaped. The page for this story is here:

Three American Invaders of Iraq Killed:

The American Invader Army released two statements one dealt with two invaders (marines) killed in Anbar the third death was in Nineweh governorate. That is 49 American invaders killed since the start of the month. The story is here:

Ad Duluiyah (Salah al-Din) American Raid:

The American invaders carried out a dawn raid in Ad Duluiyah Aldaudeh the raid involved armoured vehicles and air drops onto several houses. The American invader troops closed the bridge, cut off all the roads, and raided several houses. Five citizens were taken by the American invader troops, most from their houses and one from his car. A cache of weapons was also seized. This story is here:

3 Kidnappers Arrested Woman Freed: Kirkuk:

The gang pretended to be police. They searched homes and accused those living there of having false identity. They took away a woman pretending to do so for an investigation. The family reported this to the police. Who searched and caught the gang releasing the woman. [Some good news for a change - Ali] The report is here:

Finally my apologies for the extreme delay in posting. There was fighting last night and it was impossible for our group to make our way safely across Baghdad.

Ali

Sadr city residents seen through a hole in a wall of a house that was damaged during an Iraqi and U.S. Army joint forces raid and air strike Saturday, Dec.16, 2006.

Saturday’s Main Security Stories:

• Fallujah: Clashes erupted on Saturday between the U.S. forces and unknown gunmen after an explosive device blast damaged a Hummer within a U.S. vehicle patrol in southern Fallujah, 45 km west of Baghdad, an eyewitness said.
• Baaquba: The Iraqi police, backed by the U.S. forces, arrested in a search campaign eight suspects, including two Egyptians, in western and northern Baaquba, 60 km northeast of Baghdad, a police source said on Saturday.
• Baghdad: An green zone government army special force, backed by U.S. troops, arrested three men suspected of attacking Iraqi security forces in a raid on a mosque in Baghdad.
• Hilla: Two people, including a soldier, were killed when two explosive charges went off near an Iraqi army checkpoint on a highway northeast of Hilla, 110 km south of Baghdad, the Iraqi police said.

What’s Getting The Most Attention Saturday Night:

Kurdistan School Examinations: Aswat al Iraq:

Sheikh Hussein Sheikh Mustafa, Director-General of Education Sulaymaniyah announced a new examination grading system for schoolchildren. The system is is similar to that found in Iraqi universities. URI

Kurdistan Alliance Leader calls for Dissolution of Militias : Aswat al Iraq:

Fouad Massoum called for militias to to be dissolved and an end to double standards in politics [he also wants a pony - mfi] URI:

Mosul Arrests: Aswat al Iraq:

Coalition forces say they have arrested three members of an armed cell (including the leader) responsible for attacks against green zone government forces in the city. The statement says the leader is responsible for the deaths of several Iraqi soldiers loyal to the green zone government. URI :

Basra Curfew (Aftermath of Assassination of Tribal Leader): Aswat al Iraq:

Ali wrote about the assassination of Sheikh Mohsen Alkanaan yesterday. Today’s events are part of the aftermath of the sheikh’s murder. Following his murder a large number of tribesmen went round the city shooting into the air and vowing vengeance. Aswat al Iraq have almost identical reports in English and Arabic on the curfew imposed today as a precautionary measure. The text immediately below is from their English language service. (Note how the spokesman is very careful not to identify the tribe by name.) The interesting thing about this story is that there’s an update. Identical in all respects to what you read below in which the police hastily deny that there’s a curfew at all.- mfi:
Curfew imposed in Basra By Malik Saadon Basra, Dec 16, (VOI) -An indefinite curfew was imposed in the southern Iraqi city of Basra as announced by police vehicles roaming the city, according to eyewitnesses. “Armoured vehicles of the Iraqi army cordoned the Basra governor headquarters,” an eyewitness from Basra’s main city of al-Ashar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Meanwhile, a member of the Basra province council who asked not to be named told VOI that these were “precautionary measures in case some clan embark on security-destabilising actions.” The source did not name the clan.

On Friday, unidentified gunmen killed a tribal chief of the Bani Tamim clan and two escorts in an armed attack in downtown al-Cornish street. Follow+ing the attack, scores of vehicles boarded by gunmen from Bani Tamim clan wandered about the city shooting in the air and threatening the killers of their chief.

Update: The police in Basra have denied that a curfew exists. Bani Tamim is one of the largest and oldest clans in Basra. It dates back to the period preceding the Islamic conquest of Iraq. URI (Arabic): URI (English): URI (Arabic) to update in which police deny curfew exists.

Kirkuk Two Bodies Found: Aswat al Iraq:

Police have found two bodies in the Shwan area of northern Kirkuk. The victims were blindfolded, handcuffed, had been tortured, and shot repeatedly. URI :

Fallujah: American Headquarters Shelled (Mortars): Aswat al Iraq:

Headline says it all. It’s so regular an occurrence it’s surprising they even report it - mfi. URI

Fallujah: American Patrol Attacked: Aswat al Iraq:

At least two civilians were killed in crossfire between an American patrol and resistance fighters in the centre of Fallujah. The gunfight lasted about twenty minutes. The attackers used ordinary light weapons and RPGs. The report says there were American casualties as well. URI :

Hilla: Babil: Child Killed: Aswat al Iraq:

4 year old girl killed by mortar fire. The attack was on Hattin about 50km north of Hilla. URI:

Mosul: Aswat al Iraq:

Four civilians were wounded when two bombs targeting an American patrol in Mosul. Two people were killed and and a third wounded in separate attacks in the city. URI:

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