tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60780102009-10-13T22:01:22.592-04:00New points of view about the future of Iraq.Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comBlogger1338125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-44872370427934191202009-10-12T14:11:00.003-04:002009-10-12T14:27:19.572-04:00

The State of Law coalition, which is led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Da'awa Party is soliciting donations from members to finance the bloc's electoral campaign, Aswat al-Iraq reports. An official with the State of Law coalition said donation would be collected at a designated account with the Iraqi Rafidain Bank.This is the first time a major political bloc solicits donations from

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-16712997375330375742009-09-20T20:15:00.002-04:002009-09-20T20:17:58.716-04:00

Egyptians learned this, the hard way, heh!

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-57290871467966713562009-09-20T14:15:00.002-04:002009-09-20T14:24:47.317-04:00

Unknown gunmen assassinated 30 Mahdi Army commanders in the Syrian capital Damascus. The killings, made in the past few weeks, were all made "quietly, inside the victims apartments", said an unnamed source in the Sadr movement. The source added that among those assassinated was Laith al-Ka'bi, who commanded the Mahdi Army in the Palestine Street neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. The report adds

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-36524558562380138732009-09-19T21:16:00.002-04:002009-09-19T21:22:34.464-04:00

An amazing story of two men, two wars and four jammed missiles: The moon was full the night of Jan. 17, 1991, and Air Force Capt. Bill Iuliano, an F-111 bomber weapon systems officer, was in the air. It was the second night of Operation Desert Storm, a U.S.-led combat operation in opposition to Saddam Hussein's forces."We were flying from Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey that night to take out

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-65384780491319174862009-09-11T07:19:00.002-04:002009-09-11T07:22:42.284-04:00

Austin Bay and I have a piece today in the Wall Street Journal on Iraq's air force and air defense needs. You can read it here.

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-28527304366234585362009-09-07T19:07:00.002-04:002009-09-07T19:41:55.408-04:00

Iraq's leaders seem very uncomfortable with what they consider a monopoly of decision-making by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.The Iraqi presidency council called for "containing the situation with neighboring Syria and for cooperation between the two countries to resolve disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels".A statement released after the council's meeting in Sulaymaniyah stressed

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-81367006208734513542009-09-07T16:38:00.002-04:002009-09-07T16:43:03.621-04:00

A member of parliament from the Accord Front said the bloc was considering a political alliance with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc.MP Rasheed al-Azzawi told Radio Sawa that "We will announce our new alliance before Ramadan's end [a couple weeks from now]. Our talks with Maliki's bloc continue and it's not unlikely to have an alliance with them...Negotiations are moving within

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-59888149920514494772009-09-07T16:18:00.004-04:002009-09-11T07:16:26.904-04:00

A member of parliament said lawmakers were more likely to agree on amendments for the existing election law than to agree on a whole new legislation.MP Wa'ail Abdul-Latif, who is also a judge, explained that there is simply not enough time to draft and pass a new election law to replace the existing one that has been in use since 2005. The parliament has to meet a mid-November deadline for

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-38382406225351495332009-09-07T16:00:00.003-04:002009-09-07T16:33:16.280-04:00

More than 300 Iraqis protested on Monday to demand that Syria stop its alleged support for "terrorists and assassins" determined to carry out attacks in Iraq.The demonstrators gathered in Hilla, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Baghdad, and held up banners, declaring: "Immorality, Bashar, means killing innocent people in cold blood" -- a jibe at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Assad has

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-82068254191766338772009-09-07T15:10:00.002-04:002009-09-07T15:28:29.505-04:00

Syrian intelligence used fake IDs to smuggle the primary suspects of masterminding the August 19 bombings to Lebanon, Lebanese security sources revealed.The report says that Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed and Sattam Farhan were sent to Lebanon using fake passports. Other insurgents are waiting to be sent to Sudan in a similar manner. Al-Ahmed and Farhan are the two senior Ba'ath Party members whom

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-84638332683675663102009-09-07T14:47:00.003-04:002009-09-07T14:50:35.810-04:00

Al-Sharq al-Awsat:The US Embassy sponsored yesterday the first session of direct negotiations between Al-Hadba bloc that has an Arab majority and the Ninawah Fraternity bloc that has a Kurdish majority which boycotted the Mosul-based Ninawah Governorate Council's tasks since April.The negotiations are aimed at achieving rapprochement between the two sides and forming a joint administration for

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-8602274424515875732009-09-07T14:08:00.002-04:002009-09-07T14:45:34.244-04:00

There are unconfirmed reports that Prime Minister Maliki has issued orders to send several top security officials to early retirement. The list includes the chief of the explosives department and the director of internal affairs at the ministry of interior (MOI). The news came only a day after Maliki fired the director of operations at the MOI. Less than two weeks ago, the director of the

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-77797394855074419142009-09-07T13:05:00.004-04:002009-09-07T13:39:28.799-04:00

The Iraqi government showed Turkey's FM satellite imagery of training camps used by Iraq's ousted Ba'ath Party in Syria, a Turkish newspaper reported.Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu was in Baghdad last week for talks on the growing crisis between Iraq and Syria. Iraq had demanded that Syria hands over two senior Ba'ath members suspected of planning the August 19 attacks in Baghdad.

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-86938253214310140612009-09-06T20:34:00.003-04:002009-09-07T00:10:47.892-04:00

Iraqi security forces found this drone in a weapons cache uncovered in western Baghdad yesterday. There is no available information on the origin, model or capabilities of this machine. If anyone has a clue, please feel free to share in the comments section.

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-65173601671481709272009-09-06T19:19:00.003-04:002009-09-06T19:35:54.749-04:00

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fired a senior officer in the ministry of interior, al-Arabiya TV reported. The officer, Abdul-Kareem Khalaf served for several years as director of operations at the MOI, which oversees the local and federal police forces, among other law enforcement services. The position is roughly the equivalent to that of an army chief of staff.There is no word about the

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-39217433853535402092009-09-06T18:11:00.005-04:002009-09-07T12:05:37.094-04:00

The Syrian regime lashed out at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who stressed that Syria must hand over two senior members of the Ba'ath Party. The Iraqi government had accused the two men (Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed and Sattam Farhan) who are believed to be in Syria, of masterminding the August 19 attacks in Baghdad. A major Syrian newspaper wrote that Syria's "morals" prevent the handover of the

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-50468827555003539842009-09-01T13:10:00.001-04:002009-09-01T13:19:02.619-04:00

Iraq continues to insist on internationalizing the crisis with Syria, which began after Iraq demanded that Syria hands over senior Ba’ath Party members. Iraq now plans to persuade the international community to form an international criminal court, similar to the one investigating the assassination of the late Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stressed at a meeting

Mohammedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09843636087152375775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-880673411882024842009-08-31T14:29:00.000-04:002009-08-31T14:30:34.423-04:00

Aswat al-Iraq: Spokesman for the Iraqi government said on Monday that the council of ministers has agreed to postpone the census until October 2010 and to form a high committee with the Kurdistan region to solve all problems between the two sides.“The council agreed on a suggestion from the operations room of the general census for residents to continue rehabilitations procedures and to implement

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-18946833624665268862009-08-31T13:13:00.002-04:002009-08-31T13:16:18.205-04:00

The Iraqi ministry of transportation announced yesterday that the Iraq-Turkey railroad will be opened September 1st.The railroad will serve as a link between Gulf and Mediterranean seaports.

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-17842572155606891262009-08-31T12:36:00.003-04:002009-08-31T12:40:00.251-04:00

Aswat Al-Iraq:Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday described information he received from the Iraqi government on the crisis with Syria as convincing, noting that he will transfer it to Damascus.At a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad, the minister called on the two sides to exchange information on the current crisis without revealing

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-44676772010030995732009-08-30T17:20:00.003-04:002009-08-30T17:44:36.409-04:00

A new political bloc involving both Sunni and Shiite political and tribal figures was announced in Baghdad yesterday. The new bloc, Bayariq al-Iraq includes 20 registered political entities. Prominent and influential members include Yousif al-Haboubi, the independent politician who won most of the votes in the provincial elections in Kerbala earlier this year. There is also Ali Hatem Ali

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-91828936592594153942009-08-30T15:35:00.007-04:002009-09-02T14:46:15.087-04:00

That stands for Improvised Rectal Explosive Device; Al-Qaeda's newest weapon.The suicide bomber who tried to assassinate a Saudi prince used an unusual place to conceal his explosive charge; his anus.Al-Arabiya, a Saudi-owned television network, said the attacker concealed the explosives in his anus, allowing him to evade detection. The network also quoted an expert as saying that the method of

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-86838351215297256802009-08-29T19:06:00.003-04:002009-08-30T15:19:07.604-04:00

State owned al-Sabah reports that a special force of the ministry of interior captured 14 suspects believed to have been involved in the August 19 attacks in Baghdad that killed more than a hundred people. The confessions of the captured cell members lead to the bomb factory where the trucks used in the attacks were made. Inside the factory, which was in the Ghazaliyah district in northwestern

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-30065622656508409642009-08-29T15:40:00.003-04:002009-08-29T15:53:28.345-04:00

He is still hiding in Iran yet he insists on interfering in people's lives.Moqtada Sadr called for shutting down all bars and liquor stores in all of Iraq. Mr. Sadr said in a statement that was read by his representative in Kofa Dhiya al-Shawki that all bars and liquor stores that spread recently in some Iraqi cities must be closed. he also criticized he phenomenon of not observing the fast in

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6078010.post-54611144270503530342009-08-29T14:16:00.002-04:002009-08-29T14:23:59.167-04:00

Kirkuki people residing outside the province are not entitled to vote even if they have food ration forms from Kirkuk, the Independent High Electoral Commission’s Kirkuk office noted. Likewise, the decision applies on Mosul and Diyala as they are areas of dispute between Erbil and Baghdad, the IHEC said. Political rifts are seemed reflected in the decision as it is a complete loss for Kurds, head

Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17061132202298764337noreply@blogger.com