70 Killed or found Dead on Sunday;
Big Bombing Near Balad:
Baquba Clashes
So first on Sunday, Sunni Arab guerrillas tried to overwhelm Iraqi security forces, Awakening Council members and US troops at two villages near Sinjar not far from the Syrian border. The pro-US forces fought them off, but 22 died in the encounter, some on each side. McClatchy describes the events thusly:
' A source in the Iraqi army said that gunmen from Qaida killed a family(parents and their four children) in Sinjar town west of Mosul city today morning. After the incident, joint troops (Sahwa and USA troops supported by the tribes) raided the strongholds of the insurgents and clashes with them. Ten insurgents were killed and three others were arrested. Six Sahwa members were killed two women were injured during the clashes. '
Then around 4:30 pm Baghdad time, in the village of Mazari'ah in Tikrit district, not far from the Shiite city of Balad, a truck bomber detonated his payload at a checkpoint manned by Sunni awakening council members near a market, killing 34 and wounding 37 and damaging many shops. Actual counts of killed and wounded were hindered because they were mostly Sunnis and the families were afraid to take them into Balad, which is Shiite-dominated.
In the west of Mosul, a suicide bomber driving a fuel tanker killed 4 Iraqi soldiers and wounded 7.
Then a suicide bomber hit a police checkpoint in Fallujah, killing 3 and wounding 7. Sunni fundamentalist guerrillas have been fighting with notables of the Dulaim tribe because the latter have thrown in with the Americans.
Ten bodies were found in and around Baghdad.
Although the Bush administration spokesmen keep saying that the guerrillas are on their last legs, the level of violence on Sunday does not accord with such a view. And, the awakening councils, where former insurgents are paid by the US to switch sides and patrol for the US military, have not worked out very well outside al-Anbar and are at the moment on strike in much of Diyala province.
In fact, Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that active fighting is going on between Awakening Council fighters and local police in Baquba. The dispute concerns two women kidnapped from near the town of Muqdadiya. The Awakening Councils closed their offices and are on strike in any case. The municipal authorities are calling for a quick end to the infighting and an end to the strike, since they say that Salafi Jihadis may take advantage of the situation to reestablish themselves in Baquba, the capital of Diyala Province east of Baghdad.
(The police in Baquba are mostly Shiites from the Badr Corps, whereas the Awakening Councils are mostly Sunni Arab, so that helps explain the clashes. But also the kidnapping of the women sounds like tribal hostage-taking. One of the things the Americans who are depending so heavily on tribal levies now are going to find out is that tribes typically enjoy feuding much more than they do peacekeeping, however much they are paid for the latter.)
Richard Luscombe of the Scotsman accuses US troops in Iraq of using "shady tactics" such as carrying spare machine guns to plant o the bodies of any Iraqis they wrongly killed. They are also accused of using the weapons as bait and of killing with sniper fire anyone who attempted to pick them up. The remarks surround an article on the conviction of Sergeant Evan Vela of unpremeditated murder at his court-martial. Vela was found guilty of wrongly killing Nesir Khudair al-Janabi and then of attempting to cover it up. Vela maintained that he was sleep deprived and following orders. His superior officer who gave the order to open fire as acquitted.
Michael Schwartz at Tomdispatch essays a first connected history of the Iraqi refugee crisis, which he terms the worst such crisis in the world. Actually, I would say that the Palestinian refugee crisis is still worse, since most Palestinians except those in Israel and Jordan are still stateless, and their total number is roughly 10.5 million (i.e. about 7 million are stateless, and even some of those with Jordanian citizenship still live in refugee camps. I would argue that long-term statelessness is akin to a condition of slavery insofar as many basic rights, including work permits, expectations of permanent residence in a country, etc., come only with citizenship). All of this is to take nothing away from the seriousness and tragedy of the Iraqi refugee crisis.
Aljazeera English does a report on the displaced Shiites living in grinding poverty the slums of Sadr City or East Baghdad, a largely Shiite enclave where the Sadr Movement is powerful:
The Bush administration and the Pentagon deep-sixed an unclassified RAND study of failures in the planning for the Iraq War. I'll bet the shredders are working overtime in preparation for the arrival of the Dems in power early next year . . .
US civilian contractor deaths were up 17% in 2007, which is, according to experts, an "incredible" statistic. Makes a person suspicious that the fall in US military deaths was a little artificial and that contractors were sometimes sent in, instead, and that their deaths do not garner the same attention as those of US troops.
McClatchy reports other political violence for Sunday:
' Baghdad
Gunmen opened fire targeting Lieutenant General Mohammed Basim Abdul Redha and Colonel Farqad Salman Alwan, both work in the directorate in the general inspector of the defense ministry. The incident took place at 9:00 am in al Yarmook neighborhood west Baghdad.
A civilian was killed and two others were injured when gunmen opened fire randomly targeting a bus in al Nosoor square west Baghdad around 3:00 pm.
A joint force of the Iraqi army and the US army found a grave yard includes five bodies of men in Boob al Sham area north of Baghdad . . .
Salahuddin . . .
Gunmen killed two civilians near Tikrit- Baghdad Street north of Baghdad today afternoon.
Diyala
Two policemen were killed and 17 people (10 policemen and 7 civilians) were injured when ten mortar shells hit Baladrooz police station in Baladrooz town east of Baquba city today morning.
Kirkuk
The head of Abbasi Sahwa Majeed Ahmed Khalaf was injured with two of his followers when a suicide bomber detonated his car near their car on Abbasi- Hawija Street southwest Kirkuk city around 9:30 am. Police said that the suicide bomber was driving a pick up car carrying a cow in the back of the car and got close to Khalaf’s car then detonated his car. . .
Nineveh . . .
Four civilians were injured in a suicide car bomb that targeted a check point of the Iraqi army in al Hadba’a neighborhood downtown Mosul city north of Baghdad today afternoon.
Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and seven civilians were killed in suicide car bomb that targeted a check point of the Iraq army in al Sahaji area west of Mosul city today afternoon.
A fuel station owner was killed and three other civilians were injured when a gunman opened fire in Haj Ali village in Makhmoor town southeast of Mosul city '
Reuters adds:
' BAGHDAD - Ten bodies were found in different areas of Baghdad on Sunday, police said. Five of them were found in a grave in outskirts of northern Baghdad. . .
NEAR KIRKUK - A suicide car bomb blast aimed at a convoy of U.S.-backed neighbourhood policemen wounded three members including the unit's leader, southwest of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
NEAR HILLA - U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected Shi'ite militia just north of Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
KUT - Police arrested a senior al Qaeda member in Kut, 170 km (105 mile) southeast of Baghdad, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said.
NINEVEH PROVINCE - Five people, including a woman, were killed in clashes when gunmen attacked villages manned by neighbourhood policemen in the northern province of Nineveh, police said. '
Paul George says of the Iraq War, "It's the oil, habibi, the oil," quoting IC which in turn paraphrased Muqtada al-Sadr's similar comment about the fighting in Kirkuk.
I thought Philip Cunningham's comments at our collective Global Affairs blog on how Barack Obama is viewed in Southeast Asia just fascinating, and remarked that because of his stint in a (secular) Indonesian school, he is perceived as culturally "a bit Asian."
Labels: Iraq
posted by Juan Cole @ 2/11/2008 12:25:00 AM
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8 Comments:
"Although the Bush administration spokesmen keep saying that the guerrillas are on their last legs, the level of violence on Sunday does not accord with such a view."
There is a lasting delusion that we are winning the war militarily as can be seen from this document published @ mountainrunner:
Received this commentary on Ambassador Ryan Crocker and State's effort in Iraq yesterday (Friday) morning. Highlights are mine. Comments from the different communities affected are requested.
M E M O R A N D U M
To: Ambassador Crocker
From Manuel Miranda, Office of Legislative Statecraft
CC: ALCON
Date: February 5, 2008
Re: Departure Assessment of Embassy Baghdad
__________________________________________________________________
Introduction
As I prepare to sign out after a year with the State Department, I feel it my last duty to offer you my assessment of what I observed. Please accept this assessment in that spirit. The presence of so many Section 3161 temporary direct hires in various areas of expertise in the Embassy is a unique opportunity for the evaluation and oversight of the Foreign Service and the State Department's bureaucracy and competence, whether it is a Service at War or Peace.
We all have opinions. If there is any doubt of the sincerity of mine, I am ready to share to list the names of those scores of other 3161's who share it, each from the vantage point of their areas of expertise and particular experience in the Embassy.
I have kept my observations to the areas that I have most directly observed as Senior Advisor for Legislative Framework in the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office and the Embassy's Rule of Law community, and as Director of the Office for Legislative Statecraft in the Political Section. I apply to this assessment my background as a former counsel to the Senate Majority Leader and as a student of legal institutions, and, as importantly, as a lawyer with 12 years experience in sovereign government negotiations, comparative and international law, and the legal framework and conditions needed for foreign direct investment in energy infrastructure and domestic economic progress and stability in developing democracies.
Nothing in this assessment is intended to be critical of General Petraeus, his leadership, his staff, the efforts of the Coalition forces in Iraq, or the success of the security component of the "Surge" initiative, now one year old. Nothing in this assessment is intended to cast doubt on the diplomatic strengths of the Foreign Service in Iraq. Nothing in this assessment should be read as critical of the hundreds of civilian men and women, of all ages and backgrounds, who work in Iraq tirelessly and at great personal sacrifice of their careers and family lives, and the many at lower levels of internal management who support us. Although my assessment is limited to certain areas of expertise, it is applicable Embassy-wide.
I should point out that I support America's mission in Iraq, while fully recognizing our many errors over time. I support the President's policy that ignores the historic stereotypes of the Middle East and offers the region a culture of liberty protected by responsible government and the rule of law. I support a long-term American military presence in Iraqi bases, welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Iraqis and a democratically-elected government, as a means of bringing peace and stability to the region, as we did in Europe and the Far East. History may recognize this end as singularly worthy of the sacrifice that America's sons and daughters have made. I believe, however, that the potential for this peace requires the progress of Iraqi society and the confidence of the Iraqi people in their government.
That civilian progress, and the Pax Americana, will not be achieved with the Foreign Service and the State Department's bureaucracy at the helm of America's number one policy consideration. You are simply not up to the task, and many of you will readily and honestly admit it. I believe that a better job can be done. It is simply that we have brought to Iraq the worst of America – our bureaucrats – and failed to apply, as President Roosevelt once did, the high-caliber leadership class and intellectual talent, whose rallying has defined all of America's finest hours.
Summary
America's success in Iraq requires pacifying the country and assisting its government to inspire the confidence of Iraq's people. America can be confident that the former task is in good hands, but the latter effort will fail if we continue to rely on the State Department and the Foreign Service to lead or manage our civilian support efforts. As we did with the military Surge, America and Iraq would be well served by retaining our diplomats to do the work of diplomacy, but putting the effort to stand up the GOI in more competent hands. This is especially true in the areas of legislative reform and the rule of law. But it is also true in other areas.
At stake, as a whole, is not only the success of the mission, the lives of Americans and the future of a country for which we must now bear some responsibility, but also hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted and poorly managed.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT...
In full @ Mountainrunner
I had this to say: "This memo seems to be a bold admission that the U.S. government is attempting to engineer an Iraq in it's own image with little regard to the interests of Iraqis, their society, and culture:
Miranda: "I support the President's policy that ignores the historic stereotypes(?) of the Middle East and offers the region a culture of liberty protected by responsible government and the rule of law."
I would HAVE TO ASSUME Mr. Miranda means "WESTERN Law", such as the one that foists Monsanto owned GMO crops off on Iraqi farmers against their better judgment and will, almost at gunpoint by US soldiers during Operation Amber Waves.
Little do these farmers know about 'patent law' and how those crops, and any contaminated crops surrounding those crops are OWNED by Monsanto et al... and indeed, little should they have to know, except for the enforcement of 'western law' foreign to not only Iraqi culture, but truly foreign to muslim culture in totality.
Also, despite the consistently discredited brash claim that "...a long-term American military presence (is) ...welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Iraqis.."
I believe it would be just as brash to claim that the State department is any more welcome than our military, except perhaps in it's historic stereotypical (sic) role as an arbiter of trade and diplomatic relations."
--30--
Maybe not just the stint in an Indonesian school, but also the time spent in Hawai'i, which is more than a little Asian, demographically. Probably a similar kind of social milieu to what you would find in international schools all around SE Asian, the Indian Ocean, and elsewhere. To American media, any Asian background or influences will be invisible; they don't, as Philp said, fit into the predominant American narratives of race.
If government numbers show a 17% increase in contractor deaths in 2007, I think we can safely assume that the real increase was much higher than that - remember, the whole point of the contractor system seems to be that there is little accountability and also remember that the contractors did much of their recruiting outside the US (eg, amongst fighters in Africa) - I doubt very, very much if most deaths amongst such non-americans show up in labor department statistics.
I also doubt if most civilian deaths caused by such fighters show up in labor department statistics.
many thanks for a superb roundup and cogent commentary today, Professor Cole.
many thanks also for your outstanding continuing coverage and blogging. we also appreciate your essays at salon.com.
This just in from the propaganda wars:
Apparently Ex-Iraqi Soldiers Train Children, Not al Qaeda
[...]
Treasure of Baghdad (an independent Iraqi blogger) watched the video released of Iraqi children being trained as 'al qaeda' although some of the training seems to him to be regular military training. He identifies the children and their adult trainers as being Iraqi from the accent. He thinks the trainers are former members of Iraqi's military which was disbanded in 2003.
[...]
Source & linkage: Out of Iraq Bloggers Caucus
"tribes typically enjoy feuding much more than they do peacekeeping"
Since that statement is being said by a resident of a country that has been at war (or bombing someone) for decades now - it comes across as pretty hypocritical.
Why does our "tribe" enjoy war making so much?
Might have to rename the Surge Basecamp. NYT article says Gates leaning towards keeping the Surge troop level for a while. Now the word "Pause" is getting some usage at the highest level of the War Department.
Of course Gates has the GOP nominee watching his back, so even 100 year Pause is thinkable. But Basecamp is a better name for it - it leaves room to go on to Camp 2, 3, 4..... Imagine 25 years from now someone asking:"Are we still pausing?".
The Bush Cabal is suddenly trying to execute the prisoners whose information (extracted under torture, as is now readily admitted) has provided the cornerstone of "facts" for the 9/11 Commission's findings.
At the same time - quite extraordinarily - Former 9/11 Commission Chief Philip Zelikow has gone on the Democracy Now! radio show to answer allegations of misconduct. To my mind, Zelikow is the weak point in the whole 9/11 cover-up, and this is just an exercise in damage control.
It is critically important that these prisoners not be executed, and that they have their day in a free and fair court, to give their own version of events. Make your voices heard NOW, people!
This is like witnessing the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald all over again. If these guys are killed, we may never know the truth about 9/11.
What's the rush? Where's Justice?
We gotta stop this, folks.
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