US Soldier, 57 Iraqis Killed, Including 13 Executed by Death Squads, Two Women Killed by Foreign Security Contractors, on October 9, 2007

Eight unknown bodies fond in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) -

Eight unidentified bodies were found in different parts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad during the past 24 hours, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday. "Police patrols found during the past 24 hours eight unidentified bodies in different areas of Baghdad, most of them were found in Baghdad's western side al-Karkh," an Interior Ministry source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on condition of anonymity. "Six corpses were found in different neighborhoods of al-Karkh: two in al-Aamel, and one in each of al-Bayya, al-Saidiya, al-Qadissiya, and al-Karkh," he explained. "The two remaining bodies were found in al-Rasafa neighborhoods of al-Qahira and Baghdad al-Jadidiyah," the source added. "The found bodies bore signs of gunshot wounds to different parts of the body, mainly to the head," he noted. SK/SR

Elements of foreign security company kill two women in central Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) -

Elements of a private security company opened fire on a car with two women onboard in al-Karada region in central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing them on the spot, a local official said.

"A convoy of four vehicles opened fire against two women in a white car near al-Qandeel hotel in al-Karada region in central Baghdad, when they mistakenly passed the security convoy, killing them instantly," the Head of the municipal council Mohammad al-Rubaie told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by phone. "The convoy's vehicles did not stop and continued toward the fortified green zone," he added. "Police have opened an investigation into the incident. The personnel belong to a private security company. All security companies use the same make of vehicles," the official noted. Personnel from the private American security company "Blackwater" allegedly opened random fire last Sept 16, after two mortar shells fell near a U.S. embassy motorcade that was passing in Sahat al-Nosur area, western Baghdad, killing 11 people and wounding 12 others. The incident drew extreme indignation on the Iraqi streets as the Iraqi parliament called to restrict the work of private security companies in Iraq and also for amending a decision by the former U.S. civil administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, that grants these firms legal immunity.

SH/SR

According to the Iraq New Agency, INA, the two women are Christian Iraqis. One of them, Maro Owanis (48), is a mother of three children, and the other is Geneva Jalal, 30.

Three Marines killed, injured, 16 civilians arrested in Anbar

Anbar - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Haditha, Oct 9, (VOI) -

One U.S. Marine was killed and two more were injured on Tuesday in a bomb explosion, a police source said, noting that U.S. forces arrested 16 persons in response to the attack. "One U.S. Marine was killed and two others were wounded this morning when an explosive charge went off near their vehicle patrol in Berwana district, Haditha city," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) under condition of anonymity. "U.S. forces sent the dead body and the two wounded to the nearby U.S. base for treatment," he added. "A U.S. force sealed off the area and arrested 16 persons suspected of being involved in the attack," the source also said, adding no further details. No word was immediately available from the U.S. army on the incident. Haditha, Anbar province, is 250 km west of Baghdad.

SH/SR

British base attacked, two bodies found in Basra

Basra - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Basra, Oct 9, (VOI) -

The British base at the Basra International, northwest of Basra, was attacked by Katyusha rockets on Tuesday morning, while a medical source from the forensic medicine department said that the hospital admitted two bodies, a woman and her husband, which were found in the western area of the city, a police source said. "The British base at the Basra International Airport was attacked by three Katyusha rockets," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) under condition of anonymity. "No more information was available regarding the damage inside the base," he added. British forces are being stationed in the base at the Basra International Airport, 25 km northwest of the city, after the withdrawal of British forces from the former presidential palaces base last month. Meanwhile, a medical source from the forensic medicine hospital told VOI that the hospital admitted two bodies, a woman and her husband. "Police patrols found the two bodies in garbage in al-Qebla region in western Basra," he also said, noting that the two bodies bore signs of torture and gunshot wounds. Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad.

SH/SR

Gunmen attack faculty dean in Baghdad, kill his driver

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) -

Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday afternoon attacked the dean of the technology faculty in al-Doura neighborhood, leaving him seriously wounded and killing his driver, a police source said. "Unknown armed men attacked Dr. Ali Shaker, the dean of the technology faculty, while leaving his work in al-Doura neighborhood in southern Baghdad," the source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "The attackers seriously injured the dean and killed his driver," the source added, noting that the he was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. "The gunmen fled to unknown location," he also said.

SH/SR

Central Baghdad bombing casualties rise

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) -

The death toll from the car bomb blast that ripped through a commercial area in central Baghdad on Tuesday rose to eight dead and 27 wounded, a security source said. "The death toll from the car bomb blast that took place near al-Khillani square, today at noon, rose to eight dead and 27 wounded," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added "all the casualties were civilians and among them were women and children." Earlier, a police source told VOI that a car bomb detonated near al-Khillani square, central Baghdad, killing five civilians and wounding 25 others. SK/SR

Three killed, seven wounded in eastern Baghdad bombing

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

Three civilians were killed and seven others wounded in car bomb explosion that took place in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of al-Bonok, security authorities said on Tuesday.

"A car rigged with explosives was detonated near a gas station in al-Bonok neighborhood, killing three civilians, wounding seven others and causing damage to nearby stores and vehicles," an Iraqi police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Meanwhile, a missile attack on a residential area in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of al-Mashtal left six civilians wounded and caused damage to several residential buildings, the source noted.

Head of Shi'i Endowment in Baghdad's Rasafa gunned down

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

Unknown gunmen assassinated the head of the Shiite Endowment in Baghdad's eastern part of Rasafa, Ibrahim Abdul Kareem, at a late hour on Monday night, an Iraqi police source said.

"Unidentified gunmen driving a civilian vehicle shot down Abdul Kareem while he was driving his car in al-Mashtal neighborhood in Baghdad al-Jadida," the source, who requested his name not be mentioned, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). No further information was given by the source.

3 bodies, including one of foreigner, found in Hilla

Babel - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Babel, Oct 9, (VOI) –

Iraqi policemen found three bodies, one of them had a foreign passport, on Tuesday, a security source said. "The bodies were found in the area between the railway and the al-Ulwani area, in al-Qassem district, (40 km) southern Hilla," the source, who declined to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "The bodies were blindfolded and showed signs of having been shot in different parts," he noted. "A foreign passport, 2600 dollars and an Iranian cell phone chip were found in the pockets of one of the bodies," he said. The source declined to reveal the nationality of the passport or give more details in this respect. Hilla, the capital of Babel province, lies 70 km south of Baghdad.

Hakim-Sadr deal to hasten departure of foreign troops – Badr official

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

The deal signed recently between the two Shi'i leaders Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr would significantly help in the departure of foreign troops, a key member in Badr Organiztion said.

"The agreement was preceded by deep negotiations to come up with a serious action and not just ink on paper. One of the political dimensions of the deal is to maintain security and stability in order to speed up the evacuation of foreign forces," Diaa al-Din al-Fayyad told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by telephone. Badr Organization is an offshoot of al-Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). Hakim and Sadr had signed an agreement in the holy Shiite city of Najaf on Saturday to cement ties between the two Shiite groups and set up a joint committee working in all Iraqi provinces to control possible problems. The deal emphasized "respecting for Iraqi blood under any circumstances…and mobilizing all cultural and media organizations of both sides to activate the spirit of endearment and rapprochement." Fayyad said Iraq is about to have important political changes like the British withdrawal from Basra. "Accordingly, all the parties that control the area like the SIIC, the Sadrists and al-Fadhila (Virtue) Party have signed a code of ethics with the Iraqi security forces to help in imposing order and security," he noted. He pointed out that there were "intruding elements that feign loyalty to this or that mainstream." "The agreement also included the establishment of committees and subcommittees to stand up against this sedition," said Fayyad, adding "the intelligence services of some countries in the region were proved involved in driving a wedge between the two sides in the country."

Car bomb kills 4, wounds 7 in northeastern Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

A roadside car rigged with explosives went off in al-Sha'ab neighborhood, northeastern Baghdad, on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding seven others, police said. "The wounded were rushed to hospitals after the Iraqi policemen sealed off the area," an Iraqi security source, who preferred to remain unidentified, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Al-Shaab neighborhood lies parallel to Sadr City from the northern part.

2 car bombs in Baiji leave 52 casualties

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

Twenty-two people were killed and at least 30 others wounded in two car bomb attacks in the district of Baiji, Salah al-Din province, 175 km north of Baghdad, on Tuesday, an Iraqi police source said.

"Some of the wounded are in serious condition," the source, who refused to have his name mentioned, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The number of casualties is likely to rise, he added. Security forces sealed off the area while ambulances removed the wounded to nearby hospitals for treatment. Baiji, home to the largest oil refinery in Iraq, lies 35 km north Tikrit, the capital of Salah al-Din.

2 blasts in southern Baghdad leave 1 killed, 11 wounded

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

One civilian was killed and 11 others wounded when two explosive charges planted in an inhabited area in central Jisr Diala district, southern Baghdad, Iraqi police source said.

"The two devices were planted by unidentified gunmen in the heart of the district," the source, who declined to have his name mentioned, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on Tuesday. "All the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment while the police sealed off the scene for concerns about more explosive charges," the source added.

Soldier killed in al-Anbar, says U.S. army

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Baghdad, Oct 9, (VOI) –

The U.S. army revealed that one of its soldiers was killed in a combat mission in the western Iraq province of al-Anbar on Monday.

"A Marine was killed on Monday in a combat mission in Anbar," the U.S. army said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The statement did not give further details. The death raises 3,814 the number of U.S. soldiers killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 as officially reported by the U.S. army. From this number seven were killed this month. Sixty-six were killed last month. November 2004 is still the one with the highest number of U.S. fatalities as 137 U.S. soldiers were killed in violent clashes between U.S. forces and armed groups in Fallujah, Anbar province. Some 135 U.S. soldiers were killed in April 2004, the second highest month of U.S. casualties, followed by May 2007, when 126 soldiers were killed in the war-stricken country. February 2004, during which only 20 U.S. troops were killed, is still the month with the lowest number of U.S. casualties.

Ninewa deputy police chief killed in Mosul

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 09 /10 /2007 Time 10:42:41

Mosul, Oct 9, (VOI)- Ninewa deputy police chief Brigadier Abdul al-Aali Mubarak was killed on Tuesday morning in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a police source said.

"Brigadier Abdul al-Aali Mubarak, Ninewa deputy police chief, was killed this morning outside his house in al-Hadbaa neighborhood, northern Mosul, after unknown gunmen opened fire towards his car" Brigadier Abdul Karim al-Juburi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added "Mubarak's driver was also wounded in the incident, while the attackers fled to unknown destination." Mosul, a predominantly Sunni city, is 405 km north of Baghdad. SK

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AP Headline: Guards fire on car in Iraq, kill 2 women

By KIM GAMEL Associated Press Writer

Oct 9, 2007, 6:23 PM EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) --

Guards working for an Australian-owned security company fired on a car as it approached their convoy Tuesday, killing two women before speeding away from the latest bloodshed blamed on the deadly mix of heavily armed protection details on Baghdad's crowded streets.

The deaths of the two Iraqi Christians - including one who used the white sedan as an unofficial taxi to raise money for her family - came a day after the Iraqi government handed U.S. officials a report demanding hefty payments and the ouster from Iraq of embattled Blackwater USA for a chaotic shooting last month that left at least 17 civilians dead.

The deaths Tuesday at a Baghdad intersection may sharpen demands to curb the expanding array of security firms in Iraq watching over diplomats, aid groups and others.

"We deeply regret this incident," said a statement from Michael Priddin, the chief operating officer of Unity Resources Group, a security company owned by Australian partners but with headquarters in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Priddin said the company would disclose more details of the shooting after "the facts have been verified and the necessary people and authorities notified." Priddin would not comment on whether his guards killed the women.

But initial accounts - from company statements, witnesses and others - suggested the guards opened fire as the car failed to heed warnings to stop and drifted closer to the convoy near a Unity facility in central Baghdad's Karrahah district.

It was not immediately clear whether the guards were protecting a client at the time, but a group that uses its security agents said its personnel were not at the scene.

Four armored SUVs - three white and one gray - were about 100 yards from an main intersection in the Shiite-controlled district. As the car, a white Oldsmobile, moved into the crossroads, the Unity guards threw a smoke bomb in an apparent bid to warn the car not to come closer, said Riyadh Majid, an Iraqi policeman who saw the shooting.

Two of the Unity guards then opened fire. The woman driving the car tried to stop, but was killed along with her passenger. Two of three people in the back seat were wounded.

Priddin's statement offers a similar account: "The first information that we have is that our security team was approached at speed by a vehicle which failed to stop despite an escalation of warnings which included hand signals and a signal flare. Finally shots were fired at the vehicle and it stopped."

Investigators said they collected 19 spent 5.56mm shell casings, ammunition commonly use by U.S. and NATO forces and most Western security organizations. The pavement was stained with blood and covered with shattered glass from the car windows.

Majid said the convoy raced away after the shooting. Iraqi police came to collect the bodies and tow the car to the local station.

A third policeman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution, said the guards were masked and wearing khaki uniforms. He said one of them left the vehicle and started to shoot at the car while another opened fire from the open back door of a separate SUV.

The victims were identified by relatives and police as Marou Awanis, born in 1959, and Geneva Jalal, born in 1977. Awanis' sister-in-law, Anahet Bougous, said the woman had been using her car to drive government employees to work to help raise money for her three daughters. Her husband died during heart surgery last year.

"May God take revenge on those killers," Bougous said, crying outside the police station. "Now, who is going to raise them?"

"These are innocent people killed by people who have no heart or consciousness. The Iraqi people have no value to them," said a man who was part of a group of relatives gathered with a Christian priest at the local police station.

Iraqi anger has grown against the private security companies - nearly all based in the United States, Britian and other Western countries - as symbols of the lawlessness that has ravaged their country for more than four years.

Ali al-Dabbagh, Iraq's government spokesman, said: "Today's incident is part of a series of reckless actions by some security companies."

An Iraqi investigation of the Blackwater shooting on Sept. 16 was ordered by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and called for the company to pay $8 million in compensation to the families of each of the 17 victims. The commission also said Blackwater guards had killed 21 other Iraqis in past incidents since it began protecting American diplomats in Iraq shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Unity also has come under scrutiny before.

In March 2006, the company issued a statement of sympathy after one of its guards was blamed for shooting a 72-year-old Iraqi-born Australian, Kays Juma'a, at a security checkpoint in Baghdad.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Juma was killed because he was in a car that failed to stop. Unity said multi-national forces and Iraqi police also were present at the checkpoint at the time.

Unity provides armed guards and security training throughout Iraq. Its heavily armed teams are Special Forces veterans from Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Britain - as well as former law enforcement officers from those countries.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the shooting did not involve U.S. diplomats. "It was not an American convoy," he said.

RTI International, a group based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., that promotes governance projects in Iraq, said Unity was providing security for the group but none of its staff members "were involved or present when the incident occurred."

The group said Unity was fully cooperating with Iraqi and U.S. officials investigating the incident.

"We are deeply saddened by this loss of life," RTI spokesman Patrick Gibbons said in a statement. "While we have every reason to believe that proper security protocols were followed, that is a matter to be determined by the investigation."

In other violence across Iraq, at least 57 Iraqis were found dead or killed in bombings and shootings.

In Beiji, an oil hub 155 miles north of Baghdad, two suicide bombers drove a minibus laden with explosives into the house of a local police chief and detonated an explosives-packed Toyota Land Cruiser outside the home of a leading member of the local Awakening Council.

Police in Beiji said at least 19 died in the attacks, which badly damaged a Sunni mosque about 100 yards away from the police chief's house. Three guards there were among the dead. The men targeted in the attacks were not killed, police said.

In Baghdad, a series of four car bombs killed 16.

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Associated Press writers Katarina Kratovac, Sameer N. Yacoub and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this story.

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