3 US Soldiers, 53 Iraqis Killed in Attacks All Over Iraq, According to February 11, 2008 News Reports

Yaqen.net news agency reported the destruction of a US mine-sweeping vehicle on the road between Nenawa and Salahuddin. A group calls itself the general command of the Iraqi army announced its responsibility.

- US forces keep 24,000 Iraqi prisoners in the two prisons of Boca in Basra and Croper in Baghdad. These include 620 children under 18. On daily basis, an average of 30 Iraqis are added to the prison pubulation.

- Shaikh Abdul Samad Abdullah Al-Hajoul, imam of Alquds Mosque in Hamdan neighborhood, in Basra, was kidnapped last week on February 8, by the sectarian death squads. Today, he was found murdered and torture signs remained on his body.

Three unidentified corpses found in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Baghdad, Feb 11, (VOI) -

Iraqi police patrols found on Monday three unidentified bodies dumped in different parts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. "Police patrols found three unknown corpses dumped in various parts of Baghdad," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq -Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The source added "two bodies were found in Baghdad's eastern neighborhoods of al-Fadiliya and al-Ubeidi, while the third body was found in al-Salam quarter, western Baghdad." "The bodies found bore signs of gunshot wounds to different parts of the body, mainly to the head," he noted. SH/SR

4 civilians wounded in bomb blast north of Hilla

Babel - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Baghdad, Feb 11, (VOI) - Four civilians were wounded in a roadside bomb explosion north of Hilla, said a police source on Monday. "An explosive charge, planted in a store belonging to Mohammad Salman, mayor of al-Shurta neighborhood, in al-Mussayab district, north of Hilla, detonated wounding four persons," the source, who preferred anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI). "The blast also caused some material damage to the store," he also said, noting that the wounded rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Hilla, the capital of Babel, is 100 km south of Baghdad. SH/SR

Car bomb injures five in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Baghdad, Feb 11, (VOI) -

Five individuals were wounded on Monday when a booby-trapped car went off near a police station in southern Baghdad, a source from the Interior Ministry said. "A car bomb detonated, parked near Balat al-Shuhadaa police station in al-Doura neighborhood in southern Baghdad, injuring five, including two policemen," the source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI). "Security forces sealed off the region, preventing vehicles or pedestrians from entering," he added. SH/SR

Southern Baghdad casualties up to 62

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Baghdad, Feb 11, (VOI) –

Casualties from Monday's earlier double car bomb attack in southern Baghdad rose to 17 deaths and 45 injured, the spokesman for the law-imposed security plan said.

"Casualties from the double explosions in al-Hurriya square in al-Jadiriya region in southern Baghdad rose to 17 dead and 45 wounded," General Qassem Atta told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

He did not add further details. An Iraqi police source had said earlier that the casualties from Monday's earlier double car bomb attack in al-Jadiriya, southern Baghdad, rose to six deaths and 13 injured, mostly civilians. "The wounded were rushed to the Ibn al-Nafis hospital in Ministry of Health ambulances," the source added. Earlier, another Iraqi security source had said five people were killed and six others wounded when two car bombs went off in unison in al-Jadiriya.

"Two vehicles rigged with explosives blew up on Monday noon near al-Hurriya square in al-Jadiriya, killing five people and wounding six others," the source, who preferred not to be named, told VOI. "Al-Jadiriya is home to a number of senior Iraqi officials including Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC)," he said. SH/SR

Three U.S. servicemen killed, injured in Diala

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Baghdad, Feb 11, (VOI) -

The U.S. army in Iraq said on Monday that a soldier was killed and two others were injured when an improvised explosive device went off near their vehicle patrol in Diala. "A Multi-National Division – North soldier was killed on Feb. 10 when the soldier’s vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device," the U.S. army said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"Two MND-N Soldiers were wounded and were evacuated to a Coalition Force medical facility for treatment," it added. The deaths bring the number of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 to 3,960, according to statistics released by the U.S. army.

Of this number, 16 have been killed so far in February 2008. November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that saw the highest U.S. death toll with 137. April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed. SH/SR

Woman, child wounded in bombing attack in Mosul

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Mosul, Feb 11, (VOI)-

A woman and child were wounded on Monday in a suicide bombing attack targeting a U.S. vehicle patrol in eastern Mosul, a police source said. "Unknown gunmen attacked a U.S. patrol in al-Wehda neighborhood in eastern Mosul with mortar shells and machine guns before a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb targeting the patrol," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The attack wounded a passing woman and child," he explained. "No word was available on possible casualties among U.S. forces, who cordoned off the area," he also said. Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. SH/SR

Kidnapper killed, 5 arrested, 3 cops wounded in rescue operation

Basra - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Basra, Feb 11, (VOI) -

A police force released two of top Shi'i cleric Ali al-Sistani's aides in western Basra during clashes that left one of the kidnappers killed, five others arrested and three police personnel wounded, an official police source said on Monday.

"A criminal investigation police force has managed to rescue Sheikh Ali al-Khafaji, the imam of al-Madhfar mosque and Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Idrisi, a teacher, during clashes with the kidnappers that lasted for hours in western Basra's al-Husayn neighborhood," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq, Voices of Iraq, (VOI). The sheikhs were kidnapped by unknown gunmen over one week ago in central Basra's Kout al-Hajjaj area.

The kidnappers demanded a $100,000 ransom to set them free. The province of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS

British journalist, interpreter kidnapped in Basra

Basra - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Basra, Feb 11, (VOI) –

A British journalist and his interpreter were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen near Qasr al-Sultan hotel in central Basra on Sunday, police said.

"Gunmen in two vehicles kidnapped British journalist Butler Richard, who works for the CBS news foundation, and his Iraqi interpreter and led them to an unknown place," a police source, who asked for anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

Richard and his interpreter were guests at the Qasr al-Sultan hotel in central Basra and were on a press mission, the source added. The oil-rich port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AE

Balad residents bid last farewell to 24 suicide blast victims

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Salah al-Din, Feb 11, (VOI) –

Local residents of the district of Balad, Salah al-Din province, bade last farewell to 24 victims of Sunday's suicide bombing, which also wounded 41 others.

"In the city's cemetery, where police and (US-recruited) Sahwa (Awakening) tribal forces were deployed to provide protection, scores of young men were digging graves to bury the 24 bodies while mourners, more than 1,000, were shouting words of condemnation," the correspondent of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) said.

A security source on Sunday afternoon said a car bomb attack killed 24 people and wounded 40 others in a crowded souk (market) in Yathrib area, near a joint checkpoint of Iraqi police and Sahwa fighters. "The number of casualties will most likely rise as rescue teams were still removing the wounded," the source said, not giving more details.

Yathrib, which lies in the eastern part of Balad district, 100 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, is near an air base known formerly as al-Bakr base, which is under the control of the U.S. forces and is considered the largest U.S. air base in Iraq. Salah al-Din province is 175 km north of Baghdad. Yathrib police chief, Col. Taleb al-Azzawi, told VOI that the explosive vehicle was a Kia truck carrying a number of barrels, which he detonated in the heart of Yathrib souk.

"The bomber targeted as much number of civilians as he could for he did not blow up his vehicle at the nearby police, army and Sahwa checkpoint," said Azzawi, adding the security forces' losses were one army soldier and one Sahwa fighter in addition to the injury of three policemen. "The rest of the victims were all civilians shopping at the souk at the time," he said. The explosion also caused severe damage to a number of nearby stores and civilian houses and vehicles, he said. AE

Civilian killed, son wounded by landmine in border district Arbil - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Arbil, Feb 11, (VOI) –

A civilian was killed and his son wounded when a landmine went off in the district of Juman, near the Iraqi-Iranian borders, on Monday, a source from the anti-landmines institution in the Iraqi Kurdistan region said.

"The man was farming his field in Juman, (160 km) northeast of Arbil, near the Iraqi-Iranian borders, where landmines from the Iraqi-Iranian war in the 1980s, when a landmine went off, killing him and injuring his son," the source, who declined to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

Minefields still spread in some border areas between Iraq and Iran. Some specialized companies tried to remove part of the border strip between the two neighboring countries but failed due to the absence of maps indicating where these landmines were planted. Siraj al-Barazani, the institution chief, had told VOI that the number of landmine victims in Iraqi Kurdistan region declined to 5-10 per month, compared to 60-70 in the early 1990s.

"Those landmines killed more than 4,000 people since 1991 until now, in addition to more than 10,000 others rendered handicapped in the region," said Barazani. According to statistics by the UN in 2002, there are about 10-12 million landmines planted in 4,000 fields covering 500 km, he said. The British MGA company is removing landmines and providing training courses for Kurds. Through the company, a number of Kurdish experts were sent to Lebanon to remove unexploded landmines left during the recent Lebanese-Israeli war. Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, lies 349 km northeast of Baghdad. AE

Clashes leave 6 policemen, popular committees members killed in Diala

Diala - Voices of Iraq

Monday , 11 /02 /2008 Time 10:27:50

Diala, Feb 10, (VOI)-

Six members of police and popular committees were killed when they plunged into clashes in Diala province on Sunday.

“The armed clashes erupted between Iraqi police and the popular committees in Shahraban, the centre of Muqdadiya district, 45 km north-east Ba'aqouba, leaving three policemen and three popular committees members killed” a security source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq. The popular committees withdrew from their headquarters two days ago and announced a civil disobedience in Diala on Sunday, after failure to meet the demands of the committees' leaders to have the police chief sacked.

Earlier on Sunday, an official from the popular committees fighting against al-Qaeda network announced civil disobedience in all government departments in Ba'aquba after failure to meet the demands of the committees' leaders to have the police chief sacked. "Civil disobedience was announced in all service departments in Ba'aquoba on Sunday with the exception of water, electricity and health departments," the source, who refused to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"This measure was taken after the demands of the committees' leaders to have the police chief sacked for human rights violations were ignored," he added. Meanwhile, an official security source in Diala police told VOI that all accusations against police chief Maj. General Ghanim al-Qurayshi were groundless, noting Qurayshi's tenure has witnessed security improvement as hundreds of displaced families returned to their original homes and the number of casualties declined. Districts in the province of Diala have recently seen peaceful pro-Qurayshi and anti-Qurayshi marches of thousands of local residents. Ba'aquba, the capital of mixed population province of Diala , lies 57 km north-east Baghdad . AM /SK

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.