US Soldier, 17 Iraqis Killed in War Attacks, Including 2 Executed by Death Squads, According to February 22, 2008

US Soldier, 17 Iraqis Killed in War Attacks, Including 2 Executed by Death Squads, According to February 22, 2008

Yaqen.net news agency reported the following news today:

- US Ghuzlani military base in Mosul was attacked with fiver mortars on Friday, two rounds had direct hits.

- Fighting erupted between Sahwa fighters and gunmen in Tala'afer today. The Sahwa fighters were led by Fawaz al-Jirba. They attacked fighters from Alqaeda in Iraq killing two of them but losing three Sahwa fighters during the fighting.

- Clashes erupted between Popular Committees gunmen and other fighters in Ba'aqouba, resulting in casualties.

The Iraq News Agency (INA) reported the following news:

- One person was killed when a horse wagon exploded in Baghdad today.

- Turkish forces started a land attack on the positions of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), in northern Iraqi Kurdistan.

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Two corpses found in Babel

Babel - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Hilla, Feb 22, (VOI)-

Police forces on Friday found two bodies in al-Askandariya district, north of Hilla, a police source said. "Policemen found the two bodies in a house in al-Buhayrat region in al-Askandariya district, north of Hilla," the source, who asked anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The two bullets-riddled corpses show signs of torture," he also said, noting that they were sent to the al-Askandariya public hospital and their relatives identified the bodies and received them from the hospital. "The dead men are from the Sunni anti-Qaeda al-Janabiyeen tribe," the source highlighted. He gave no more details. Hilla, the capital of Babel, lies 100 km southwest of Baghdad. SH

Mahdi Army commander killed in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Baghdad, Feb 22, (VOI) –

A key commander of leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militias was killed in a quarrel with Iraqi army soldiers in the district of al-Amel, western Baghdad, a security source said on Friday. "Sa'ad Rashid was killed during a late hour of Thursday night after a quarrel with Iraqi army soldiers patrolling the area," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"One of the soldiers opened fire at Rashid, killing him instantly," the source said, not revealing any details on the incidents or the reasons behind the quarrel. Mahdi Army is the military arm of the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqis loyal to Sadr. In August 2007, Sadr announced a unilateral freeze on all military operations by his army, including those against U.S. and allied forces, for six months "for restructuring purposes." Earlier on Friday Sadrist officials in Baghdad and Karbala said Sadr extended the freeze on the militia's activities for six months.

"A statement was released by Sadr's office in Najaf and was recited during the Friday prayers in Karbala announcing the extension of Mahdi Army's acvities for six months," Sadr's office director in Karbala, Sheikh Abdul-Hadi al-Muhammadawi, told VOI. "The extension would start as of February 26, the day when the first period of freeze expires," added Muhammadawi. AE

Suicide blast in Falluja mosque leaves 12 casualties

Anbar - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Anbar, Feb 22, (VOI) –

Four people were killed and eight others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up amidst worshippers performing the Friday prayers at a mosque in southern Falluja, police said.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt among worshippers during the Friday prayers in al-Rahman mosque in Amiriyat al-Falluja, (20 km) southern Falluja city, killing four and wounding eight others," a police source who asked not to be named told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"Among the killed was Maj. Sa'adon al-Ubaidi, an officer at the Amiriyat al-Falluja police station," the source added. Falluja, the largest city in the predominantly Sunni province of al-Anbar, lies 45 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AE

Sadr extends militia freeze for 6 months

Karbala - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Karbala, Feb 22, (VOI) –

Iraqi leader Muqtada al-Sadr extended the freeze on his Mahdi Army militia's activities for six months, Sadrist officials in Baghdad and Karbala said.

"A statement was released by Sadr's office in Najaf and was recited during the Friday prayers in Karbala announcing the extension of Mahdi Army's activities for six months," Sadr's office director in Karbala, Sheikh Abdul-Hadi al-Muhammadawi, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The extension would start as of February 26, the day when the first period of freeze expires," added Muhammadawi. Mahdi Army is the military arm of the Sadrist bloc, or Iraqis loyal to Sadr. In August 2007, Sadr announced a unilateral freeze on all military operations by his army, including those against U.S. and allied forces, for six months "for restructuring purposes."

Sources from the Sadrist bloc had said during the past couple of days that Sadr would decide "within hours" whether to extend or end the freeze. Meanwhile, a media source from Sadr's office in Baghdad's al-Rasafa section said "Sheikh Sadeq al-Issawi, who led the worshippers for the Friday prayers at the office, recited the freeze extension statement issued by Muqtada al-Sadr as released from his office in Najaf. AE

3 wounded in house bomb in Mosul

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Ninewa, Feb 22, (VOI) –

Three people, including a policeman, were wounded in a house bomb in western Mosul on Friday, the official spokesman for the Ninewa operations command said. "Unidentified gunmen planted explosive charges inside an uninhabited two-storey house in al-Thawra neighborhood, western Mosul, on Thursday evening, and was detonated by means of remote control," Brig. Khaled Abdul-Sattar told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The explosion wounded three people, including one policeman who was in a checkpoint close to the house," he said. Meanwhile, Abdul-Sattar said security forces "detonated a car bomb parked in the al-Wihda neighborhood, eastern Mosul, on Friday without any casualties caused." Mosul, the capital of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. AE

IED leaves 5 casualties in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Baghdad, Feb 22, (VOI) –

At least one man was killed and four others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the central Baghdad district of al-Karrada on Friday, police said.

"The IED went off near the Oqba Ibn Nafie square in Karrada, leaving one man killed and four others wounded," an Iraqi police source, who preferred not to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"Policemen rushed to the blast site while ambulances removed the wounded to nearby hospitals," he added. AE

U.S. soldiers wounded, vehicle destroyed by blast in Balad

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Salah al-Din, Feb 22, (VOI) –

U.S. soldiers were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off near their patrol in the district of Balad, Salah al-Din province, during the early hours of Friday, a police source said.

"An IED went off near a U.S. patrol in Balad train station, wounding U.S. soldiers and destroying their Hummer vehicle," the source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"U.S. forces cut off the road for several hours while U.S. ambulances were seen heading to the blast scene," the source added, not revealing the number of U.S. servicemen wounded. Balad lies 180 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Earlier on Friday, the U.S. army said a U.S. Marine was killed in clashes with gunmen in the western Iraq province of al-Anbar, upping the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq this month to 25 and since the 2003 invasion to 3969. AE

Tikrit car bomb casualties up to 8

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Salah al-Din, Feb 22, (VOI) –

Deaths from Friday's earlier car bomb explosion rose to two policemen and the injured to six, including two civilians, a security source in Tikrit said on Friday. "Police patrols found a civilian car in the Tikrit cemetery. The vehicle turned out to be rigged with explosives," a source from the Tikrit coordination center told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) on condition of anonymity.

"A bomb squad from the Salah al-Din police department tried to tow the car to an open place to defuse it but it went off, killing two policemen and injuring six others," the source said. Earlier on Friday a security source said one policeman was killed and two others seriously wounded while trying to defuse an explosive vehicle in central Tikrit. Tikrit, the capital of Salah al-Din, lies 175 km north of Baghdad. AE

U.S. soldier killed in Anbar – army

Anbar - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Baghdad, Feb 22, (VOI) –

A U.S. Marine was killed in clashes with gunmen in the western Iraq province of al-Anbar, the U.S. army said on Friday.

"A Multi-National Force - West Marine was killed in action against enemy forces in Al-Anbar Province Feb. 21," according to a U.S. army statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) on Friday.

The death brings the number of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 to 3,969, according to statistics released by the U.S. army. Of this number, 25 soldiers were killed in February 2008 and 40 in January.

4 British soldiers wounded in blasts in Basra

Basra - Voices of Iraq

Friday , 22 /02 /2008 Time 6:41:15

Basra, Feb 22, (VOI) –

Four British soldiers were wounded in improvised explosive device attacks in two separate places in Basra, the British forces in southern Iraq revealed on Friday.

"An IED blast occurred near a British military vehicle close to the al-Zubair bridge, (12 km) north of Basra, destroying it and wounding two soldiers," the official spokesman for the British forces told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) by telephone.

"In a separate incident, a convoy that was on the way to the British base at the Basra International Airport came under another IED attack that left two soldiers wounded," he said. The spokesman did not say whether the British soldiers' wounds were serious or slight. British soldiers were stationed in one base - the Basra International Airport, 25 km northeast of the province - after handing over the former presidential palaces, which they took as a military base, to the Iraqi forces.

The British forces in Basra, 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, keep 5,250 troops within the MNF in Iraq after withdrawing 1,600 soldiers during the past months. Britain was the United States' prime ally in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Ceremonies to hand over security responsibilities in Basra province from the British forces to the Iraqi authorities took place at the Basra International Airport in December 2007. AE

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