8 Iraqi Civilians Including Two Children Killed by US Helicopter in Baiji, Journalist Killed by US Sniper in Baghdad, New Palestinian-Iraqi Tragedy, According to May 22, 2008 News Reports

Editor's Note:

Only God knows how many Iraqis are killed everyday. The following represents part of the reporting but readers are advised that the actual number of deaths should very much exceed what's reported.

It is noteworthy that May 20, 2008 news reports showed that death squads which execute Iraqis on daily basis are no longer hiding themselves. They are composed of the US-recruited Sahwa fighters and policemen.

Yaqen.net reported the following news today:

Another Palestinian-Iraqi Tragedy

- Hussam Mahmoud, a Palestinian man was arrested by US forces as he was joining the Palestinian refugee camp of Tanaf, at the Iraqi-Syrian border. He was accompanied by his two sons, Ahmed (15), Mahmoud (8), and his daughter Marwa (13).

Hussam decided to take refuge in the border desert refugee camp running away from the daily raids of the sectarian militia on the Palestinian refugee area of Baladiyat. He sold his apartment in Building No. 1 and traveled to the Tanaf desert camp for Palestinian refugees.

His wife stayed in Baghdad to finish papers because she holds a Jordanian passport while he and his children hold Palestinian refugee travel documents.

Now, the family has been separated in three locations: The children are in the refugee camp, the mother homeless in Baghdad, and the father in the US custody on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

What did Hussam and his family do the US, Iraq, and the world for this to happen to them? Anybody out there listening? Anybody out there in position of responsibility still having a mind or a heart?

- Eight Iraqi civilians, including two children aged 8 and 11, were killed by US fire. About a thousand people participated in their funeral chanting slogans against the US occupation of Iraq.

- The body of the Iraqi journalist Haider Hussain, who worked for Al-Sharq news paper, was found in Ba'aqouba today, two days after he was kidnapped.

The Iraq News Agency (INA) reported more details about the eight Iraqi civilians who were killed today by fire from a US helicopter. The report mentioned that seven members of one Iraqi family were in their parked car away from the US convoy, in a small agricultural road, waiting for the convoy to pass on the main road. However, the US helicopter dropped a bomb or a missile on the car killing all the seven members of the family and a farmer who was standing beside the car. There were two children in the car.

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8 civilians killed by U.S. chopper in Baiji

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 22 /05 /2008 Time 7:40:55
Tikrit, May 22, (VOI) -

At least eight civilians, including a child, were killed by U.S. chopper fire near Baiji city, a police source said on Thursday.

"A U.S. helicopter, while securing a U.S. military convoy, opened fire on a car traveling on a road near al-Mazraa village, south of Baiji, on Wednesday night, killing eight civilians, including seven from the same family and a passing farmer," Colonel Mathhar al-Qessi, the chief of Baiji police department, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

"The U.S. forces justified the incident noting that the convoy was suspicious of the car and told the helicopter to open fire on it," he explained.

"Police forces rushed to the car and found the dead family unarmed," he continued.
Baiji, Salah el-Din province, lies 280 km north of Baghdad.

SH/SR

U.S. sniper kills journalist in Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 22 /05 /2008 Time 7:40:55
Baghdad, May 22, (VOI) -

The Iraqi Society for Defending Journalists' Rights said on Thursday that a journalist was killed by a U.S. sniper in eastern Baghdad.

"Wessam Ali Awda, the cameraman for the Afaq satellite channel, was killed on Wednesday afternoon by a U.S. sniper while returning back home to al-Ubeidi region in Baghdad," the society said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The society called to sue the perpetrators.

The cameraman, born in 1976, is single. He graduated from the Information Faculty in 2003.
The death pushes the number of journalists killed in Iraq since April 2003 to 258.
No word was immediately available from the U.S. side on the incident.
SH/SR

9 killed, 78 arrested in acts of violence until Thursday afternoon

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 22 /05 /2008 Time 7:40:55
Baghdad, May 22, (VOI) -

Nine people were killed and 78 others were arrested in violent acts that took place throughout Iraq from 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, security sources said.

In Baghdad, the Iraqi Society for Defending Journalists' Rights said on Thursday that a journalist was killed by a U.S. sniper in eastern Baghdad.

In Salah al-Din, Colonel Mathhar al-Qessi, the chief of Baiji police department, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) that at least eight civilians, including two children, were killed by U.S. chopper fire near Baiji city.

In Kirkuk, a police source said on Thursday that policemen arrested three persons belonging to what is called al-Naqshabandiya group in western Kirkuk.

In Diala, General Ghanem al-Qureshi, the Diala police chief, told the VOI that joint U.S.-Iraqi forces on Thursday arrested 29 al-Qaeda gunmen during a military operation in south of Ba'aqouba.
Another police source in Diala said that policemen found on Thursday a journalist's body a few days after being kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the city of Ba'aqouba.

In Makhmour, an Iraqi army source said joint Iraqi-U.S. forces on Thursday arrested three wanted men from al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group in a security operation near Makhmour district.

In Basra, a police source said that 13 wanted and suspected gunmen were arrested and amounts of weapons and ammunitions were confiscated in a security raid throughout the province.

In Wassit, a security source said that a police force arrested a gang specialized in kidnapping children in al-Suwaira region in north of Wassit.

In Karbala, security forces arrested 25 suspected gunmen on Thursday during a security operation in north of Karbala, General Raed Shaker Jawdat, the chief of local police said.
SH/SR

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Iraq War Report for events of Wednesday, 21 May 2008.

Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr,

member, editorial board, the Free Arab Voice.

·        Bomb targets US patrol in eastern Baghdad. Clashes leave 11 dead, three wounded.

·        Bomb explodes by civilians in eastern Baghdad following deployment of Iraqi regime troops.

Al-Anbar Province.
Ar-Rutbah.

Woman belt bomber kills four policemen in ar-Rutbah police station Wednesday morning.

In a dispatch posted at 3:14pm Baghdad time Wednesday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that a woman wearing an explosive belt blew herself up in an outpost of the tribal “Awakening” police adjacent to the government police station in a residential area of northern ar-Rutbah in far western Iraq near the Iraqi border at 10 am local time Wednesday morning.

Yaqen reported a source in the police as saying that the woman gained access to the building by claiming that an armed group were pursuing her and that she needed refuge. But when she entered the outpost, and the “Awakening” policemen gathered around her, she detonated the explosives strapped around her, killing four policemen – two government policemen and two tribal “Awakening” police. Another three “Awakening” policemen were wounded and taken to ar-Rutbah General Hospital for treatment, one of them in serious condition.

Baghdad.

Bomb targets US patrol in eastern Baghdad. Clashes leave 11 dead, three wounded.

In a dispatch posted at 6:45pm Baghdad time Wednesday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that 11 people were killed and three others wounded in fighting between US occupation troops and armed men in eastern Baghdad.

Yaqen reported a source in the security forces who asked not to be identified as saying that the armed clash took place after a bomb had exploded by a US patrol in eastern Baghdad. The source failed to provide any further specifics on the clash and as of the time of reporting, the Americans had made no statement about it.

US forces have conducted an offensive against the anti-occupation Jaysh al-Mahdi militia off and on since March in an apparent attempt to prepare for an eventual attack on Iran.

President of Iraqi Parliament survives assassination attempt.

In a dispatch posted at 6pm Baghdad time Wednesday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that Mahmud al-Mashhadani survived a bomb attack on his motorcade in Baghdad.

Car bomb wounds four civilians in west Baghdad’s al-Harithiyah neighborhood.

In a dispatch posted on its Arabic website at 8:50pm Wednesday morning Beijing time (4:50pm in Baghdad), the Xinhua News Agency reported that a car bomb exploded on al-Kindi Street in the al-Harithiyah neighborhood of western Baghdad.

Xinhua reported a source in the Iraqi police as saying that the blast occurred shortly after another car bomb had killed a civilian in the al-Mansur neighborhood. The second car bombing wounded four people.

Car bomb kills one, wounds six in west Baghdad’s al-Mansur district.

In a dispatch posted on its Arabic website at 8:50pm Wednesday morning Beijing time (4:50pm in Baghdad), the Xinhua News Agency reported that a car bomb that had been parked near the as-Sa‘ah Restaurant in the upscale Baghdad neighborhood of al-Mansur exploded after noon on Wednesday.

Xinhua reported a source in the Iraqi police as saying that the blast killed one civilian and wounded six more. Several nearby stores and cars were also damaged in the explosion. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment.

Bomb targets civilians in eastern Baghdad following deployment of Iraqi regime troops.

In a dispatch posted on its Arabic website at 4:26pm Wednesday afternoon Beijing time (12:26pm in Baghdad), the Xinhua News Agency reported that a bomb exploded on Beirut Square in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday morning.

Xinhua reported a source in the police as saying that the blast was targeted on a group of civilians and that it wounded four people, one of them severely, in addition to damaging several shops located near the scene. One private car that happened to be in the area was also damaged. All the victims were taken to the al-Kindi Hospital for treatment.

Salah ad-Din Province.
Tikrit.

Iraqi government police carry out violent raids in effort to clear refugees out of Tikrit.

In a dispatch posted at 12:45pm Baghdad time midday Wednesday, the Yaqen News Agency reported that Iraqi government police carried out raids in areas inhabited by refugees from other areas as a result of fighting.

Yaqen reported eyewitnesses who live in Tikrit as saying that the biggest such raid took place in the az-Zhur area of Tikrit, where a large number of refugee families were arrested. They were only released when they agreed to vacate the areas in which they had found refuge and to return to their homes.

Witnesses told Yaqen that the raids were carried out violently and forcefully and that the policemen smashed the belongings of the refugees, scaring the women and children.

Diyala Province.
Jalawla’.

Kurdish separatist police arrest 12 following attack.

In a dispatch posted at 5:15pm Baghdad time Wednesday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that US-backed Kurdish separatist Asayish police arrested 12 people in various parts of the Jalawla’ district, 120km northeast of Baghdad.

Kurdish separatist police killed in armed attack near Jalawla’.

In a dispatch posted at 10:50am Baghdad time Wednesday morning, the Yaqen News Agency reported that armed men attacked a checkpoint manned by Kurdish separatist Asayish police in the Shaykh Bawah area northeast of Jalawla’, 120km northeast of Baghdad.

Yaqen reported Ahmad Khalifah Qassab, the Chief of Police of the Jalawla’ area, as saying that the attack left four of the US-backed Kurdish policemen dead and three more severely wounded. The attackers slipped away after carrying out their assault. Qassab said that the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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