4 missiles fall near Echo camp in Diwaniya – spokesman

April 22, 2009 - 10:48:21

DIWANIYA / Aswat al-Iraq:

The spokesman for the U.S. army on Wednesday said that four missiles fell near the U.S. Echo camp in Diwaniya, without leaving casualties.

“The four missiles caused no casualties or material damage,” al-Muqdad Jebreel told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

For his side, the commander of the 8th division of the Iraqi army in Diwaniya, Othman al-Ghanemi, said that three Katyusha rockets landed on Wednesday (April 22) on Umm Sabaji village in north of Diwaniya, without casualties.

“The forces arrested three of the four gunmen who launched the rockets, while the fourth gunmen managed to escape,” he said.

“Investigation underway on the incident,” he added.

Diwaniya is 180 km south of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Two car bombs target Peshmerga forces in Ninewa

April 22, 2009 - 08:52:49

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Two car bombs went off on Wednesday targeting Peshmerga forces in northwest of Mosul, without leaving casualties, a police source said.

“A car rigged with explosives went off on Wednesday morning (April 22) targeting the motorcade of the commander of Peshmerga forces at the inlet of Zamar district, northwest of Mosul, causing material damage of one of the motorcade’s vehicles,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“A suicide bomber blew up another car bomb in the same region shortly after the first explosion, targeting a Peshmerga base, without leaving casualties,” he added.

“The forces shot the bomber before reaching the base,” he noted.

Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)

U.S. forces run over civilian in Mosul

April 21, 2009 - 07:56:34

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

U.S. forces ran over a civilian and left him wounded in Mosul, a security source said on Tuesday.

“A civilian was wounded on Tuesday (April 21) when U.S. forces ran over him in al-Baath neighborhood in eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The forces left him in the accident scene, but the Iraqi army forces carried him to a nearby hospital for treatment,” he added.

Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Suicide attack injures 2 soldiers in Mosul

April 21, 2009 - 07:46:57

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Two Iraqi soldiers were wounded on Tuesday in a suicide attack in eastern Mosul, according to a security source.

“A suicide bomber blew up a booby-trapped car on Tuesday (April 21) targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint in Ninewa al-Shraqiya region in eastern Mosul, injuring two soldiers,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The two soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment,” he noted.

Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Gunmen kill butcher in western Mosul

April 21, 2009 - 07:21:22

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unknown gunmen on Tuesday killed a butcher in western Mosul city, according to a security source.

“Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday (April 21) killed a butcher inside his store in al-Nehrawan neighborhood in western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The gunmen stormed the store and shot him in his head,” he added, before fleeing to unknown place.

Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, is 405 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Tribal official wounded in bomb blast in Anbar

April 21, 2009 - 06:14:52

ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq:

The official spokesman for the chieftains council in Anbar was wounded in a bomb explosion in northern Anbar, a police source said.

“An explosive charge, stuck to the vehicle of Sheikh Zein Aagami, the official spokesman for the chieftains council in Anbar, went off while he was on his way back to his house in Albu Abeid village in northern Anbar,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The blast wounded the sheikh and two of his bodyguards and damaged the vehicle,” he added.

“The wounded were rushed to the Ramadi hospital, while the police sealed off the region,” he also said.

Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, is 110 km west of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Sticky bomb sets army vehicle ablaze in Kirkuk

April 21, 2009 - 04:58:59

KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq:

A sticky bomb went off on Tuesday targeting an Iraqi army vehicle in central Kirkuk, without leaving casualties, a senior police officer said.

“An explosive charge, stuck to an Iraqi military vehicle, went off in al-Atebaa street in central Kirkuk, setting the vehicle ablaze,” Colonel Ahmad Shmerani told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The explosion took place in a crowded area,” he added.

Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

15 wanted men arrested in Basra

April 22, 2009 - 11:04:08

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Police forces on Wednesday arrested 15 wanted men during a crackdown operation in separate areas of Basra, the media office of the Basra police said.

“Policemen waged a crackdown operation in separate areas of Basra, where 15 wanted men, including three wanted for terrorist cases, were arrested,” the office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“Five machine guns with ammunitions and 23 unlicensed cars were seized during the operation,” it added.

Basra is 590 km south of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

Gunmen kidnap judge in Kirkuk

April 22, 2009 - 07:41:42

KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unknown gunmen kidnapped a judge on Wednesday in southwestern Kirkuk city, the local police chief said.

“Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday morning (April 22) kidnapped Judge Hatem Fayyad in front of his house in al-Khadraa neighborhood in southwestern Kirkuk, while he was on his way to the Kirkuk court,” Brig. Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He gave no more details,

Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)

5 al-Naqshabandiya group gunmen detained in Diala

April 21, 2009 - 08:04:52

DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Joint security forces on Tuesday arrested five gunmen of the so-called “al-Naqshabandiya” group in east of Baaquba city, according to a security source.

“A joint force of police and army personnel launched a security raid on Tuesday (April 21) in Mendli district, east of Baaquba, during which five members of the self-styled al-Naqshabandiya group were arrested,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Al-Naqshabandiya is a group that introduces itself as an Islamic spiritual dogmatic organization, but its ideologies changed into ones of armed struggle against the occupation forces.

Baaquba, the capital of Diala, is located 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

39 wanted men arrested – ministry

April 21, 2009 - 02:55:02

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Security forces arrested 39 wanted men and seized a roadside bombs cache in operations that took place throughout Iraq, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

“The arrests took place according to Article 4 (terror) in the provinces of Karbala, Babel, Diala, and Salah Al-Din,” the ministry said in a release received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The roadside bombs cache was seized in Al-Daura neighborhood, southern Baghdad,” it added.

The release pointed out that the Interior Ministry’s forces were also able to defuse four roadside bombs in Baghdad and Diala.

MH (P)/SR

10 suspects arrested in central Kirkuk

April 21, 2009 - 01:49:38

KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq:

Police forces on Tuesday arrested 10 suspects during a security operation in downtown Kirkuk city, according to a local security source.

“Emergency police forces conducted a search raid in al-Dubbat neighborhood, downtown Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Those arrested have been handed over to concerned bodies,” the source noted, providing no further details.

Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and Arabs, lies 250 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

SS (P)

Armed group’s commander arrested in Karbala

April 21, 2009 - 01:19:12

KARBALA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Security forces on Tuesday arrested a man wanted for “terror cases,” and seized different arms and ammunition in his possession during a wide-scale raid north of Karbala, according to the director of the province’s police.

“The wanted man was arrested in a raid in Umal-Hamam area of al-Husseiniya district, 20 km north of Karbala,” General Ali Jassim Mohammed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Three grenades, three rifles, and 50 pistol’s bullets were found in his possession,” Mohammed said. “During preliminary interrogation, the arrested wanted man confessed that he commanded an armed group in Karbala,” he added. The holy city of Karbala lies 110 km southwest of Baghdad.

MH (P) / SS

Neighborhood’s mukhtar arrested in Kut

April 21, 2009 - 10:30:11

WASSIT / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iraqi security forces arrested the mukhtar of a residential neighborhood, accusing him of participating in an armed attack against a police patrol north of Kut city, a security source from Wassit province said on Tuesday.

“The mukhtar of al-Diniya neighborhood of al-Sawayra district, 135 north of Kut city, was arrested on Monday evening (April 20) by an Iraqi security force,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The mukhtar is accused of participating in an armed attack against a police patrol in his neighborhood,” he said.

The source pointed out that interrogation is currently underway with the mukhtar. “He will be released in case that the accusations against him would not be proved,” the source added. Mukhtar, meaning chosen in Arabic, refers to the head of a village or neighborhood in many Arab countries. The name refers to the fact that mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election. Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of Baghdad.

MH (S) / SS

109 suspects, wanted men nabbed in Basra

April 21, 2009 - 09:59:31

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq:

A total of 109 wanted persons and suspects have been arrested during a security operation in different parts of Basra province, according to a local source.

“During a wide-scale search raid that covered different parts of Basra province, 46 wanted men, including nine wanted on terror charges, and 63 suspects were captured,” the relations and media office in Basra police told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Five Kalashnikov rifles and 21 unlicensed vehicles and four motorbikes were confiscated during the raid,” according to the office. The Shiite city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

SS (P)