U.S. forces kill 2 Iraqi policemen in Mosul

January 31, 2009 - 05:10:12

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

U.S. army forces on Saturday killed two Iraqi policemen at a checkpoint in southeastern Mosul city, a security source in the province of Ninewa said.

“U.S. soldiers opened fire on an Iraqi police checkpoint in Falasteen (Palestine) neighborhood, southeastern Mosul, killing two policemen,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the U.S. forces told Aswat al-Iraq that a U.S. army force was trying to enter a building in Falasteen neighborhood in search of a wanted man.

“The U.S. force came under fire from another building 100 meters away. The U.S. soldiers, who revealed their identity but to no avail, had to open fire at the building,” said the spokesman.

“The firing back was in self-defense,” he said, adding “after the U.S. forces entered the building, there were bodies of two policemen dressed in civvies”.

The spokesman expressed the U.S. forces’ regret over the death of the two policemen, not giving more details.

AmR (P)/SR

Policemen kill civilian after explosion in Touz Khormato

January 31, 2009 - 11:13:23
SALAH AL-DIN / Aswat al-Iraq:

Police forces on Saturday killed one civilian in Touz Khormato in gun shooting that erupted after a roadside bomb wounded seven policemen, said the suburb’s mayor.

“Police forces today opened fire after a roadside bomb targted their patrol vehicle near the silo, central Touz Khormato,” Mohammed Rasheed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“Seven policemen were wounded in the explosion,” he said.
“One civilian was killed in the shooting,” he added.

For his part, a source from the police said that “investigations are currently underway regarding the incident, as it occurred in a place where security forces are heavily deployed.”
MH (P) / SS

5th missile targets Tikrit’s polling centers

January 31, 2009 - 08:36:38
SALAH AL-DIN / Aswat al-Iraq:

A mortar shell on Saturday fell on a polling center in northern Tikrit, causing no casualties, the fifth of its kind in the city today, according to a local security source.

“A mortar hit Omar Ibn Jandoub Center in Tikrit’s northern neighborhood of al-Qadissiya,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Earlier today, four mortars landed consecutively near three electoral centers in central and western Tirkit city, causing no casualties.

Two mortar shells fell near an electoral center on al-Arbaen Street, downtown Tikrit; while a third mortar fell on Pasha Street, western Tikrit; and a fourth near the vegetables’ market in the center of the city.

The fourth mortar caused damage to nearby shops and houses, according to the source.
Voting began at 07:00 a.m. today to elect 28 provincial council members in Salah al-Din province.
A total of 666,651 voters in Salah al-Din are expected to head to 180 electoral centers, including 1,780 polling stations, to choose their representatives in local councils.

Tikrit, the capital city of Salah al-Din province, lies 175 km north of Baghdad.
SS (P)

Voter wounded in attack on polling center

January 31, 2009 - 01:25:16
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

One civilian on Saturday was wounded while he was entering a polling center in eastern Baghdad, according to a local security source.

“The civilian was wounded while he was entering Sulaiman al-Khazaie polling center in Sadr city, eastern Baghdad, in an attack launched by gunmen from the top of a nearby building,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“The center was immediately closed after the attack,” the source noted.

Voters have been heading to polling stations in Baghdad and 13 other Iraqi provinces since 07:00 a.m. Saturday to elect their representatives in the country’s provincial councils amidst tight security measures.

Over 15 million voters from 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces will participate in this election, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Security personnel, prisoners sentenced to less than five years and hospital-bound patients cast early ballots in the special voting held on Wednesday (Jan. 28).
SS (P)

Indefinite curfew, traffic ban in Falluja

January 31, 2009 - 05:40:31

ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq:

Local authorities in Falluja, Anbar province, imposed a curfew and traffic ban as of 06:00 p.m. until further notice within security measures to secure vote counting and moving of ballot boxes to their dedicated centers, according to a security source in the city.

Falluja, the largest city of the predominantly Sunni province of al-Anbar, lies 45 km west of Baghdad. Anbar’s capital, Ramadi, is 110 km west of Baghdad. Anbar is the largest province in Iraq geographically. Encompassing much of the country’s western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The province was known as Dulaim until 1962 when it was changed to Ramadi. In 1976 it was renamed al-Anbar.

AmR (P)/SR

Gunmen blow up candidate’s house in Ninewa

February 1, 2009 - 01:38:24

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unidentified gunmen blew up the house of a candidate running in the country’s local elections for al-Hadbaa list south of Mosul, a security source in Ninewa police said on Sunday.

“Unknown gunmen blew up the house of Faisal al-Habw, a candidate for the national al-Hadbaa list south of Mosul city but the house was empty,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Al-Hadbaa list is a political grouping in Mosul comprising a number of figures and politicians from various entities. It is led by Atheel al-Nejefi, the brother of lawmaker Osama al-Nejefi, a member of the Iraqi National List (INL).

“The candidate is a former Air Commodore,” the source added.

A total 1.605 million people in Ninewa province participated in the local council elections on Saturday (Jan. 31) to choose 37 members from 48 political parties, among them were Christians and Yazidis.

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

AmR (P)/SR

IED blast near candidate’s house in Babel

February 1, 2009 - 11:18:53

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

An improvised explosive device (IED) went off near the house of a candidate in southern Babel on Sunday, causing severe damage to the building, a security source in the province said.

“An IED went off near the house of a candidate running for the Iraqi National Congress (INC) party in the area of al-Sayahai, (5 km) south of Hilla, causing severe damage to the house but leaving no casualties,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He did not mention the candidate’s name.

Hilla, the capital city of Babel, lies 100 km south of Baghdad.

AmR (P)/SR

2 civilians wounded in Baghdad blast

February 1, 2009 - 09:42:46

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Two people were wounded on Sunday when a sticky improvised explosive device attached to a civilian vehicle went off in the area of al-Mada’en, southeastern Baghdad, police said.

“A sticky IED attached by unidentified persons to a civilian vehicle on a road in al-Mada’en area went off on Sunday (Feb. 1), wounding two civilians on board and severely damaging the vehicle,” an Iraqi police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“Security forces sealed off the blast area and rushed the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment,” he added.

AmR (P)/SR

15 U.S. soldiers killed in Jan. 2009

February 1, 2009 - 07:29:08

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

U.S. deaths in Iraq during January 2009 reached 15, four of them in two plane crashes in the province of Salah al-Din, 100 km north of Baghdad, upping to 4,236 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since military operations first commenced in March 2003.

December 2008 saw the death of 14 U.S. soldiers, the last of them were two soldiers killed on the last day of that month in two separate incidents.

The year 2003 witnessed the death of 486 U.S. soldiers, increasing in 2004 to reach 849 but went down by three in the year 2005 to reach 846.

In 2006, a total 822 U.S. soldiers were killed, going up in 2007 to reach a record highest of 904. However, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in 2008 went down dramatically to reach 314.

July 2008 is still the month with the lowest number of U.S. deaths in Iraq: 13, including two lost reportedly missing in May 2007 but their bodies were found later on July 9.

November 2004, which witnessed fierce confrontations between U.S. forces and armed groups in the volatile city of Falluja, al-Anbar province, western Iraq, is still the record highest as 137 U.S. troops were killed.

AmR (P)