IIP leader gunned down in Mosul

February 11, 2009 - 06:44:06

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

An Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) leader on Wednesday was killed by unknown gunmen in western Mosul, according to a local police source.

“On Wednesday evening, unidentified gunmen assassinated Ahmed Fathi al-Jabouri, an IIP leader, in al-Islah al-Ziraie area, western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Jabouri was shot down while leaving al-Abadi mosque after performing the al-Maghrib (sunset) prayers. The gunmen shot him in the head before fleeing the scene,” the source added.

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

SS (P)/SR

2 civilians wounded in Kirkuk

February 12, 2009 - 07:17:40

KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq:

Two civilians were injured on Wednesday night by unknown gunmen in central Kirkuk, a source from the joint coordination center said on Thursday.

“Unknown armed men on Wednesday night (Feb. 11) opened fire at a house in al-Masli region in central Kirkuk, injuring a man and his wife, who was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“A joint police-army force found four missile pads in Wahed Hozayran region in southwestern Kirkuk,” the same source said.

Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)

Diwaniya hospital receives unknown body

February 12, 2009 - 10:32:51

DIWANIYA / Aswat al-Iraq:

The Diwaniya hospital on Thursday received an unknown body of a civilian man, said a medical source.

“The hospital received an unknown body of a civilian in Ghamas region in west of Diwaniya,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that the man is believed to have choked to death.

“The hospital also received a civilian who was wounded by a gunshot in al-Hamza region in south of Diwaniya, while on his way to the Karbala,” he also said.

He gave no more details.

Diwaniya lies 180 km south of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

7 cops killed, injured in explosion in Mosul

February 12, 2009 - 10:41:36

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Four policemen were killed and three others were wounded in a car bomb explosion in eastern Mosul, a police source said.

“A car rigged with explosives was detonated targeting a police vehicle patrol in al-Baath neighborhood in eastern Mosul, killing four policemen and injuring three, including an officer,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He did not add further details.

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

SH (P)/SR

NDF member assassinated in Mosul

February 12, 2009 - 10:59:51

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

The deputy head of the National Dialogue Front (NDF) – Mosul branch was assassinated on Thursday by unknown gunmen in western Mosul, a source from Ninewa province’s police said on Thursday.

“Unidentified armed men assassinated Abdilkareem Khalaf al-Sharabi today,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“They opened fire on him near his house in the 17th of July neighborhood, western Mosul,” he said. He did not mention further details, but noted that al-Sharabi’s corpse was delivered to the morgue.

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

MH (P)/SR

2 corpses found in Diala

February 12, 2009 - 11:35:25

DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi security forces on Thursday found two unknown corpses in Diala province, a security source said.

“The forces found the two bodies near al-Rabiyaa village in south of al-Saadiya district in Diala,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The bodies, belong to two young men; 18 and 25 years old, were sent to the morgue,” he added.

Ba'aqouba, the capital of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)/SR

2 civilians killed in bombing in Diala

February 12, 2009 - 01:19:43

DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Two civilians were killed and three others were wounded when a roadside bomb went off north of Baaquba city, a security source from Diala province said on Thursday.

“The explosive charge targeted a civilian car in al-Idheem district of al-Khaliss suburb, 15 km north of Baaquba,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He did not mention further details.

Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

MH (P)/SR

Civilian body found in Babel

February 12, 2009 - 01:22:39

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

Policemen in Babel found the body of a civilian man in the northern part of the province on Thursday, a security source said.

“The body, of a taxi cab driver, was found in an orchard in the in the district of al-Iskandariya, (50 km) north of Hilla city,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, adding “the body showed signs of having been shot.”

“Initial investigations showed that the man was killed after two unidentified gunmen stopped him for a ride on Tuesday (Feb. 10),” he said, noting the man’s family had reported him missing.

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

AmR (P)/SR

Rockets hit U.S. camp southern in Iraq

February 12, 2009 - 03:37:43

Diwaniya / Aswat al-Iraq:

Five rockets hit a camp of U.S. forces west of Diwaniya, southern Iraq, according to a security source in the city with no reported casualties.

“The attack targeted the ECHO camp, 3 km west of Diwaniya,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Rockets were launched from the city’s al-Askari neighborhood,” he added.

The source asserted that the rockets landed inside the camp, adding he had no information about casualties. The U.S. side did not yet comment on this issue.

MH (P)/AmR

February 12, 2009 - 06:54:47

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

The death toll from Thursday’s earlier blast in the city of Karbala rose to eight and the wounded to 56, including 15 in a serious condition, medics said.

“The blast left eight people, including three women and one child, killed while the wounded, many of them severely burned, reached 56, including 15 in a serious condition,” a medic told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Eyewitnesses near the explosion scene and helped carry the victims said the bombing might have been resulted by a female a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt.

“We carried several wounded and dead people including the remains of a woman’s head,” an eyewitness said.

Earlier in the day, the Karbala province’s operations chief said five Shiite pilgrims were killed and 30 others wounded in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

“A home-made explosive charge went off in an alley near Qiblat al-Imam al-Hussaini street, killing five pilgrims and wounding 30 others,” Lt. General Othman al-Ghanimi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

An official local source had said nearly 125,000 Arab and foreign visitors have arrived in Karbala for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, scheduled for Monday.

The Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the death of Imam al-Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third holiest figure for Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf in Karbala in the Hegira year 61 (680 in the Gregorian calendar).

Scores of pilgrims from inside and outside Iraq have started the long trek on foot for the pilgrimage. Tight security measures have been in force and a large number of security personnel have been deployed in Iraq’s holy sites in preparation for the occasion.

Karbala, said to be housing the tombs of Imam al-Hussein and his brother Imam al-Abbas, lies 130 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

AmR (S)