Blast in Mahmoudiya leaves 7 killed, 21 wounded

September 18, 2009 - 05:38:02

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Seven civilians were killed and 21 others wounded when a car bomb ripped through an outdoor souk (market) in the southern Baghdad city of al-Mahmoudiya on Friday, an Iraqi police source said.

“Going off minutes before the iftar (fast-breaking meal) time, a car bomb went off in a souk in al-Mahmoudiya, leaving seven civilians killed and 21 others wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The police sealed off the blast scene while the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment,” the source added.

AmR (P)

Armed group’s leading member killed near Ba'aquba

September 18, 2009 - 05:09:59

DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq:

A leading member of the armed group of al-Naqshabandiya was killed in clashes with an Iraqi army force east of the city of Ba'aquba on Friday, an official security source in Diala said.

“Clashes erupted today (Sept. 18) in al-Lateen neighborhood, al-Sa'adiya district, Khanaqin, (155 km) east of Ba'aquba, between Iraqi army soldiers and armed members of the al-Naqshabandiya group,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The clashes left Aws Abdullatif al-Awsi killed and his brother, who is a member of the same group, detained,” he said, not giving further details.

Khanaqin, one of the disputed areas between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), is 155 km east of Ba'aquba.

Al-Naqshabandiya, an armed group self-proclaimed after 2003, is loyal to Izzat Ibrahim al-Dori, the vice president of the former Iraqi regime.

Dori, who was born in 1942, used to be the vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council during the former regime’s time.

He ranks 6th on a U.S. forces’ pack of cards of 55 most wanted persons after their invasion of Baghdad in April 2003, pledging a reward of $10 million for information leading to capturing him.

The King of Clubs on this pack, Dori had been reportedly arrested more than once, perhaps the recent of which was in April 2008. The dissolved Baath Party had announced on November 11, 2005 that Dori has died, only to deny the reports shortly after.

Ba'aquba, the capital city of the volatile province of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

AmR (S)

Unknown gunmen kidnap 11 civilians in Babel

September 18, 2009 - 03:12:43

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a van cab vehicle boarding 11 passengers including the driver on the Hilla-Karbala highway on Friday, a Babel police source said.

“An owner of a cab vehicle reported that his car, which operates on the Hilla-Karbala transport highway, was kidnapped with its eleven passengers including the driver on board,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The car owner said he had received a phone call from the kidnappers telling him that all of the passengers would be investigated and tried and would either be released or executed,” the source said.

He added that the police already formed several groups to track down the kidnappers.

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

AmR (P)

2 civilians injured by bomb blast in Babel

September 18, 2009 - 12:27:14

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

A man and a woman were wounded Friday in a bomb blast in northern Babel, according to a police source.

“An improvised explosive device, planted on the Mussayab-Karbala road, north of Hilla, went off targeting a U.S. convoy,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that the blast damaged a civilian car in front of the convoy and injured the driver and the woman beside him.

“U.S. forces defused another bomb, planted near the area, without casualties,” he added.

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

SH (P)

Gunmen wound 3 civilians in southern Hilla

September 18, 2009 - 08:13:40

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

Three civilians were wounded Friday by unknown gunmen in southern Hilla, a police source said.

“Unidentified gunmen opened fire randomly on civilians’ vehicles on Hilla-Kefl road, southern Hilla, injuring three civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“They fled to unknown place after the attack,” he added.

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

SH (P)

Bomb explodes near electricity tower in Kirkuk

September 18, 2009 - 07:56:23

KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq:

An improvised explosive device went off near an electricity tower in southwestern Kirkuk, causing some damage to it, a local police chief said Friday.

“An explosive charge went off late Thursday (Sept. 17) under an electricity tower in al-Riyadh district, southwestern Kirkuk,” Brig. Sarhad Qadir told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“Police forces rushed to the area and found another bomb and managed to defuse It without casualties,” he added.

Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)

3 killed, 5 wounded in truck bomb blast in Talafar

September 17, 2009 - 03:30:45

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Three people were killed and five others wounded on Thursday evening when a truck bomb went off near a checkpoint in Talafar district, northwest of volatile Mosul city, a security source said.

“A truck carrying cement went exploded near the al-Shahidain checkpoint in Talafar, leaving three persons, including two policemen, killed and five others who happened to be nearby the blast scene then wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Talafar lies 60 km northwest of Mosul.

“The number of casualties is most likely to rise,” he added.

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

AmR (P)

Gunmen kill district chief in Babel

September 17, 2009 - 02:58:26

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unknown gunmen killed on Thursday the chief of a district in Babel and wounded two of his family members in an attack in the northern part of the province.

“The incident took place at al-Khidhir area, 45 km north of Hilla city,” a local police chief told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The chief was on his way to a mosque in the neighborhood when he came under the gunmen’s fire,” the source said.

He noted that the chief died instantly while his son and grandson were injured, adding the armed men managed to escape to an unknown place.

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

MH (P)/AmR

U.S. forces attacked in Fallujah, attacker wounded – MNF

September 17, 2009 - 12:03:45

ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq:

 A man in Fallujah allegedly threw an object, believed to be a grenade, at a U.S. Marine and Iraqi Security Forces patrol on Sept.16, Multi-National Forces (MNF) in Iraq said in a release on Thursday.

“Upon positive identification of the attacker, U.S. forces fired in self-defense, wounding the attacker,” said the release posted on the MNF Web site.

The convoy stopped, secured the area and began to render medical aid. Shortly thereafter, the local Iraqi Police assumed control of the scene, took custody of the wounded attacker and transported him to a local hospital for medical treatment, according to the release.

“These actions were done in compliance with the Security Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq which authorizes U.S. forces to take appropriate action in self-defense,” it said.

The release stressed that “the Security Agreement is an accord between Iraq and the U.S., and shows U.S. commitment to an Iraq built on absolute Iraqi sovereignty.”

Falluja, the biggest city in al-Anbar province, lies 45 km west of Baghdad.

MH (S)/SR