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| Iraq |
| Last Week's State Dept. Weekly Report on Iraq |
| 2007-01-09 |
| Now a Powerpoint file. Used to be a pdf. Highlights: Iraqi Statistics Show December 2006 Was the Deadliest Month for Iraqi Civilians: But not according to everyone; read on. According to a combination of statistics released by the Iraqi Health, Interior and Defense ministries, December was the deadliest month for the country's civilians in 2006 with a death toll of 1,927 - compared with 1,846 in November and 1,315 in October. Although the US military does not release Iraqi civilian casualty numbers, the Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman, Brigadier General Abdul Kareem Khalaf, disagreed with the released Iraqi statistics, saying that the latest figures were too high and that the civilian toll in December was about half what was being reported and was one of the lowest monthly totals of the year. Facinating. Ain't democracy wunnerful? Iraqi Army Captures Al-Qaida Terrorist Cell Leader: Iraqi Special Operations Forces with Coalition advisors captured an al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) terrorist cell leader December 26 in al-Yusifiyah south of Baghdad. The AQI cell leader was allegedly responsible for the kidnapping of two US soldiers from a checkpoint in Yusifiyah in June as well as numerous other kidnappings, murders and violent crimes in the area. The two soldiers were later found tortured and murdered. Maliki Would Reject a Second Term: Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki said in a published report in the Wall Street Journal that he wished he could leave office before the completion of his four-year term and would not run again. “I didn't want to take this position,” Maliki told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published January 2. “I only agreed because I thought it would serve the national interest, and I will not accept it again.” Maliki said it was “impossible” that he would serve a second term. “I wish I could be done with it even before the end of this term,” he said in the interview, which was conducted December 24. “I would like to serve my people from outside the circle of senior officials, maybe through the parliament, or through working directly with the people.” Electricity: Baghdad has received no power from Haditha Dam since December 4, and since December 27 it has also received none from northern generating plants, reducing daily electricity service in Baghdad to five to six hours. Iran to Loan Iraq $1 Billion: Iranian Economy Minister Davoud Danesh Jafari announced that Iran will provide a $1 billion loan to Iraq for reconstruction. The Iraqis have committed to use Iranian contractors and experts for the proposed projects. The two sides reached the agreement during the visit to Iran of Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabr (SCIRI). 2007 Budget: Khaled al-Attiyah, first deputy-chairman of the Iraqi parliament, announced that the general budget for 2007 is $41 billion, with security allocations of $7.5 billion. The budget has been referred to the Economic and Investment Committee in the Parliament for consideration. A final report is expected after the Eid al-Adha. Saddam Hussein Executed, Execution Taped by Cell Phone: The sentence of the Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT) against Saddam Hussein was carried out at a prison in Baghdad the monrning (sic)of December 30. The execution was recorded on a mobile phone, which was later leaked to the public. The scene was broadcast on al-Jazeera television and posted on the Internet, prompting a worldwide outcry and large protests among Iraq's minority Sunnis, who lost their preferential status when Saddam was ousted following the US-led invasion of March 2003. Iraqi authorities reported January 3 the arrests of two guards and an official who supervised Saddam Hussein's execution and said the guard force was infiltrated by outsiders who taunted the former dictator and shot the unauthorized mobile phone video. This version was received with widespread skepticism by many Iraqis, who regard Islamist Shia politicians close to the government as the lead suspects. Whaddabout the Joooos? CCCI Convicts 48 Insurgents: The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) convicted 48 security detainees December 8-28, for various crimes including murder, kidnapping, illegal possession of special category weapons, violation of the terrorist laws, failure to renew resident identification, possessing and using a fake ID, use or attempted use of explosives and illegal border crossing. Since its organization under an amendment to Coalition Provisional Authority order 13, in April 2004, the CCCI has held 1,809 trials for Coalition-apprehended insurgents. The proceedings have resulted in the conviction of 1,569 individuals with sentences ranging up to death. Seoul Moving to Allow Companies to do Business in Iraq : South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced December 29 that South Korea is considering allowing its firms to conduct business in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region given the improved security situation in the region. South Korea has prohibited its people and firms from entering or doing business in Iraq since the kidnapping and murder of a South Korean worker in May 2004. Foreign Minister Zebari Receives Russian Ambassador: Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari received Vladimir Chamov, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Iraq December 28. A range of issues were discussed including security and political developments in Iraq and means to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. Kidnapped Contractors Shown on Video: Four Americans and an Austrian abducted in November in southern Iraq spoke briefly and appeared uninjured in a video believed to have been recorded nearly two weeks ago and delivered January 3 to The Associated Press. The men – security contractors for the Crescent Security Group based in Kuwait – appeared separately on the edited video. Three of them said they were being treated well. The kidnappers were not seen or heard in the nearly two-minute video, but a title that read “The National Islamic Resistance in Iraq. The Furkan Brigades” was shown at the start of the video. The men were kidnapped November 16 when suspected militiamen in Iraqi police uniforms ambushed a convoy of trucks being escorted by Crescent Security on a highway near Safwan. This brief draws from multiple sources. References are cited on the following pages. (See link) |
| Posted by:Bobby |