Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. before Febuary 2nd 2006

Friday, January 26, 2007

It looked quiet from my place...
This one was posted on Pajamas Media yesterday, but here it is again in case you missed it.

In Baghdad when it is suddenly quiet around you for any length of time you can expect someone nearby to turn to you and say suspiciously, “Isn’t it quiet outside?”

By “quiet” the speaker means that there have been no sounds of explosions or gunfire for a few hours. Those sounds are now part of normal daily life in Baghdad while “quiet” is a state that invites amazement and suspicion. In this city it’s usual to respond to the above question with “Let’s hope it stays like this.”

My Baghdad neighborhood today was “quiet” compared to the last few days; but Baghdad is a big city and a Baghdadi gets to hear about most incidents through TV or radio just like everybody elsewhere in the world. The difference is that for us Baghdad news is local news. For example, today I heard about fighting in Dora where 10 insurgents were arrested; I heard that 8 more were arrested in Latifiyah; I heard that Iraqi forces are now in control in Haifa street. I heard all of that but I saw or heard nothing about these incidents firsthand.

The news also said that many of the 35 suspects who were arrested yesterday in Haifa street are not Iraqis, but more significant than that was the discovery of a large weapons cache in al-Karkh high school, the very school Saddam went to back in the 1950s.
Away from the streets the biggest battle I saw today was aired live on TV — the latest session of the parliament that witnessed loud arguments between some of the MPs, during which the speaker decided to cut media transmission from the hall.

Before it was cut off, PM Maliki spoke to the parliament to explain the goals and strategy of his new plan and to hear their feedback, suggestions and reservations.
Maliki’s speech was sharp and straightforward. He stressed that the Baghdad plan was not directed against one faction over the other. He called it a plan “enforce the law” and said it would use force to apply the law against those who kill Iraqis and displace them from their homes.
Maliki didn’t forget to criticize the media that accuse the plan of being biased and he asked the local media to support the plan and encourage the citizens to cooperate with the authorities.

Maliki’s most important warning was when he said that no one and no place would be immune to raids. Mosques (Sunni or Shia), homes or political offices will all be subject to searches and raids if they are used to launch attacks or hide militants.
He added that the government will soon begin an operation to arrest anyone who occupied homes belonging to displaced families, and described such occupation an attempt to make displacement a permanent situation.
The parliamentary majority was supportive of Maliki’s approach but of course there were voices that criticized his plans and threw all sorts of accusations in his face. The Sadrists objected the arrest of some of their colleagues. Others complained that the participation of the Multi-National Force is wrong and would undermine the sovereignty of the government.

The biggest argument was when a Sunni cleric MP harshly criticized what he called a policy to target only certain parts of Baghdad (apparently referring to Haifa street and Latifiyah), and said the troops were killing civilians. The MP told Maliki that “We’ve lost trust in you as a head of the state….” An uproar began with many shouting from their seats. The cleric continued his verbal attack and the speaker tried to silence him by telling him he exceeded his time limit. He wouldn’t stop. The speaker then shut off the cleric’s microphone.
Maliki returned fire saying, “You in particular will regain your trust in this government when we send your file to a court of law. You talk about Latifiyah when you know, and everybody knows, that terrorists are right now holding 150 innocent citizens hostages in that city”.
This direct threat was met by applause from the members of the UIA.

The speaker (al-Mashhadani) didn’t like this response from Maliki and turned to the lawmakers and said “You applaud this? The Prime Minister is openly accusing one of your colleagues of being a terrorist and you applaud! This is unacceptable!”
The session descended into chaos with members in white and black turbans shouting at each other. The speaker lost his patience and screamed back “Enough of this sectarian speech making! You will set the streets on fire! How are we going to succeed if we’re divided like this?”

We don’t know what happened later but it seems the situation escalated beyond that and pushed al-Mashhadani to cut the transmission.
These fights inside the parliament always frighten me because they all too soon roll out of the Parliament and transform themselves into car bombs and tortured bodies.
The weird and ironic finale to the whole argument we witnessed is that — after all the tension we saw on TV — , the state TV news line later reported that the parliament approved the Baghdad plan unanimously.
Now it is quiet again. Too quiet.

Posted by Mohammed @ 20:01

IRAQ THE MODEL

Iraq to remove squatters from homes of refugees
(Reuters)

25 January 2007



BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki said on Thursday Iraqi security forces would start to remove squatters from Baghdad homes they have illegally occupied since the owners fled sectarian intimidation and ethnic cleansing.


“Today or tomorrow we will start arresting those who are living in the homes of refugees to open the way for their return,” he told parliament in a speech seeking support for a major US-backed security crackdown in the capital.

The crackdown, backed by some 17,000 US reinforcements, is seen as a last chance to stem sectarian violence in the capital.

Tens of thousands of people, including Shias, Sunni Arabs and Christians, have fled their homes in Baghdad because of violence and threats that have turned many districts that used to be mixed into sectarian enclaves.

The United Nations says nearly half a million Iraqis have been internally displaced within Iraq since the bombing of a Shia shrine in February sparked a surge in sectarian attacks. Many more have fled the country.

Maliki, criticised for not doing enough about Shia militias linked to some of his allies which are accused by Washington of operating death squads, has vowed to take on armed groups regardless of sect or political affiliation.

“We have worked hard to get professional officers to lead this plan, with no political affiliations. So let’s all help these officers,” Maliki said, answering criticism that the Iraqi army and police are infiltrated by sectarian militias.

By Daniel Pimlott in New York and FT Reporters

Updated: 1 hour, 14 minutes ago
Halliburton said on Friday that net income in its fourth quarter fell 40 per cent, but that revenues rose as high oil prices stirred demand for the energy services it provides.

Net earnings were $658m, or 64 cents a share, down from $1.1bn, or $1.04 a share a year ago at the world's second largest energy services company.

Story continues below ↓
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The fourth quarter earnings were hit by a $343m income tax item. In the same period last year the company gained an income tax benefit of $540m, or 51 cents a share.

Analysts, according to Reuters Estimates, had forecast earnings of 61 cents a share in this quarter.

Revenues were up 8 per cent at $6.02bn.

"Although we experienced weather-related activity decreases and holiday impacts in the United States during the fourth quarter, we expect demand for our services to remain strong throughout 2007," said Dave Lesar, chairman and chief executive officer.

Net income for the full year was $2.3bn, or $2.23 per share, falling 4 per cent from $2.4bn, or $2.27 per share in 2005. Revenue was 12 per cent up at $22.6bn.

Halliburton's energy services division, its biggest, posted revenue of $3.5bn in the quarter, up 23 per cent as the high price of oil helped produce "strong global demand".

Kellogg Brown and Root said revenue fell 6 per cent to $2.5bn, primarily due to decreased activity on projects for the US military in Iraq. It is one of the biggest government contractors involved in the war.

The initial public offering of KBR in November generated $508m in cash. Mr Lesar said he expected to complete spinning off the company within three months.

KBR faces widespread allegations by lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the company wasted billions of taxpayer dollars in its execution of logistics contracts in Iraq.

Halliburton and the KBR subsidiary have been a target for critics of the war in Iraq and the Bush administration because of the company's relationship with Mr Cheney, the US vice president who served as chief executive from 1995 to 2000 and has denied offering special favours to his company since his election.

In November the former subsidiary of Halliburton agreed to pay $8m to settle allegations that it overcharged the US government for a contract agreed while Mr Cheney was running the company to build Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo and other services in the Balkans.

Copyright The Financial Times Ltd

Beginning of the End in Iraq?
By Col. Jeff Bearor | January 26, 2007 Sounds relatively easy, but it's not. Send this page to a friend
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There is plenty of talk now in the country about the President's plan to send more troops to Iraq. Many of the naysayers have nothing else in mind except to draw back and let the Iraqis figure it out for themselves -- let the cards fall where they may regardless of the ensuing disaster. If there is another creditable plan to win in Iraq out there, I've not seen it.

In his recent article titled "Petraeus Time" in the Wall Street Journal, Reuel Marc Gerecht very correctly points out that the purpose of a build up of American forces must be to "break the back" of the insurgency. I've said as much myself in these pages. Until most Iraqis feel secure enough in their own country to sustain the rebuilding process there will be no acceptable "political" outcome.

I am not one of those absolute fatalists who believes the three main Iraqi power groups, Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, can't find some common ground around which to build a better future. Perhaps I'm being too "American" or too naïve in my outlook, but I've read all the books and articles, heard all the arguments, talked to many Iraqis and to Americans in Iraq, and I've reached this conclusion: at some point when enough of the hard liners are killed, when enough weapons are off the street, when real security and order is in place, the saner heads in each faction will prevail.

"Break the back" of the insurgency – that has been the key since the insurgency began to grow. As the insurgency grew, Sunni and Shiite hardliners took advantage to arm themselves to the teeth. The fanatics not only went at each other, but went after ordinary Iraqis in order to establish a climate of fear throughout the country. Inside that climate of fear nothing good can grow, Iraqis feel hopeless and helpless and turn to the hardliners for protection and sustenance. We've got to break that cycle.

Don't misunderstand, cracking this isn't easy and the mere presence of more U.S. troops won't solve the problem. There have to be enough American forces to do the hard, dirty, dangerous work of going into neighborhoods and rooting out the insurgents. Once the Iraqi local tribal and family leaders see that we mean business they will support us, however grudgingly. That's what Marine Colonel Blake Crowe and his Regimental Combat Team-7 have accomplished in western Iraq's Al Anbar Province. We have to win Iraqi support one neighborhood and one town at a time.

At the same time, the sectarian militias, like those of the fanatic Muqtada al-Sadr, have to be marginalized and ultimately disarmed. I agree with Mr. Gerecht that the U.S. should not go after al-Sadr first. This is where Prime Minister Maliki's Iraqi government can have impact right now by moving to isolate al-Sadr and his thugs and begin to marginalize his faction wherever possible. Kill or capture the Baathists insurgents, keep the pressure on the Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists, marginalize the militias, then disarm them – that gets us well down the road to establishing real security allowing the Iraqi security forces to take over the load.

How much time does it take to do this? Given the right amount of American power (and 20 thousand more U.S. troops may not be enough) it takes at least a year and perhaps more. During that year we will also be deeply involved with training Iraqi security forces and police (the Army and Marines are training and deploying more US trainer/advisors at a furious pace). Iraqi security forces aren't sitting on the sideline during all this but are actively involved with American forces in the fight. However, Iraqi units are not ready to lead in this fight yet.

As American forces beat down the insurgents, the Iraqi government moves to disarm the sectarian militias. Iraqi security forces grow in size and capability. At a point in time the curves go positive. That's when can we begin to draw back U.S. forces from combat and the Iraqi security forces are fully engaged and in charge. As security improves, the real main effort of governance and the economy - the rebuilding of Iraqi institutions - can firmly take hold and at that point we've given the Iraqi people their best chance at success.

Sounds relatively easy, but it's not. This is a Byzantine, incredibly nuanced, diplomatic, information, military, economic (DIME in government-speak) operation that takes a concerted effort from the entire U.S. government and the Iraqis, our allies in and outside the region, non-governmental organizations and the U.N. The U.S. military, as good as it is, cannot win in Iraq alone. If we do this right, we are at the beginning of the end of the Iraq phase of the Long War against extremism.








FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC, ret.) is a career Marine Corps officer, the former commanding officer of the Recruit Training Regiment at the US Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, SC, and has served as Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Quantico, VA.

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) davos • The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was an "***** decision" and Iraqi troops now need to secure Baghdad to ensure the country's future, Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi said yesterday.

"Iraq was put under occupation, which was an ***** decision," Mahdi said at the World Economic Forum here. Mahdi said the Iraqi government planned to bring troops in to Baghdad from surrounding areas and said it was "a technical question" for the United States to decide whether to deploy more soldiers.

President George W Bush plans to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq, a move widely criticised in the United States. On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted against the decision, which is due to go before the Senate next week.

"If we can win this war in Baghdad then I think we can change the course of events," Mahdi told a panel on the state of affairs in Iraq. "As Iraqis, we think we need more (Iraqi) troops in Baghdad, and we are calling for some regiments to come from other parts of the country," he said.

Mahdi's party, the powerful Shi'ite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was one of the exiled opposition parties consulted by Washington as it planned the invasion. Its leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakim is a key figure behind the US-backed national unity government.

(MENAFN) Iraq Economy reported that ten Iraqi universities, in collaboration with a professional accounting association, have launched a major educational initiative to introduce international auditing standards in Iraq.

About 800 Iraqi students and accountants are participating in the two-month seminar starting from this month. The seminar, which consists of 20 sessions, is equivalent to a college-level class and fully compliant with the international standards.

An Iraqi educator said that this seminar is part of a sustained effort to improve the business environment in Iraq, expand the private sector and create new jobs.

Some highlights from this long article:


Insurgents will find no place to hide, al-Maliki says
Updated 1/25/2007 8:42 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to stories like this



WAR IN IRAQ

Violence: Al-Maliki: No 'safe haven' for insurgents | Video | Violence tests humanitarians' resolve


BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister insisted Thursday there will be "no safe place in Iraq for terrorists," hours before a suicide car bombing killed at least 26 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Karradah and two rockets slammed into the heavy fortified Green Zone not far from the U.S. Embassy.

In his address al-Maliki also called on lawmakers to pass laws on distribution of the country's oil wealth and reverse measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because of Baath party membership.

Al-Maliki also promised to stop the so-called practice of sectarian cleansing that has driven thousands from their homes.

"You should know that today or tomorrow we will detain every person who is living in the house of a displaced person in order to open the door for those displaced to return," al-Maliki said.

White House spokesman Tony Snow called the speech "a very assertive address. ... We certainly welcome that, because it demonstrates the kind of vigor we've been talking about and that the American people expect, and also responds specifically to concerns members of Congress have been expressing, in terms of the aims of and the determination of the government of Iraq."

Until Monday, parliament had not had a quorum since late November, when 30 legislators and five Cabinet members loyal to renegade Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced a boycott of the government and the National Assembly to protest al-Maliki's meeting with Bush in Jordan.

The boycott was a blow to al-Maliki, who owes his job to support from the Sadr bloc in parliament.

On Sunday the Sadr legislators ended their walkout under threat that they would be ousted from the political process and that their allied militia, the Mahdi Army, could face wholesale attack by American soldiers in the coming security sweep.

Insurgents will find no place to hide, al-Maliki says - USATODAY.com

Originally Posted by Mike5200

“We patrolled in small groups trying to bait insurgents to attack us"

That sentence speaks volumes about the bravery of our troops!

Soccer unites Iraqis at UAE pitches, unlike home
Web posted at: 1/26/2007 2:42:42
Source ::: REUTERS
ABU DHABI • Under a giant national flag, thousands of soccer-mad Iraqis flocked to pitches in the United Arab Emirates capital, forgetting sectarian differences at home to support their national team.

"Iraq, Iraq!" the crowds chanted in one voice at Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed stadium.

A wave of sectarian killings has hit Iraq during the past ten months, raising concerns of a civil war between Sunnis and Shi'ites.

"We are one Iraq, one people, no Sunni, no Shi'ite, no Assyrian, and Kurd," said Um Ammar, an Iraqi mother-of-three who lives in the UAE where Iraq was competing in the Gulf Cup tournament.

"By God, football unites us, I wish we become like that back home," she said at one of the matches held this week.

Iraq's team flew from turbulent Baghdad to Abu Dhabi last week and played Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but failed to make it to the finals.

Many among the crowd had fled Iraq to neighbouring Arab states as violence escalated in their country.

Ahmad, who came on a holiday visiting his brother in Abu Dhabi, did not sleep the first night as he was worried he might not get a ticket for the match.

"When it comes to football Iraqis go mad, they would not care if players come from different sects or religion or ethnicities. All they care about is to win as one team. A victory for Iraq," said the soccer enthusiast.


CHEERFUL CROWD

Men, women and children watched most of the game standing on the seats, waving the national banner, some with their faces painted in black, red, white and green national colours.

Besides passion for a good match, some said they wanted to show the team their support for taking great risks training for the tournament in a country where those who leave home are not sure they will be back.

"It is dangerous to drive or walk in Iraq, they made it and left the country alive and so they deserve all the support," said Qutaibah Futtna, 35, an Iraqi businessman living in the UAE.

Some professional players were kidnapped and one was killed by a stray bullet during training in Baghdad.

Originally Posted by Dinar Cha Ching

That sentence speaks volumes about the bravery of our troops!

keep your sixes clear, brothers!