Thread: Iraq/Dinar News. 09/05 to 01/14/07

This may be why no news is updating....read the comments on the blog and you will see that they have said NOTHING on the news about it over there yet.



Sunday, October 22, 2006

Air Strikes in Baghdad.


Looks like there's something big going on in Baghdad to night.
Flares are filling the skies and fighter jets are striking targets in the city.

In the last 30 minutes I could see several aircrafts launching missiles and within seconds explosions would follow.


I will try to keep you updated once I learn more about this.

11:20 pm

No further explosions can be heard now but the jets of the US airforce still maintain heavy presence over the east, northeast parts of the city.

11:55 pm

Air activity has faded...seems that what happened in the past hour was likely a limited operation in sectors of Baghdad in and around Sadr city.
What I still can't figure out is the thing with flares. Flares usually indicate that ground forces are involved but so far there have been no reports on ground action.

Posted by Omar @ 22:54

IRAQ THE MODEL

Originally Posted by Par77

This may be why no news is updating....read the comments on the blog and you will see that they have said NOTHING on the news about it over there yet.



Sunday, October 22, 2006

Air Strikes in Baghdad.


Looks like there's something big going on in Baghdad to night.
Flares are filling the skies and fighter jets are striking targets in the city.

In the last 30 minutes I could see several aircrafts launching missiles and within seconds explosions would follow.


I will try to keep you updated once I learn more about this.

11:20 pm

No further explosions can be heard now but the jets of the US airforce still maintain heavy presence over the east, northeast parts of the city.

11:55 pm

Air activity has faded...seems that what happened in the past hour was likely a limited operation in sectors of Baghdad in and around Sadr city.
What I still can't figure out is the thing with flares. Flares usually indicate that ground forces are involved but so far there have been no reports on ground action.

Posted by Omar @ 22:54

IRAQ THE MODEL

that was yesterday the 22nd in baghdad and the bombings were in the eastern part of the city. i believe an article from last night indicated that the us had bombed some sadr places so yes it was in the media yesterday.

Khaleej Times Online - Kurdish leader hopes to solve oil dispute: report

Kurdish leader hopes to solve oil dispute: report
(Reuters)

23 October 2006

LONDON - The prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdish region said he hoped to solve a dispute with Baghdad over the control of oil resources in an upcoming visit to the capital.
“I hope after the Ramadan holiday festivities end (today) we will be visiting Baghdad and we will be able to solve that problem,” Nechirvan Barzani told the Financial Times newspaper in comments published on Monday.
The Kurdish regional government raised the threat of secession last month if Baghdad did not drop its claims to a say in the development of oil resources in the northern districts.
The issue of how powers are divided between Baghdad and the regions is at the heart of a sectarian and ethnic dispute. The Baghdad government is drafting legislation to clarify how oil investment and revenues should be shared with a view to encouraging foreign investment to develop its vast resources.
Barzani told the FT he also hoped to sort out a dispute over how much oil income his region receives from the government.
Iraq’s budget for 2006 was projected at $33 billion when the price of oil was projected at $26 a barrel, the newspaper said.
“Of course the oil was sold at around $60, sometimes more ... Right now there is about $500 million which is the share of the region and they don’t give it,” Barzani told the FT.

Look back on page 16 for artical. Still ambiguas!

Disarm the militias and take control -
White House issues demands to embattled PM

· Sanctions threat if al-Maliki fails to meet timetable
· Move reflects US frustration

Michael Howard in Sulaymaniya
Monday October 23, 2006
The Guardian


The Bush administration, alarmed by the increasing violence and lawlessness gripping much of Iraq, has decided to force the hand of the embattled prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki. It will push him to agree to a timetable of specific measures aimed at disarming the militias, halting sectarian violence, and shouldering more responsibility for the country's security.
General George Casey and US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the senior US military and civilian officials in Iraq, are drafting a document that will require Mr Maliki and his government of national unity to commit to a schedule of measures designed to foster reconciliation, reconstruction and stability, according to a report in yesterday's New York Times.

The plan is being drawn up in consultation with Iraqi officials as well as figures in the Pentagon, and is likely to cover the period until the end of 2007. It is expected to go to Mr Maliki by the end of the year.

If Iraq fails to meet the crucial milestones, then US officials hold open the possibility of sanctions, though they stress that would not include the immediate withdrawal of US troops. "If the Iraqis fail to come back to us on this, we would have to conduct a reassessment" of the US strategy, the paper quoted a senior Pentagon official as saying.

In Baghdad, nervous Iraqi leaders have been monitoring the US debate, viewing with dismay the growing political pressure for a troop pullout. But yesterday a senior Iraqi official said discussions between the two governments on measures for greater Iraqi control were continuing.

"We have only seen the newspaper reports as to the existence of this plan, but in general we are working together to achieve the right balance between coalition and Iraqi responsibility for security," said the official, who requested anonymity. He added: "We don't need threats to tell us that the sectarian violence has reached a dangerous stage and requires radical political and security measures."

In recent weeks top Pentagon officials have expressed their growing frustration at the apparent inability of the government of Mr Maliki to stem the activities of militias and death squads, some of which have direct links to Mr Maliki's ruling Shia Alliance.

The senior Iraqi official said, however, that the government was already drawing up a two-pronged plan of action against the militias, to be put in action simultaneously.

"Disarming the militias is a priority," he said. "Both those who are connected to the government and those who are part of the so-called resistance must disarm, and be seen to have verifiably disarmed."

He said that talks between Iraqi officials and some nationalist Sunni insurgent groups were ongoing.

The US is also reported to have been contacting former Baathist leaders in Jordan, thought to have influence over the insurgent groups in the Sunni Triangle.

Other Iraqi politicians said that any new tactics by either the US or the Iraqi governments would be a case of "too little too late". "For now, Baghdad and Iraq are finished. Heaven help us from the terrorists, the Americans, and our own leaders," said Sheikh Faris al-Mohammed, a member of parliament.

In his weekly national radio address, President Bush said that US commanders on the ground were "constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of the enemy, particularly in Baghdad". But he said the US strategy in Iraq remained unchanged. "There is one thing we will not do. We will not pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete."

The revelation of the new US blueprint for Iraq, said to be far from finished, appeared in part to be aimed at showing an increasingly sceptical US public that the Bush administration was not stuck fast in the quagmire.

Some observers said it was also an attempt to pre-empt the findings of the independent commission on Iraq led by former secretary of state James Baker. The commission is reported to have considered ideas such as dividing Iraq into its constituent Kurdish, Sunni and Shia parts, setting a clear timetable for a phased withdrawal of troops, and engaging Iran and Syria in Iraq's future security.

With crucial mid-term elections looming and the Democrats well ahead in the polls, a Newsweek survey at the weekend suggested that most Americans believe the US is losing ground in its efforts to establish security and democracy in Iraq.

"We're trying to come up with ways to get the Iraqis to step up to the plate, to push them along, because the time is coming," a senior Bush administration official told the New York Times. "We can't be there forever." The White House however dismissed the paper's report, saying it was "not accurate".

Conflict on five fronts

Insurgents v US-led coalition

October was one of the deadliest months for US forces in Iraq since George Bush declared an end to major hostilities on May 1 2003. Nationalist insurgents, including Sunni and Shia tribesmen and militias, as well as former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party, are waging a sophisticated and unrelenting campaign against multinational forces, using roadside bombs, mortar and rocket attacks and snipers. "We operate wherever there are foreign troops," a former insurgent in Baghdad told the Guardian.

Sunni v Shia

Despite high-profile security crackdowns by US and Iraqi forces, Baghdad appears to be in the process of being torn into two distinct Sunni and Shia parts. Violence by radical armed Shia groups on the one hand, and Sunni jihadists and former Ba'athists on the other, has seen formerly mixed neighbourhoods becoming either wholly Shia or Sunni. One saving grace may be that that the violence appears to be neither spontaneous nor popular, yet intolerance and mistrust, especially among the city's youth, is growing. The Sunni-Shia violence has also spread to towns such as Balad, Baquba and Mahmudiya.

Shia v Shia

The two main protagonists in the struggle for supremacy for the Shia heartlands of southern Iraq are the Badr brigade, linked to the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and the Mahdi Army, loyal to the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Wars between the two, seen at the weekend in Amara, threaten to undermine the unity of the governing Shia Alliance in Baghdad.

Arabs v Kurds

The ethnic faultlines coursing through the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk form the backdrop to a surge in suicide and car bombings and politically motivated assassinations. The city is an increasingly tense mix of Kurds, who claim it as their historic capital, Turkomen, who reject the Kurdish claims, and Arabs, many of whom were moved to the area as part of Saddam's programme of Arabisation in the 80s and 90s. Various Sunni Islamic militant groups, such as al-Qaida in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunna, are thought to be behind most of the bombings, while Sunni tribesmen from nearby Hawija proclaim loyalty to Saddam and attack US forces and Iraqi security forces.

Sunni tribal leaders v al-Qaida

Fed up with the activities of foreign Arab jihadis in Iraq, who have shown little hesitation in attacking Shia civilian communities, a number of senior Sunni tribal leaders in the restive Anbar province, west of Baghdad, have decided to rid their region of al-Qaida activists. The Sunni tribal leaders also insist it is the duty of the domestic insurgency to kick out all foreign troops from Iraq. However, radical Sunni Islamist groups in Anbar continue to stage shows of force in cities such as Ramadi and Falluja.

A joint force raided the house of the leader of the Mahdi Army Baldiwaneh
(Voice of Iraq) - 10-23-2006 | This issue was sent to a friend A joint force raided the house of the leader of the Mahdi Army Baldiwaneh Diwaniyah / Nina / joint Iraqi forces raided at dawn today in the American Diwaniyah house Mahdi Army Commander

Sotaliraq.com

A document approved Mecca and exit from Iraq ordeal
(Voice of Iraq) - 10-23-2006 | This issue was sent to a friend A document approved Mecca and exit from Iraq ordeal Moscow Faleh Hamrani The cause of the dangerous crisis in Iraq due primarily to the political conflict Itokz slogan to the speech and Aaldini sectarian. The privacy of Iraq selfishness does not allow the establishment of a system of religious belief »« ethnic. Minorities always feel injustice and tyranny, as long as that war is the continuation of the policy of the minorities would disarmament. The solution lies a political system that would be acceptable to all Iraqis. This requires reconsidering the nature of the components of the existing political system. Except for narrow-mindedness, and the politicians who wish beautification Al_halhvi Iraq to self-interests against the backdrop of bloodshed and displacement and other manifestations which was known modern history, there is no provision of a bright future or a flash of light in the horizon of the country. Those also bet on the goodwill of the leaders and leadership. , which found itself at the top of the Authority and the political street by unnatural circumstances and the theft of noble slogans, or advertised "from the bottom of the tongue Agab" and it can change the course of history in Mesopotamia. History of Aisana intentions, "Bos beards, handshaking hands." History is on strict laws, driven by interests, and the tyranny of the strong demand and methods behind his movement. and out of the deepening crisis in Iraq entails investigation and find out the reasons actual addressed in a spirit of responsibility and objectivity. The main reason is brandishing the fact that the new regime in Iraq, which came after the collapse of the Aldiktatoui relied on the religious slogan and the religious parties. This created fertile soil for the growth of sectarianism, which at the expense of national affiliation. Politicians and the exploitation of religious slogan with all its implications for power and personal benefits. Goals ugly All the fiery slogans in terms of social, religious and national mask specific targets, often ugly. It is this understanding can settle the Iraqi issue any lack of confidence in the integrity of the slogans that position is narrow. And a coherent and logical mechanism to solve problems. History when a problem. According to one history of philosophers economy, inevitably, it holds itself a solution. And with regard to the Iraqi problem and the list of alternative solutions should search for signs of a solution and a settlement to exist if there is the political will that is responsible jogging and the pursuit of partisan interests and class and sectarian and tribal. It is known that the problems of history resolved by force (and this is what was adopted by the dictatorial regime of dispirited and trying to avoid the new Iraqi ruler) or dialogue and gain the confidence of all classes and strata of the society and its members that the existing system that serves their interests. That situation requires transforming the conflict, which has acquired a religious / doctrinal to the political conflict through peaceful means. The rivalry just to gain access to power legitimately. Some think that the Iraqi issue Merttabh exclusively to the presence of foreign forces, especially the United States of America. My one chance to normalize the situation belief that magic solution and prescription clothes to address the patient. Any departure of international forces. Some people are worried by the turn of events like this from the departure of coalition forces would create a security vacuum paid power-hungry particularly from the authority rescinded and adventurers return from the new rule b the iron and fire. without taking into account that Iraq today is not Iraq yesterday, and it happened to freedom is not ready for the loss. and a political values on the ground. There is a blatant contradiction in the approach between the various religious Altiaryat Shiite and Sunni. Perhaps Mecca and ensure the document issued by some positive results, but it certainly will not be the critical results that would occur turn in the tragic situation and create the promised paradise. The stakes Baher, No pave the roads safe for them. The conflict The mechanism of political conflict since the collapse of the dictatorship in Iraq formed formula can be found on the key to the solution to the plight of the Iraqi continuing, a similar formula of formulas and mechanisms established at the beginning of the twentieth century of the Iraqi State any mechanism that impeded the building of a modern Iraqi state Mtmaksh modern Adolh elites doctrines and clans formula also based on sectarianism and tribalism and sectarianism. The new system, alas, borrowed block basis of formulas old mechanism, or tell the resonance and still have got a formality. The new system was Almentzaran replace the dictatorial regime collapsed a substitute radically different from the regime of Saddam or Magblh, But history is repeating itself tragically and the political elite did not get rid of the attitude of Macedonia. Still, the components of a democratic regime in Iraq, which was supposed to be the alternative. weak and fragile, and formal methods Vairosat eat the old system. Maml?. The plight of Iraq would be sustained if they are not aware of true causes. The main reason is the leadership of religious parties rather than the country's political, For the political process, and inciting sectarianism, fear led to the Sunni minority or its leaders and politicians have exploited the fears of the Iraqi people from the Sunnis dominance of the sons of the Iraqi people from the Shi'ite sect. Came the reactions that evolved into a brutal forms of violence. That fear will remain as long as the underlying system based on religious / sectarian. Parties historically appeared to represent a class or first-class link their economic interests. Religion and moral spiritual ties can be established by the State entity, especially as a multi-religions, and nationalities and races such as Iraq. The contradiction between religions and religious sects phenomenon, which normally develop into wars and hatreds. Reconsider The prospect of a settlement in Iraq is limited to reconsider the foundations of the existing system and make it a civilian non-religious and even the inclusion of a constitution also exists in the constitutions of many countries to prevent the establishment of parties on a religious basis, but guaranteeing freedom of religion and practice of religion without sons jumped to the people of another religion or to the owners of the options secular, The clergyman could be exercised important task of the four no control over the ruling prevented him from breaking the law or the practice of injustice and complacency in the performance of their duties and others. The future of Iraq depends on the emergence of the non-religious organizations representative of the social strata and according to their own interests Assembly. Religious parties are unreasonable situation mixes various professional affiliations, class, and so they are one-dimensional and we can be proud to represent all of its members and supporters. Kuwaiti homeland

Sotaliraq.com

Iraqi figures told the nation : a Mecca principles without mechanisms
(Voice of Iraq) - 10-23-2006 | This issue was sent to a friend Essam narrator : Meeting emptied of its content and turned into a festive carnival Iraqi figures told the nation : The document Mecca principles without mechanisms application Baghdadmazen owner : The Iraqi figures to say the importance of the signing of the document Mecca, but they disagreed about the prospects and possibilities of application. Sources close to the reference Najaf told the nation »« The Auditor-four adults, the support came in the text of the document, and consider some sort of agreement on the declaration of the right word clerics in the Iraqi affair, but at the same time, do not find mechanisms to apply in practice, the fact that many of the interventions political and security situation in Iraq today, do not come from the Iraqis. but from the occupation forces and Iraq's neighboring countries, each with its own accounts in the region and Iraq. She apologized sources to answer a question »« nation on the causes of the lack of representation of the big four references in this conference is personal, »saying all support the principles of the Mecca, and out of step with the facts of Iraq before the signing of this document, Representation and personal commitment to provide moral text document, which will have several readings of the political and different points of view, that may affect the application, This reference distance itself from the impact of rising with the general «. The culture of tolerance For his part, Dr. Farouk Abdullah, Member of the Supreme reconciliation, that the document Mecca. helping to spread the culture of tolerance at the heart of the principles of Islamic Sharia. The Conference clerics in place for national reconciliation, to convey this culture Ptdfha faith in the signing of a document, near Mecca, the holy mosque, in the timing Taher After the Koran, applied to the facts awaits. He added in an interview with Al Watan »« The success of a document Mecca will help the reconciliation Supreme make the clergy is the third of four scheduled conferences Afterward initiative of the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, which launched last June, impetus to activate items document, He held a conference in Baghdad and the Jordanian capital of Amman in the coming days. Festival celebration But Dr. Issam narrator, member of the Advisory Council of the Association of Muslim Scholars, the view that the meeting in Mecca emptied of the content of the restorative and turned into a document principles may not differ by two of the Muslims, He told the nation «», »we were waiting for the Mecca conference to reach realistic solutions to the Iraqi issue through direct dialogue between the clergy do for the religious reference in Najaf and reference Kazem condemned as hard by the trend Sadri, for five senior Sunni Muslim Scholars, to show to the media and announce their understanding in the holy mosque, the sanctity of Iraqi blood collective opinion binding and deterrent penalties for not being adhered to. But the representation of the religious authorities, as noted, left for the third or fourth line, which led to the conversion of the conference to a mere meeting, Meeting and emptied of its content and content required, The shift to a mere carnival celebration shipping large representation of the Islamic Party, It does not represent all Sunnis, he said. The Sadiq al-Musawi, Iraq head of the Center for Information and International Relations, that has nothing to do with the document Mecca reconciliation conferences organized under the title of the initiative of national reconciliation. He believes that the document Mecca dual message, wanted Islamic countries sent to the world and Iraqis alike, and lies the importance of this letter to the Organization of the Islamic Conference exonerate the Islamic religion what is happening in Iraq of terrorist crimes appear on the Internet under a different brand name in religious, Islam and religion renewed, extremism does not condone any heresy in a range of religious denominations. He explained that the next goal of national reconciliation, the Conference will be held in the clergy treacherous already on the Iraqi arena to the political and incapable of imposing control over the militias, Shiite, Sunni, to find ways to transfer the principles of the land of Mecca to the reality of national reconciliation. Kuwaiti homeland

Sotaliraq.com

Not sure if this has been posted before but worth a read. If only Iraq could take a cue from their rich neighbours!

Revaluation of Saudi riyal during Eid speculated

Gulfnews: Revaluation of Saudi riyal during Eid speculated

Speculation is rife that Saudi Arabia will revalue its currency, the riyal, during the Eid holidays, according to Standard Chartered Bank economist Steve Brice.

A move of 15 per cent has been mentioned, which "would be a huge shift of policy", he said, adding that a 5 per cent upward adjustment might be more plausible instead.

Questions arose last Thursday and Friday when the riyal/dollar rate moved below 3.75, ending at 3.7430. That is "historically very rare", Brice noted. No price was seen yesterday.

Word of potential revaluation came from both business and financial communities, and "from sources to which we attach some credibility".

"We don't really believe it's going to happen", Brice said, "but we're a bit nervous that it might."

He suggests that the speculations appear to have more credibility than those following the Kuwaiti dinar revaluation in May, when the intentions of Saudi policy were last seriously discussed.

"We attached a 1 per cent probability [of such a move] then, but 10 per cent now," he disclosed.

Because the corporate sector, which might otherwise restore the usual rate - by buying dollars for importing purposes - is on holiday this week, speculators might come in and keep the rate below 3.75, Brice indicated. More may be revealed when international markets re-open today.

Central bank response

"Absolutely key is the central bank response [to the speculation]," the note says. In the absence of a denial, such as in May, speculation would build.

Debate about the long-evity of the collective Gulf currency pegs has increased since soaring oil prices in the past two years have created boom conditions in the region, as well as substantial balance of payments surpluses.

The option of floating Gulf currencies would enable an independent monetary policy, specifically allowing higher interest rates, which might help cool the region's economies.

Analysts have urged the Gulf states therefore to reconsider the peg, although any such decision has been thought likely to be delayed until the planned date of monetary union in 2010.

oct. 13, 14, 15, 16, last year is the only days they did not publish articles on the al sabaah news site during 2005 ramadan.

this year so far oct. 21, 22, 23?, ?? during ramadan.