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

May 29, 2006 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces have captured a senior aide of al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Baghdad, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kassim al-Mosawi said that Kassim al-Ani, one of the most wanted people in Iraq, was arrested on Sunday evening.

"The Iraqi army forces arrested three terrorists who belong to al Qaeda, one of them is a senior aide of Zarqawi in Baghdad," Mosawi said.

"He was one of the most wanted ones," he told Reuters, adding that Ani was suspected of being behind many attacks in the Iraqi capital.

Zarqawi and al Qaeda have been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq since 2003, often going after Shi'ite Muslim targets in what U.S. officials say is an attempt to provoke civil war with Iraq's once-dominant Sunni Arab minority.

Iraqi security forces and the U.S. military often say they have detained or killed key al Qaeda militants.
But Zarqawi himself remains at large, despite a $25 million bounty on his head.

Mosawi said the army had received intelligence information that Ani and the two other suspects were in a house in Baghdad's northern Adhamiya district, a predominantly Sunni area.

"We prepared a plan and raided the house and arrested them without resistance," he said.

The U.S. military was not immediately available for comment on the arrests.

Trends You Don't Hear About
May 29, 2006: There are a number of trends in Iraq that you hear little, or nothing, about in the mass media. For example;

@ The economy. GDP doubled from 2003 to 2004, and was up double digits in 2005. Inflation and unemployment have both been falling steadily. Yes, the terrorists are still at it, but in the background you will notice all those people going to work, all the new cars and all the new construction. While big companies have stayed away from Iraq, and all those nasty headlines, smaller firms have been more aggressive. Life goes on.

@ Agriculture. For thousands of years, Iraq was a food exporter. But as oil became a larger part of the economy over the past half century, agriculture declined. Now, for the first time in half a century, Iraq is exporting food. Agriculture has come back big time, mainly because many of the regulations government bureaucrats have piled on farmers for decades, have been eliminated. A farmer can now make a lot of money, growing food in the most productive agriculture land in the region.

@ Currency Exchange Rates. The Iraqi currency (the dinar) trades in a narrow range, against the dollar, that is controlled by the Iraqi Central Bank. For the last few years, the exchange range has been around 1,470 dinars to the dollar. But the dinar floats against other local currencies (like the Kuwaiti dinar and the Iranian rial), and has gotten stronger against both of those currencies. That's a big deal, as it means that the Iraqi economy is getting stronger, and people, in and out of, Iraq, have confidence in the Iraqi economy, and currency.

@ U.S. Bases Taken Over by Iraqi Troops. Since last Fall, over fifty U.S. bases have been transferred to Iraqi control. American troops are moving to larger, consolidated, bases out in the countryside. These require fewer troops to defend, and keep U.S. troops out of sight. Iraqi soldiers and police are taking care of security in many areas where American used to do it. This is why you keep hearing reports of plans to pull most American troops out of Iraq in the next 12-18 months.

@ Refugees. Before the U.S. invaded in 2003, it was believed there might be millions of refugees fleeing Iraq. Didn't happen that way. Over a million people (mostly Sunni Arabs) have fled the country, but that is a relatively recent phenomenon, linked to the growing power of the Shia dominated government, and the fear of retribution for decades of atrocities against Kurds and Shia Arabs. More surprising has been the number of refugees returning to Iraq. So far, it's over 1.2 million people, most of the them Kurds and Shia Arabs.

@ Tourism. The holiest shrines in Shia Islam are in southern Iraq, and in the last three years they have seen a growing flood of pilgrims. Over 12 million so far, and increasing as Shia Moslems kept away by Saddam's police state for decades, make long deferred trips. Some stay longer, mainly religion students. For the last three decades, Shia religious scholars and teachers have been fleeing Iraq for places like Iran. But now there are over 12,000 religion students in southern Iraq, attending hundreds of newly established schools. These pilgrims and students spend a lot of money as well, helping to feed economic growth in the south.

@ Media. Iraqi has gone from police state, to media madhouse, in three years. Under Saddam, media was tightly controlled. Since Saddam, hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations have appeared. Talk radio and investigative reporting are all the rage. The gangsters and politicians hate it but, so far, have been unable to stop or control it.

@ Health and Education. More hospitals and schools are open and operating than ever before.

@ Democracy. It's thriving, and contrary to popular opinion, it's not an alien concept in Iraq. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Iraq had democracy. A military dictatorship was established in 1958, in the name of progress, and that was the end of democracy. The Baath Party was going to make things so much better, as long as everyone did what they were told. Iraqis are not stupid, and there are older Iraqis who remember the old democracy. Yes, it may have been ramshackle, but compared to Saddam and all that came after 1958, democracy is a lot more popular these days.


May 28, 2006: A top aid to al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Kassim al-Ani, was captured in Baghdad by Iraqi police. Meanwhile, Iraq and Iran have agreed to coordinate their border patrols, in order to stop illegal crossings of their mutual, 1,100 kilometer long, border. The deal appears directed more at smugglers of commercial goods and illegal drugs, because there are powerful factions in the Iranian government that remain committed to supporting the establishment of a religious dictatorship in Iraq.


May 27, 2006: Al Qaeda, and Baath Party terrorists continue to carry out enough attacks to keep foreign journalists occupied, but the terror campaign is much diminished over the past year. There are still several suicide bomber attacks a week, and assassinations of government officials or tribal chiefs continues. The terrorists are still obsessed with the idea that they can foment a civil war. But most Iraqis look at the terrorists as a crime problem. More and more, terrorists are caught because of a tip from a concerned citizen (although cash rewards are also given for some types of tips.) The private militias (Shia Arab in the south, Kurdish in the north) are still attempting to take control, politically and economically, of certain areas. The militias run their protection rackets, taking a cut of whatever they can. The militias have a payroll and other expenses. The government has a hard time keep the police honest, as their is a tendency (an old Iraqi tradition) for local police commanders to go bad and become just another money grubbing bunch of gangsters.


The government is cracking down on the militias, sending in the police SWAT battalions and army units to take on the militias. This is getting people killed. In normally peaceful southern Iraq, over two hundred people died from militia related violence just last month. The two largest Shia militias in the south (the Badr and Sadr groups) are trying to establish one of themselves as a religious dictatorship in Iraq. Most Iraqis want no part of this, but radicals in the Iranian government (which is a religious dictatorship) are supplying guns, money and technical help to Badr and Sadr. This is getting people killed and is rather pointless, but that makes sense to many in the region.

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/iraq.../20060529.aspx

"Iraqi International Fair" will be opened in southeastern city of Gaziantep on June 7th.

The fair is jointly organized by the Union of Turkish Chambers & Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, Iraqi Trade Ministry and Forum Fair Company.

Nearly 3,000 purchasers from Iraq will visit the fair.

"Iraqi International Fair" will be held instead of "International Baghdad Fair" which has not been held since U.S. operation in Iraq.

The fair will end on June 11th.

Speaking to A.A regarding the fair, State Minister Kür؛ad Tüzmen said, "the fair will host ministers, diplomats and businessmen from many countries. Nearly 1000 companies from 30 countries will participate in the fair. 200 of these companies are foreign."

"Turkish companies undertook projects worth 3 billion USD in Iraq after the war. Annual trade volume with Iraq reached 2.7 billion USD in 2005. Transit trade volume of Turkish companies to Iraq was 2.8 billion USD last year," he outlined.

Thanks John,

Good find, and an excellent overview on what we will not hear in mainstream press. Remember, economics rolls on even with bombings, and always will, so in time, it will be back to normal, as more and more of the main terrorist leaders are caught or killed. Number two man was taken down this past week, and it only a matter of time that number one will be turned in as economy improves and the way of life for the average Iraqi also improves.

Good luck to all, Mike

Originally Posted by Offshore-Wealth.com

Thanks John,

Good find, and an excellent overview on what we will not hear in mainstream press. Remember, economics rolls on even with bombings, and always will, so in time, it will be back to normal, as more and more of the main terrorist leaders are caught or killed. Number two man was taken down this past week, and it only a matter of time that number one will be turned in as economy improves and the way of life for the average Iraqi also improves.

Good luck to all, Mike

Oh, you want mainstream press? Here you go... Car bomb explodes, kills women and children and another soldier killed by roadside bomb.. All very sad but it would be nice if they printed some of the positive stuff too.

If you guys honestly think it will peg anytime soon, you'll be surprised.

I have no doubt about Iraq's potential and I know it will increase eventually, but the current "speculations" of it pegging soon are way off.

Originally Posted by Mike

If you guys honestly think it will peg anytime soon, you'll be surprised.

I have no doubt about Iraq's potential and I know it will increase eventually, but the current "speculations" of it pegging soon are way off.

Interesting,

So where did you dig up your latest information, which archives can we refer back to so we can be as well informed as you are?

Good luck to all, Mike

Originally Posted by neno

Well just did another 250,000nid's in 1k notes (safedinar 244.00 plus shipping 24.00=268.00 COD). This way my 5k's and 1k's can be 9k's at a time hehe (stay away from forum 8300). Total now 3/4 million. Might take advice and just set on them for another two years.

Just a thought here--If we have 25,000 notes why couldn't we just exchange it for 9900 USD (or other applicable currency) and get dinars back for the other 15,100 and go to a different exchanger, even that same day? This is assuming it would peg at 1.00USD but this remains to be seen, though I must say after my PIPS heartbreak I am really ready for something good to happen..sometime in the near future!

Originally Posted by whatever

Just a thought here--If we have 25,000 notes why couldn't we just exchange it for 9900 USD (or other applicable currency) and get dinars back for the other 15,100 and go to a different exchanger, even that same day? This is assuming it would peg at 1.00USD but this remains to be seen, though I must say after my PIPS heartbreak I am really ready for something good to happen..sometime in the near future!

Good Point whatever. I guess because you presented a 25k note and have to be given change. Maybe we will get some info to that.

Originally Posted by Mike

If you guys honestly think it will peg anytime soon, you'll be surprised.

I have no doubt about Iraq's potential and I know it will increase eventually, but the current "speculations" of it pegging soon are way off.

As always, there are two sides to each coin and, quite frankly, I could care less if the peg happens tomorrow or a year from tomorrow. The bottom line is that this investment is a winnner no matter what the timetable turns out to be. It is all good!!!!

Danny