11 Iraqis Killed, 48 Bodies Found in Ba'aqouba and Diwaniya, Humanitarian Crisis in Sadr City, According to April 20, 2008 News Reports

Yaqen.net reported that 2 people were killed, 14 were wounded in Al-Kadhemiya as a result of two mortar explosions.

Sahwa leader, son killed in attack near Kirkuk

Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17
Kirkuk, Apr 20, (VOI) –

A (US-recruited) Sahwa tribal chief and his son were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen southwest of Kirkuk on Sunday, police said.

"A group of gunmen in two vehicles attacked the car of Mahmoud Attiya Hassan al-Ubaydi, the Sahwa council official in al-Rashad neighborhood, and his son in southwest Kirkuk," a security source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) on customary condition of anonymity.

"The gunmen intercepted Ubaydi's vehicle on the road that links the districts of al-Riad and al-Rashad, (45 km) southwest of Kirkuk, and showered them with bullets, killing Ubaydi and his son instantly," said the source.
Kirkuk, an oil-rich city of mixed population of ethnic and religious groups, lies 250 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The Sahwa fighters set up checkpoints in several areas in the Iraqi capital and other provinces under the supervision of the Iraqi ministries of interior and defense as well as the U.S. forces.

2 killed, 48 bodies found all over Iraq

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17
Baghdad, Apr 20, (VOI) –

Two people were killed, another wounded, 10 others kidnapped and 48 corpses were found during the past few hours in different areas of Iraq until Sunday afternoon, security sources said.

In Mosul, the official spokesman for the Ninewa operations command, Brig. Khaled Abdul-Sattar said that unidentified gunmen blew up a high-pressure power plant in the district of Sinjar, 120 km northwest of Mosul, causing a power failure in the area.

The district mayor, Dakhil Qassem Hassoun, said security forces found the bodies of Shamdin Ibrahim Shamdin, a member of the Sinjar municipal council, and his brother dumped at the entrance of al-Qahira district, southwest al-Qayrawan town in Sinjar, (60 km) north of Mosul.

The bodies showed signs of having been shot in the head and chest, said Hassoun.
In Diala, a security source said a driver and a policeman were killed and a woman wounded in an armed attack by gunmen believed to belong to al-Qaeda network northeast of Ba'aqouba.

Another source in Diala province said a mass grave containing 30 unidentified decomposed bodies was found in a village of the city of Ba'aqouba, the capital of Diala, 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

Also in Diala, a security source said unidentified gunmen kidnapped nine Diala University students and a bus driver. The gunmen boarded the bus after stopping them at a fake checkpoint near Ba'aqouba.
In the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a police source said a joint force from the police and coalition troops arrested three wanted men in a search raid northwest of Kirkuk.

In Diwaniya, 180 km south of Baghdad, a police source said security forces in the district of al-Shinafiya, (80 km) west of the province, found 16 headless bodies in the area of al-Arada, adding all the bodies showed signs of having been tortured.

AE/SR

2 civilians killed, 5 wounded in blast north of Diwaniya

Diwaniya - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17
Diwaniya, Apr 20, (VOI) –

Two civilians were killed and five others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a civilian vehicle while driving by on a road north of the city of Diwaniya on Sunday, a security source said.
"The five wounded individuals are in serious condition," the source, who asked to remain unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The IED went off when a Kia vehicle was passing on the road leading to Babel province, in the al-Sunniya district, (15 km) north of Diwaniya," the source said, without adding further details.
Diwaniya lies 180 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

AE/SR

2 killed, woman wounded in attack near Ba'aqouba

Diala - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17

Diala, Apr 20, (VOI) –

A driver and a policeman were killed and a woman wounded in an armed attack by gunmen believed to belong to al-Qaeda network northeast of Ba'aqouba, a security source said.
"The gunmen opened a volley of fire on a civilian vehicle, killing a policeman and a driver and wounding his wife in the district of al-Muqdadiya, (45 km) northeast of Ba'aqouba," the source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
Ba'aqouba, the capital of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

AE/SR

Body of kidnapped local official found near Mosul

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17
Mosul, Apr 20, (VOI)-

Iraqi security forces on Sunday found the body of a local council member who was kidnapped last night from his home along with his brother near Mosul city, an official source said.

“Security forces found today the Bodies of Shamdein Ibrahim Shamdein, member of Sinjar local council, and his brother near Sinjar district after being kidnapped last from their home in the district,” Dakhil Saadon, mayor of Sinjar district, told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The source added that Shamdein along with his brother was kidnapped last night when unknown gunmen clad in military uniform stormed his home in Sinjar and forced them at gunpoint to unknown place.
Sinjar is located 60 km northwest of Mosul which lies 405 km north of Baghdad.
SK

Sadr city witnesses sporadic clashes between Iraq-U.S. forces and gunmen

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 20 /04 /2008 Time 8:27:17
Baghdad, Apr 20, (VOI) –

Sadr city in Baghdad witnessed on Sunday sporadic clashes between combined Iraq-U.S. forces and gunmen, while U.S. helicopters flew at high altitudes over the area, but media counselor for the U.S. army said that he "does not know" about the clashes.

"Since the morning until this afternoon, gunmen from time to time engaged with Iraqi-U.S. forces, but there was no opportunity to learn of the casualties," said the reporter of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) in Sadr city.
"U.S. helicopters flew at high altitudes in the area, forcing Sadr city's residents to stay in their homes, to preserve their lives," he added

Sheikh Salman al-Freji, manager of Sadr office in Baghdad, told VOI, "Last night, U.S. helicopters bombarded some Sadr city's residential neighborhoods, destroying five houses."

Al-Freji did not mention whether the strike caused any casualties.
"Iraqi government's statements that curfew on vehicles movement was lifted are not true, as Sadr city is still surrounded, and all its entries are blocked," al-Freji said.

He added, "Today, and after it was open for a limited period, the government closed the last entry point to Sadr city, and foodstuff and aids could not reach the city, despite the promises made by some officials, such as Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the National Security adviser, and Ahmed al-Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) party."

Al-Freji called on human rights interest groups and individuals to visit Sadr city. "It is hard to transfer a wounded individual from a hospital inside Sadr city to another outside of it, in addition to the total lack of power and water," he said.

He warned of "a real human crisis in Sadr city if measures are not taken in the medical and humanitarian fields."

From his side, the media counselor for the U.S. army in Iraq said that he has no information about the clashes, and a release will be issued in case any information is available.
MH/SR

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