11 Iraqis Killed in War Attacks, 50 Bodies of Iraqis Executed by Death Squads Found in Samarra, Statue of Abu Ja'afar Al-Mansoor Restored, According to June 29, 2008 News Reports

Editor's Note:

Only God knows how many Iraqis are killed everyday. The following represents part of the reporting but readers are advised that the actual number of deaths should very much exceed what's reported.

Concerning deaths of US soldiers, only those US citizens who die in Iraq are included in the statistics. There are no published statistics about US soldiers who die of their injuries after that. There are no published statistics about the deaths or injuries of the private army soldiers (security contractors), or about those without US citizenship.

It is noteworthy that May 20, 2008 news reports showed that death squads which execute Iraqis on daily basis are no longer hiding themselves. Previously, Sunni leaders pointed to Mahdi Army and Badr militiamen as the perpetrators. Now, death squads are composed of the US-recruited Sahwa fighters and policemen (which is an opportunity for US forces command to sever relations with these fighters).

Despite the fact that there are scores of organizations involved in the Iraq war, the Iraqi government officials prefer to refer to them as Alqaeda gunmen for propaganda purposes, as mentioned in the June 4, 2008 news report. For accuracy purposes, the term "Alqaeda gunmen" may be replaced with "Iraqi fighters."

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Yaqen.net reported that a US Hummer vehicle was damaged, in Al-Hadbaa area in Mosul, by a roadside bomb, killing and injuring its crew.

- Ibrahim Allawi Al-Jubouri, a 60-year-old Iraqi man from Al-Shurqat, north of Tikrit, was bitten to death by US police dogs during a house search by US soldiers, amidst crying of his wife and children.

The Iraq News Agency (INA) reported that the statue of Abu Ja'afar Al-Mansoor was restored to its place in the main square of Al-Mansoor area of Baghdad. The base of the statue was damaged by an explosion on October 18, 2008.

Abu Ja'afar Al-Mansoor (714-775) was the second Abbasid Caliph, who built Baghdad and made it the third capital of the Arab-Islamic state after Medina and Damascus.

Abu Ja'afar Al-Mansoor was his official name but his real name is Abdullah Bin (son of) Muhammed Bin Ali Bin Al-Abbas. He was the great grandson of Al-Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings of God be upon him.

The state was designed and made by the Iraqi sculptor Khaled Al-Rahal in the late 1970s.

- Hebrew manuscripts interpreting the Old Testament, written by Iraqi Jews, were transferred to the US for restoration, after damages as a result of the US bombing in 2003. Then, suddenly, these historical Iraqi manuscripts appeared in Israel, which indicates that the looting of Iraq's history is continuing.

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Basra intel. chief assassinated

Basra - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Basra, Jun 29, (VOI) –

Unidentified gunmen assassinated the Basra intelligence chief while he was on vacation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a security source in Basra said on Sunday.

"The gunmen showered Brig. Abdul-Jabbar Munshid's vehicles with bullets in the eastern Baghdad area of al-Naieria on Saturday evening, killing him instantly," the source, who asked that his name not be mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

The gunmen then escaped to an unknown place, the source said, not mentioning further details about the assassination.

The oil-rich city of Basra, Iraq's only coastal outlet, lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
AE/SR

Mass grave with 50 unknown bodies found in Samarra

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Salah al-Din, Jun 29, (VOI) –

A force from the Iraqi army's Quick Intervention unit unearthed a mass grave west of the city of Samarra containing 50 decomposed bodies, the unit commander said on Sunday.

"The grave, discovered on Saturday evening in the area of al-Tharthar, (30 km) west of Samarra, contained 50 bodies in the form of skeletons. Some of them were buried randomly," Maj. Muthanna Shakir told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The victims were clad in civilian clothes and showed signs of having been shot," said Shakir.

Samarra, a city in the province of Salah al-Din, lies on the east bank of the River Tigris and is 120 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
AE/SR

Suicide bombing wounds 3 Sahwa fighters in Diala

Diala - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Diala, Jun 29, (VOI) –

A female suicide bomber struck near US-recruited Sahwa fighters in northeastern Ba'aqouba city, wounding three council members, Iraqi authorities said on Sunday.

"A female suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt blew herself up near Sahwa council fighters in al-Wajihiya district, al-Muqdadiya, wounding three Sahwa fighters," a source from Diala police, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The attack is the sixteenth by female bombers in Diala province throughout the past six months, according to figures announced by the head of the provincial council, Ibrahim Bajlan.
On June 22, a woman blew herself up near the building of the local administration in downtown Ba'aqouba, killing 13 persons, including a police captain, and wounding 30 others.

Ba'aqouba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

SS

10 policemen killed, wounded in Dalou'iya blast

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Salah al-Din, Jun 29, (VOI) –

Seven police personnel were killed and three others were injured in a car bomb explosion that targeted their vehicle in Dalouiya district, Salah al-Din, Iraqi police said.

"An explosives-rigged car detonated today near a police patrol vehicle in Dalou'iya, killing seven policemen, including two officers, and wounding three others," Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad al-Juburi told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq-(VOI).

"The vehicle was on its way to secure the district when the roadside car bomb exploded," the source noted.

Dalou'iya, Salah al-Din province, lies 90 km north of the Iraqi capital; while Tikrit, the capital city of the province, lies 175 km north of Baghdad.

SS

6 wounded in Kirkuk explosion

Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Kirkuk, Jun 29, (VOI) –

Six civilians were wounded in an explosive charge attack that targeted the vehicle of a local police chief in southwestern Kirkuk city, authorities said.

"Today, an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted the vehicle of Colonel Ahmed Samirani near the old building of Kirkuk's police academy and al-Asdeqaa gas station in the city's southwestern neighborhood of al-Wasiti, wounding six civilians, who were close to the scene of the blast," a source from Kirkuk police, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

"The colonel was not in the car at the time of the explosion, and none of his bodyguards was wounded," the source noted, adding that the blast caused damage to the vehicle.

Kirkuk, an oil-rich and mixed city of Kurds, Turkmen, Christians, and Arabs, lies 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

SS

4 wounded in Diala attacks

Diala - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27

Diala, Jun 29, (VOI) –

Three farmers and a civilian were wounded in two separate attacks north and south of the city of Ba'aqouba on Sunday, a police source in Diala said.
"Unidentified gunmen opened a volley of fire on three peasants while heading for their orchard in the area of al-Tahwila, al-Khalis district, (15 km) north of Ba'aqouba, wounding all of them," the source, who asked to remain unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
The wounded were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, he added.
Meanwhile, the same source said, an improvised explosive device went off on Sunday near a pickup truck, wounding its driver.
Ba'aqouba, the capital of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

AE/SR

9 killed, 18 wounded by violence until Sunday afternoon

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 29 /06 /2008 Time 6:26:27
Baghdad, Jun 29, (VOI) –

Nine persons were killed and 18 others were wounded by the violent acts that occurred from Saturday evening until Sunday afternoon in different parts of Iraq, security sources said.

In Salah al-Din, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad al-Juburi told VOI that a car bomb on Sunday exploded near a police patrol vehicle in Dalou'iya, killing seven police personnel, including two officers, and wounding three others.

In Diala, a female suicide bomber struck near a Sahwa (Awakening) council in northeastern Ba'aqouba city, wounding three council members.

In the same province, unidentified gunmen opened fire on three farmers while heading for their orchard in the area of al-Tahwila, al-Khalis distrct, wounding all of them, according to a security source.
An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a pickup truck in Diala, wounding its drivers, the same source said.

In Ninewa, a policeman on Saturday was gunned down near his house in downtown Mosul's area of al-Farouq.

Moreover, unidentified gunmen on Saturday opened fire on a police patrol vehicle stationed in Dawret al-Hamam area, wounding a policeman and a civilian, who was close to the scene of the shooting.

A security source said that a group of armed men assassinated the Basra intelligence chief, Brigadier Abdul-Jabbar Munshid, while he was on vacation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

In Kirkuk, an explosive charge detonated targeted the vehicle of Colonel Ahmed Shamirani near the old building of Kirkuk's police academy and al-Asdeqaa gas station in the city's southwestern neighborhood of al-Wasiti, wounding six civilians, who were in the vicinity of the scene of the blast, a local security source said.

SS/SR

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Iraq War Report for events of Saturday, 28 June 2008.

Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr,

member, editorial board, the Free Arab Voice.

Saturday, 28 June 2008.

·        Azerbaijan soldier, serving US occupation forces, killed in Iraq.

·        Mercenary security guards at Baghdad Airport kill three Iraqi bank employees in car, then watch their vehicle burn itself out.

·        US-backed Kurdish separatist forces in the Iraqi government police launch purge of ethnic Arabs in continued effort to seize oil-rich city of Kirkuk and annex it to Kurdish separatist enclave in northern Iraq.

·        Local Iraqi officials denounce US raid on Nuri al-Maliki’s village near Karbala’ as “violation” of American handover accord.

·        In continued preparations for American attack on Iran, Iraqi regime troops arrest 12 anti-occupation Jaysh al-Mahdi militiamen in raids, searches in al-Basrah.

Baghdad.

Azerbaijan soldier, serving US occupation forces, killed in Iraq.

In a dispatch posted at 5:05pm Baghdad time Saturday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that the Azerbaijan Ministry of War had announced that one of its occupation troops in Iraq had been killed in the course of his work with US forces.

Yaqen reported the Ministry as saying that the soldier had only three days left before he was scheduled to return home.

It was the first soldier from Azerbaijan to die in Iraq since the country, a former Soviet republic and currently a satellite of the United States, sent 150 men to serve the American occupation in Iraq. Most of the Azeri troops are stationed around the al-Hadithah Dam in western al-Anbar province.

Mercenary security guards at Baghdad Airport kill three Iraqi bank employees in car, then watch their vehicle burn itself out.

In a dispatch posted at 12:26pm Baghdad time Saturday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that armed armored vehicle belonging to a mercenary security company inside the prohibited security zone at Baghdad International Airport opened fire on a civilian car carrying three employees of the Iraqi government-owned ar-Rafidayn Bank inside the airport. The three were killed inside the car on the spot.

Yaqen reported ‘Ali as-Saffar, the Director of the Control Unit at Baghdad International Airport said that the car was carrying Tariq Abu Ziyad and two women who worked with him in the Accounts section of the airport bank. As-Saffar said that the car had gone off the road to avoid a hole or obstacle in the road and after that apparently erratic driving, the security men, who were more than 200 meters away, opened fire.

As-Saffar said that the security company guards were in no danger, since everyone coming into the facility would have to go through checkpoints with scanners and trained dogs. He said that the security company guards just sat and watched as the stricken car burst into flames as a result of their gunfire. They continued to simply sit and watch as the fire burned out of control in the vehicle, finally extinguishing itself.

As-Saffar said, “we continued to observe the burning vehicle – a red Opel – from close up, but could do nothing. After the security company guards finally left, I headed over to the car along with other employees in order to extract the bodies, but they were completely charred.

Yaqen noted that Iraqi government police inside the airport are not allowed to carry weapons and that all persons entering the airport area are completely searched by the British security Global Security.

Salah ad-Din Province.
Ad-Dawr.

US forces arrest chief of local police in ad-Dawr Saturday afternoon.

In a dispatch posted on its Arabic website at 6:38pm Saturday afternoon Beijing time (2:38pm in Baghdad), the Xinhua News Agency reported that US troops arrested the chief of the provincial police for town of ad-Dawr, 150km north of Baghdad, on Saturday.

Xinhua reported source who asked not to be identified as saying that US troops arrived at the police headquarters after noon Saturday. There they arrested Colonel Mahmud ‘Udwan, the chief of the local police, escorted him out of the police directorate, and took him off to one of their bases.

The source said that the US forces gave no reason for their raid and arrest of the police chief and that provincial authorities were planning to contact the Americans to find out why Colonel ‘Udwan had been arrested.

Tikrit.

US forces release doyen of journalists in Salah ad-Din Province after five days’ detention.

In a dispatch posted on its Arabic website at 6:38pm Saturday afternoon Beijing time (2:38pm in Baghdad), the Xinhua News Agency reported that US forces released Hasan al-Ma ‘jun, the doyen of journalists in Salah ad-Din Province, on Saturday morning.

Xinhua reported that al-Ma‘jun had been arresteed by US troops in Tikrit on Monday night, 23 June.

Diyala Province.
Al-‘Azim.

Barrage of three mortar shells kills two civilians in al-‘Azim Saturday evening.

In a dispatch posted at 10:45pm Baghdad time Saturday night, the Yaqen News Agency reported that a checkpoint manned by tribal “Awakening” police in the area of al-‘Azim, 120km north of Baghdad, came under a mortar barrage on Saturday evening.

Yaqen reported a source in the provincial government as saying that three mortar shells landed near a residential neighborhood in al-‘Azim, killing two people and wounding seven. Three of the injured were tribal “Awakening” policemen. Two civilians and two of the wounded policemen were in extremely serious condition.

The source said that the three mortar shells were fired from the al-Matbayjah area, 3km east of al-‘Azim.

At-Ta’mim/Kirkuk Province.
Kirkuk.

US-backed Kurdish separatist forces in the Iraqi government police launch purge of ethnic Arabs in continued effort to seize oil-rich city of Kirkuk and annex it to Kurdish separatist enclave in northern Iraq.

In a dispatch posted at 9pm Baghdad time Saturday night, the Yaqen News Agency reported that Kurdish separatists in the Iraqi regime police in Kirkuk carried out a massive campaign of arrests of ethnic Arab officers in the police force. The Arabs were accused of being “suspected of aiding armed groups,” but in reality the campaign appeared to be a part of a running drive by US-backed Kurdish separatists to annex the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to the Kurdish separatist enclave in the north of the country.

Yaqen reported Muhammad Tahir, an officer in the Kurdish separatist Peshmergah militia, as saying that the police directorate detained 60 officers and men of the Kirkuk police force, asserting that they were suspected of aiding armed groups or of involvement in corruption and abuse of office. Yaqen noted that all the arrested police personnel were Arabs.

A prominent member of Kirkuk’s Arab population – the largest single population bloc I the city, which, together with the Turkomans outnumber the Kurds – told Yaqen that the Kurdish separatists are aiming at purging the police force of Arabs and that in fact the number of those arrested is actually higher than the official number of 60.

For his part, Peshmergah Colonel Tahir said that on Friday, 15 officers in the police force of al-Huwayjah, 45km southwest of Kirkuk, and the nearby area of ar-Rashad were also arrested on similar charges of “aiding terrorists.”

Colonel Tahir indicated that most of the Arab policemen were charged with being suspected of aiding armed groups, but that two officers, a captain and a first lieutenant in one department of the Internal Security Forces, were arrested Saturday morning for taking bribes and corruption.

Ninwa Province.
Al-Mawsil.

Two policemen wounded in bomb attack in al-Mawsil Saturday.

In a dispatch posted at 8:05pm Baghdad time Saturday evening, the Yaqen News Agency reported that a bomb exploded by a police patrol in the al-Yarmuk neighborhood of western al-Mawsil, 420km northwest of Baghdad on Saturday.

Yaqen reported a source in the Ninwa Province police as saying that the explosion wounded two policemen.

Since 10 May, US and Iraqi regime forces have been waging an offensive against the al-Qa ‘idah organization in al-Mawsil and surrounding Ninwa Province.

Karbala’ Province.
Karbala’.

Local Iraqi officials denounce US raid on Nuri al-Maliki’s village as “violation” of American handover accord.

In a dispatch posted at 12 noon Baghdad time Saturday, the Yaqen News Agency reported that US forces in six helicopters staged an airborne landing in Jannajah, the home village of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, located in the district of al-Hiniyah/Tuwayrij near Karbala’, 110km south of Baghdad, after midnight Thursday.

Yaqen reported a source in the Karbala’ police as saying that the Americans killed one man and arrested another, by the name of Husayn Ni‘mah Shannu in the course of the raid. The source said that local authorities had no information on the reason for the American raid. They said that the area has not important targets, the local government only having what it described as “minor” targets in the area. The source said that American troops contacted in their base at al-Husayniyah denied any connection to the raid.

The local Iraqi regime authorities said that the American raid on their local turf was a violation of the agreement whereby responsibility for security in the area had been handed over to local authorities by the US occupation forces. That agreement has been in force since October 2007. According to that accord, the source said, any US incursion into the area had to have the approval of the office of Nuri al-Maliki, the nominal commander-in-chief of Iraqi government troops in the area, so that Iraqi troops could back up the Americans in such a raid.

Maysan Province.
Al-‘Amarah.

Director of al-Basrah Province Sadr Office arrested as preparations for US attack on Iran continue.

In a dispatch posted at 6:45pm Baghdad time Saturday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that Iraqi government police in al-‘Amarah, 290km southeast of Baghdad, arrested the Director of the anti-occupation Sadr Movement Office for the southern province of al-Basrah

Yaqen reported a source in the police as saying that the police arrested Sayyid Hasan al-Husayni, the Director of the Sadr Movement Office for al-Basrah Province. The arrest took place in the al-Fakhriyah area in the district of ‘Ali al-Gharbi to the north of al-‘Amarah. The police first surrounded his home in al-Fakhriyah located near the main local market.

Since March, the US-backed Iraqi regime has been actively engaged in an offensive against the anti-occupation Sadr Movement and its armed wing, the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia, in Iraq. On 19 June the regime launched its local offensive in Maysan Province. in what is believed to be preparation for an American attack on Iran.

Al-Basrah Province.
Al-Basrah.

In continued preparations for American attack on Iran, Iraqi regime troops arrest 12 anti-occupation Jaysh al-Mahdi militiamen in raids, searches in al-Basrah.

In a dispatch posted at 2:08pm Baghdad time Saturday afternoon, the Yaqen News Agency reported that Iraqi government police arrested 12 members of the anti-occupation Jaysh al-Mahdi militia and other pro-Iranian militias in its continued sweep believed to be in preparation for a US attack on Iran.

Yaqen reported a source in the al-Basrah government police as saying that the men were charged with “terrorism.”

In a separate incident, a bomb exploded near a musical instruments store in the al-Saymar district of central al-Basrah on Friday. The blast inflicted damage on stores in the area but caused no casualties.

Since March, the US-backed Iraqi regime has been actively engaged in an offensive against the anti-occupation Sadr Movement and its armed wing, the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia, in Iraq, in what is believed to be preparation for an American attack on Iran.

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