1 600 gefallene US-Soldaten im Iraq
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The embassy said they worked for a private security firm and Iraqi soldiers in Basra said the Americans were in the city to train Iraqi forces.
"Coalition forces promptly arrived on the scene, cordoned off the area, and transported the wounded personnel to a nearby Coalition medical facility," the embassy said in a statement.
A Reuters cameraman said he saw two four-wheel drive vehicles, one of them seriously damaged, at the scene of the attack in the al-Tariq district of Basra.
Al Jazeera television said on Tuesday that the kidnappers of Jill Carroll had threatened to kill her unless all Iraqi women detainees were freed.
The U.S. military did not confirm the releases would take place. A spokesman said it could not discuss individual cases of detainees or ongoing reviews. The military said on Wednesday it was holding eight female prisoners in Iraq.
Jazeera aired a brief video on Tuesday showing Carroll, 28, a freelance journalist working for the Christian Science Monitor. The video was the first glimpse of Carroll since gunmen kidnapped her in a Baghdad street on January 7 and killed her translator.
A still photograph of Carroll from the videotape appeared on Al Jazeera's Web site carrying a logo reading the "Revenge Brigades".
On Wednesday, Jazeera aired a video from the almost identically named Revenge Brigade in which the group said it had freed the sister of Iraq's interior minister, who was kidnapped in Baghdad two weeks ago. Interior Ministry officials confirmed she had been released in Baghdad.
Kidnappers of Western hostages have previously demanded the release of women prisoners.
In October 2004, three engineers -- two Americans and a Briton -- were beheaded after being abducted in Baghdad by al Qaeda militants who demanded the release of women prisoners.
Washington said at the time it held only two women in Iraq, both top weapons scientists under Saddam Hussein.
The two, Rihab Taha and Huda Ammash -- "Dr Germ" and "Mrs Anthrax" to the Western media -- were among eight former senior figures under Saddam freed last month.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have already staged several raids in Baghdad in their hunt for Carroll, including on a major mosque complex that angered Sunni Arab leaders and drew criticism from the U.N. envoy in Iraq.
There have been several kidnappings of Westerners in Iraq in the past few months. Four Christian peace activists -- a Briton, an American and two Canadians -- are still being held captive.
More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since U.S. forces toppled Saddam Hussein three years ago. Most have been freed but dozens of foreigners have been killed.
"Of particular concern are reports of attacks involving children acting as combatants," the world body said in its report, written by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq.
"A boy said to be aged between 10 and 13 years allegedly carried out a suicide bombing targeting the police commander in the city of Kirkuk. Later that month, two boys aged 12 and 13 years reportedly carried out attacks against [U.S.-led forces] in Fallujah and Hweeja, respectively."
The report is apparently referring to the town Hawija, which is southeast of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. Falluja is in western Iraq.
Over the years, human rights groups have raised the alarm over child soldiers and combatants in other conflicts, including those in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Uganda.
The report, which covers November 1 through December 31, estimates that 20 percent of all civilian deaths in the Iraq war are women and children.
An October Pentagon report roughly estimated that nearly 26,000 Iraqis were killed or wounded by insurgent attacks between January of 2004 through September 16, 2005.
Iraqi children are "gravely affected" by the ongoing violence, the U.N. report said.
"Scores of children have been killed in indiscriminate bombings and by indirect fire," the report said. "Some surveys suggest that a large number of children in Iraq have lost one or both parents as well as close family members to violence."
The report touches on a range of rights violations in Iraq, the longstanding insurgent attacks, violence surrounding the December 15 election and problems involving the Interior Ministry.
"The persistent conflicts affecting the country and weaknesses in law enforcement continue to have a serious and adverse effect on the enjoyment of human rights," it said. "Ongoing attacks by armed groups, acts of terrorism, violent crimes, large-scale arbitrary arrests and evidence of mistreatment in detention centers together presented a pattern of major human-rights violations."
Key points
Coalition military operations "in the run-up to the December elections" contributed to "increasing numbers of detainees without access to judicial review." The United Nations is also concerned about "death, injury and displacement of noncombatants as well as damage to civilian property and facilities."
The insurgency is undermining the Iraqi government with its daily attacks targeting civilians, politicians, religious leaders and mosques.
Kidnappings persist in places like Baghdad, Basra and Mosul, with "the plight of Iraqi victims" fostering "less attention despite involving a higher number of hostages." In contrast, the "abduction of foreign nationals has been widely publicized."
The report cites violence ahead of the December 15 elections, a concern of politicians who have made complaints about the way the election was handled. Violence includes reports of assassinations and campaign worker intimidation. On the other hand, the United Nations' Iraqi mission was encouraged by efforts to allow detainees to vote.
The report cited the abuse at the detention centers run by the Interior Ministry and noted the government inquiries into the issue, an issue that UNAMI says it regularly has raised.
There are claims that the hospital in Tal Afar, the northwestern town where U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling insurgents, has been occupied by U.S. and Iraqi troops. The hospital is "limiting patients' access to the facility and putting at risk the lives of staff and drivers observed by insurgent forces entering the hospital premises."
"Water and electricity supplies were badly disrupted" in western Iraq, where the U.S. launched counter-insurgency operations.
The issue of proper protection for people involved in the Saddam Hussein trial was cited after the killings of two defense attorneys.
"A protection package was offered and facilitated -- in part -- the return to court of most lawyers when proceedings resumed on 28 November. At that time, two of the accused were left without legal representation, and the Trial Chamber properly adjourned proceedings until replacement counsel agreeable to the accused could be found."
denn wenn es wieder andersrum geht, dürften die als 3rstes gelyncht werden.
An official of the independent Debaathification Commission told Reuters on Wednesday Sayeed al-Hamashi was the subject of an inquiry and should be removed from his post.
The allegations threw the U.S.-sponsored court into fresh confusion after the resignation last week of chief judge Rizgar Amin, a Kurd, who quit in protest at political interference.
Hamashi, Amin's deputy, was promoted to the top job. He has denied any links to the Baath party and his fellow judges appeared to rally around him on Thursday to defend his record.
Tribunal spokesman Judge Raid Jouhi said the judges in the Saddam trial had been carefully selected for their professionalism and integrity.
"The judges are well known and their history is also well known and they are professionals. So far it is Judge Hamashi who is going to head the next session," he told Reuters.
PUZZLEMENT
Hamashi had previously been the only other judge to appear on television with Amin in coverage of the trial.
Ali Faisal, executive manager of the Debaathification Commission, said Hamashi's position came to the Commission's notice when he was named as Amin's replacement.
Jouhi said he was puzzled as to why the commission had only realized now that Hamashi was one of the judges trying Saddam.
"Hamashi had been working in this court for a year and seven months and was shown on TV many times, so I don't understand why the commission has suddenly woken up to this, why they didn't realize before," he said. Continued
„Mit (Sajid) el Hamaschi befasst sich eine Untersuchung zur Entbaathifizierung", sagte Ali Faisal von der Kommission zur Säuberung des Staatsapparats von Anhängern des Ex-Herrschers Saddam Hussein am Mittwoch.
„Er muss entfernt werden“
„Seine Beteiligung an diesem Gericht verstößt gegen die Statuten und er muss entfernt werden.“ Chefankläger Dschaafar el Mussawi wies die Anschuldigung zurück. „Hamaschi bestreitet, etwas mit der Baath-Partei Saddams zu tun zu haben", sagte er. „Die Kommission muss Beweise vorlegen, um glaubwürdig zu sein.“
Amin trat zurück, zwei Verteidiger tot
Der bisherige Vorsitzende des Gerichts, Risgar Amin, war vergangene Woche nach Kritik der Regierung an seiner Verhandlungsführung zurückgetreten. Die Kommission wurde nach der Invasion des Iraks eingerichtet und soll ehemalige Baath-Mitglieder von Führungspositionen entfernen. Das Verfahren gegen Saddam ist durch den Rücktritt Amins weiter erschüttert worden. Zuvor waren zwei Verteidiger getötet worden.
US-Präsident George W. Bush zeigte sich am Mittwoch jedoch zuversichtlich über den weiteren Verlauf des Verfahrens. In diesem Jahr werde die Welt sehen wie „der Schlächter“ seine gerechte Strafe erhalten werde, sagte Bush.
Bei der irakischen Parlamentswahl haben die Schiiten nach dem offiziellen Endergebnis ihre dominante Rolle behauptet, eine einfache Mehrheit jedoch knapp verfehlt.
Mit 128 Sitzen fehlen der regierenden Vereinigten Irakischen Allianz demnach im neuen Parlament zehn Sitze, um wie bisher mehr als die Hälfte der 275 Abgeordneten zu stellen. Ihr bisheriger Koalitionspartner, der Kurdische Block, kam auf 53 Sitze. Das Resultat legte die Wahlkommission heute in Bagdad vor.
Sunniten-Bündnis drittstärkste Kraft
Drittstärkste Kraft wurde demnach das größte Bündnis sunnitischer Gruppierungen, die erstmals nach dem Sturz von Saddam Hussein bei einer Wahl antraten.
Die Irakische Eintracht eroberte 44 Sitze. Elf Sitze gingen an ein weiteres sunnitisches Bündnis, die Front des Nationalen Dialogs.
Das säkular ausgerichtete Bündnis des ehemaligen Ministerpräsidenten Ijad Allawi erreichte 25 Sitze und blieb damit deutlich hinter seinem bisherigen Anteil zurück.
Das Ergebnis entsprach den Erwartungen und brachte kaum Veränderungen gegenüber den bisher vorläufig bekannt gewordenen Sitzverteilungen. Das Parlament ist das erste seit dem Irak-Krieg, das für eine volle Legislaturperiode gewählt ist.
At 10:20 a.m. Friday, two Iraqi civilians were killed and a third was wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. military convoy in southeastern Baghdad, police said.
The kidnapping occurred about 11 p.m. Thursday, when at least 15 masked gunmen dressed like Iraqi police commandos stormed the Najam al-Zawiya restaurant in central Baghdad, according to an Iraqi police official with Baghdad emergency police.
Those kidnapped included the restaurant's owner and his son, an Iraqi police colonel, a businessman and a man who worked for an official under the Saddam Hussein regime as a bodyguard. Iraqi police were investigating the incident.
In Diyala province, four Iraqi police officers were wounded about 9 a.m. Friday when a roadside bomb struck their convoy in Muqdadiya, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baquba, according to an official with Diyala Joint Coordination Center.
Four soldiers were injured when a second roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi Army patrol in eastern Baquba about an hour earlier. Baquba is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Baghdad.
Authorities were beefing up security Friday in Diyala and other provinces in preparation for the announcement of results from Iraq's December 15 parliamentary elections. Some main roads were closed, areas were sealed off and checkpoints were set up.
Meanwhile, at about 6 p.m. Thursday, gunmen fatally shot two people working inside a cell phone shop in southwestern Baghdad's al-Amil neighborhood, police said. An hour later, two barbers were shot to death inside their shop in southwestern Baghdad's al-Bayya neighborhood.
Double bombing rips Baghdad
Also Thursday, at least 15 people were killed and 46 others wounded when near-simultaneous car and suicide bombings struck a busy commercial district in central Baghdad, an official with the city's emergency police said.
The car bomb, which targeted an Iraqi police patrol, exploded on Sadoon Street. Almost immediately afterward, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded coffee shop, the official said.
At least three Iraqi police officers were among the dead, the official said.
It is not known who carried out the attacks. Usually such strikes have been blamed on the al Qaeda in Iraq group, headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. released.
Separately, U.S. and Iraqi troops discovered insurgent munitions in western Iraq, the Marines said Thursday. The forces found "more than 400 pieces of ordnances and other weapons ... (mostly) large-caliber artillery rounds and rockets," the Marines said.
Die gestern im Internet aufgetauchte Tonbandaufnahme von El-Kaida-Vize Aiman el Sawahiri ist nach Einschätzung von Experten des US-Geheimdiensts CIA authentisch.
Technische Analysen hätten ergeben, dass die Stimme Sawahiri zuzuordnen sei, teilte ein ranghoher CIA-Beamter mit. Die 18 Minuten lange Aufnahme enthält kein Aufzeichnungsdatum.
Der Ägypter Sawahiri widmete das Band den "Märtyrern" im Kampf gegen den "Kreuzzug gegen Afghanistan". Er rief die Moslems dazu auf, gegen die "zionistische Kampagne" in Tschetschenien, Palästina, im Irak und in Afghanistan Widerstand zu leisten.
Erst Donnerstag neues Bin-Laden-Tonband
Am Donnerstag war erstmals nach mehr als einem Jahr wieder eine Tonbandbotschaft von El-Kaida-Chef Osama bin Laden, des meistgesuchten Terroristen der Welt, ausgestrahlt worden.
Der US-Geheimdienst CIA geht nach ersten Untersuchungen davon aus, dass es sich bei der Stimme "höchstwahrscheinlich" um die von Bin Laden handelt.
Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Mohammed al-Bayati said the bomb went off as the convoy entered the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 70 km (40 miles) south of the northern oil city of Kirkuk late on Friday. A presidential spokesman declined comment.
Police said an adviser to Talabani was among the wounded, but the extent of his injuries was not known. The convoy had been heading to Baghdad from Kurdistan when it was attacked. Talabani is a Kurd.
Sunni Arab rebels are fighting to overthrow the Shi'ite Islamist- and Kurdish-led government.
Most senior Iraqi officials travel by air as many of Iraq's roads, particularly the main routes leading north out of Baghdad, are too dangerous. The motorcades of Iraqi officials have come under frequent attack.
Sunni Arab rebels were angered by the results of last month's parliamentary elections which confirmed the dominance of the ruling Shi'ite Islamist Alliance, accusing the bloc of poll fraud.
Within minutes of the election results being released on Friday, rebels launched mortar attacks on two U.S. bases in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, causing minor injuries among U.S. soldiers.
The government on Thursday imposed a 48-hour lockdown on three predominantly Sunni Arab provinces and sealed off Baghdad to guard against insurgent attacks.
The U.S. military had warned they expected a surge in violence when the poll results were released.
Authorities have warned of an upsurge in violence by Sunni Arab rebels after the publication of election results on Friday that confirmed the continued dominance of Shi'ite Islamists.
Experts said that the continued dominance by Shias was expected and the result will force them into a coalition government.
Negotiations to form a new government will start today, and Sunni Arabs, who used to be the dominant force under the rule of the toppled Iraqi leader SADDAM HUSSEIN, made encouraging noises about establishing a government of national unity, while on the other hand, the elections’ results were greeted with celebratory gunfire in the holy Shia city of Najaf.
The Shia alliance won 128 of the 275 seats, 10 short of an absolute majority but enough for it to dominate parliament.
Shia United Iraqi Alliance (USUIA) ---128 seats
Sunnis------------------------------------55 seats
Kurds-------------------------------------53 seats
Others------------------------------------39 seats
Total------------------------------------275 seats
Commenting on Dec 15th vote, the results of which were delayed for several weeks after some parties complained of fraud and mounted street protests political analyst reiterated previous assessment that the situation in IRAQ is revealing day after day the seriousness of the sectarian split in the country, and the political system IRAQ is heading for will lead the country to an imminent civil war.
Iraq's Shias make up about percent of the country's population, while the Sunnis form some 15 to 20 percent, and the Kurds form about 20 percent.
According an editorial on UK’s Telegraph, senior U.S. military officers are referring to a civil war in IRAQ as the "the subject of which we do not speak".
The article stressed that polls results which were released by the Iraqi government yesterday show that “the day when they have no choice but to do so may have drawn dramatically closer.” Meaning that a civil war in IRAQ has become more likely.
The Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada Al Sadr, now on a visit to Kuwait, accused the United States of leading an ideological war against Iraq, according to an online edition of Ash Sharq Al Awsat newspaper.
Al Sadr demanded that all international forces taking part in the U.S.-LED OCCUPATION to leave the country.
“Democratic regime and freedom are impossible in IRAQ as long as the international military forces are still in the country”, the paper quoted the Shia leader as saying.
The result of the Iraqi elections meant that the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in IRAQ, which the CIA says is infiltrated to the highest level by Iranian agents, now holds the reins of power, the Telegraph said.
Although the U.S. and its key ally, Britain, still claim that December election will lead to the creation of a “Democratic” and a “United” government in Iraq, in private diplomats admit that the size of the Shia party's victory means this is likely to be limited to a few token Sunnis and secularists being included in the cabinet.
The Sunni leaders have warned that another government led by the Shia fundamentalists could only lead to civil war.
The Kurds on the other hand expect to gain control of Kirkuk, the ethnically-mixed city, which they say is the historic capital of Kurdistan, next year.
Despite what some analysts describe as a successful step, the results of the elections have brought the country a step closer to a civil war- IRAQ is braced for a divided future.
Muslims from Baghdad to Paris urged the militants to free the 28-year-old woman and end Iraq's wave of kidnappings. More than 240 foreigners have been taken captive and at least 39 killed since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports that across the Muslim world, calls for Carroll's release are growing (video).
Christopher Whitcomb, a terrorism expert and former member of the FBI's elite hostage rescue team, told CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer that he thinks the criticism by Islamic leaders is having a huge impact on the captors (video).
"They want to make some kind of a statement," he said, "but the very people they want to make that statement to have called for her release."
Carroll was seized in a rough Baghdad neighborhood on Jan. 7 by gunmen who killed her translator. The Sunni Arab politician she had gone to interview urged her release and demanded that U.S. forces stop detaining Iraqi women.
"This act has hurt me and makes me sad because the journalist was trying to meet me when she was kidnapped," Adnan al-Dulaimi said Friday. "I call upon the kidnappers to immediately release this reporter who came here to cover Iraq's news and defend our rights."
A videotape sent by Carroll's kidnappers, a group calling itself "The Revenge Brigade," was aired Tuesday by the Arab TV station Al-Jazeera, which said her captors threatened to kill her unless U.S. forces freed all Iraqi women in military custody within 72 hours. No hour was specified.
There was no indication if any prisoners had been released. But the U.S. military confirmed Friday that it has nine Iraqi women in its detention facilities on suspicion of terror-related activities.
"We don't comment on whether Iraqi female or male detainees are in the process of being released," U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said. "Of course we understand the cultural sensitivities in detaining females and pay particular attention to assessing their files."
Iraq's deputy justice minister, Busho Ibrahim Ali, visited the women Friday and said six of them — three from Baghdad, and one each from Mosul, Kirkuk and Tal Afar — would be freed next week.
"There's no link between the government's request for their release and the kidnapped American journalist," said Ali, who saw the detainees at a U.S. facility near Baghdad International Airport.
"But I hope that their release will lead to her (Carroll's) release."
Carroll grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., and graduated from the University of Massachusetts. She worked as a reporting assistant for The Wall Street Journal before moving to Jordan and launching her freelance career in 2002, learning Arabic along the way. Most recently, she was working for The Christian Science Monitor.
Poesie des Terrors
Nach Osama bin Laden hat sich nun auch die Nummer zwei des Terrornetzwerks al-Qaida zu Wort gemeldet - in ungewöhnlicher Form: Bin Ladens Stellvertreter Aiman al-Sawahiri rezitiert ein Gedicht über den Kampf der "Märtyrer" gegen die "Kreuzritter" in Afghanistan.
Dubai - Nur einen Tag nach der im arabischen Fernsehen gesendeten Tonaufnahme von Qaida-Chef Osama bin Laden ist eine Nachricht seines Stellvertreters Aiman al-Sawahiri aufgetaucht. Die Aufnahme wurde am Freitagabend auf einer wenig bekannten Internet-Site veröffentlicht. Die Nummer Zwei des Terrornetzwerks al-Qaida lobt darin die Arbeit von islamistischen Kämpfer in Afghanistan. Eine Sprecherin des US-Geheimdienstes CIA bestätigte, dass es sich bei der Stimme auf dem Tonband um die von al-Sawahiri handele. Allerdings war unklar, von wann die 17-minütige Aufnahme stammt.
In der Aufnahme rezitiert al-Sawahiri auch ein Gedicht mit dem Titel "Tränen in den Augen der Zeit". Es taucht auf zahlreichen islamistischen Internetseiten auf und würdigt die "Märtyrer", die bei dem Angriff der "Kreuzritter" auf Afghanistan ums Leben gekommen seien. Bereits im Januar war eine Nachricht von al-Sawahiri aufgetaucht. Darin hatte er erklärt, dass der geplante Abzug der USA aus dem Irak den Sieg der Moslems über die USA bedeute.
Die beiden al-Qaida-Führungskräfte Bin Laden und al-Sawahri sind den USA bei ihrer Suche nach Terroristen bislang nicht ins Netz gegangen. Erst vor rund einer Woche ist ein gezielter Angriff der US-Streitkräfte auf al-Sawahiri möglicherweise gescheitert. Bei der Attacke auf ein pakistanisches Dorf an der Grenze zu Afghanistan starben mehrere Menschen.
Al-Sawahiri soll US-Angriff überlebt haben
Al-Sawahiri war aber offenbar nicht darunter. Der pakistanische Ministerpräsident Shaukat Aziz erklärte am Freitagabend bei einem Besuch der Vereinten Nationen in New York, es gebe keine handfesten Beweise dafür, dass unter den Toten auch ranghohe Qaida-Funktionäre gewesen seien.
Am Donnerstag war aus pakistanischen Sicherheitskreisen verlautet, unter den Toten befänden sich mindestens vier ausländische Terroristen, darunter der aus Ägypten stammende Sprengstoffexperte Midhat Mursi alias Khabab al-Masri. Die Leichen seien vermutlich von al-Qaida-Anhängern weggeschafft worden. Al-Sawahiri soll aber unversehrt geblieben sein.
Qaida-Chef bin Laden hatte in seiner am Donnerstag ausgestrahlten Nachricht den USA mit neuen Angriffen gedroht. Diese seien bereits in Vorbereitung, hatte es geheißen. Nach Angaben eines republikanischen Abgeordneten gibt es aber keine Hinweise auf bevorstehende Anschläge der Qaida in den USA. Allerdings könne es sein, dass die Gruppe in dem Land aktiv sei, sagte Peter King, der auch Vorsitzender des Ausschusses für Heimatschutz des Repräsentantenhauses ist.
spiegel.de
TIKRIT dpa Irakische Sicherheitskräfte haben nördlich von Bagdad gestern die Leichen von 30 Menschen entdeckt, die von Extremisten ermordet worden waren. Wie aus Armeekreisen bekannt wurde, sind die Opfer mehrheitlich irakische Polizisten, Soldaten und andere Staatsdiener. Ihre Mörder hätten ihnen die Augen verbunden und sie aus nächster Nähe erschossen. Die Leichen wurden in einer einsamen Region nahe der Ortschaft al-Muschahada gefunden. Ein Überlebender des Massakers berichtete der Polizei, die Aufständischen hätten ihn und seine Mitreisenden gekidnappt und in ein leeres Haus gebracht. Dann hätten sie in die Menge geschossen. Er sei von einem Schuss in die Schulter getroffen worden und so lange unter den Leichen der anderen liegen geblieben, bis die Mörder verschwunden seien. Außer ihm habe noch ein weiterer Mann überlebt.
taz vom 20.1.2006, S. 2, 25 Z. (Agentur)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A spate of bombings and shootings across Iraq killed at least eight Iraqis on Saturday, and Britain announced the death of a British security worker in a roadside blast.
The violence came a day after the announcement of uncertified final results from the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, a step U.S. officials and many Iraqis hoped could help curb a rampant insurgency.
British security company contractor Stephen Enwright, 30, was killed Thursday in a roadside bomb in Iraq, The British Foreign Office said Saturday. The precise location of the attack was not provided.
A roadside bomb blast also wounded five bodyguards of President Jalal Talabani in northern Iraq, police said Saturday.
Talabani was not in the convoy when it was attacked late Friday near the town of Salman Beg, some 75 miles south of the northern city of Kirkuk, said police Col. Abbas Mohammed.
An Iraqi army major, his son and his bodyguard were killed in a brazen drive-by shooting Saturday as they headed to work, police Capt. Hakim al-Azawi said. A second son was wounded in the attack near Qadisiyah, 30 miles south of Saddam Hussein's hometown of the northern city of Tikrit.
Also Saturday, a car bomb exploded near the crowded Medina Market in Baghdad's eastern Shaab neighborhood, wounding four people, one critically, said police Lt. Nazim Nasser. One shop was destroyed by the blast.
A Saddam-era army major, Haider Mohammed, was shot dead standing outside his home in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad, police Maj. Mohammed al-Hasnawi said.
Gunmen also killed three butchers standing on a street side in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, said police Capt. Firas Jiti.
An Iraqi civilian was killed and two were wounded in a roadside bomb blast apparently intended for passing Iraqi police, who escaped the attack unharmed 30 miles west of the southern city of Karbala, said police Capt. Qais al-Azawi.
Police also found the bullet-riddled bodies of Iraqi commando officer Ali Hussein in an open field and former Baath Party member Abdun Hamid in a playground near Karbala, al-Azawi said.
But, speaking a day after election results showed continued Shi'ite Islamist dominance, he said minority Sunni Arab leaders, largely excluded from power after boycotting the previous election, must act to end insurgent violence against U.S. forces and the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led interim government.
"For us Iraq can't build on a relatively narrower sectarian or ethnic basis. It has to be inclusive," said the official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.
"We support a unity government as the best means of bringing Iraqis together after a hard-fought election contest, and we are encouraging all sides in this to look to the advantages."
He added, however: "In the end it's an Iraqi decision not an American decision.
"We are prepared to help the Iraqis in any way we can to reach an agreement that brings the country together, broadens the base of support of the Iraqi government and results in a competent and capable government," the official said.
While it was important to press ahead quickly with forming an administration, it was vital that the cabinet appointed to run Iraq for the next four years be technically competent.
"We hope they finish it sooner rather than later," he said. "But above all I think people want them to get it right."
Addressing criticisms from some Shi'ite leaders that Washington had transferred support in Iraq from the majority to the rebellious minority, the official said the United States had not shifted its stance in supporting a peaceful consensus and was pressing Sunni leaders hard to end the violence:
"We are all in favor of inclusive government," he said.
"However, it is absolutely incumbent on the Sunni Arab political leadership to not only forswear violence but to positively denounce it and actively work to prevent members within their own community from using it. And if they do not do so, they cannot be credible negotiating partners setting up the government. And we have underlined this to them emphatically."
Iraqi state oil marketer SOMO told Turkey on Thursday that the debt would be paid within 15 days. But 34 Turkish firms exporting oil products such as gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas stopped loading oil for Iraq in the Turkish ports of Mersin and Iskenderun.
"Our firms have stopped loading from oil facilities today because no development has been seen on payments and the firms' receivables exceeded $1 billion," Tuzmen said. If Baghdad pays its debt, then the problem will be solved and oil flow into Iraq will resume, he said.
In Baghdad the Iraqi Oil Ministry was optimistic the dispute could be settled. "The oil ministry is working with the government in order to speed up the payment process. There is no problem. It is just a matter of time and the money will be paid," ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said. "The situation will be solved as soon as possible."
Ankara had set January 21 as the deadline for payment of debts and warned it would stop selling to its crude-rich neighbor.
Iraq imports oil products from Turkey, Iran and Kuwait but it plans to import less because of increased oil refining capacity at home. Fuel shortages, especially of gasoline, have angered Iraqis who already queue up at gasoline stations in Baghdad for hours to get their needs.
Iraq increased state-controlled prices of gasoline and diesel by up to 200 percent on December, angering Iraqis who are used to paying heavily-subsidized prices.
Overdue oil debt reaching $600 million was a problem between Turkey and Iraq last year, but Baghdad paid the debt following calls from Ankara. Turkey's total exports to Iraq stood at $2.8 billion in 2005.
The independent Debaathification Commission, charged with rooting out former members of the Baath party, has said that 20 staff in the court should be barred as members of the Baath including the substitute chief judge Sayeed al-Hamashi.
"The trial will be held on time, it is going to be on the 24th of January and for three days as scheduled," Jaafar al-Moussawi told Reuters.
"It will be presided over by judge Sayeed al Hamashi, nothing will affect it," he said.
All 20 people deny links with the Baath, Moussawi said.
The Debaathification Commission's calls for the resignation of Hamashi and the 19 others threw the trial into a new crisis after the former chief judge, Rizgar Amin, resigned, complaining of government interference.
"The war against America and its allies will not be confined to Iraq," the voice on the tape said, adding that "Iraq has become a magnet for attracting and training talented fighters."
"It's only a matter of time," the voice said, referring to attacks. "They are in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete." (Watch report on purported bin Laden tape -- 3:26)
Top U.S. officials responded by saying the United States would not be swayed in its fight against terrorists.
"Clearly the al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists are on the run. They're under a lot of pressure," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business."
J.D. Crouch, Bush's deputy national security adviser, said the message is a "very strong reminder" that al Qaeda is continuing to plot against the United States, and demonstrates "why we're very much on the hunt against al Qaeda senior leadership to keep them off-balance."
"Our job is to try to put terrorists out of business, try to keep them from hurting Americans and hurting our friends and allies around the world," Crouch told CNN.
U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI plan to send out a bulletin to state and local law enforcement urging vigilance in the wake of the new tape.
Officials said the bulletin does not contain any specifics about potential targets or request that any particular security measures be taken. Rather, they said it was a general reminder to be on alert.
CIA intelligence officials who analyzed the recording, which was aired Thursday on Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera, said they believe the voice on the poor-quality audiotape is that of bin Laden.
CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, also said it sounded like the al Qaeda leader, and added that its tone sounded calm and composed, not like a man who is desperate or sick.
Bin Laden also offered a possible "solution" -- only to dismiss it because he said the Bush administration would never go for it.
"In response to the substance of the polls in the U.S., which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their land, we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to.
"We are a nation that God banned from lying and stabbing others in the back. Hence, both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war.
"There is no problem in this solution, but it will prevent hundreds of billions from going to influential people and warlords in America -- those who supported Bush's electoral campaign. And from this, we can understand Bush and his gang's insistence on continuing the war," bin Laden said.
The tape said, "Our mujahedeen were able to overcome all the security measures in European countries, and you saw their operation in major European capitals" -- apparent references to July's transit bombings in London and the 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Spain.
No 'chatter' increase
FBI, counterterrorism and intelligence officials say there's been no increase in "chatter," or monitored communications, and no intelligence suggests any terrorist plan is operational or ready to be put in place in the United States.
No plans exist to raise the nation's threat level from "yellow" -- or elevated -- to "orange" -- or high, said Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke.
Knocke said the threat level has never been raised in reaction to an al Qaeda tape. The threat level has been raised seven times since the color warning system was created after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
It's not known exactly when the tape was recorded, but U.S. counterterrorism officials believe it may have been made sometime in December.
The reference to attacks in European cities would indicate it was recorded after the July bombings in London. The morning rush-hour attacks on three subways and a double-decker bus by four suicide bombers killed at least 52 people.
Another clue includes a reference to a secret British government memo, first reported in a British newspaper, The Mirror, on November 22.
"Recently, documents appeared that the freedom butcher of the world was planning to bomb the headquarters of the satellite television Al-Jazeera in Qatar," bin Laden said, according to a transcript on Al-Jazeera's Web site.
In the memo, President Bush allegedly discussed such a plan, which the White House dismissed as "outlandish." (Full story)
Broadcast portions of the tape did not, however, mention the CIA strike on a home in Damadola, Pakistan, last Friday. The CIA had targeted senior al Qaeda members who were expected to attend a dinner, and it is not clear if any were among the 18 people who were killed.
If the CIA voice analysis proves correct, it would be the first message from bin Laden since he released two audiotaped messages in December 2004.
The last videotaped message from bin Laden was seen just before the U.S. presidential election in 2004.
In der nordirakischen Stadt Tal Afar liefern sich Sunniten und Schiiten offenbar harte Kämpfe. Die US-Armee startete im Westirak zum zweiten Mal innerhalb eines Monats eine Großoffensive
Bagdad - Aufständische haben offenbar Teile der nordirakischen Stadt Tal Afar unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht. Ein irakischer Polizeisprecher, Hauptmann Ahmed Haschem Taki, bezeichnete die Lage als Bürgerkrieg zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten. Journalisten wurde die Einfahrt in die 200.000 Einwohner zählende Stadt verwehrt.
Offensive gegen Aufständische im Westirak
Die US-Streitkräfte starteten unterdessen in der westirakischen Provinz Anbar ihre zweite Offensive gegen die Aufständischen binnen eines Monats. US-Truppen umstellten die Stadt Haditha am Euphrat. Kampfhubschrauber setzten Marineinfanteristen am Rande von Haditha ab, andere Soldaten näherten sich zu Fuß und in Panzerfahrzeugen. Mindestens fünf Rebellen wurden bei ersten Gefechten getötet, wie aus Militärkreisen verlautete.
Einer Welle der Gewalt seit Ende April sind nach einer Zählung der Nachrichtenagentur AP mehr als 620 Menschen zum Opfer gefallen. Viele Anschläge richteten sich gegen irakische Sicherheitskräfte, aber auch gegen die schiitische Bevölkerung.
Der Führer des schiitischen Regierungsbündnisses Vereinigte Irakische Allianz, Abdul-Asis al Hakim, verwies darauf, daß allein am Montag drei Anschläge auf Schiiten fast 50 Menschen getötet hätten. Die andauernd instabile Lage hat auch die US-Truppen verstärkt in die Schußlinie gebracht: Seit dem 28. April wurden 58 amerikanische Soldaten bei Anschlägen und Angriffen getötet. WELT.de/AP
Artikel erschienen am Mi, 25. Mai 2005
The statement said the Marines had been taking part in an operation in Haqlaniya, 240 km (150 miles) west of Baghdad, when they were hit by a "suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device".
FORT CARSON, Colo. (Reuters) - The highest-ranking U.S. Army officer charged with killing a detainee in Iraq was found guilty on Saturday of negligent homicide but not guilty on the more serious charge of murder of an Iraqi general during an interrogation.
A jury of six Army officers convicted Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. in charges resulting from the suffocation death of Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush.
The general was placed head-first in a sleeping bag as Welshofer covered his mouth and sat on his chest during a fatal interrogation in November 2003. Prosecutors accused Welshofer of using harsh techniques to try to get information from Mowhoush, describing them as "torture."
After 6-1/2 hours of deliberation until late on Saturday night, the military jury found Welshofer not guilty of first-degree murder or manslaughter, but guilty of negligent homicide, a lesser charge that carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
"The verdict reflects the context in which these events took place," defense attorney Frank Spinner said. "The jury recognized confusion about the rules that govern interrogation."
The military panel also found Welshofer guilty of negligent dereliction of duty, a conviction that could bring another three months in prison. He also faces dishonorable discharge.
Welshofer stood at attention to hear the verdict but gave little visible reaction.
David Danzig, manager of a campaign to end torture for Human Rights First, a New York-based group, said the trial showed there is great confusion about what soldiers should be doing in Iraq.
"It's shocking what Chief Welshofer did but it's also shocking to see what the Army authorized," he said. "The Army said it was OK to put a man in a sleeping bag and wrap an electrical cord around him. Things like that need to stop."
In closing arguments trial prosecutor Maj. Tiernan Dolan told the jury of Army officers that Welshofer knew his interrogation techniques were dangerous and described them as "torture."
"If we don't hold the high ground in a country like Iraq, we don't hold it anywhere," Dolan said. "Chief Welshofer failed in his duty to uphold the Geneva Convention." Continued ...
"His ultimate mission was to save lives by getting information from people like Mowhoush," Spinner said.
Welshofer testified during the court-martial that the use of the sleeping bag did not cross the line from interrogation to torture.
Citing the leader of a Sunni resistance group who said he recently spent time with Zarqawi, the newspaper said the insurgent leader wore a suicide belt at all times -- even when asleep.
"He told me: 'I would rather blow myself up and die as a martyr -- and kill a few Americans along the way -- than be humiliated by them," Sheikh Abu Omar al-Ansari, leader of the Jeish al Taiifa al Mansoura (Army of the Victorious Sect) group, was quoted as saying.
Zarqawi, believed to have been behind several videotaped beheadings of foreign hostages in Iraq, has a $25 million bounty on his head -- the same as that for the killing or capture of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Although the newspaper report is based on a third-hand account of the meeting as the information was passed on from Ansari through an intermediary, it contains rare details.
It said Ansari's contact with Zarqawi was during a two day meeting to negotiate co-operation between al Qaeda and opposition groups within Iraq.
The newspaper said Zarqawi, believed to be the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, not only helped his guests wash before prayers and spent five hours a day studying the Koran, but that he also served them with water -- a usually subservient role.
It said dishes of rice, chicken and meat stew were served as the assembled leaders sat on woolen rugs on the floor, and described scenes of Zarqawi weeping while praying.
It also cited Zarqawi as taking a backseat role during the gathering.
"He did not dominate the meeting and refused to impose his views," the paper quoted Ansari as saying. He said the 39-year-old Zarqawi told the elders: "I am younger than you and of less knowledge and status."
U.S. officials have said in the past that Zarqawi was believed to have lost a leg. But Ansari was quoted as saying Zarqawi had both legs and walked "with confidence and balance".