Eight U.S. Soldiers Are Killed in Iraq Violence (click here)
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
BAGHDAD, June 23 — Eight American servicemen were reported to have died in Iraq on Saturday, bringing the four-day death toll to at least 23 as insurgents continued to use huge roadside bombs to rip through combat vehicles.
The deadliest attack on Saturday killed four American soldiers in combat northwest of Baghdad. Insurgents detonated a roadside bomb near the soldiers’ vehicle. An Iraqi working as an interpreter for the Americans was wounded.
Though the military did not specify the location of the attack, American forces have been stepping up patrols and other operations in the area immediately northwest of here as part of new offensives to try to bring some control to the insurgent-dominated belts around the capital. The area northwest of Baghdad had been left largely untouched, American officials say, allowing Sunni militants to use the sparsely populated area as a sanctuary.
Another insurgent attack — a coordinated strike using rifles and at least one bomb — led to the deaths of two American soldiers in eastern Baghdad early on Saturday. The soldiers first were struck by the explosion of a roadside bomb, then they were fired upon, the military said. Three other soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Another American soldier died from a “nonbattle-related cause” on Saturday. No other details were provided by the military, which said the death was under investigation. An American airman also was killed in Tikrit when a bomb exploded near his vehicle.
The British Ministry of Defense also disclosed that one of its soldiers in southern Iraq had died from wounds inflicted by a roadside bomb on Friday in Basra, Iraq’s largest southern city. It was the second killing of a British soldier in Basra in three days.
In Baghdad, Parliament agreed to delay its summer vacation for one month, until the end of July, so that lawmakers would have more time to try to pass legislation that American officials say is crucial to moving the country past a deep political crisis.
The coalition of Sunni Arab political parties that promised that they would replace the speaker of Parliament, Mahmoud Mashhadani, are now conceding that they may have to stick with him. Mr. Mashhadani has dug in his heels and said that he is not leaving despite widespread discontent with his performance from his own bloc, as well as from many of the Shiites in Parliament. For the moment, he is on leave from his job as speaker.
Reporting was contributed by Alissa J. Rubin, Qais Mizher, Ali Adeeb and Ali Fahim from Baghdad, and Iraqi employees of The New York Times from Diyala, Hilla and Kirkuk.
ME Conflicts Explosive: Abdullah Khaled Almaeena (click here)
MADRID, 19 June 2007 - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has cautioned the international community that the growing conflicts in the Middle East including those in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon could explode into a global one, engulfing not only the region but also the whole world.
"My fears are similar to those of all sensible people that the continuation of all these conflicts will provoke an explosion that will not be restricted to the region, but will have global dimensions," the king told Spain's leading daily El Pais in an interview published yesterday prior to his arrival on a three-day official visit.
This is Abdullah's first European tour since he became king in August 2005. He is the first Saudi king to visit Spain in 27 years. King Saud held talks with Gen. Francisco Franco in 1957 on his way back from the United States after a meeting with President Dwight Eisenhower.
Abdullah hopes to get European help to bring about a just and lasting Middle East peace settlement. Abdullah will also visit France, Poland, Jordan and Egypt during his current foreign tour.
Abdullah was given a warm welcome on arrival by King Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Sophia and top officials.
Carlos later conferred on King Abdullah the Order of the Golden Fleece (Toison de Oro), the country's highest honor, during a ceremony at the Pardo Palace. Abdullah thanked the Spanish king for the medal, which is one of the most ancient in Europe and was instituted in 1429 by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy. The medal is reserved for kings, heads of state, and Spaniards of noble birth. Carlos received the King Abdul Aziz Medallion, the Kingdom's top medal, in 1977.
"My current visit to Spain is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. We attach many hopes to the honorable Spanish stand toward the Middle East issue and the peace process, which is closely linked with Madrid," the king said in the El Pais interview.
In a statement on the occasion, Saudi Ambassador in Madrid Prince Saud ibn Naif said the two countries would "jointly call for peace in the Middle East". Spain, which hosted a historic Middle East peace conference in 1991, wants the Palestinians to agree to a deployment of UN-sponsored international forces to monitor a cease-fire, a Spanish Foreign Ministry official said in comments published yesterday. "This is what is needed now and we will discuss this during King Abdullah's visit and listen to the Saudi views and proposals," the official was quoted as saying.
An Arab League summit in Riyadh this year relaunched a 2002 initiative offering Israel normal relations with Arab countries in return for its withdrawal from land occupied in 1967. It also calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and for the return of Palestinian refugees....
MADRID, 19 June 2007 - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has cautioned the international community that the growing conflicts in the Middle East including those in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon could explode into a global one, engulfing not only the region but also the whole world.
"My fears are similar to those of all sensible people that the continuation of all these conflicts will provoke an explosion that will not be restricted to the region, but will have global dimensions," the king told Spain's leading daily El Pais in an interview published yesterday prior to his arrival on a three-day official visit.
This is Abdullah's first European tour since he became king in August 2005. He is the first Saudi king to visit Spain in 27 years. King Saud held talks with Gen. Francisco Franco in 1957 on his way back from the United States after a meeting with President Dwight Eisenhower.
Abdullah hopes to get European help to bring about a just and lasting Middle East peace settlement. Abdullah will also visit France, Poland, Jordan and Egypt during his current foreign tour.
Abdullah was given a warm welcome on arrival by King Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Sophia and top officials.
Carlos later conferred on King Abdullah the Order of the Golden Fleece (Toison de Oro), the country's highest honor, during a ceremony at the Pardo Palace. Abdullah thanked the Spanish king for the medal, which is one of the most ancient in Europe and was instituted in 1429 by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy. The medal is reserved for kings, heads of state, and Spaniards of noble birth. Carlos received the King Abdul Aziz Medallion, the Kingdom's top medal, in 1977.
"My current visit to Spain is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. We attach many hopes to the honorable Spanish stand toward the Middle East issue and the peace process, which is closely linked with Madrid," the king said in the El Pais interview.
In a statement on the occasion, Saudi Ambassador in Madrid Prince Saud ibn Naif said the two countries would "jointly call for peace in the Middle East". Spain, which hosted a historic Middle East peace conference in 1991, wants the Palestinians to agree to a deployment of UN-sponsored international forces to monitor a cease-fire, a Spanish Foreign Ministry official said in comments published yesterday. "This is what is needed now and we will discuss this during King Abdullah's visit and listen to the Saudi views and proposals," the official was quoted as saying.
An Arab League summit in Riyadh this year relaunched a 2002 initiative offering Israel normal relations with Arab countries in return for its withdrawal from land occupied in 1967. It also calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and for the return of Palestinian refugees....
Linda Heard, sierra12th@yahoo.co.uk
It looks as though everything is going to plan for Israel and its backers within the international community. The Palestinians are divided as never before with the West Bank dominated by Fatah while Gaza is the province of Hamas. Now that Hamas has been virtually corralled in one vulnerable area it is ripe for destruction.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has dismantled his unity government and sworn-in an emergency Cabinet made up of secular technocrats. Hamas refuses to recognize its legitimacy. It is a recipe for further inter-Palestinian conflict.
But Hamas leaders have a lot more to worry about. According to a report in Britain's Sunday Times, Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister who has recently been appointed defense secretary is planning to launch a major assault on Gaza to take Hamas out of the game once and for all.
Residents of Gaza are bracing themselves for an Israeli military onslaught and a possible prolonged war of attrition. There are long queues for petrol and food is disappearing off supermarket shelves. The Israeli company responsible for supplying fuel to Gaza has already turned off the tap, which means people are literally facing a period of darkness.
The Israeli justice minister has suggested opening the doors between Gaza and the West Bank for those Palestinians wishing to flee. This could be construed as an invitation for Fatah-supporter to join their brethren.
In the meantime, Israel and its friends are rallying around Abbas, which tends to diminish whatever credibility he has left among his own people, many of whom suspect him of collaborating too closely with the occupiers and of being too eager to toe the US line.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is meeting with US President George W. Bush today to discuss the situation. En route to Washington Olmert had this to say: "A government that is not a Hamas government is a partner"....
It looks as though everything is going to plan for Israel and its backers within the international community. The Palestinians are divided as never before with the West Bank dominated by Fatah while Gaza is the province of Hamas. Now that Hamas has been virtually corralled in one vulnerable area it is ripe for destruction.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has dismantled his unity government and sworn-in an emergency Cabinet made up of secular technocrats. Hamas refuses to recognize its legitimacy. It is a recipe for further inter-Palestinian conflict.
But Hamas leaders have a lot more to worry about. According to a report in Britain's Sunday Times, Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister who has recently been appointed defense secretary is planning to launch a major assault on Gaza to take Hamas out of the game once and for all.
Residents of Gaza are bracing themselves for an Israeli military onslaught and a possible prolonged war of attrition. There are long queues for petrol and food is disappearing off supermarket shelves. The Israeli company responsible for supplying fuel to Gaza has already turned off the tap, which means people are literally facing a period of darkness.
The Israeli justice minister has suggested opening the doors between Gaza and the West Bank for those Palestinians wishing to flee. This could be construed as an invitation for Fatah-supporter to join their brethren.
In the meantime, Israel and its friends are rallying around Abbas, which tends to diminish whatever credibility he has left among his own people, many of whom suspect him of collaborating too closely with the occupiers and of being too eager to toe the US line.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is meeting with US President George W. Bush today to discuss the situation. En route to Washington Olmert had this to say: "A government that is not a Hamas government is a partner"....
MARJAYOUN (AFP) — Five UN peacekeepers were killed by a car bomb in southern Lebanon on Sunday, further rattling security as another 11 people died in fighting with Islamists in the north.
Two Spaniards and three Colombians serving in the Spanish contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed by the bomb, which a Lebanese security source said was detonated by remote control as their armoured vehicle passed by.
Another three Spanish troops were wounded in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers since UNIFIL's mandate was expanded last year in the wake of a devastating 34-day war between Israeli troops and Hizbollah in southern Lebanon.
A Spanish colonel told AFP it was a "deliberate attack" in the Marjayoun-Khiyam valley, an area frequently patrolled by the peacekeepers only some 10 kilometres from the Israeli border.
"This attack was very well prepared in advance," the Spanish officer said at the scene. "The bodies of two of the victims were blown several metres by the force of the blast."
In Madrid, Spanish Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso told a televised news conference that his country "supports and will continue to support the United Nations UNIFIL mission"....
Two Spaniards and three Colombians serving in the Spanish contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed by the bomb, which a Lebanese security source said was detonated by remote control as their armoured vehicle passed by.
Another three Spanish troops were wounded in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers since UNIFIL's mandate was expanded last year in the wake of a devastating 34-day war between Israeli troops and Hizbollah in southern Lebanon.
A Spanish colonel told AFP it was a "deliberate attack" in the Marjayoun-Khiyam valley, an area frequently patrolled by the peacekeepers only some 10 kilometres from the Israeli border.
"This attack was very well prepared in advance," the Spanish officer said at the scene. "The bodies of two of the victims were blown several metres by the force of the blast."
In Madrid, Spanish Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso told a televised news conference that his country "supports and will continue to support the United Nations UNIFIL mission"....
DIYARBAKIR (AFP) — A separatist Kurdish rebel and a civilian were killed in a botched suicide attack in eastern Turkey while fighting elsewhere left five rebels and a government militia member dead, local security sources and officials said Sunday.
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels stopped an oil-laden truck late Saturday in the eastern province of Tunceli, and a militant armed with bombs boarded next to the driver in an attempt to carry out a suicide attack against a military outpost.
Paramilitary troops on duty at the station opened fire on the truck as it was approaching the building at which point the vehicle exploded, killing the driver and the rebel. After the blast, rebels positioned in the vicinity opened fire on the building with long-range assault rifles. There were no losses on the Turkish side. Tunceli has recently seen an increase in violence between PKK rebels and the army. Earlier this month, seven soldiers and a PKK member were killed when the militants attacked another military outpost there with handgrenades and firearms. In the southeastern province of Hakkari, which borders Iran and Iraq, Turkish soldiers killed three PKK rebels late Saturday during a security operation, the governor's office said in a statement. In Diyarbakir, also in the southeast, two Kurdish rebels and a government militia member were killed in a clash that erupted late Saturday, the local governor's office said.
A second militia member was wounded, it added.
The militia are local men employed by the government to help in the fight against the PKK.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels stopped an oil-laden truck late Saturday in the eastern province of Tunceli, and a militant armed with bombs boarded next to the driver in an attempt to carry out a suicide attack against a military outpost.
Paramilitary troops on duty at the station opened fire on the truck as it was approaching the building at which point the vehicle exploded, killing the driver and the rebel. After the blast, rebels positioned in the vicinity opened fire on the building with long-range assault rifles. There were no losses on the Turkish side. Tunceli has recently seen an increase in violence between PKK rebels and the army. Earlier this month, seven soldiers and a PKK member were killed when the militants attacked another military outpost there with handgrenades and firearms. In the southeastern province of Hakkari, which borders Iran and Iraq, Turkish soldiers killed three PKK rebels late Saturday during a security operation, the governor's office said in a statement. In Diyarbakir, also in the southeast, two Kurdish rebels and a government militia member were killed in a clash that erupted late Saturday, the local governor's office said.
A second militia member was wounded, it added.
The militia are local men employed by the government to help in the fight against the PKK.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Militant calls for attacks on Egypt (click here)
DUBAI: A man described as a leader of al-Qaeda’s wing in Egypt called for attacks on Israeli and Western targets in the Arab world’s most populous country in support of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.‘O heroes, strike ... all the Zionist-Crusader targets in the land of Egypt without shedding the blood of Muslims,’ Mohamed Hakaima, a former leader of Egypt’s Gama’a Islamiya militant group, said in a statement posted on the Internet.Egyptian experts on Islamist groups say they doubt al-Qaeda has an organised presence in Egypt or that Hakaima, who is believed to be in Afghanistan, has followers in the country.Kamal Habib, a former Gama’a leader, told Reuters on Sunday: ‘I don’t believe that al- Qaeda has a presence in Egypt. I don’t think that Hakaima has any supporters in Egypt.’‘Al-Qaeda does not have a presence in the organisational sense. There may be some people who believe in the ideas of al-Qaeda,’ added Habib, who is now an expert on Islamist groups....
The relatives of the HIV sick Libyan children want USD 10 M compensation to be paid to each of the families so that the deal on the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor's release could be wrapped up.The chairman of the children' families association Ramadan al-Fitouri said the demands have been made seven years ago and will not be changed.Fitouri said there has already been reached an agreement on some other points such as the treatment of the children in Libya and abroad as well as the construction of a modern health centre in Benghazi."Some of the families still insist on executing the death sentences against the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor but a compromise still could be reached until the end of the next week," Ramadan al-Fitouri added....
Iraqi president to visit Iran (click here)
BAGHDAD, June 23 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was preparing Saturday to go to Iran for diplomatic talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it was reported.
The talks will expand on meetings last month in Iraq between Talabani, Iranian leaders and U.S. diplomats, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA,reported.
Talabani is expected to ask Iran to resume talks with the United States in support of the Iraqi government and greater security.
Talabani will call on his neighbor in Iraq next week when he returns from a trip to China.
Iraqi president to visit Iran (click here)
BAGHDAD, June 23 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was preparing Saturday to go to Iran for diplomatic talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it was reported.
The talks will expand on meetings last month in Iraq between Talabani, Iranian leaders and U.S. diplomats, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA,reported.
Talabani is expected to ask Iran to resume talks with the United States in support of the Iraqi government and greater security.
Talabani will call on his neighbor in Iraq next week when he returns from a trip to China.
It would seem any excuse to go to Iran is a good excuse for Talabani because Rice is the issue and she is in DC. Iran is more than willing to cooperate with 'talks.' So asking to do that without an agreement from Rice seems a bit futile. Is it me? I don't think it's me. Condi is stating she doesn't understand a 'partial' nuclear suspension. I think Talabani has to work on the 'definition' of 'partial nuclear suspension' before he panders to Iran on behalf of Rice. Now if Condi wants to say she opposes a 'partial' nuclear suspension because she won't negotiate at all over this issue then there is no reason at all for Talabani to put on a show. The man has a right to visit Shia Iran whenever he cares to, especially on pilgramage.
PARIS (Reuters) - The United States dismissed on Sunday the idea of a partial suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran, saying that Washington and its allies still insisted on a full suspension.
"My counterparts, when I talk with them, are not interested in lowering the bar," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters as she flew to Paris for talks with the new French government on issues including Sudan, Iran and Iraq.
"I don't know what partial suspension means," she added. "It doesn't seem to me to be a very wise course."...
"My counterparts, when I talk with them, are not interested in lowering the bar," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters as she flew to Paris for talks with the new French government on issues including Sudan, Iran and Iraq.
"I don't know what partial suspension means," she added. "It doesn't seem to me to be a very wise course."...
...and it reads the same in Iranian newsprint, too.
Rice cool to any partial nuke suspension by Iran (click here)
Monday, June 25, 2007 - ?2005 IranMania.com
LONDON, June 25 (IranMania) - The United States dismissed the idea of a partial suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran, saying that Washington and its allies still insisted on a full suspension, Reuters reported.
"My counterparts, when I talk with them, are not interested in lowering the bar," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters as she flew to Paris for talks with the new French government on issues including Sudan, Iran and Iraq.
"I don't know what partial suspension means," she added. "It doesn't seem to me to be a very wise course."...
Quite frankly, if Talabani faces inflexible options from the USA State Department regarding Iran he needs to take it further. He needs to move before the United Nations to ascertain a reasonable demand of Iran in regard to their nuclear program.
Taliban launches new Afghan operation (click here)
By NOOR KHAN
The Taliban has launched a new operation targeting government and foreign forces in Afghanistan, a spokesman said Sunday, as two policemen died in an ambush in the volatile south.
Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the group's leaders announced the beginning of operation "Kamin," or "Ambush."
"In this operation, we will target our enemies and use our tactics - suicide bombs, remote-controlled (roadside bombs) and ambushes - against occupying forces and the government," Ahmadi said by satellite phone from an undisclosed location. "We start this operation today in all of Afghanistan."...
By NOOR KHAN
The Taliban has launched a new operation targeting government and foreign forces in Afghanistan, a spokesman said Sunday, as two policemen died in an ambush in the volatile south.
Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the group's leaders announced the beginning of operation "Kamin," or "Ambush."
"In this operation, we will target our enemies and use our tactics - suicide bombs, remote-controlled (roadside bombs) and ambushes - against occupying forces and the government," Ahmadi said by satellite phone from an undisclosed location. "We start this operation today in all of Afghanistan."...
Bush aides consider Iraq truce at Capitol (click here)
Wary of more fights, they're looking into the possibility of a congressional deal to satisfy war foes but preserve presidential goals.
By Paul Richter and Noam N. Levey, Times Staff WritersJune 25, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has begun exploring ways of offering Congress a compromise deal on Iraq policy to avert bruising battles in coming months, U.S. officials said.With public support of the war dropping, President Bush has authorized an internal policy review to find a plan that could satisfy opponents without sacrificing his top goals, the officials said.The president and senior officials "realize they can't keep fighting this over and over," said one administration official, who along with others declined to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly or because decisions were pending. The Republican White House has not opened formal negotiations with the Democratic-controlled Congress. But some senior administration officials — including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad — have been quietly talking with lawmakers about how to adjust policy in the months ahead. Among other ideas, they have discussed whether the United States should advocate a sharply decentralized Iraq, a notion that has seen a resurgence on Capitol Hill.Bush was victorious last month in the most recent round of his battle with congressional Democrats over Iraq. He forced them, after weeks of struggle, to accept a $120-billion emergency war spending bill that did not require reductions of U.S. troops in Iraq. But future White House battles with Congress are looming.
Wary of more fights, they're looking into the possibility of a congressional deal to satisfy war foes but preserve presidential goals.
By Paul Richter and Noam N. Levey, Times Staff WritersJune 25, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has begun exploring ways of offering Congress a compromise deal on Iraq policy to avert bruising battles in coming months, U.S. officials said.With public support of the war dropping, President Bush has authorized an internal policy review to find a plan that could satisfy opponents without sacrificing his top goals, the officials said.The president and senior officials "realize they can't keep fighting this over and over," said one administration official, who along with others declined to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly or because decisions were pending. The Republican White House has not opened formal negotiations with the Democratic-controlled Congress. But some senior administration officials — including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad — have been quietly talking with lawmakers about how to adjust policy in the months ahead. Among other ideas, they have discussed whether the United States should advocate a sharply decentralized Iraq, a notion that has seen a resurgence on Capitol Hill.Bush was victorious last month in the most recent round of his battle with congressional Democrats over Iraq. He forced them, after weeks of struggle, to accept a $120-billion emergency war spending bill that did not require reductions of U.S. troops in Iraq. But future White House battles with Congress are looming.
