Egypt......
http://www.juancole.com/2013/06/duelling-demonstrations-fundamentalism.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362945635794808.html
Syria......
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/28/311232/usbacked-takfiris-behead-priest-in-homs/
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-280613.html
Qatar's love affair with Syria
By Pepe Escobar
This is the ultimate "Friend of Syria". But what is Qatar really up to? Word in Doha is that Qatar may have spent as much as a staggering US$3 billion to make sure "Assad must go". Yet he hasn't gone anywhere. Even the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, deposed himself this week, to the benefit of his son, former "heir apparent" Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani (see We are all Qataris now, Asia Times Online, June 26, 2013). But Bashar al-Assad stays put. What gives?
Qatar has spent a fortune weaponizing the myriad Syrian "rebel" factions, buying everything from stashes in Libya to new stuff in Croatia, flown as cargo and distributed by Turkish intelligence (there's an alternative weapons flow by Sunni Lebanese connected to the Saudis.) The chief weaponizer is a Qatari general.
Doha has dispatched Qatari Special Forces on the ground - just
as in Libya - to advise "their" favorite batch of rebels. Crucially, these Special Forces are experienced instructors. They are not Qatari; they are Pakistani - as detailed in this must-read dossier.
It goes without saying that these Pakistanis hail from the same tradition of schooling of the mujahideen in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s. We all know what came out of it. Asia Times Online has extensively reported that Syria is the new Afghanistan - but now with extra bonus jihadi gore, developed in the Iraq war, such as suicide bombing, beheading and intestine-eating.
It's no secret most of the rebels are mercenaries - usually paid $1,300 a month directly by the Qataris, with an extra $1,000 if they carry out a special ops. Quite a few have also developed a secondary career as YouTube videos uploaders, the weapon of choice in Arab networks (not to mention Western) to prove how "evil" the Assad regime is.
Alongside Washington, Doha also perpetuates the myth that CIA operatives help to vet these rebels - with the Supreme Military Council collecting all the weapons and organizing the distribution. Anyone who believes this believes Saddam Hussein's WMDs are on sale on eBay.
Moreover, the Syrian embassy in Doha is unique in the world - as it's entirely populated by "rebels". Hardcore Qatari lobbying forced the 22-nation Arab League - which is now, essentially, the Gulf Cooperation Council League - to hand over Syria's seat to the rebels. The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) - the latest, messy, rebel political outfit - was announced in, where else, Doha in November 2012. Depending on the Arab latitude involved, the Qatari agenda is depicted as either uniting or dividing the SNC.
The only element that remains stable is Qatar's foreign policy directive of denying nothing to the Muslim Brotherhood - as in, for instance, support for the al-Farouq brigades, who, in theory, control a few suburbs of Aleppo.
Caught in a trap
With the ascension of Tamim, the new emir, the key question is whether this orgy of weaponizing, truckloads of money, hardcore lobbying and diplomatic cover has translated, or will translate, into any tangible benefits for the emirate.
The simplistic official storyline spun by Doha is that the emir and his son advised Assad not to repress the initial Syrian protests in early 2011. But then, just like that, he decided to "kill people" - in the words of former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim, also known as HBJ, conveniently uttered at a Brookings Institution talkfest. What's not admitted is that Doha jumped at the opportunity of Syria becoming the new Libya - when Qatar literally opened the skies for bombing by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
To follow corporate Western and Arab media, one might be excused to think Tamim is the New Messiah. He has been incessantly hailed as "The Arab Spring monarch", so "young" and "modern", a jogger, an auto and sports enthusiast, and proud enabler of two "accomplished" wives already.
He's more like the emir of the Muslim Brotherhood Spring - considering his very close ties with extremely sectarian superstar al-Jazeera tele-cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has for all practical purposes called for a jihad against Alawites and Shi'ites in Syria. The sheikh is one of Tamim's top consultants.
It's also no secret that Qatar's foreign policy essentially takes its orders from Washington. There are nuances, of course; Qatar may have convinced the Obama administration to align its foreign policy with the Muslim Brotherhood, or the Obama administration may have taken this reckless decision by itself. Tamim may have convinced the Taliban to open an office in Doha by himself, or he may have followed a "suggestion" from the Obama administration. The fact remains that Tamim meets all the time with State Department and Pentagon stalwarts. And he is also in charge of those precious weapons contracts with the US and also France.
Then there are the fractioned relations with the House of Saud. Word in Doha is that Tamim was responsible for initiating the 2010 strategic dialogue with the Saudis. He is formally the president of the Qatari-Saudi Higher Council. This means he's always in touch with Saudi intelligence supremo Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz who, apparently, was a big fan of the Qatari handover. It's no secret as well that the true power behind the handover was the awesome Sheikha Mozah, Tamin's mom.
The Muqrin connection does make sense because the House of Saud absolutely loathed the relatively flamboyant HBJ - not to mention being extremely suspicious of the previous emir. The HBJ gang has been more or less sidelined in Doha. Tamim appointed Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa bin Nasser al-Thani as the new prime minister. From now on HBJ will be engaged in life in the fast lane in London managing the multi-billionaire Qatar Investment Authority. Not a bad deal.
It's unclear whether Qatar's influence in Syria will continue to be that prominent. Now everyone knows the CIA is amassing a formidable weapons stockpile in Jordan to be handed - via its "elaborate" vetting system - to hundreds of trained-by-USA "good" Syrian rebels only. Jordan and the Emirates are being propelled to the privileged frontline, with the Saudis supplying loads of portable anti-aircraft weapons. Qatar may be left weaponizing just a handful of inconsequent militias. This remains to be seen in August, with an already much-advertised rebel attack on Damascus.
The proxy war is bound to become even more horrific. And there's no guarantee Assad will go. The "young and modern" emir of the Muslim Brotherhood Spring may soon reach the conclusion he is caught in a trap of his, and his father's making.
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Iraqi police said four people died and 12 others injured on Saturday after a bomb detonated at a market in the suburb of Abu Ghraib, west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
In another development, gunmen opened fire on a group of policemen in the city of Fallujah, about 64 km west of Baghdad, killing three off-duty policemen before fleeing, security officials said.
The attacks came only a day after a series of bomb blasts claimed the lives of 22 Iraqis across the country.
On Thursday, 22 people were also killed in bombings targeting football fans in Baghdad and its surrounding towns.
On June 24, at least 42 people were killed and dozens injured in ten car bomb attacks across the country.
There has been recently an upsurge in violence across Iraq, and the authorities say Qatar and Saudi Arabia have had a hand in some of the deadly incidents.
The United Nations says a total of 1,045 people were killed and nearly 2,400 were injured in violent incidents across Iraq in May.
Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Iraq Martin Kobler called on the Iraqi leaders to “sit together” and address the country’s problems, including car bomb attacks throughout the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that militant groups and the remnants of the former Ba’athist regime are responsible for the latest wave of violence in Iraq.
SAB/SS
The attacks centered on a key Shi’ite holiday, which saw bombings across Shi’ite neighborhoods in Baghdad early in the week, and thentargeted soccer fans in crowded cafes.
Eight Egyptian MPs resign in support of anti-Morsi protesters
Sat Jun 29, 2013 3:58PM GMT
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At least eight Egyptian lawmakers have tendered their resignation in a bid to declare their support for opponents of President Mohammed Morsi.
Egypt braces for day of rival protests | ||
Pro- and anti- President Morsi camps prepare for Sunday rallies as opposition activists call for second revolution.
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2013 16:50
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Morsi opponents attacked offices of the Freedom and Justice Party in Alexandria and other cities [EPA]
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| Egypt was bracing for a day of violence and protest as supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi prepared for mass rallies following a night of clashes that left four people dead. Rival demonstrators pitched tents and began sit-ins on Saturday to prepare for Sunday's rallies, a year to the day of Morsi's election. The demonstrations were planned after opponents called for Morsi's resignation and snap elections, which prompted pre-emptive demonstrations on Friday by the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies. Morsi met the interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, and defence minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi Saturday to discuss plans to secure strategic locations, the state new agency Mena said. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Cairo, said the anxiety was palpable.
"This country has been galvanised, focused on June 30. Listening to both sides, you can expect there to be some trouble. Both sides look at this as a matter of survival - the end game.
"They feel that whoever has the upper hand will be able to lead the country, even though there is no proof that will happen, that is the mindset at the moment. There is a lot of anxiety among Egyptians." No backdown She added that while Sunday's protests were the focus, others feared about what will come afterwards "Everything is uncertain in this country. Many people are not so much worried about tomorrow but what happens next if president Morsi does stay in power - and every indication says that he will. "There is no sign the opposition is willing to sit down with the president and there is no sign that the president has any concessions. No one is backing off," our correspondent said. She said it remained to be seen what role the military would take in any trouble. The army has said it would not sit idle and watch Egypt slip into chaos. Now we don't know what threshold the military has, where it will say enough is enough," she added. The military has not directly intervened despite fatal attacks on Friday. The offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood from which Morsi hails, were set on fire in Alexandria and at Aga in Daqahliya. Its offices were stormed in Beheira. Three people were killed in Alexandria, including an American student who was stabbed to death while taking pictures of the clashes. An Egyptian journalist was was killed in Suez Canal city. Morsi's opponents, a collection of leftists, liberals, Christians and also deeply religious Muslims, accuse him of hijacking the revolution and concentrating power in the hands of Islamist groups.
Supporters galvinised
Morsi supporters spent the night outside the Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City neighbourhood, where tens of thousands gathered on Friday to defend the legitimacy of Egypt's first freely elected president.
"It's not just about Morsi, it's about legitimacy and the state. We can't go backwards," said protester Kamal Ahmed Kamel.
"If it is that big tomorrow, why can't they use the ballot box and participate in parliamentary elections and get rid of Morsi that way?" Kamel asked. In Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 2011 revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, opponents also camped out and erected a large stage in preparation for what they call a "second revolution". Some activists say they want Egypt governed by a presidential council and a national unity government. "The Islamists have been in power for a year and they proved they failed at running the country," said activist Adel al-Amir. "We will not allow a coup against the president," senior Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagui told a mass rally in Cairo. The opposition National Salvation Front coalition has spurned Morsi's offer and renewed its demand for an election. Sunday's protests have been called by Tamarod (Arabic for Rebellion), a grassroots movement which says it now has 22 million signatures on a petition demanding Morsi's resignation and a snap election. | ||
http://www.juancole.com/2013/06/duelling-demonstrations-fundamentalism.html
Duelling Demonstrations Divide Egypt over Morsi and Fundamentalism
Posted on 06/29/2013 by Juan Cole
Tens of thousands of leftist, liberal and centrist protesters gathered in Tahrir Square on Friday for “The Last Warning” aimed at President Muhammad Morsi of the Brotherhood. Morsi has ruled Egypt for the past year, after winning the presidential election in June of 2012. He has made a series of arrogant and polarizing policy decisions that have so angered the activist youth who led the January 25, 2011, revolution, that they are now calling upon him to hold early further presidential elections. Morsi and his supporters maintain that he was elected to a regular 4-year term, but the youth movements believe he has squandered his mandate and should step down.
At the same time his opponents were gathered in Tahrir, Morsi’s supporters (most of them bussed into the capital from villages in the countryside) were gathered in Nasr City miles away, also in their tens of thousands.
The two big crowds in different parts of Cairo were relatively well-behaved, but elsewhere in the country there were many clashes, attacks, arson attempts, over 200 injuries, and even three murders, one of an American undergraduate in Alexandria. The young man, from Kenyon College, was teaching English for the summer in Egypt’s second city, and appears to have been taking photos near the Muslim Brotherhood HQ with his mobile phone when he was approached, asked his nationality, and then knifed to death. The US embassy has gone to a skeleton crew and issued a travel advisory against going to Egypt.
It isn’t yet clear why he was targeted, but it has all along been dangerous to openly take pictures during demonstrations, and many Westerners have been attacked and had their equipment broken or confiscated during such photo sessions. The United States has become unpopular in Egypt in part because Ambassador Anne Patterson asked for the June 30 demonstrations to be called off, and because she is (unfairly) perceived as favoring the Muslim Brotherhood. Some leftists in the Arab world have a conspiracy that Washington is installing Muslim Fundamentalists in power so as to appease them and reduce the threat from al-Qaeda. In fact, Washington would much rather the fundamentalists didn’t come to power. The Obama administration, however, is wise enough to negotiate with all major political forces in Egypt and to deal pragmatically with a Muslim Brotherhood president.
In Upper Egypt, protesters blocked the trunk road at El Fayyoum, demanding that Morsi step down. (The metalled road south is key to essential truck traffic tying Upper Egypt to the capital).
In al-Mahalla al-Kubra, factory workers supported the June 30 demonstration, and in the southern province of El Minya, activists said Sunday would bring to an end “The imperialism of the Muslim Brotherhood.” (The Brotherhood’s policies are oriented to the business community and against labor, since many Brothers were excluded from the public sector by the Mubarak government and so were forced to become entrepreneurs. It is that class of private business people that bankroll Brotherhood electoral campaigns.
In Luxor a broad range of parties and activists came together to plan for demonstrations Sunday. Morsi shot himself in the foot there by trying to appoint a member of al-Gama’a al-Islamiya as governor. That group has turned to peaceful politics but in 1997 it was involved in an attack on tourists in Luxor, and locals are not ready to forgive it.
In Alexandria protesters gathered outside the Muslim Brotherhood HQ,and one of the Brothers shot at them with birdshot, after which they invaded the building. In a number of Delta towns, Brotherhood offices were invaded or burned.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362945635794808.html
American killed in Egypt rival demonstrations | ||
US issues travel warning after its citizen and Egyptian are killed in clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters.
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2013 09:39
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| An American and an Egyptian journalist have been killed in Egypt in clashes between protesters opposed to President Mohamed Morsi and those backing him. The rival demonstrations involving tens of thousands of people began on Friday in the northern port city of Alexandria, ahead of a mass opposition rally planned for Sunday, which marks the end of the first year of Morsi's four-year term. Reuters news agency said a third man was killed and 10 injured in an explosion during a protest in Port Said, at the mouth of the Suez Canal. Tensions are rising ahead of Sunday's rally. Andrew Pochter, a 21-year-old who worked for an American cultural centre in the coastal city of Alexandria, was killed on Friday as he took photographs of the demonstration, officials said. He was reported to have been working in Egypt teaching English to children and trying to improve his Arabic language skills. The State Department has authorised the departure of non-essential embassy staff in Egypt, and their family members. In an updated travel warning, the department cautioned US citizens "to defer non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest". "US citizens are urged to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security," said the travel advisory. Britain also updated its travel advice for Egypt, urging citizens against "all but essential" travel to the country. In the canal city of Port Said, an Egyptian journalist was killed and several others injured after a small explosive device was thrown at anti-Morsi protesters, a security official and witnesses said. Clashes also erupted in the Nile Delta provinces of Daqahliya and Beheira, and across the country over 130 people were wounded, security officials said. More violence expected A senior scholar from Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Sunni religious authority, warned of worsening violence in the run up to Sunday, which he blamed on "criminal gangs". "Vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war," said Hassan el-Shafei, in remarks carried by state media. Protests on Sunday, which organisers hope will draw millions of Egyptians to the streets, will demand that Morsi resign and cede power to a transitional government. The rally on Friday was intended as a preemptive strike, a chance for organisers to show that Morsi still commands majority support. "Don't believe that everyone is against the president," said Naeem Ghanem, carrying banners accusing the opposition of working with the United States and Israel. "Ninety percent of the people are with Morsi."
The rally was dubbed "legitimacy is a red line," and demonstrators kept returning to that theme, arguing that the only way to remove the democratically-elected president is through the ballot box. "I'm here to defend my voice. If you want Morsi to leave, that's fine, but after four years," said Taher Mohamed, manning a stall and selling pro-Morsi gear at the rally. Amnesty International called on authorities to ensure the security forces showed restraint and protected peaceful demonstrators from violence over the weekend. "They should make clear that anyone responsible for arbitrary and abusive force will be brought to justice," Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty's Middle East deputy director said in a statement on Friday. The army, which oversaw the transition from Mubarak's autocratic rule but has been on the sidelines since Morsi's election, has warned it would intervene in the event of violence. | ||
Syria......
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/28/311232/usbacked-takfiris-behead-priest-in-homs/
US-backed Takfiri militants behead 2 Christians including priest in Homs
A shocking video has emerged on the Internet showing US-backed Takfiri militants in Syria brutally beheading two Christians including a priest in the western city of Homs.
In the gruesome footage recently posted online, the militants who are said to be members of the terrorist al-Nusra Front, cut off the heads of two handcuffed men, including Father Francois Murad, with a small knife in front of a crowd of people.
This is not the first time that the US-backed terrorists who are fighting against the Syrian government commit such grisly crimes against innocent civilians in the war-torn country.
In March, a Muslim cleric was beheaded in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo by militants, who decapitated Sheikh Hassan Saif al-Deen before dragging his lifeless body on the streets.
Local media blamed the beheading on the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra.
Foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria, which erupted in March 2011, has claimed the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel.
The al-Nusra Front has been behind many of the deadly bombings targeting both civilians and government institutions across Syria since the beginning of the violence.
In an interview broadcast on Turkish television in April, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.
MAM/KA/SS
Qatar's love affair with Syria
By Pepe Escobar
This is the ultimate "Friend of Syria". But what is Qatar really up to? Word in Doha is that Qatar may have spent as much as a staggering US$3 billion to make sure "Assad must go". Yet he hasn't gone anywhere. Even the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, deposed himself this week, to the benefit of his son, former "heir apparent" Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani (see We are all Qataris now, Asia Times Online, June 26, 2013). But Bashar al-Assad stays put. What gives?
Qatar has spent a fortune weaponizing the myriad Syrian "rebel" factions, buying everything from stashes in Libya to new stuff in Croatia, flown as cargo and distributed by Turkish intelligence (there's an alternative weapons flow by Sunni Lebanese connected to the Saudis.) The chief weaponizer is a Qatari general.
Doha has dispatched Qatari Special Forces on the ground - just
as in Libya - to advise "their" favorite batch of rebels. Crucially, these Special Forces are experienced instructors. They are not Qatari; they are Pakistani - as detailed in this must-read dossier.
It goes without saying that these Pakistanis hail from the same tradition of schooling of the mujahideen in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s. We all know what came out of it. Asia Times Online has extensively reported that Syria is the new Afghanistan - but now with extra bonus jihadi gore, developed in the Iraq war, such as suicide bombing, beheading and intestine-eating.
It's no secret most of the rebels are mercenaries - usually paid $1,300 a month directly by the Qataris, with an extra $1,000 if they carry out a special ops. Quite a few have also developed a secondary career as YouTube videos uploaders, the weapon of choice in Arab networks (not to mention Western) to prove how "evil" the Assad regime is.
Alongside Washington, Doha also perpetuates the myth that CIA operatives help to vet these rebels - with the Supreme Military Council collecting all the weapons and organizing the distribution. Anyone who believes this believes Saddam Hussein's WMDs are on sale on eBay.
Moreover, the Syrian embassy in Doha is unique in the world - as it's entirely populated by "rebels". Hardcore Qatari lobbying forced the 22-nation Arab League - which is now, essentially, the Gulf Cooperation Council League - to hand over Syria's seat to the rebels. The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) - the latest, messy, rebel political outfit - was announced in, where else, Doha in November 2012. Depending on the Arab latitude involved, the Qatari agenda is depicted as either uniting or dividing the SNC.
The only element that remains stable is Qatar's foreign policy directive of denying nothing to the Muslim Brotherhood - as in, for instance, support for the al-Farouq brigades, who, in theory, control a few suburbs of Aleppo.
Caught in a trap
With the ascension of Tamim, the new emir, the key question is whether this orgy of weaponizing, truckloads of money, hardcore lobbying and diplomatic cover has translated, or will translate, into any tangible benefits for the emirate.
The simplistic official storyline spun by Doha is that the emir and his son advised Assad not to repress the initial Syrian protests in early 2011. But then, just like that, he decided to "kill people" - in the words of former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim, also known as HBJ, conveniently uttered at a Brookings Institution talkfest. What's not admitted is that Doha jumped at the opportunity of Syria becoming the new Libya - when Qatar literally opened the skies for bombing by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
To follow corporate Western and Arab media, one might be excused to think Tamim is the New Messiah. He has been incessantly hailed as "The Arab Spring monarch", so "young" and "modern", a jogger, an auto and sports enthusiast, and proud enabler of two "accomplished" wives already.
He's more like the emir of the Muslim Brotherhood Spring - considering his very close ties with extremely sectarian superstar al-Jazeera tele-cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has for all practical purposes called for a jihad against Alawites and Shi'ites in Syria. The sheikh is one of Tamim's top consultants.
It's also no secret that Qatar's foreign policy essentially takes its orders from Washington. There are nuances, of course; Qatar may have convinced the Obama administration to align its foreign policy with the Muslim Brotherhood, or the Obama administration may have taken this reckless decision by itself. Tamim may have convinced the Taliban to open an office in Doha by himself, or he may have followed a "suggestion" from the Obama administration. The fact remains that Tamim meets all the time with State Department and Pentagon stalwarts. And he is also in charge of those precious weapons contracts with the US and also France.
Then there are the fractioned relations with the House of Saud. Word in Doha is that Tamim was responsible for initiating the 2010 strategic dialogue with the Saudis. He is formally the president of the Qatari-Saudi Higher Council. This means he's always in touch with Saudi intelligence supremo Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz who, apparently, was a big fan of the Qatari handover. It's no secret as well that the true power behind the handover was the awesome Sheikha Mozah, Tamin's mom.
The Muqrin connection does make sense because the House of Saud absolutely loathed the relatively flamboyant HBJ - not to mention being extremely suspicious of the previous emir. The HBJ gang has been more or less sidelined in Doha. Tamim appointed Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa bin Nasser al-Thani as the new prime minister. From now on HBJ will be engaged in life in the fast lane in London managing the multi-billionaire Qatar Investment Authority. Not a bad deal.
It's unclear whether Qatar's influence in Syria will continue to be that prominent. Now everyone knows the CIA is amassing a formidable weapons stockpile in Jordan to be handed - via its "elaborate" vetting system - to hundreds of trained-by-USA "good" Syrian rebels only. Jordan and the Emirates are being propelled to the privileged frontline, with the Saudis supplying loads of portable anti-aircraft weapons. Qatar may be left weaponizing just a handful of inconsequent militias. This remains to be seen in August, with an already much-advertised rebel attack on Damascus.
The proxy war is bound to become even more horrific. And there's no guarantee Assad will go. The "young and modern" emir of the Muslim Brotherhood Spring may soon reach the conclusion he is caught in a trap of his, and his father's making.
Iraq......
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/29/311378/bomb-blast-gunfire-kill-7-in-iraq/
Seven killed in two attacks west of Iraqi capital, Baghdad
An Iraqi policeman inspects the scene of a bomb blast in central Baghdad's commercial Karrada neighborhood on June 25, 2013.
Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:49PM GMT
0
At least seven people have been killed in two attacks across Iraq, as the spate of violence continues unabated in the country.
Iraqi police said four people died and 12 others injured on Saturday after a bomb detonated at a market in the suburb of Abu Ghraib, west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
In another development, gunmen opened fire on a group of policemen in the city of Fallujah, about 64 km west of Baghdad, killing three off-duty policemen before fleeing, security officials said.
The attacks came only a day after a series of bomb blasts claimed the lives of 22 Iraqis across the country.
On Thursday, 22 people were also killed in bombings targeting football fans in Baghdad and its surrounding towns.
On June 24, at least 42 people were killed and dozens injured in ten car bomb attacks across the country.
There has been recently an upsurge in violence across Iraq, and the authorities say Qatar and Saudi Arabia have had a hand in some of the deadly incidents.
The United Nations says a total of 1,045 people were killed and nearly 2,400 were injured in violent incidents across Iraq in May.
Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Iraq Martin Kobler called on the Iraqi leaders to “sit together” and address the country’s problems, including car bomb attacks throughout the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that militant groups and the remnants of the former Ba’athist regime are responsible for the latest wave of violence in Iraq.
SAB/SS
and.....
Over 300 Killed in a Violent Week of Iraq Attacks
Daily Attacks Adding Up to Another Grim Month
by Jason Ditz, June 28, 2013
Violence continued apace today in Iraq, capping off a seven day span of daily violence that has left over 300 people killed and well over 500 others wounded. Very few major attacks were reported in that time, but the level of small attacks was significantly higher than the same period last year.
The attacks centered on a key Shi’ite holiday, which saw bombings across Shi’ite neighborhoods in Baghdad early in the week, and thentargeted soccer fans in crowded cafes.
Even soccer can be a source of sectarian tensions in Iraq, as fans watched the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. Iraq’s not going, after a poor showing in the qualifiers, but neighboring Iran is, meaning Iraqis Shi’ites will likely be rooting for them.
The death toll keeps up the pace of last month, which was the deadliest since 2007. The overall June figures remain to be seen, but this week suggests the borderline civil war levels remain intact.
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