A weekend of peace + democracy US style in Iraq

What we won't read this week in our papers

What happened this weekend in occupied Iraq? What made or did not make the news? How does it change our perceptions of what goes on in there on a daily basis?

Al-Anbar Province. -Ar-Ramadi.

Four US troops reported killed in high-explosive bomb attack in ar-Ramadi. In a dispatch posted at 12:25pm Mecca time midday Friday, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that a high-explosive Iraqi Resistance bomb had exploded by a US patrol in the an-Nassaf area to the east of ar-Ramadi.

The ar-Ramadi correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported residents of an-Nassaf who witnessed the attack as saying that Resistance fighters warned a number of hawkers who were selling their goods on the sidewalk by the street that they must get off the street at that time because they intended to mount an attack on the occupation.

The witnesses said that the explosion went off as an American patrol was driving down the street. They said that afterwards they saw a US armoured Humvee that had been totally destroyed along with all those inside.

A source in the ar-Ramadi Fire Department told Mafkarat al-Islam that at least four US troops were killed in the bombing. The source said that when the firemen arrived on the scene, the four troops were still under the vehicle and all were dead.

Al-Fallujah.

In a dispatch posted at 11:10am Mecca time Friday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance forces fired seven heavy mortar rounds into the US base in the agricultural area east of al-Fallujah (a facility known as "al-Mazra'ah," i.e., "the Farm") at 7am local time Friday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that clouds of smoke billowed up from the facility after the barrage.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that US artillery responded by bombarding a number of areas in the al-Fallujah area, inflicting materialdamage but no casualties.

Abu Ghurayb.

Resistance fighters destroy US minesweeper, reportedly killing two American troops near Abu Ghurayb Friday morning.

In a dispatch posted at 11:30am Mecca time Friday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance fighters armed with shoulder-fired rockets attacked a US mine sweeping vehicle in the area of Abu Ghurayb at 8:30am local time Friday morning.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported Major Lu’ay 'Ali of the police of the Kharnabat area in vicinity of Abu Ghurayb, some 30km west of Baghdad, as saying that Resistance fighters attacked the American minesweeper on the road to the village of as-Samilat, northwest of Abu Ghurayb. The Resistance fighters’ rockets set the vehicle on fire and destroyed it. Two US troops who made up the crew of the minesweeper were killed, Major 'Ali said. At the time of reporting US forces were still encircling the area where the ambush had occurred.

Baghdad.

Location of mass grave of 45 Sunnis who were abducted, tortured, and killed by "Shock Troops" and Shi'i sectarian Badr Brigades identified in Baghdad.

In a dispatch posted at 7:50pm Mecca time Friday night, Mafkarat al-Islam reported the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of 45 Sunni Iraqis who were arrested, tortured, and killed by the pro-American Shi'I sectarian Badr Brigades and the "Interior Ministry Shock Troops (Maghawir)" two months ago. The victims were all taken from their homes in various parts of Baghdad.

The Baghdad correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported an exclusive source in the "Interior Ministry" who asked not to be identified as saying that the mass grave is located behind the Baratha Mosque, the largest Shi'i mosque in Baghdad. The area is under the control of Jalal ad-Din as-Saghir who is the preacher in the mosque and a member of the Badr Brigades. Specifically, the source said, the grave is located in "al-Mintaqah" near the first row of palm trees on the right. The bodies were buried en masse using a steam shovel.

The source said that the relatives of most of the victims still believe their loved ones to be in prison, not knowing that they have been tortured to death and buried.

Mafkarat al-Islam appealed to humanitarian organisations to go to the site and verify the presence of the mass grave. The correspondent himself went to the location and recognized it but was unable to take pictures, since picture taking is forbidden there.

Mafkarat al-Islam also urged the families of Sunnis who had been arrested by the Shi ' sectarian security forces and Badr Brigades to go to the site to see whether their relatives might be among the victims buried there.

Five US Marines reported killed in Resistance bombing in Baghdad’s al-Ghazaliyah Friday evening.

In a dispatch posted at 6:10pm Mecca time Friday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that a short time earlier an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US Marine vehicle in western Baghdad’s al-Ghazaliyah district.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported from the scene of the attack that a US Humvee had been totally destroyed by a Resistance bomb planted by the side of the road. After the blast, US forces closed the street in al-Ghazliyah that leads to the local headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars.

A source in the Iraqi police who asked not to be identified told the Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent that the explosion killed five US Marines.

Four more bodies of Sunnis, tortured and killed, found in Baghdad’s ash-Shu'lah district.

In a dispatch posted at 1:45pm Mecca time Friday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the Iraqi police had announced that they had discovered the bound and blindfolded bodies of four Iraqi Sunnis who had been tortured and killed in the predominantly Shi'i neighborhood of ash-Shu'lah in western Baghdad.

The Baghdad correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported Major Karim 'Abd 'Ali of the al-Karakh police in Baghdad as saying that the bodies were found on a football pitch in the area. They were identified as Iraqi Sunnis. They had been tortured before were killed. Stray dogs alerted them to the presence of the bodies, which were then taken to the Forensic Medicine Hospital to be handed over to their relatives.

Resistance fighters kill puppet army commander who took part in battle against al-Fallujah.

In a dispatch posted at 1:30pm Mecca time Friday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance fighters shot and killed one of the Iraqi army commanders who took part in the battle against al-Fallujah a year ago. The attack took place in Baghdad’s al-Yarmuk area on Friday morning.

The Baghdad correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a source in the Iraqi police as saying that Resistance fighters attacked the motorcade of Brigadier General Husayn ad-Dalfi, commander from the "Defense Ministry" Operations Center during the Second Battle of al-Fallujah that raged from November 2004 until late January 2005.

The source said that Resistance fighters armed with light and medium weapons attacked ad-Dalfi’s motorcade in downtown Baghdad’s al-Yarmuk district, killing him and three of his companions and setting two four-wheel drive Toyota cars on fire. Casualties were taken to al-Yarmuk Hospital.

Prior to this incident Lieutenant Colonel Hasan al-Kazimi, a commander of a support division that entered al-Fallujah, was found shot to death in a western Baghdad garbage dump thee months ago. In a dispatch posted at 11:20am Mecca time Friday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance fida’i fighter drove a car bomb into a US military column in the al-Mahmudiyah area south of Baghdad on Friday morning.

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam in the area reported Captain Ahmad 'Izzat of the city police as saying that a Resistance fighter drove a red Brazilian-made Passat car into a column of five US Humvees and one tank that was headed towards the center of the city on Friday morning. The blast destroyed one US vehicle, killing or wounding a number of American troops, the source said.

In a dispatch posted at 11:20am Mecca time Friday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded in the market area south of al-Mahmudiyah, damaging one US vehicle and wounding a number of American troops at 8:30am local time Friday morning.

One US soldier reported killed, another mortally wounded in bomb attack in Kirkuk Friday afternoon.

In a dispatch posted at 7:50pm Mecca time Friday night, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance land mine exploded by a US foot patrol in the 1st of March District in eastern Kirkuk

The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a source in the "Special Tasks" forces as saying that an Iraqi Resistance land mine exploded by a US foot patrol at 4pm local time Friday afternoon. The source said that the explosion killed one Americans soldier and wounded four more, one of them mortally.

The source said that after the blast US forces arrested 15 local residents, claiming that they were "suspected" of involvement in the attack.

Sources:
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100202
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100198
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100193
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100169
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100157
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100156
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100155
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http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100147
http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100146
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http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=100126