Chronology of Events in Iraq, July 2003 *

Transcription

1 , July 2003 * July 1 Explosion rocks mosque in Al-Fallujah. (Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty RFE/RL Iraq Report) An explosion at a mosque in Al-Fallujah left at least six Iraqis dead and several wounded. A U.S. military spokesman said that the military did not know the cause of the blast, which he said came from an adjacent building. A U.S. rapid-response team found minimal damage to the mosque but significant damage to the building next to the mosque. Clerics warn against killing Iraqis cooperating with coalition forces. (Londonbased newspaper Al-Sharq al-awsat) The Religious Scholars Association in Al-Fallujah has recommended that people not respond to recent calls to kill everyone who cooperates with the coalition forces. The association said it is not in the interest of the Iraqi people to spark fighting. Islamist group issues black list in Al-Fallujah. (London-based newspaper Al- Sharq al-awsat) In a statement issued by an Islamist group, the group listed 33 names whose blood was sanctioned. The list includes the city's governor, two former members of the Iraqi Ba'th Party who used to be division commanders, a member of the former National Assembly, five religious scholars, and a number of government employees. The group did not sign the statement with a specific name. Al-Tikriti tribal chief assassinated in Iraq. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) The governor of the Tikrit town has announced that unknown assailants assassinated Abdallah Mahmud al-khattab, the chieftain of the Al-Tikriti tribe in the town to which former president Saddam Hussain is affiliated. Following the fall of Baghdad, al-khattab denounced president Saddam Hussain and his regime although he had been very close to him for over 30 years. July 2 Iraqi tribal chiefs in central Euphrates region set up a council. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Al-Ittihad) An administrative council for central Euphrates' tribes was set up in Karbala Governorate. Shaykh Yahya al-ka'bi said the idea of setting up this council was * Disclaimer: Reports contained in this document are selected from publicly available resources and edited by country experts. The information provided here is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country of origin surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim. Further information may be obtained from BO Ankara. July 2003 Page 1 16/02/2004

2 drawn up by five figures, among the most important shaykhs of central Euphrates: Shaykh Khalaf al-ka'bi, Shaykh Alaywi Sa'dun al-hasnawi, Shaykh Ala Kamil Mansur al-mas'udi, Shaykh Sabir al-kanani, and Taha al-husayni. The Council commits itself to the establishment of a free and independent Iraq, away from fanaticism and racism, and work seriously to serve Iraq from the north to the south and from its east to west. July 3 Kurdistan Satellite TV journalist killed in Mosul. (Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party newspaper Khabat) The head of the Kurdistan Satellite TV office in Mosul, Ahmad Karim, was killed in clashes which occurred on the evening of 2-3 July in the city of Mosul. His assistant, Hoshyar Ahmad, was injured. July 4 Travellers to Amman ambushed in west Iraq. (Al-Jazeera TV) Several cars travelling to Amman down the Baghdad-Amman road have been ambushed by a gang of robbers. The robbers have stopped a number of cars and stolen their contents near the town of Al-Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Turkoman Front office in Suleimaniya disarmed. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Kurdistani Nuwe) The coalition forces in Sulaimaniya disarmed armed men at the Turkoman Front Liaison Office in Ashti District, following a visit to the headquarters in the afternoon. July 5 RPG fired at IOM office in Mosul. (Agence France Presse / AFP) A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mosul, slightly wounding one person. Two cars were damaged and a local guard was slightly injured. July 6 Alleged Saddam's Fedayeen arrested in Kirkuk after attack on offices. (Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party newspaper Khabat ) A group of armed men allegedly affiliated to the deposed Ba'ath regime attacked Khabat office and offices of the Kurdistan Students Union, Kurdistan Youth Union and Kurdistan Women Union with hand grenades, pistols and knifes, at Andalus Street in the centre of Kirkuk in the afternoon. The guards of these offices immediately responded to the attacks. After a confrontation, the guards arrested three alleged Saddam's Fedayeen, a spokesperson from Kirkuk Police Department said. July 2003 Page 2 16/02/2004

3 July 7 Gunmen fire on car of Iraqi Central Bank governor, another official killed. (AFP) Gunmen fired on the car of Iraqi Central Bank governor Faleh Daud Salman in Baghdad. Salman escaped unharmed, but two other passengers were wounded. In an other attack, the head of Iraq's taxation department, Abdullah Mahmud al-amin, was shot dead by unknown gunmen who stopped his car. July 8 Some Ba'ath Party members allowed to go back to work. (Iraqi newspaper Al- Adwa) Instructions have been issued allowing members of the dissolved Ba'th Party from the ranks of working members, group members and section members, to return to their job sites and to resume work. Some employees at the Ministry of Justice said the ministry had told those who come under these instructions to go back to their jobs. However, the instructions excluded members of the Special Security Service, the Saddam Fadayeen, the security forces, and the execution and assassination squads affiliated with the Intelligence Service. Sabotage and killing reported in northern town of Kirkuk. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Kurdistani Nuwe) Regarding the security situation in Kirkuk in the past three days, a city police source reported that a citizen was shot dead on the Baghdad-Kirkuk road. Furthermore, several gunmen fired at a number of citizens and killed five people in Azadi District. Two former regime members in US custody. (RFE/RL Iraq Report) Two more former members of the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein have been taken into coalition custody. Mizban Khadr al-hadi, identified as a high-ranking member of the Ba'ath Party's regional command and the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), was 23rd on CENTCOM's list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis. He reportedly turned himself in to coalition forces in Baghdad. Coalition forces reportedly also captured Former Iraqi Interior Minister Mahmud Dhiyab al-ahmad, although CENTCOM did not offer details of his detention. He was 29th on the CENTCOM list. July 10 Kidnapped Iranian opposition figure released. (Iranian Baztab web site) An opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nader Mohsen Mobaraki, has been released after having been kidnapped by unknown people from his house in Baghdad on 16 June. Mobaraki is responsible for Radio Baluchestan which broadcast programme against Iran from Baghdad. He said he was blindfolded and transferred to the Salman-Pak region, in south of Baghdad, and detained there for 15 days. During this period, the kidnappers reportedly tried to obtain information about Iraq's intelligence and security elements from him. July 2003 Page 3 16/02/2004

4 Islamic Group leader arrested by US forces. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Kurdistani Nuwe) The coalition forces arrested the emir of Islamic Group in Iraqi Kurdistan, Mamosta Ali Bapir and a number of the group's members on the Dukan-Sulaymaniyah road. The coalition forces stopped the traffic on the road and arrested the emir of the Islamic Group and his comrades after having disarmed them. The group included the head of the group's information office and Komal newspaper's chief editor, Mamosta Tawfiq Karim; Mamosta Dara Muhammad; Abd-al-Rahman Ahmad; and a number of guards were also arrested by the coalition forces. July 11 Political parties in Kurdish region surrender heavy weapons to coalition. (Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party satellite TV) The heavy weapons surrendered by the political parties and forces at police stations in northern Iraq, in accordance with a decree passed by the Kurdistan National Assembly and a similar decree by the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, were handed over to the coalition forces. July 13 Governing Council issues statement after first meeting. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) The members of the Iraqi Governing Council have been named following its first meeting held in the former Military Industrialization Organization buildings in Baghdad. The first resolution issued by the Governing Council red as follows: 1. Cancelling all official holidays associated with the deposed dictatorial regime and the dissolved Ba'th Party. 2. April 9, the day the regime fell, shall become a national day for Iraq and an official holiday. The names of the 25-man Governing Council are as follows: 1. Mr Ahmad al-barrak, 2. Dr Iyad Allawi, 3. Mr Mas'ud Barzani, 4. Dr Muhsin Abd-al-Hamid, 5. Dr Adnan al-pachachi, 6. Mrs Sungul Chabuk, 7. Dr Raja Habib al-khaza'i, 8. Mr Nasir Kamil Chadirchi, 9. Mr Hamid Majid Musa, 10. Mr Samir Shakir, 11. Mr Abd-al-Karim al- Mahmadawi, 12. Mr Abd-al-Aziz al-hakim, 13. Mr Muhammad Bahr al-ulum, 14. Mr Jalal Talabani, 15. Dr Ahmad al-chalabi, 16. Dr Muwaffaq al-ruba'i, 17. Mr Ghazi Ajil al-yawir, 18. Mr Salah al-din Muhammad Baha-al-Din, 19. Mr Judge Wa'il Abd-al-Latif, 20. Mr Yunad Mukannah, 21. Mr Izz-al-Din Salim, 22. Dr Ibrahim al-shaygir al-ja'fari, 23. Mrs Aqilah al-hashimi, 24. Judge Dara Nur-al-Din, 25. Dr Mahmud Uthman. July 2003 Page 4 16/02/2004

5 July 14 Communists march in Baghdad to commemorate overthrow of monarchy. (AFP) Some 2,000 people took part in a march in Baghdad called by the Iraqi Communist Party to commemorate the July 14, 1958 overthrow of the monarchy and honor General Abdul Karim Qassem. Raising red flags, the marchers headed from the central al-tahrir square to al-fardus square, where the US-British coalition has offices. Iraqi Turkoman Front rejects Turkoman appointed to Governing Council. (Egyptian news agency MENA) Iraqi Turkoman Front announced refusal of Turkoman representation in the new Governing Council. San'an Ahmad Agha, the front chief, said at the party HQs in Kirkuk that the Turkoman lady appointed to the council did not represent the front. Agha described her appointment to the council as a betrayal to Turkomans, arguing it was an attempt to sideline the Front. Human rights group re-established in Iraq. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Al-Ittihad) The Iraqi Human Rights Association announces the start of its activities in Baghdad, following the return of many members of the association to Iraq, marking the transfer of the association to Iraq after eight years of its work in exile, during which the association followed up, documented, and published the violations which were committed by the former repressive apparatus. The Iraqi Human Rights Association was established following an appeal signed by more than 400 Iraqi human rights activists' figures, in exile, with branches in several countries. New television station launched in Mosul. (Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan newspaper Al-Ittihad) The governor of Ninawa, Ghanim Al-Basu, has launched the Ninawa television station, which covers an area of 100 km. It will reach all the administrative districts and subdistricts in the governorate. It is the second television channel after Mosul television channel, which broadcasts only to the city of Mosul. The city has also an independent radio station, called Ninawa radio broadcast. The two television stations broadcast from 17:00 to 02:00. State-run internet site resurfaces with new content. (BBC Monitoring) The internet site of the Iraqi State Company for Internet Services at is back on the web with a new design and content. It provides links to eight Iraqi newspapers, publications and news sites, including links to: Al-Zaman, an independent newspaper run by Sa'd al-bazzaz that prints in London, Baghdad and other locations, at Nida al- Rafidayn - newspaper of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq - at Al-Naba, a Shi'i news network associated with Ayatollah Sadiq al-husayni al-shirazi, at Al- Majrashah, an Iraqi satirical newspaper issued by a number of volunteer journalists abroad, at Al-Nahrayn Encyclopedia, an extensive Iraqi news site and portal, at The Iraqi Home, July 2003 Page 5 16/02/2004

6 an Iraqi bimonthly (once every two months) newspaper issued by the Iraqi community in the Netherlands, at Iraq Today, an internet news page that focuses on Iraqi affairs and developments, at Iraq For All Network, a news network, at The site also provides active links to the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo. It also provides links to two web-based services - one for inside Iraq at webmail.uruklink.net:8383; and one for outside Iraq at mail.uruklink.net:8383. July 16 Iraqi official, his son reportedly assassinated in Al-Anbar. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) It was reported that two unidentified persons assassinated the subdistrict officer of the Hadithah area, which is affiliated with the Al-Anbar governorate in western Iraq. It was reported that unidentified persons opened fire on Muhammad Nayil al-jurayfi while he was driving his car through the city. Al-Jurayfi's son, who was travelling with him in the car, was also killed in the attack. The car was seen catching fire after being hit by gunfire. Hadithah residents have accused Al-Jurayfi of collaboration with US troops. Iraqi resistance group declares temporary truce. (Iraqi newspaper Al-Zaman and RFE/RL Newsline) An Iraqi resistance group identifying itself as "Iraq's Revolutionaries -- Al-Anbar's Armed Brigades" issued a statement in which it claims it has halted all resistance activities against coalition forces. The group stated that its truce was temporary, and was aimed at distancing itself from the deposed Ba athist regime, which it claims is taking credit for the Al-Anbar brigades' attacks. The group claims it has not participated in any attacks on coalition forces since 2 July. Iraqi Shi'ite body orders personnel to cease activities in Iran, return to Iraq. (Iranian newspaper Etemaad) The Supreme Assembly of Islamic Revolution in Iraq decided to put an end to all of its activities in Iran. The Supreme Assembly has warned all its personnel that they will be dismissed if they do not return to Iraq by 23 July at the latest. July 17 Shi'i group reportedly attacks Awqaf Department in Basra. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) Haqqi Isma'il, director of the Awqaf Department (Religious Endowments and Religious Affairs Department) in Basra, has said that a group affiliated with Shi'i leader Muqtada al-sadr attacked the department, seized old documents belonging to Sunnis and kicked out all employees. Al-Jazeera satellite TV report on the same news on July 18: Hundreds of Sunni Muslims in Iraq staged a demonstration in front of the Directorate of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in Basra after the Friday prayer. This comes after Shi'i leaders asked July 2003 Page 6 16/02/2004

7 the director of the Directorate of Awqaf in Basra to deliver the Friday sermon instead of Sunni preachers. A peaceful demonstration by Sunnis was staged from the Basra Grand Mosque to the compound of the British governor in Basra. They were protesting the seizure of the Directorate of Awqaf in Basra by people affiliated with the Shi'i religious authority Muqtada al-sadr. London-based newspaper Al-Hayat s report on the same news on July 18: Iraqi Sunnis regained control over the Sunni Al-Awqaf Directorate in Basra city following a demonstration that began at the Grand Mosque in the city after Friday prayers. The demonstrators, however, found out that the group of Shi'i leader Muqtada al-sadr seized all the waqf records and files when the group took control of the directorate. It was reported that officials of the Shiite Al-Da'wah Party and Al-Fudala Group came to the Grand Mosque and said they supported Sunnis, and that a number of them took part in the demonstration. UNICEF: More than 1,000 children killed or wounded by abandoned arms in Iraq. (AFP) More than 1,000 Iraqi children have been killed or wounded by abandoned weapons and munitions since the April 9 fall of Baghdad, the UN children's fund UNICEF said. UNICEF official Geoff Keele said that the casualties were the result of handling arms, ammunition and cluster bombs dumped at several hundred sites around Iraq. Hundreds of surface-to-air missiles abandoned by the now-disbanded Iraqi army, many of them damaged and unstable, also pose a serious threat, he said. Iraqi police detain Al-Jazeera crew on charges of incitement. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) Iraqi police detained again the Al-Jazeera correspondent in Al-Ramadi Governorate Abd-al-Azim Muhammad, along with a journalist, a cameraman and a driver working at the Al-Jazeera office in the city. The Al-Jazeera correspondent in Al-Ramadi was detained on charges of inciting violence. The police had released the correspondent and his two aides after they were detained for several hours. July 20 Iraqi driver killed in attack on aid workers. (AFP) An Iraqi driver was killed and at least one person believed to be an aid worker was wounded when their UN convoy was attacked by gunmen in Iraq. A UN official earlier said that three international aid workers had been shot and wounded in the ambush. The three were from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). They were believed to be on their way to or from Hilla, around 100 kilometres south of Baghdad when they were attacked. CENTCOM announces strong militia. (RFE/RL Iraq Report) The head of CENTCOM, General John Abizaid, announced plans to create an Iraqi civil-defense force -- a 7,000-strong Iraqi militia -- that will work alongside U.S. forces in Iraq. The militia will comprise eight battalions of armed Iraqi militiamen, each in turn comprising 850 members. Abizaid announced the militia during his first visit to Iraq since assuming his role as commander of CENTCOM. It was also the July 2003 Page 7 16/02/2004

8 militia would replace U.S. troops in guarding power plants, ammunition depots, and supply convoys. July 21 Protest in Arbil over arrest of Kurdish Islamic leader. (Al-Jazeera satellite TV) Several Iraqi citizens staged a demonstration in front of the US governing administration compound in Arbil in protest against the arrest of Shaykh Ali Babir, commander of the Islamic Group in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraqi police close down newspaper. (RFE/RL Newsline) A special investigative unit of the Iraqi police closed down the offices of "Al-Mustaqillah" newspaper, arresting the newspaper's office manager. A press release posted on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) website ( announced that "'Al-Mustaqillah' newspaper published on 13 July a clearly inciteful [sic] article entitled 'Death to all spies and those who cooperate with the U.S.; killing them is religious duty'." July 22 Uday and Qusay Hussain killed. (Reuters) U.S. forces killed Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay, in Mosul in a fierce gun battle at a villa in the northern Iraqi city, the U.S. military said. RFE/RL report on the same news: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that U.S. forces went to the house of Nawaf al-zaydan Muhammad, a local tribal leader and cousin of Saddam Hussein, after an Iraqi walked into a local U.S. command center the previous evening with a tip that the two men were holed up in the house. The United States offered $15 million for information leading to the capture or killing of each man. It was reported that the informant is in protective custody, as international press speculated that Muhammad himself was the informant. The raid also resulted in the deaths of two other Iraqis in the house -- one reportedly a teenage boy that might be Saddam Hussein's grandson. Their identities have not been released. Iraqi National Accord sets up Central Command. (Iran-based Shi a radio station Voice of the Mujahidin) The Iraqi National Accord Movement has formed a central command made up of 45 members, which will be in charge of organization and the movement's key activities inside Iraq. The political bureau of the movement held an expanded meeting in Baghdad, during which it decided to form a central command that comprises 45 members. The political bureau also decided to accept the resignation of a number of members of the bureau who work abroad. Those members are Salah al-shaykhali, who was previously the chairman of the board of directors of the newspaper Baghdad, which is issued by the movement; Dirgham Kazim and Salim Shakir. The political bureau of the movement decided in April 2003 to close the movement's bureau abroad and transfer its work to Iraq. July 2003 Page 8 16/02/2004

9 July 27 Five Iraqis wounded in attack on Basra alcohol store. (Iran-based radio station Voice of the Mujahidin) According to hospital sources, five Iraqi citizens were wounded when unidentified men attacked a store that sells alcohol in Basra city centre with RPGs [rocketpropelled grenades]. The sources said that the men got out from two cars that were parked 50 m away from a store that sells alcohol, then fired two or three rockets at the store. They added that the attack left five people wounded and caused material damage. July 29 Ex-head of Baghdad university's medical faculty gunned down. (AFP) The former head of the medical faculty at Baghdad University was killed by two gunmen who turned up at his surgery in Baghdad posing as patients. Mohammed al- Rawi, a member of the former ruling Baath party who lost his job after the fall of Saddam Hussain's regime, was riddled with bullets fired from a pistol one of the two assailants was carrying. Iraq's Governing Council elected presidency. (Associated Press / AP) Iraq s Governing Council elected nine members to the presidential panel: Ahmad Chalabi: Shiite Muslim; leader of Iraqi National Congress; Abdel-Aziz al-hakim: Shiite; leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq; Jalal Talabani: Sunni Muslim; leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; Massoud Barzani: Sunni; leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party; Ibrahim al-jaafari: Shiite; spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party; Iyad Allawi: Shiite; secretary-general of the Iraq National Accord; Mohsen Abdel-Hamid: Sunni; secretary-general of the Iraqi Islamic Party; Mohammed Bahr al-uloum: Shiite; highly respected cleric; Adnan Pachachi: Sunni; foreign minister in government ousted in the 1968 Baath Party coup. US seizes Saddam bodyguard. (BBC) The US military says it is questioning four people, including one who they say is a bodyguard and long-time associate of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The man has been named as Adnan Abdullah Abid al-musslit - said by locals to have been brought back from retirement just before the war. He was captured along with the others in a raid in Saddam Hussein's hometown, Tikrit. It was reported that the other men detained included the former head of security in Tikrit, Daher Ziana, and a militia leader, Rafa Idham Ibrahim al-hassan. July 30 Iraqi refugees return from Saudi Arabia. (BBC) More than 240 refugees set foot in Iraq after 13 years of exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. July 2003 Page 9 16/02/2004

10 UNHCR Ankara Country of Origin Information Team Revised February 2004 July 2003 Page 10 16/02/2004