12 July Events in Iraq and in the Region
Baghdad. Premier Ibrahim Jaafari addressed Iraqi Parliament saying that the pullout of foreign troops would depend on the needs of Iraq. Following his meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, Jaafari insisted that several provinces were secure and that foreign troops should be moved out of the cities to bases in the countryside.
Baghdad. Iraqi government shortens curfew in capital by one hour.
Kirkuk. Three people were killed and 14 wounded in a suicide carbombing.
Baghdad. Four police were killed in separate incidends in Baghdad, Baïji and Baquba.
Tel Afar. A civilian was killed and nine wounded during clashes in the city. However, hospital sources say that the figure was 5 killed, including a child, and 18 wounded.
Baghdad. US soldier wounded in bombing dies.
Mosul. One policeman and four rebels were killed and another policeman wounded in clashes in the city. Three rebels were arrested.
Fallujah. US troops shot dead an Iraqi soldier who "failed to stop at a roadblock."
Baghdad. The Iraqi Defense Ministry annnouced that recruits killed by the suicide bombing at Mouthana Air Base would be considered full-time soldiers and that their families would receive death benefits.
Samarra. US forces arrested Sheikh Talal Abdelkarim al-Matar, chieftain of the al-Soud tribe, and a tribal counselor.
Geneva. The University Institute for Advanced International Studies, a Swiss institution, says 39,000 Iraqis have been killed in violence-related incidents since the US invation in March 2003.
Baghdad. Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi rejects criticism leveled at him by his former mentor, Sheikh Abu Mohammed Maqdissi.
Mosul. Kurdish rebels kidnap a Turkish policeman. Five PKK militiamen set up a roadblock on a major highway in Turkey near the Iraqi border, stopping 40 cars and robbing their occupants. They also kidnapped a policeman.
London. Police have identified the remains of four British-born men responsible for the 7 July bombing. The blasts were likely caused by suicide bombers.
London. Several mosques vandalized across Britian. Two mosques in London and others in Leeds, Telford, Bristol and Birkenhead were slightly damaged by fire or vandalism.
Bradford (UK). The Pakistani consulate is damaged by fire.
23:51 President George W. Bush demands the release of jailed Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji, who is on a hunger strike.
23:29 Washington. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that Iran could be behind the suicide bombing in Netanya, Israel. [Blowing smoke; what an ass!--Nur]
23:27 Washington. The Senate will hold several hearings on the future of Iraq next week, announced Sen. Richard Lugar. Next Monday senators will question three US academics "if the coalition should revise its counterinsurrection strategy". A July 20th hearing will focus on economic aid to Iraqi provinces and efforts to prevent the sabotage of oil installations.
23:19 Washington. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said a pullout from Iraq is "plausible".
23:17 Washington. Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino says he did not discuss the Milan kidnapping of Abu Omar by US intelligence in his meetings with Donald Rumsfeld.
21:00 Baghdad. Four persons were killed when armed men attacked a construction company, killing the owner, an Iraqi humanitarian aid worker and two employees.
17:50 Netanya. Bombing targets shopping center. Several are wounded
17:26 Teheran. Teheran to restart uranium enrichment. In an interview with the conservative daily Kayhan, negotiator Hossein Moussavian said that he was convinced that the moment when Iran would lift the suspension of its nuclear activities is "very near."
16:53 Baghdad. Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi called for the continued murder of Shi'ites: They put onuniforms of the police and infidel guards. They give their loyalty to the crusaders. With all this, we may kill them.
16:51 Tunis. Eight months following his death, the theory of Yassir Arafat's poisoning by Israel continues to have credence in Palestinian circles. In confirmation, Fatah leader Farouk Kaddoumi emphatically said in Tunis that that Arafat was poisoned by the Israelis. I can categorically state that Abu Ammar (Arafat's nom de guerre) was poisoned, citing doctors who had examined Arafat in Paris. The poison was contained in his food and medicine. Arafat's personal physician, Jordanian Ashraf Al-Kurdi, affirmed that Abou Ammar showed symptoms of poisoning, added Mr. Kaddoumi. However, the nephew of Yasser Arafat, Nasser al-Qidwa, in possession of Arafat's death report, admits that French doctors had discovered no trace of toxic substances.
16:50 Jerusalem. PM Ariel Sharon announced that following the Gaza pullout, there would be no more further "disengagement": I want to make it clear that there will be no further disengagement and that there is no second phase. The international community insists that the Gaza pullout be followed up by the evacuation of four small settlements on the West Bank.
16:05 Nottingham. A Pakistani is killed in a suspected racist slaying.
15:48 Leeds. British police evacuated an entire neighborhood in Leeds, West Yorkshire. British police evacuated the Burley quarter of Leeds to carry out a "controlled explosion." Police have staked out a home of a family suspected of having a connection to the London bombings.
15:35 Moscow. Russia condemns attempt on life of Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr.
15:31 Beirut. Traffic paralyzed on border with Syria as customs inspections conduct a "strike of zeal." Some analysts believe it is a Syrian reaction to the pullout of its troops from Lebanon while others say that officials are zealously observing Washington's insistence that Syria step up its border security. Lebanon exports through Syria account for $145 million a year, or 10 per cent of the total.
15:12 Damascus. Security measures have been stepped up along Syrian-Lebanese border, said Syrian customs officials at Jdaïdé along the Lebanese border. Inspector Omar Shehab Issa told AFP the following: We have stepped up our searches for reasons of secuirty. Circumstances within Lebanon require us to be more vigilant...suspicious cars are carefully searched...The inspection of a truck can take up to 10 hours. Every hour of every day more than 15 trucks loaded with inflammable products cross the frontier. A line of trucks extends 12 kilometers in a no-man's land which separates the Lebanese crossing at Masnaa from that of Syria at Jdaïdet Yabous, in Syrian territory. Transit through Syria is a necessary passage for the export of Lebanese goods to other Arab countries.
14:33 Beirut. Pro-Syrian Defense Minister Elias Murr (al-Mur), 43, was wounded in a carbombing targeting his convoy, killing two persons.
Baghdad. Iraqi government shortens curfew in capital by one hour.
Kirkuk. Three people were killed and 14 wounded in a suicide carbombing.
Baghdad. Four police were killed in separate incidends in Baghdad, Baïji and Baquba.
Tel Afar. A civilian was killed and nine wounded during clashes in the city. However, hospital sources say that the figure was 5 killed, including a child, and 18 wounded.
Baghdad. US soldier wounded in bombing dies.
Mosul. One policeman and four rebels were killed and another policeman wounded in clashes in the city. Three rebels were arrested.
Fallujah. US troops shot dead an Iraqi soldier who "failed to stop at a roadblock."
Baghdad. The Iraqi Defense Ministry annnouced that recruits killed by the suicide bombing at Mouthana Air Base would be considered full-time soldiers and that their families would receive death benefits.
Samarra. US forces arrested Sheikh Talal Abdelkarim al-Matar, chieftain of the al-Soud tribe, and a tribal counselor.
Geneva. The University Institute for Advanced International Studies, a Swiss institution, says 39,000 Iraqis have been killed in violence-related incidents since the US invation in March 2003.
Baghdad. Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi rejects criticism leveled at him by his former mentor, Sheikh Abu Mohammed Maqdissi.
Mosul. Kurdish rebels kidnap a Turkish policeman. Five PKK militiamen set up a roadblock on a major highway in Turkey near the Iraqi border, stopping 40 cars and robbing their occupants. They also kidnapped a policeman.
London. Police have identified the remains of four British-born men responsible for the 7 July bombing. The blasts were likely caused by suicide bombers.
London. Several mosques vandalized across Britian. Two mosques in London and others in Leeds, Telford, Bristol and Birkenhead were slightly damaged by fire or vandalism.
Bradford (UK). The Pakistani consulate is damaged by fire.
23:51 President George W. Bush demands the release of jailed Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji, who is on a hunger strike.
23:29 Washington. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that Iran could be behind the suicide bombing in Netanya, Israel. [Blowing smoke; what an ass!--Nur]
23:27 Washington. The Senate will hold several hearings on the future of Iraq next week, announced Sen. Richard Lugar. Next Monday senators will question three US academics "if the coalition should revise its counterinsurrection strategy". A July 20th hearing will focus on economic aid to Iraqi provinces and efforts to prevent the sabotage of oil installations.
23:19 Washington. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said a pullout from Iraq is "plausible".
23:17 Washington. Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino says he did not discuss the Milan kidnapping of Abu Omar by US intelligence in his meetings with Donald Rumsfeld.
21:00 Baghdad. Four persons were killed when armed men attacked a construction company, killing the owner, an Iraqi humanitarian aid worker and two employees.
17:50 Netanya. Bombing targets shopping center. Several are wounded
17:26 Teheran. Teheran to restart uranium enrichment. In an interview with the conservative daily Kayhan, negotiator Hossein Moussavian said that he was convinced that the moment when Iran would lift the suspension of its nuclear activities is "very near."
16:53 Baghdad. Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi called for the continued murder of Shi'ites: They put onuniforms of the police and infidel guards. They give their loyalty to the crusaders. With all this, we may kill them.
16:51 Tunis. Eight months following his death, the theory of Yassir Arafat's poisoning by Israel continues to have credence in Palestinian circles. In confirmation, Fatah leader Farouk Kaddoumi emphatically said in Tunis that that Arafat was poisoned by the Israelis. I can categorically state that Abu Ammar (Arafat's nom de guerre) was poisoned, citing doctors who had examined Arafat in Paris. The poison was contained in his food and medicine. Arafat's personal physician, Jordanian Ashraf Al-Kurdi, affirmed that Abou Ammar showed symptoms of poisoning, added Mr. Kaddoumi. However, the nephew of Yasser Arafat, Nasser al-Qidwa, in possession of Arafat's death report, admits that French doctors had discovered no trace of toxic substances.
16:50 Jerusalem. PM Ariel Sharon announced that following the Gaza pullout, there would be no more further "disengagement": I want to make it clear that there will be no further disengagement and that there is no second phase. The international community insists that the Gaza pullout be followed up by the evacuation of four small settlements on the West Bank.
16:05 Nottingham. A Pakistani is killed in a suspected racist slaying.
15:48 Leeds. British police evacuated an entire neighborhood in Leeds, West Yorkshire. British police evacuated the Burley quarter of Leeds to carry out a "controlled explosion." Police have staked out a home of a family suspected of having a connection to the London bombings.
15:35 Moscow. Russia condemns attempt on life of Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr.
15:31 Beirut. Traffic paralyzed on border with Syria as customs inspections conduct a "strike of zeal." Some analysts believe it is a Syrian reaction to the pullout of its troops from Lebanon while others say that officials are zealously observing Washington's insistence that Syria step up its border security. Lebanon exports through Syria account for $145 million a year, or 10 per cent of the total.
15:12 Damascus. Security measures have been stepped up along Syrian-Lebanese border, said Syrian customs officials at Jdaïdé along the Lebanese border. Inspector Omar Shehab Issa told AFP the following: We have stepped up our searches for reasons of secuirty. Circumstances within Lebanon require us to be more vigilant...suspicious cars are carefully searched...The inspection of a truck can take up to 10 hours. Every hour of every day more than 15 trucks loaded with inflammable products cross the frontier. A line of trucks extends 12 kilometers in a no-man's land which separates the Lebanese crossing at Masnaa from that of Syria at Jdaïdet Yabous, in Syrian territory. Transit through Syria is a necessary passage for the export of Lebanese goods to other Arab countries.
14:33 Beirut. Pro-Syrian Defense Minister Elias Murr (al-Mur), 43, was wounded in a carbombing targeting his convoy, killing two persons.
posted by Nur-al-Cubicle | 10:10 AM
6 Comments:
Teach our Muslim youth
Published: 12 July 2005
Teach our Muslim youth how to live, not how to die
Sir:
The time has come for all good Britons to stand together, regardless of race or religion. As a British Muslim, I abhor the senseless violence we witnessed last Thursday; as a citizen of this country I condemn the traitors; and as a human being I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones. The mass murderers behind the carnage must be unmasked quickly.
Whilst the identity of those behind the bombings has not been conclusively established, the finger seems to point at Islamist jihadis. We've heard much about the disillusionment of British Muslim youth, the irresistible call to jihad in distant lands and the allure of martyrdom. Now we need a strong leader to point out to them that Britain is a haven for Muslims.
Britain has more mosques and Islamic scholars than "back home". This liberal, law-abiding country grants each individual the freedom to be devout in their own faith. God said: "I created you as many nations, tribes and languages." We must live in peace with all of God's creatures. London is a crucible of faith and cultures and no one has the right to impose their particular brand on others. The time has come for someone to teach the youth how to live, not how to die.
Only last week the British people demonstrated their love and compassion for the have-nots by supporting Live8. Their concern about eradicating poverty and disease in far-away continents is a testament to their humanity. It was those very people who were targeted last Thursday. I'm proud of the dignity and courage with which Londoners withstood the attack. I endorse the Prime Minister's sentiments about the bravery and efficiency of our emergency services. London will not be cowed and we can send that message strongly by carrying on with our daily lives.
As a Muslim resident in Britain for over three decades, I laud the liberal values of this country that respects every creed and denomination equally. Even Muslim criminals get halal food in prison and the right to pray five times a day - though what they were doing committing crimes when they pray five times a day is another question.
Terror has no religion; murder is not a divine tenet. Even if the terrorists are discovered to have been born in the UK, they have imbibed none of the morals, principles and values enshrined either in Islam or in British society. I would even advocate capital punishment for such treasonable acts, despite the reservations we have against such punishment.
SIR GULAM NOON MBE
LONDON SW1
source:
http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/article298505.ece
He's worth listening to. Something I doubt you'll have picked up Nur is that a lot of people in the UK were hoping against hope that this was the work either of "contractors" or a team brought in from outside but that while shocked the level of surprise is relatively low.
Also despite the coverage there's fairly little in the way of backlash. What is also worth noting is where these guys are from - Yorkshire. Relatively few Pakistanis settled in London or its environs mostly they settled in the midlands or north where the manufacturing jobs were.
They've been disproportionately hit therefore by the shift away from manufacturing initiated by Thatcher and continued by subsequent governments. Add that to the feelings of rejection and alienation experienced by many and it is easy to see how extremist groups can batten onto emerging "identity politics" groups. Which would you rather be? A "fucking paki" or a member of a "global umma" doing God's work?
I wouldn't read too much into the overwrought descriptions of a backlash were I you. Yes there's been some and there'll be more to come but in general Britons are well aware of the contribution made by immigrants and are proud of it.
Yesterday somebody tried to give my nephew's friend grief because his parents are Pakistani. - So my nephew went for them with his cricket bat, all his mates joined in. Nobody was surprised that's the reality of London today. "His parents are from Pakistan? So what, my dad is from Ireland."
Now the interesting thing is this. Sagib's parents cut short their holiday the moment they heard that my nephew and his parents had been hurt in the bombings, they and an indian hindu family down the street are doing the shopping cleaning and washing up. The jews who live across the road popped over and tidied up the front garden. That's the real London yes there are tensions and yes there are racists. They're the minority these days. I can remember visting London as a child and seeing this in hotel windows:
"No Irish, no blacks, no dogs."
Those days are long gone.
PS: In case anyone doesn't get it - Noon wrote his letter before the identity of the bombers was established.
Now read it again that's the voice of Britain :
good Britons to stand together .... As a British Muslim, I abhor the senseless violence .... as a citizen of this country I condemn the traitors; and as a human being I grieve ....Britain is a haven for Muslims.....
Terror has no religion; murder is not a divine tenet. Even if the terrorists are discovered to have been born in the UK, they have imbibed none of the morals, principles and values enshrined either in Islam or in British society.....
Mark...good to have you back.
After 9-11, my cousin's child came home weeping from his exclusive, white, *private* elementary school. (My cousin is a pharmaceutical exec and held a management position in Germany for some years...her child spoke perfect German...). His schoolmates told him he was a terrorist becaue he spoke a foreign language.
Thanks for the welcome back Nur. I'm afraid that doesn't surprise me. Children can, as we all know, be very cruel.
Good news: Sister in law is now in an ordinary hospital ward as opposed to the intensive care unit. Among other things this means that my nephew has for the first time been able to visit her. Given that the last time he saw her she was covered in blood and screaming he's been very anxious. He's quite a lot happier now and is weighing up whether to come over on a planned holiday with me (hint what world famous Danish author is being celebrated right now? :-) ) Or whether to wait a few weeks 'til she's on her legs again.
We've (my brother and I) told him its up to him and we'll go along with whatever he decides he's happiest with. She's told him not to be a twit and to go ahead.
vive la difference (and happy Bastille day.)
Very good news about sister-in-law! I wish her a speedy recovery. How unlucky, tho.
I visited Copenhagen a few years ago! Won a pack of Gevalia coffee at a roulette in Tivoli Gardens! If you nephew knows anything about this attraction, he'll be very excited about visiting you (besides being with his uncle, of course).
I also admire the Denmark-based 'Max Havelaar' intiative sustaining peasant coffee-growers in third world. They have a shop in which I'd like to visit someday.
Self-confessed coffee-lover me!
Yes, and I've seen press photos of the Anderson festival! Lucky child!
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