Eleven Iraqis were killed and a dozen more wounded in a blast in a volatile area north of Baghdad on Monday.
The bomb was apparently planted in a bus, 20 km outside the town of Baquba.
Police says the Iraqis were traveling to work in the camp of Ashraf, which is currently guarded by a 120-strong Bulgarian contingent.
Baquba is 65 km north of Baghdad, in a religiously mixed region.
Sofia news agency 29 May, 2006
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=64163
Dr. Latif Vakil, Iraqi prominent author, in his article "Democracy or Intifada of Sha’banieh" in Bizturkmeniz website, has discussed current situation of Iraq and policies of the US.
Elsewhere in his article, he writes: "If one looks at the policies of the US, he will laugh at the issues; for instance, the MKO is considered a terrorist organization according to international and US laws. The US should extradite the terrorists of MKO to Iran before asking Iran not to support terrorism, because these people (Mojahedin-e Khalq) are 100 percent terrorists."
He also adds that:
"Had not Saddam supporters and mercenaries infiltrated the current government, there would be no place for people like MKO and others that were involved in suppressing Iraqis’ uprisings in 1991."
Bizturkmeniz.com
What is of primary importance for us, as Iraqis, is the interest of our nation and we should not lose our way. Past and present experiences prove that the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization is like a blade at the hands of occupiers against innocent Iraqis. We witnessed the brutality of this treacherous organization during Iraqis’ Intifadah (uprising) in 1991. Members of this organization were pioneers in suppressing our nation. Former senior Iraqi officials counted on this group. MKO had a strategic place in security and intelligence issues.
After the fall of Saddam and his partners, most of the leaders of this group fled to Europe but currently, the members of this group plan terrorist operations inside Iraq and support such operations logistically and financially.
Mojahedin-e Khalq organization is a burden for Iraqis. The organization of hypocrites (MKO), under full protection of US tanks in military Camp of Ashraf in Iraq, receives the orders directly from the US army. The leaders and officials of this organization are in practical coordination with those Sunni tribes leaders who disagree with the current political process. The camp of this organization has become a workshop for preparing bombed cars; this camp is used for targeting mosques, kindergartens, hospitals, schools and crowded markets.
Therefore, we ask the Iraqi government, National Assembly and political parties and movements to take an immediate tough stance on expelling the terrorist treacherous group of Mojahedin-e Khalq from Iraq. Our country has suffered enough from this organization and we can’t see more destruction and terrorist operations anymore. We are free in our country. No more deals on the pure blood of Iraqis and their wealth.
You Iraqis, raise your voice to denounce all plots against our country. No one should be allowed to undermine our honor and we should be able to determine the future of our own country. The wealth of Iraq is today an opportunity for parties and organizations and some groups victimize Iraqis to get to their own goals; they do it to serve their own political ambitions.
Hassan Alzameli/Sotaliraq
http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles-iraq/nieuws.php?id=26163
A report by al-Jazeera satellite TV on January 22, citing Iraqi military officials who claim that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is in the Diyala province (northeast of Baghdad), runs contrary to the assessments of Iraqi intelligence services and U.S. military intelligence in Iraq.
The new Iraqi intelligence service (headed by Mohammad Shahwani), U.S. military intelligence and the Badr Organization (which operates an independent parallel intelligence service) have long believed that the core of the al-Zarqawi network is concentrated around the Euphrates River valley in northern Anbar, along which the key towns of Qaim, Haditha, Hit, Ramadi, Habbaniyah and Fallujah are situated. These towns are considered to be the most insecure and dangerous in Iraq, where insurgents have—at one time or another—exerted complete control.
The assessment of U.S. and Iraqi intelligence derives from intense counter-insurgency operations and the interrogation of thousands of captured insurgents. Moreover, Anbar and Nineveh provinces are the only areas in Iraq where the al-Zarqawi network has developed roots, not least because of the proximity to the Syrian border, from where the vast majority of jihadis infiltrate the strife-torn country. Given the realities on the ground, the al-Zarqawi network is highly unlikely to move key figures outside its main base of operation for prolonged periods.
More broadly, Diyala is a stronghold of the so-called "Nationalist" insurgency, where even indigenous Islamist rebels (mostly connected to the "Islamic Army in Iraq") have been discouraged from operating in the province. The local characteristics of Diyala’s insurgents, coupled with the proliferation of Iraqi nationalist organizations (which operate in the open under the guise of civil society forums), make it extremely difficult for jihadis to operate in the province. If al-Zarqawi was operating from Diyala, it is likely that he would be quickly identified and killed by Iraqi rebels who are now beginning to distance themselves from extremist insurgents and jihadis.
After Anbar province, Diyala ranks as the most strife-torn region in Iraq. There are four factors that explain the volatility of this most strategic region of Iraq’s 18 provinces. First of all, Diyala has historically been a bastion of Arab and Iraqi nationalism (Baathist or otherwise). The province’s strategic location and its proximity to Iran make it a highly prized and sensitive region in the eyes of Iraqi nationalists. While the downfall of Saddam Hussein had a catastrophic impact on the morale of Arab and Iraqi nationalists in Diyala, these forces quickly mobilized to fight the U.S. and its Iraqi allies.
Second, Diyala is the only province in Iraq where Shi’ites and Sunnis are represented in roughly equal numbers. While there are no official statistics, the former are believed to have a slight majority. The finely balanced sectarian demographics became a violently contentious issue after the intervention, which has promoted identity politics in Iraq. Broadly speaking, the Shi’ites in Diyala regard SCIRI and the Badr Organization as protectors and employers, while the Sunnis see these organizations as Iranian-backed quislings that are exploiting the occupation to consolidate power.
Third, SCIRI and the Badr Organization have had a strong presence in Diyala since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. In fact, the Badr Organization (in its previous capacity as the Badr Corps) entered Iraq from the Diyala province from April 9, 2003 to early May 2003 and established bases in Baqouba (the province’s capital), Miqdadiyah and Khalis. In that crucial month, Badr forces fought pitched battles with remnants of the ousted regime, including Baath party diehards, Diyala tribesmen loyal to Saddam Hussein and the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (Terrorism Monitor, Volume 1: Issue 5, November 7, 2003). As the insurgency deteriorated in Diyala, the Badr Organization steadily increased its presence and operations.
Finally, the presence of an Iranian dissident group, the formerly-armed Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), in Diyala has created tensions between prominent tribesmen and other influential actors in and around Khalis, where the MKO’s Ashraf base is located. While the MKO (which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and the European Union) was disarmed in May 2003 and the movement of its members are supposedly monitored by U.S. forces, the organization regularly hosts meetings in Ashraf in which tribesmen and other influential individuals from Diyala (many with links to the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein) voice support for the organization, demand a withdrawal of foreign troops and strongly attack the new Iraqi government. The emergence of Ashraf as a platform for Iraqi nationalists has prompted the Badr Organization to increase surveillance operations in and around Khalis, and to engage in intimidation campaigns against key individuals who visit the camp.
The visit to Mashad (northeast Iran) by a Diyala tribal, legal and religious delegation reveals an intriguing (and under-reported) feature of the Iraq conflict. The delegation was hosted by the Habilian Association (http://habilian.com), a research and propaganda outlet that is close to the Iranian security establishment. While the visit was ostensibly touted as an opportunity to discuss ways of expelling the MKO from Iraq, the transcript of the main meeting (http://habilian.com/view.asp?ID=00439) leaves little doubt that the event was tied to the growing insurgency in Diyala and its local, national and international ramifications.
Global Terrorism analysis
“Anti-Terrorism law, due to be executed from next week in Iraq, includes the Mojahedin-e khalq organization,” said Iraqi deputy prime minister.
Radio Free Iraq, quoting Ahmed Chalabi, said: “From now on, we don’t allow this group to make problems for our neighbor Iran from Iraqi soil. We are going to stop this group.”
“According to Iraq’s anti-terror law, armed groups and organizations listed as terrorist won’t be allowed to use the soil of this country,” he stressed.
“Iraq won’t be a base for armed groups that want to harm our neighbors,” he declared.
IRNA
Multinational forces in Iraq has an electronic journal in which they reflect latest news and events on Iraq, especially those related to these forces. In Vol.1 No.2, under the title “Detainee Operations Update” we read about the MKO:
“MeK members repatriate to Iran
CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq – With assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Ministry of Human Rights, ten former members of the Iranian Mujahedeen-e Khalq Organization based at Camp Ashraf returned home this month.
These former members requested to be repatriated back to Iran upon arrival at the Coalition controlled facility. Since late 2004, over 300 former members of the organization have returned home to Iran through the amnesty program provided by the Iranian Regime.”
Iraqi lawmakers approved the death penalty Tuesday for anyone financing or "provoking" terrorism. Of 152 lawmakers present, 147 supported the new law.
The law defines terrorism as any criminal act against people, institutions or property that "aims to hurt security, stability and national unity and introduce terror, fear or horror among the people and cause chaos."
It also cites "activity threatening to spark sectarian differences or civil war … including by arming citizens or encouraging or financing their arming."
The tough new anti-terrorism law – a response to almost daily suicide bombings and attacks in Iraq – sets capital punishment for "those who commit … terror acts" as well as "those who provoke, plan, finance and all those who enable terrorists to commit these crimes," according to a text obtained by The Associated Press.
Life imprisonment is the punishment for "whoever intentionally conceals terrorist activity or gives shelter to a terrorist for the purpose of hiding him."
In response to Turkey’s positive stance, Jafari’s government should cooperate with it in resolving the issue of Kurdistan.
The outcome of the meeting of Iraqi neighbors’ interior ministers in Istanbul was in favor of Iraqi government and was conducted for fighting terrorism and preventing terrorist elements from penetrating the region. What can be viewed easily in the meeting was the clarity of the decisions. Turkey’s positive position attracted the attention of all attendants. Turkey’s interior minister called the survivors of the former regime, and their associates and affiliates, terrorist and stressed that they think of nothing except instability and blood shedding in Iraq.
This positive stance was also reflected in the final statement of the conference. Iraqi neighbors announced their preparedness to help Iraq fight terrorism by giving training services and security equipments.
In response to this positive stance, Turkey should cooperate with Iraq in eradicating PKK in Iraq. This armed group has established military bases in northern Iraq and enjoys the assistance of different groups.
If Iraq wants its neighbors to tighten up security at their borders with Iraq and stop the terrorists entering that country, it should work to guarantee the security of the neighbors. Sheltering terrorists in Iraq should not be justified using ideological reasoning by Jafari’s government. As Iraq neighbors try to secure the region, Iraq should also play its role. In this regard, Iraq should stop PKK’s activities in the north.
Armed groups such as PKK, Ansar Al-Islam, Al-Qaeda and Mojahedin-e khalq and have chosen Iraq as a terrorist land for themselves and use religious, Islamic and Jihadi slogans to hide their own terrorism, violence, kidnapping, trafficking drugs and weapons and humans in the region. All these groups, despite the difference in ideology and resources, have one purpose and that is "close cooperation". The reason for this is the close cooperation of Baath party with Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarqawi. Riot and murder in Iraq is the result of the cooperation of these groups.
Keeping these terrorist groups, and justifying their presence for security and religious reasons, doesn’t benefit Iraq.
Zohair Al-Dojaili/Kuwait
