Good News From Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (April 5, 2006) — Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could face trial as early as next month for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in his1980s crackdown against Iraqi Kurds.

Investigative judge Raid Juhi told the Associated Press the charges against Hussein and six others had been filed with another judge, who will review the evidence and order a trial date. Under the Iraqi judicial system, the move is tantamount to an indictment.

"These people were subjected to forced displacement and illegal detentions of thousands of civilians. They were placed in detention centers. The villages were destroyed and burned,” said Juhi, who also said Kurdish homes and houses of worship were leveled.

"Within days the case will be moved to us," said Chief Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi in an interview with Reuters.

The case involves Saddam's role in Operation Anfal, a three-phase move against northern-Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s. Operation Anfal included the March 16 gassing of Halabja, which killed 5,000 men, women and children. Human rights groups consider the Halabja attack one of the gravest atrocities attributed to Hussein's regime.

Although Human Rights Watch estimates that upwards of 50,000 Kurds were killed during the Anfal campaign, Kurdish authorities say the number is double that figure. But both conclude that multiple-tens of thousands of Iraq’s Kurds were systematically killed in ground offensives and air strikes and that thousands of Kurdish villages were razed and resettled by Arabs.

Saddam's co-defendants include his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid aka "Chemical Ali," who allegedly led the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja.

Iraqi, Coalition Soldiers seize more suspects and caches

Iraqi security forces made several gains against terrorists and insurgents so far this week as a Coalition Police Transition Team provides specialized training to Iraqi Police.

7th Iraqi Army Division and Coalition troops captured five suspected insurgents and a weapons cache near Karabilah April 3. The cache contained AK-47 rifles and ammunition, a bag of detonation cord, blasting caps and rocket-propelled grenade boosters. No injuries or damages were reported.

Other Iraqi Soldiers found another cache the same day near Ramadi. Soldiers from the 1st Iraqi Army Division discovered a cache of mortar rounds, hand-held radios and artillery detonators during a raid in southeast Ramadi.

The previous day, Soldiers from the 1st and 7th Iraqi Army Divisions captured 15 suspected insurgents. Soldiers from the 7th arrested eight people near Ramadi and three others near Karabilah. The troops detained the military-aged males for suspected insurgent activity while conducting patrols in the areas. One of the detainee’s had been named on a suspect list.

Soldiers from the 1st Iraqi Army Division detained four additional suspects in Khalidiyah April 2. Each of the arrests occurred during joint security patrols with Coalition troops.

U.S. Army Military Police continue to train the Iraqi Security Forces to protect and secure their country, recently focusing on room clearing procedures at a police station in Baqubah.

The 978th Military Police Company conducts training at more than 15 police stations in Diyala Province. The MPs, attached to 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, approach the training with the same crawl-walk-run philosophy used to train their own.

“We go there [to the Iraqi police station], we teach a certain thing and we’ll just work on that for a couple days,” said Sgt. Frank Zavala, an instructor with the 978th MP Company. “Then we’ll just keep building up on that until they get it down.”

The learning curve for a new Iraqi policeman is much like that of a new enlistee learning basic combat training. “We can obviously tell that a lot of these people have not done this before,” said Spc. Robert Stearns, 978th MP Company. “When we do our own AIT in the MP corps, it is very similar.”

The Soldiers conveyed the basic principles as well as the details, knowing small mistakes can be fatal, “Like putting a finger on a trigger or not paying attention where their sectors of fire were,” Stearns said.

The Iraqi police are an important part of the future stability of Iraq, and training efforts like this one will eventually enable them to sustain their own training and become independent.

(Compiled from official Defense Department and wire sources)

Iraqi leader takes action toward peace

FOB KALSU, Iraq – Seeking a unified province free from terrorism and sectarian violence, leaders of groups in Babil came together Aug. 20 in Al Hillah to reconcile and denounce sectarian violence.

Iraqi Security Force leadership, representatives of the Iraqi national government, local government officials, social leaders, tribal sheik leaders and religious leaders, joined together at the Iraqi police academy convention hall to map out a strategic plan to shape Babil’s peaceful future.

“This was Iraqi generated, Iraqi led,” said Col. John Tully, commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, an invited guest of the ISF leadership present at the conference “They are clearly trying to come to grips with the issues their society is facing.”

The meeting was orchestrated by Maj. Gen. Qais Hamza, Babil provincial police chief, to bring representatives of every facet of Babil culture to the conference and provide them a forum to speak. It is hoped the meeting would signify the commencement of a new era in the region and the end of terrorism in southern Iraq, said a sheik in attendance.

“We have Sunnis, Shias, women, children – that is a miracle in this day of age,” he said. “Everybody knows what needs to be done, but Gen. Qais is the person who decided that it was time to quit talking and start acting.”

The idea came in coordination with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki’s 24-point national reconciliation initiative plan he outlined to the Iraqi National Council of Representatives in June. Sectarian violence has plagued Iraq for much of the year, and leaders of Babil said they wanted to lead the rest of the nation in heeding al Maliki’s words.

The meeting started off with children from the area singing the Iraqi national anthem and readings from the Holy Koran. Many of those in attendance took turns speaking about the current situation in Iraq and Babil and then gave their suggestions on how to unify the region.

“There is no winner in war,” said Aeman Alkhafaji. “Everybody is a loser.”

Speaking on behalf of a women’s rights group, Alkhafaji said sectarian violence is destroying the greatest part of Iraqi culture – the family. When the man of the house dies, there is no one to provide for the family, no backbone present to steer their children to their future. Or when a woman is killed, it crushes the family dynamic and children lose the comforting tender side of the family.

“A woman without her man is like land without water,” she said. “And a man without his woman is like a ship without sail.”

Numerous Sunni and Shia tribal leaders spoke before the congregation and offered their hand to one another, promising to not let the trouble witnessed in Baghdad infiltrate their region.

“We are not Sunni or Shiite, Kurdish or Christians,” one sheik said. “We are Iraqis, and we intend to secure Iraq. The people who are fighting the old regime and each other are the same people that have lived together for over a thousand years and have drank from these two rivers.”

After a brief recess for lunch, Qais proposed a reconciliation agreement draft he drew up. The agreement’s last paragraph reads: “We have sworn this oath; we accept the promise of the Provincial Government to provide security for all citizens without regard to their sect, ethnicity or political party affiliation and to work toward inclusive, representative government unencumbered by bias and disenfranchisement.

Qais then challenged the more than 500 in attendance to sign the oath and make every effort to make Babil the place all of Iraq strives to be. A large reproduction of the oath each person received was placed near the door and everyone signed it as they exited the conference.

“Let Babil be the example for the freedom and the mixture that we have in Iraq,” said Col. Abbas, Al Hillah police chief.

Smiles were abundant as the participants left the conference, shook hands and offered kind words to each other. More work is left to do, but the initiative Qais introduced seemed to have struck a chord with the people who attended.

“It was very uplifting,” said Tully. “In this society, when you get that many Sunni and Shia sheiks to support a plan, there is a chance for success.

“If Babil can keep people like Gen. Qais in leadership positions, it will be the most progressive and truly democratic province of the southern provinces in Iraq.”

Terrorist attack foiled in Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi Police and Task Force Band of Brothers’ Soldiers thwarted a terrorist attack against a Mosul police station Wednesday.

The attack began with a terrorist, dressed as a police officer, approached the gate to the police station and detonated his suicide vest, killing himself and wounding six police officers.

Immediately following the explosion, two other masked terrorists attempted to attack the station with small arms fire. Soldiers from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division quickly identified and engaged the gunmen, killing both.

The wounded police officers were transported to a nearby coalition medical facility.

Complex Attack From Al Kilami Mosque

Multinational Force – West PAO

CAMP AR RAMADI, Iraq – At approximately 12:30 p.m. today, Coalition Forces were attacked from the Al Qadir Al Kilami mosque in Ramadi. The complex attack included small arms and machine gun fire, rocket propelled grenades, hand grenades, and an improvised explosive device attack.

Coalition Forces returned fire in self-defense, using escalation of force procedures, and finally fired several main gun rounds from M1 tanks into the mosque in order to defeat the attackers. The mosque suffered serious structural damage to the dome and minaret. One Coalition Force Soldier was wounded in the attack and later returned to duty. Enemy and civilian casualties are unknown at this time.

CF seize weapons, munitions, detain 6 suspected terrorists

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A platoon of Estonian soldiers attached to 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, detained five suspected terrorists and seized their weapons after a small-arms engagement Tuesday north of Baghdad in Saab al Bour.

The Estonian soldiers searched the area near the source of the hostile fire and seized three AK-47 assault rifles, a PKC machine gun with ammunition and a sniper scope.

The suspects are being held for questioning.

In a separate incident, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, confiscated a large weapons cache and detained one suspected terrorist Tuesday in eastern Baghdad.

The MND-B Soldiers discovered the cache when they stopped a suspicious looking convoy of civilian vehicles and found several armed men mixed in with the vehicles.

Upon searching the vehicles, the Soldiers discovered 28 AK-47 assault rifles, three PKM machineguns, a Dragunov rifle, 55 AK-47 magazines and various amounts of ammunition.

The weapons were confiscated and a suspected terrorist is being held for questioning.

IA advisors detain suspected terrorist

1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A patrol from 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division’s Military Transition Team, captured a suspected terrorist after their patrol struck a roadside bomb north of Baghdad at approximately 11:15 a.m. Wednesday.

The 2nd Bde, 9th IAD advisors requested attack aviation to provide aerial reconnaissance, and the attack helicopter support from the Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, identified a possible triggerman’s hide site.

The patrol searched the area and seized a suspected terrorist.

Meanwhile, a recovery team arrived to haul the damaged vehicle back to Camp Taji. The patrol returned to Camp Taji and
brought the detainee for further questioning.

Iraqi Forces Conduct Two Raids in Central Iraq

BAGHDAD – Iraqi army and security forces, with coalition forces observing, conducted multiple early-morning raids on August 23, capturing three primary suspects associated with emplacing improvised explosive devices and participating in illegal armed groups.

The first raid captured a person suspected of emplacing IEDs and targeting U.S. military personnel in Ar Ramadi. The raid was conducted without incident and five other persons were detained for questioning.

The second raid captured two persons who allegedly belonged to a cell that engaged in promoting sectarian violence through kidnapping and murder in southern Baghdad. The raid, conducted as part of Operation Together Forward, occurred without further incident.

No civilian, Iraqi forces or coalition forces were injured during the operations.

1st Sqdn., 61st Cav Regt., receives tip, frees hostage

FOB RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers freed a local national being held against his will Thursday in western Baghdad’s Salman Pak neighborhood.

Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, received a tip that there was illegal activity going on at the Salman Pak gas station.

After cordoning off and searching the gas station, Soldiers found an Iraqi civilian in an outbuilding that was secured from the outside. The individual was freed and taken to a secure location, where he provided the names for 21 terrorists in the Salman Pak area. The names were then provided to the 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division.

The incident is currently under investigation by Iraqi authorities.

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