The Command PostThis weblog is for posts of news items with information about the Iraq conflict.500 Die In Baghdad Stampede- August 31, 2005 Reuters reports up to 500 people died when a crowd of Iraqi Shi&39;ites stampeded off a bridge over the Tigris river in Baghdad on Wednesday, fleeing rumors of a suicide bombing threat: &8220;So far we have 500 dead,&8221; Jalil Al-Shumari, the deputy minister, told Reuters. The crowd, on its way to the Kadhimiya mosque for an important religious ceremony, panicked as rumors spread that a suicide bomber was preparing to blow himself up. Earlier at least seven people died in three separate...http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019766.html U.S. Aircraft Destroy Terrorist Hideouts Near Iraq's Syrian Border- August 30, 2005 Bloomberg reports that suspected al-Qaeda fighters were killed in western Iraq today when precision guided bombs destroyed three terrorist hideouts in two cities near the Syrian border: Four bombs were dropped on a house &8220;occupied by terrorists&8221; outside the city of Husaybah in the first strike, the military said in a statement e-mailed from the capital, Baghdad. Then at 6:20 a.m. local time two bombs were dropped on a second house, killing a man identified as &8220;Abu Islam, a known..http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019765.html Al-Sadr Gaining Support- August 26, 2005 The Washington Times reports that firebrand Shi&39;ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is gaining support among Iraqi youth, raising fears he could eventually unify Shi&39;ites and Sunnis against American forces. Followers of al-Sadr have been engaged in two days of violent clashes with the rival Iranian-trained Badr Brigades in the holy city of Najaf: Fighting between the Mahdi militia and the Badr Brigades &8212; the military wing of the leading Shi&39;ite political party, the Supreme Council for...http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019760.html Italians Hid Iraqi Insurgents- August 25, 2005 Italy hid four Iraqi insurgents from U.S. forces and had them treated by the Red Cross in exchange for the freedom of two Italian aid workers kidnaped last year in Baghdad. According to the Associated Press, in exchange for the release of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, who were abducted on Sept. 7 and freed Sept. 28, &8220;The mediators asked us to save the lives of four alleged terrorists wanted by the Americans who were wounded in combat,&8221; Scelli was quoted as saying. &8220;We hid them.http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019759.html President Says "Stay The Course"- August 23, 2005 From BBC News: President George W Bush has restated his policy that the US will &8220;stay the course&8221; in Iraq as he interrupted his holiday to address war veterans.Mr Bush said a &8220;policy of retreat and isolation&8221; would not make the US safer. His remarks in Salt Lake City are the first of two speeches on the war this week and come with anti-war protesters still camped outside his Texas ranch. The US anti-war movement has been reinvigorated by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a US...http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019757.html Iran Arming Iraqi Insurgents- August 20, 2005 The Washington Times reports that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says Iran is arming Iraqi insurgents: &8220;I see intelligence reports and we know that we&39;re finding Iranian weapons inside the country,&8221; Mr. Rumsfeld told reporters on his way to visit Paraguay earlier this week. &8220;They don&39;t just get there by accident. They don&39;t fly there. &8220;And we know that Iran has a system of government it would like to replicate in Iraq. And we know the system of government they have with.http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019752.html Sunnis, Shiites Protest Constitution- August 19, 2005 BAGHDAD, Iraq &8212; Sunni Arabs and followers of a radical Shiite cleric held protests Friday against federal provisions in Iraq&39;s proposed constitution, as negotiators sought to reach agreement on the charter by next week&39;s deadline.Sunni Arab negotiators are holding out against Shiite and Kurdish proposals for a federal structure for Iraq, saying such proposals would divide the country. The Sunnis want a strong central government. On Thursday, masked gunmen burst into the Sunni grand...http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019750.html Understanding IED Tactics & Methods- August 9, 2005 Gloabl Guerillas describes the IED &8220;marketplace&8221; in Iraq, including the roles various specialists play and some of the common tactics and methods. Read and it your ability to discuss the IED threat, how it really works, and options to counter it will improve substantially. Winds ran a recent lessons learned article about these roadside bombs, which may interest you. Dan Darling also noted that some of that marketplace consists of foreign imports, via Iran andor Hezbollah....http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019744.html Winds Iraq Report: Aug. 805- August 8, 2005 Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com. TOP TOPICS Iraqi political leaders met Sunday in an attempt to break the deadlock over the new Iraqi constitution. The National Assembly is supposed to approve the document.http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019742.html Good News from Iraq: 01 August 05- August 1, 2005 Note: As always, also available from &8220;The Opinion Journal&8221; and Chrenkoff. Thank you all - your support is what&39;s making this project so personally worthwhile. Monsignor Rabban al Qas, Chaldean bishop of Amadiyah and Arbil, was recently asked by a foreign interviewer whether there is any good news coming out of Iraq: &8220;Twenty-three Iraqis are killed every day in Iraq. Nearly two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, there is no security as yet. Is there still hope in...http://www.command-post.org/2_archives/019738.html |