Stefanie

BOK in Tulsa is not selling either. Called today.

It was already posted, but the other person didn't provide a link. Thanks for the post (and link) djgabrielie

LINK?

By SAAD ABDUL-KADIR and LARA JAKES, Associated Press Saad Abdul-kadir And Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 17 mins ago CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq – Iraq security forces raided the settlement of an Iranian exile group that the Shiite-led government has long tried to oust and at least 10 people were killed in the pre-dawn clashes Friday, officials said. The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran exiles jeer Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as a puppet of Tehran, partly because the Shiite premier has sought to close their camp in Iraq's northeast Diyala province over their ties to former Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Tensions boiled over this week when the Iraqi army moved new troops near Camp Ashraf, prompting its residents to pelt soldiers with stones and throw themselves in front of military trucks. About an hour before dawn Friday, the army stormed the camp, hurling smoke bombs at a crowd of about 100 masked people and chasing them with Humvees. The exiles claimed 31 residents were killed, while the Iraqi general who ordered the raid denied that anybody died. U.S. and U.N. observers were unable to independently verify any casualties. But two officials at the hospital in Baqouba, Diyala's capital, said 10 exiles were killed and 39 wounded in the clashes. Additionally, five Iraqi soldiers and one policeman also were injured, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. Iraqi Lt. Gen. Ali Ghaidan said he ordered the crackdown after his troops were provoked. But signaling the government's intent to edge out the exiles, Ghaidan also said the military seized land in Ashraf's northeast corner and intends to give it to nearby Iraqi farmers. "Everything is normal inside the camp," Ghaidan said in an interview Friday afternoon. "Our troops are outside, and we are not near the residential areas. Everything is stable." Ashraf resident Shahriar Kia said that was not true and described an ongoing standoff between the exiles and soldiers on either end of the camp's main street. "They have attacked our homes and looted them," Kia said. "People are standing out on the street to protect their homes." The People's Mujahedeen, which seeks the overthrow of Tehran's clerical rulers, has been labeled everything from a cult to a terrorist organization — although one that has provided the U.S. with intelligence on Iran. The group says it renounced violence in 2001, after carrying out bloody bombings and assassinations in Iran in the 1980s. Also known by its Farsi name the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, the group is the militant wing of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran. The U.S. considers it a terrorist organization although the European Union removed it from its terror list two years ago. At a U.N. Security Council meeting Friday on the situation in Iraq, Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati said he didn't have information on Thursday's incident but he told member that the Iraqi government considers the people in Camp Ashraf as refugees and "will not force them" to go back to Iran. "But it will encourage them to go to a third country," he said. Many of the residents of Camp Ashraf hold Iranian passports along with U.S. or European citizenship. The camp, a 30-square-mile compound in the desert, is located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad. The exiles have built it into an oasis of well-kept gardens, water fountains and palm trees along marked-out streets, where the residents live in barracks-like housing segregated by sex. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said security forces "did not use weapons" during the raid. He said the seized land was located outside the camp, and was merely being returned to the farmers who had owned it before the exiles moved in during Saddam's regime. "It is their land and we are allowing them to use it," al-Dabbagh said. Camp residents described a dire picture of the melee, and supplied a six-minute video purportedly taken early Friday that showed military Humvees flying the Iraqi flag chasing down about 100 stone-throwing masked people in an open area. At least one person in the crowd was seen hit by a Humvee, and an Iraqi soldier was seen firing from his AK-47 machine gun although his target was not clear. The video also shows at least six people lying on a the ground, and a dozen of blood-soaked men being treated by doctors. "This is a massacre, a catastrophe," said Behzad Saffari, who has lived at Ashraf for nine years and acts as the camp's legal adviser. Iraqi troops refused to let an Associated Press reporter near where the clashes took place, and ordered him out of the camp after briefly being allowed in through the main gate. Security forces also blocked public access to the Baqouba hospital, although ambulances raced between the camp and the emergency room for much of the day. A U.S. Army officer at the camp Friday looked very angry when talking to the Iraqi commander at the scene. Asked why, an Iraqi translator accompanying the U.S. officer replied: "Because of the high casualties." Ashraf's 3,400 residents are legally considered "protected persons" under the Geneva Conventions. At a news conference in Rome, the People's Mujahedeen blasted the U.S. for failing to stop the assault or otherwise intervene despite the protections. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on a visit to northern Iraq, confirmed that American forces were nearby during the raid and planned to offer medical assistance to the exiles. But under a 2008 security agreement between Washington and Baghdad, U.S. troops handed off the responsibility protecting Ashraf to the Iraqi government. "I urge the Iraqi government to show restraint and live up to their commitments to treat Ashraf residents in accordance with Iraqi law and international obligations," Gates said in Mosul. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say the death toll in a hostage siege at a local government office in Saddam Hussein's hometown has risen to 34 people and that three lawmakers are among the dead. Salahuddin province media adviser Mohammed al-Asi says 65 people were wounded in the hours-long siege Tuesday in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Al-Asi and Salahuddin Governor Ahmed Abdullah confirm that three provincial councilmen were killed, including one known for his tough stands against al-Qaida in Iraq. Security officials are blaming al-Qaida in Iraq for the attack. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen wearing military uniforms and suicide bomb belts stormed a local government headquarters in northern Iraq on Tuesday in an attempt to take hostages that killed at least 21 people, officials said. Three lawmakers who were inside the Salahuddin provincial council building in Tikrit when the gunmen overran the compound are missing, said provincial governor Ahmed Abdullah. He said the lawmakers were not answering their mobile phones and could not immediately be located — indicating they may be held hostage. "We've lost contact with three provincial council members who were inside the building when the attack took place," Abdullah said in a telephone interview from Amman, Jordan, where he was receiving updates on the assault via mobile phone. He described a fierce shootout between at least eight gunmen, who have overtaken the council headquarters' second floor, and Iraqi security forces who surrounded the building. He said the attackers were hurling grenades at Iraqi forces. Salahuddin province media adviser Mohammed al-Asi said 21 have been killed in the siege, which was still ongoing more than three hours after it began. Sixty-five people have been wounded, he said. Among the dead was journalist Sabah al-Bazi, a correspondent for Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel and a freelancer for CNN, according to the two news outlets. A senior intelligence official in Baghdad said the gunmen were holding some hostages inside the building but did not know how many. He blamed al-Qaida in Iraq for the attack. "The goal of the attackers was apparently to take hostages," Salahuddin government spokesman Ali al-Saleh said. At least some officials and government employees escaped before they the gunmen could capture them, he said. Tikrit is 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Authorities said the attackers blew up a car outside the council headquarters to create a diversion before launching their raid. Wearing military uniforms — including one with a high rank — the gunmen identified themselves as Iraqi soldiers at a security checkpoint outside the government compound but opened fire on guards when they were told they needed to be searched. The provincial council meets at the headquarters every Tuesday, but a spokesman for the governor, Ali Abdul Rihman, said local lawmakers called off their discussion early because there was little on their agenda. As a result, he said, most of the lawmakers had already left the headquarters when the assault began. "The gunmen were armed with grenades, and began their raid by firing at random at a reception room," Rihman said. "Then they opened fire inside." Police immediately imposed a curfew to prevent all road and pedestrian traffic in Tikrit as security forces moved into the building. The senior intelligence official said forces began an operation to free any hostages about two hours after the start of the siege. He likened the attack to a horrifying hostage raid last fall on a Catholic church in Baghdad that left 68 dead and stunned the nation. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for that massacre on Oct. 31, which drove thousands of Iraq's already dwindling Christian population from their homeland in fear. Tikrit, which is Saddam Hussein's hometown, is mostly populated by Sunni Muslims and is was a hotbed for insurgents linked to al-Qaida and anti-American extremists at the height of the Iraq war. City policemen said U.S. troops were at the scene to assist Iraqi forces but a spokesman for the American military in Baghdad could not immediately verify that information. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110329/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

By YAHYA BARZANJI, Associated Press Yahya Barzanji, Associated Press – 59 mins ago SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – Two top Kurdish politicians resigned Tuesday from local government in northern Iraq in what appears to be a political maneuver to challenge Arabs for control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, one of the nation's most volatile fault lines. The city is home to a mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen, who all have competing claims. Kurds are seeking to incorporate Kirkuk into their autonomous region in Iraq's north — and out from under control of the Arab-dominated central government in Baghdad. It is one of Iraq's most explosive disputes, and Kirkuk's Arabs and Turkomen have long opposed the Kurds' goal. On Tuesday, officials said resigning provincial council chairman Rizkar Ali, a Kurd, would be replaced with Turkoman Hassan Torhan, raising speculation that a deal was struck to strengthen ties between the two groups against the area's Arabs. The other resigning Kurd is provincial Gov. Abdul-Rahman Mustafa. Both men stepped down during a public meeting in Kirkuk, said councilman Rebwar Talabani. "I hope the man elected for this job will work for the best of Kirkuk, and keep friendly living conditions among all, and be representative of all people living in Kirkuk," Mustafa said in an interview. He said he resigned for personal reasons after eight years on the job. A Turkoman politician said was the move is hoped to "lead to a closer approach between Turkomen and Kurds." He said the minority Turkomen, which are believed to make up about 12 percent of Kirkuk, have long felt sidelined by the city's Kurds. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate political situation. Located 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Kirkuk is the capital of Tamim province. Tensions in the city have long been a top concern for U.S. diplomats and military officials who fear it could unravel Iraq's tenuous security should Kirkuk's fragile peace fall apart. A day earlier, hundreds of Iraqis gathered in Baghdad to demand the resignation of President Jalal Talabani for comments he made last week describing Kirkuk as a Jerusalem for Kurds — suggesting they must fight to bring the city into the semiautonomous Kurdistan region. Talabani, a Kurd, later said he was speaking as a political leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party and not as Iraq's twice-elected president. And last month, Kurdish leaders sent thousands of their security forces, known as peshmerga, to Kirkuk under the guise of protecting citizens from demonstrations that could turn violent. Arabs and Turkomen accused the Kurds of trying to bring the city under Kurdish control. Kirkuk has become a symbol of continued instability in Iraq, where insurgents launch attacks on an almost daily basis despite lower overall levels of violence over the last few years. Even in the generally peaceful Kurdish region, clashes broke out between about 150 protesters and police in the village of Saied Sadiq, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) east of Sulaimaniyah, over whether the demonstration was properly licensed. Four protesters were wounded after police who were being pelted with rocks beat with them sticks, said village police Lt. Karawan Salih. Additionally, two attacks in Baghdad — a shooting and a roadside bomb — killed a policeman and wounded eight people on Tuesday, officials said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110315/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

13 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraq's prime minister is defending his performance in the wake of protests across the country demanding more jobs, better government services and less corruption. In a rare appearance in front of parliament, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday told lawmakers that they were just as much to blame for the government's failures. Specifically, he says they have failed to pass badly needed laws that would encourage development and economic growth. Like other countries in the Middle East, Iraq has been buffeted by protests. Demonstrations here have focused on improving government services instead of toppling the government entirely. Al-Maliki has vowed to give his newly elected government 100 days to improve the situation or risk losing their jobs. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

BAGHDAD – A government official in western Iraq says a suicide bomber trying to assassinate the deputy head of the provincial council in Anbar province has killed eight people. The Chairman of the Anbar Provincial Council, Jasim al-Halbusi, said a man wearing an explosives vest blew himself up Thursday near the government official when he was outside of a sports stadium in Ramadi. The deputy was not hurt but seven policemen and a bodyguard were killed in the attack. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister warned his people to boycott a planned anti-government protest scheduled for Friday, saying it was being organized by supporters of Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave no proof for his assertion in a nationally televised speech Thursday, which echoed similar statements he's made blaming terrorists and Saddam loyalists for an array of problems in the country. His comments were the strongest to date on demonstrations slated to take place across Iraq that have been described as a "Day of Rage" on Facebook and in Internet postings calling for people to take part in the event. Al-Maliki's warning was another sign of the worry Iraqi officials feel that the uprisings demanding regime change in many parts of the Middle East will buffet Iraq as well. So far, Iraqis have held some small-scale protests around the country — occasionally punctuated by violent clashes between security and demonstrators — demanding better public services, more assistance for widows and orphans and greater protection for human rights. But unlike protests in the wider Middle East, they have generally not called for a complete change in government. Iraq is one of the few countries in the region where officials are democratically elected. "I call on you to be cautious and careful and stay away from this (event)," al-Maliki said of Friday's march. He said that he did not want to deprive Iraqis of their right to protest legitimate demands, but wanted it to happen with someone other than "Saddamists, terrorists and al-Qaida" standing behind the march. "Frankly speaking, they are planing to take advantage of tomorrow's demonstration for their own benefit," he said. Earlier Thursday, the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush was forcibly detained by the Iraqi Army after making what is believed to be his first public visit to his homeland after being freed from prison. One of Muntadhar al-Zeidi's brothers told The Associated Press that the reporter returned to Iraq to take part in Friday's rally. Al-Zeidi became a celebrity in the Arab world after throwing his shoes at Bush during a news conference and calling him a dog. Released from an Iraqi prison after serving a criminal sentence, he eventually left the country in 2009 and has not appeared publicly in Iraq since then. Witnesses saw al-Zeidi leaving a mosque in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad and then visiting a nearby cemetery. After leaving the cemetery, he was confronted by an Iraqi Army commander backed up by Iraqi Army soldiers who said al-Zeidi should come with them for questioning. An Associated Press photographer on the scene said the former journalist asked whether he was under arrest and the commander said he was not. A brief discussion ensued, during which al-Zeidi said he did not want to go with the military personnel. Eventually al-Zeidi was forcibly led away by Iraqi Army soldiers who gripped his arms on either side and escorted him to a waiting Humvee. Iraqi military personnel holding rifles prevented a crowd of photographers from shooting photos of the altercation. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Thanks for the post

This can't be good.

By HAMID AHMED, Associated Press Hamid Ahmed, Associated Press – 26 mins ago BAGHDAD – Gunmen raided the office of an Iraqi journalists' organization Wednesday, taking equipment such as flak jackets, laptops and video cameras, the director of the Baghdad-based independent group said. The men wore black, military-style uniforms, said Ziyad al-Ajili, head of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, adding that he did not know where they were from. A Baghdad military spokesman told The Associated Press that the men were part of the Iraqi army; he gave few other details. Al-Ajili said the gunmen made off with years of files gathered by the organization about violations against the media as well as the equipment stored in the group's downtown Baghdad offices. The group works to protect journalists in Iraq. An AP reporter saw an overturned photocopier, posters of journalists that had been ripped down and broken furniture. The guard who was at the building reported seeing about 12 Humvees pull up outside the building before the raid went down, al-Ajili said. "I think the parties behind this do not believe in democracy. They don't know that media is the way to convey information to people. They ignore the real idea about press," said a visibly shaken al-Ajili. He said the group called the top military spokesman in Baghdad, Qassim al-Moussawi, and were told that he had no information about the incident. But when contacted by the AP, al-Moussawi said the raid was carried out by the Iraqi army, which had information that "a company operating without a license" was in the building. He says all materials will be returned and an investigation launched. When asked whether the troops had seen the sign identifying it as the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, al-Moussawi said they were carrying out an order and did not elaborate. Although violence has waned in Iraq, it still ranks has one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Your time and effort is appreciated.

By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 23 mins ago BAGHDAD – A car bomb killed eight pilgrims Thursday on the road to one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines, a highly sensitive site still being rebuilt after a 2006 attack that sheered off its gleaming golden dome and engulfed the country in years of sectarian bloodshed. Women and children were among those killed in a group of pilgrims headed to the shrine in Samarra for Friday ceremonies marking the death of Shiite Islam's 11th imam, a ninth-century successor to the Prophet Muhammad. The al-Askari mosque became the epicenter of Iraq's worst violence. Sunni insurgents wearing uniforms set off two bombs in February 2006 that destroyed the site in a provocation that unleashed Shiite militiamen who hunted down Sunni clerics and attacked mosques in retaliation — the beginning of years of intensified bloodletting in Iraq. Thursday's attack took place about 10 miles, or 16 kilometers, away on a road to the shrine from the town of Dujail. The dead and wounded were left scattered around a scorched car. "The wounded were running and asking to be taken to hospitals; children were crying in panic," said a witness who identified himself only as Abu Jalal. "There was blood everywhere. The scene was disastrous." The blast killed eight and wounded more than 40 people, said Dujail's mayor, Amir Marhoun. The Samarra shrine, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, is still under reconstruction. Its dome has been rebuilt, but it's not yet wrapped in gold. Its destruction in 2006 sent Iraq into a downward spiral of violence between Sunnis and Shiites that left whole neighborhoods around the country cleansed and divided by sect. The day after the 2006 attack, nearly 140 people were killed, and tens of thousands died over the next two years as Iraq teetered on the brink of civil war. The site contains the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams — Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868, and his son Hassan al-Askari, who died in 874. Both are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and Shiites consider them to be among his successors. Imam Hassan al-Askari is the father of Imam Mohammed al-Mahdi, a Shiite saint known as the "Hidden Imam" who disappeared in the ninth century. The faithful believe the Hidden Imam will one day return to usher in peace and harmony in the world. Iraqi and foreign officials in Baghdad have long lamented the vulnerability of Shiite pilgrims, many of whom walk in large groups and on dangerous highways to get to shrines where they pay homage to the many religious ceremonies that Shiites observe each year. The pilgrimages are relatively new for Iraq, as they were largely forbidden when dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, ran the country. Last month, 56 Iraqis were killed — most of them pilgrims — in a triple suicide bombing at highway checkpoints on the way to ceremonies in Karbala, another holy city located 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Baghdad. The attacks have spurred widespread criticism of Iraqi security forces for not protecting the pilgrims. They also come at a delicate time for Iraq's government as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki seeks to prove that the nation's security forces are ready to safeguard the country alone when American forces leave at the end of the year. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110210/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 16 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraq's prime minister said Friday he'll return half of his annual salary to the government's treasury, in a symbolic effort to narrow the gaps between the nation's rich and poor. It was a stunning statement for Nouri al-Maliki, who has resisted disclosing his pay in the five years he has led Iraq. Coming in the wake of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, al-Maliki's gesture appeared to be an effort to insulate himself from public bitterness over Iraq's sagging economy and electricity shortages. Al-Maliki narrowly secured a second term in office after months of political negotiations last year. He is believed to earn at least $360,000 annually. "Fifty percent of my monthly salary will be reduced, starting from the current month, as a contribution from me to reduce the difference in the salaries of the state officials," al-Maliki said in a statement Friday. "That will help limit the differences in the social living standards for different classes of the society." Al-Maliki also noted that his pay cut comes as Iraq's parliament considers what the Finance Ministry projects will be a $90.5 billion spending plan for this year. Hours earlier, Sunni and Shiite clerics used Friday sermons to warn government leaders against letting poverty, oppression and corruption become the norm — or face the consequences of the unrest that has gripped parts of the Arab world in recent weeks. "All governments — even those which embraced democracy — have to study the essential reasons that have lead to this overwhelming popular anger against the political regimes in those countries," said Shiite Sheik Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalaie, a top representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. "They have to learn the lessons from what is happening," al-Karbalaie said. Emboldened Iraqis staged several small protests over what they called corruption in the government's security forces, rampant unemployment and scant electricity and water in homes. U.S. government estimates indicate that as many as 30 percent of Iraqis are unemployed, and households nationwide have as little as three hours of electricity or running water daily because of the country's antiquated and overloaded power grid. Wisam Sabir, a 45-year-old activist for the al-Noor government watchdog group, said Iraq's problems are far worse than those of some of its Arab neighbors. "We watched the uprising in Tunisia, but the services there are better than here," she said at a small demonstration outside the a coffee shop in central Baghdad's Mutanabi book market. "Where is the democracy and freedom they promised us?" she said. "This is another dictatorship." ___ Associated Press writer Mazin Yahya contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110204/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – A small plane crashed on takeoff from an airport in northern Iraq Friday, killing all seven people on board, officials said. The plane went down on the runway moments after takeoff from the city of Sulaimaniya in Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. The cause of the crash was likely a technical fault and weather was not a factor, the director of Sulaimaniya's airport said. "It stayed in the air for 10 seconds before it caught fire. The crew couldn't get it back to the ground," said the official, Tahir Abdulla. Two pilots, a flight attendant and four businessmen on board were killed. The plane arrived from Ankara, Turkey, a few hours earlier and the businessmen visited the offices of AsiaCell, one of Iraq's major mobile phone service providers, which is partially owned by Qatar Telecommunications. Abdulla said firefighters had contained the blaze at the crash site and the airport was open for business. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110204/wl_nm/us_iraq_crash

BAGHDAD – The flow of Iraqi refugees back to their homes dropped sharply last year, largely due to the political deadlock surrounding the formation of a new government, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were uprooted as the insurgency gained steam and retaliatory sectarian bloodshed spiked following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A decline in violence in recent years has prompted many to return, although the situation remains volatile. The number of Iraqis who went home last year was 118,890, down some 40 percent from 204,830 in 2009, according to a monthly statistical update issued by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Most returnees were internally displaced people who had fled to other parts of the country. Only 26,410 returned from Syria, Iran, Jordan and other countries, down from 37,090 in 2009, according to the report. Citing interviews with refugees, UNHCR's envoy for Iraq Daniel Endres said the main reason for the drop was the political uncertainty amid bitter negotiations over who would lead the new government following inconclusive March 7 elections. Incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finally cobbled together a fragile coalition to seat a new Cabinet on Dec. 21. The report showed the largest number of returns was 17,080 in March, the month the election was held. "They were waiting to see what's going to happen with a new government," Endres said. "Before you take such an important decision such as whether to bring your family back, you want to make sure." Security remained a concern for many but the lack of basic services, housing, health care and education was the second most common reason given for refugees' reluctance to go home, Endres said. He said it was too soon to know whether the government formation would bring people back. "I think people will still wait a bit and see if this new government brings the security dividend that everybody is expecting," he said. In all, nearly 1.3 million refugees who had been uprooted from their homes have returned since 2003, according to the report. But hundreds of thousands more remain abroad, and the UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres estimated during a visit last week that 1.3 million Iraqis remain internally displaced, with 500,000 living in extremely precarious conditions. The UNHCR has expressed hope that al-Maliki's new government will unite rival factions and curb the violence, but the Geneva-based agency has urged countries not to forcibly send Iraqis back. Underscoring the dangers, Iraqi forces stepped up security in Baghdad Friday, a day after a car bomb struck a funeral in a mainly Shiite area of the capital, killing at least 51 people and wounding scores. Shrapnel was still scattered across the streets in northwestern Baghdad where a near-riot broke out after the afternoon explosion Thursday when infuriated Iraqis pelted security forces with sticks and stones for failing to stop the deadly strike. Government officials blamed the bombing on insurgents seeking to undermine Iraq's safety before a March meeting of Arab leaders in Baghdad. It was the latest major attack in over a week of violence in Iraq that has left more than 200 dead — mostly Shiites and security forces. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110128/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

Yes, interesting, but it's from 2004

– 2 hrs 12 mins ago BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraq exported slightly less crude in 2010 compared to the previous year but still earned 26.3 percent more due to an increase in global oil prices, an official statement said on Wednesday. The country racked up $52.2 billion (38.1 billion euros) from oil exports last year, compared to $41.3 billion in 2009, the oil ministry said. It said exports totalled 689.9 million barrels in 2010, compared to about 695.5 million barrels the previous year. Global oil prices reached about $91 a barrel last year, compared to around $46 a barrel at the beginning of 2009. Exports from Iraq's southern terminals, which have a current export capacity of about 1.8 million barrels per day (mbpd), stood at 524.1 million barrels last year, compared with 539.3 million barrels in 2009, the statement said. Iraq's 2011 budget is based on an oil price of $73 dollars per barrel, with exports expected to total 2.25 mbpd, bringing in a total projected income this year of $66.7 billion dollars. After flirting with $100 a barrel earlier this year, oil prices pulled back last week and in Asian trade on Wednesday New York's main contract, light sweet crude for March delivery, was at $86.41 per barrel. Iraq sits atop oil reserves of 143 billion barrels, one of the world's largest. Oil exports account for the vast majority of the government's revenues http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110126/wl_mideast_afp/iraqeconomyoil_20110126130858

By Khalid al-Ansary Khalid Al-ansary – 1 hr 20 mins ago BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi journalists who have survived deadly threats through years of war and insurgency now face a new challenge -- whether to accept cash "bonuses" from the government, and even cheap flats and free land. The $1,000 bonus scheme was first proposed in 2007 but is only now being paid, while the under-priced apartments in Baghdad or plots of land in the provinces were approved by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki before his reappointment last month, said Hani al-Iqabi, an adviser with the journalist's syndicate. The schemes, distributed through the journalist's union, bear echoes of the ways that Saddam Hussein used to buy the loyalty of the media, analysts and critics said. They have alarmed media rights activists who fear that an explosion in press freedom since the Sunni dictator was ousted in 2003 may be coming to an end. "We agree that journalists have rights like other citizens," said political analyst and writer Ahmed al-Abyadh. "But the journalist syndicate's main job is to defend media rights, not these other issues, which are reminiscent of the past regime's practices -- sword, fire and iron in one hand and a sack of gold in the other." The fall of Saddam in the U.S.-led invasion led to a boom in Iraq's media industry. Dozens of publications, radio stations and satellite broadcasters took to the streets or the air waves, often pushing an owner's or a political party's line far more than the truth. Iraq's post-invasion constitution, drawn up when the country was still run by U.S. administrators, enshrines freedom of the press unless a publication "violates public order or morality." FREEDOM OF THE PRESS Amid efforts by the government to restore stability as the sectarian slaughter of recent years fades, that clause has opened the doors to efforts by officials to shut down media they claim are aiding insurgents who still kill dozens every month. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) closed the Baghdad office of al-Baghdadiya satellite television channel in November after al Qaeda-linked insurgents who stormed a Syrian Catholic church called it to publish their demands. The CMC said al-Baghdadiya broadcast a report claiming police had stormed the church before the raid actually began. They alleged the report caused the gunmen to start shooting hostages in the church and detonate explosives belts that some of them were wearing. At least 52 people died. Pressure on journalists is also taking a more subtle form. Under the land distribution scheme being offered through the journalist's union, media workers in Baghdad have been told they can buy as yet unbuilt apartments for possibly around 50 million Iraqi dinars, or $43,000, each. City officials say it costs $50,000 to build a new housing unit in Baghdad, suggesting the flats might be subsidized by the authorities. Journalists will also be able to pay in installments and get loans at 2 percent interest per year, compared with the central bank of Iraq's key policy rate of 6 percent. In the provinces, journalists will be able to get a free 200 square meter plot of land, said Iqabi. Many journalists in Baghdad will be eligible to apply for both a flat and a free plot of land, Iqabi said. Journalists who intend to apply for the scheme, including some of Reuters' editorial staff in Iraq, argue that it is their right as a citizen to get a share of their country's wealth and that they would feel no obligation to the government in return. Similar schemes are available for journalists, engineers and lawyers, for instance, in many places in the Middle East where economies are run on semi-socialist platforms. However, media rights group The Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory sees the scheme as an attempt to buy silence. "A dictatorial mindset is coming back," the Observatory's head, Ziad al-Ajili, said. Hiwa Othman, an independent journalist and former media advisor to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, said the failure of the last parliament to pass a law regulating the media industry had led to ambiguity about the independence of the media. "The relationship between government and journalists is unhealthy. Journalists are viewed as either enemy or friend," he said. "Journalists must not accept these gifts. If they do, then their credibility is suspect." 'CARAVAN OF MARTYRS' The union and the CMC see it differently. Iqabi said the bonuses -- only available to journalists who registered in 2007 -- simply recognized the fact "a caravan of martyrs" had sacrificed their lives for journalism in the years of sectarian war and insurgency triggered after the invasion. Iraq for years was the most dangerous country for journalists. Salim Mashkour, of the CMC board of trustees, said the government believed it had a duty to help journalists maintain their living standards so they could focus on their work. "The aim is not to make those who are granted a piece of land offer up praise or turn their eyes away from negative points," Mashkour, a former television presenter, said. "No democracy can be established without a media that offers constructive criticism." It is not just journalists in Iraq proper who face efforts by the authorities to rein in their freedoms, activists say. In semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Shwan Mohammed, editor-in-chief of the Awena newspaper, has confronted such an onslaught of lawsuits he and his co-workers spend at least 10 days of every month in court, he said. Claims for $420,000 in damages for stories that criticized the authorities or wrote of corruption could close down Awena, which means "Mirror" in Kurdish, he said. "The purpose behind these cases is to hinder the journalistic work in Kurdistan. They want to muzzle us and contain us," said Mohammed. Activists say at least 60 suits have been brought against publications in Iraqi Kurdistan in the past few months. (Additional reporting by Shamal Aqrawi in Arbil; Writing by Khalid al-Ansary; Editing by Michael Christie and Samia Nakhoul) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110126/wl_nm/us_iraq_journalism_1

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press – 34 mins ago BAGHDAD – Iraq and Kuwait pledged Wednesday to work toward resolving border disputes and debt issues as the two former enemies seek to repair relations damaged by Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of the oil-rich emirate. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and the Kuwaiti ambassador made the remarks at a flag-raising ceremony at the new Kuwaiti Embassy in Baghdad — the latest in a series of gestures between the former enemies as they struggle to repair relations after decades of bad blood. "A strong political will is needed to solve these issues," Zebari told reporters as Kuwaiti security guards hoisted the black, white, green and red Kuwaiti flag up a pole outside the embassy building, which is still under construction. "We are confident and optimistic that all these topics can be resolved." Asked whether such a political will exists in Kuwait, Ambassador Ali Mohammed al-Moumin said: "In short, the answer is yes. But we need more meetings and discussions." Neither Zebari nor al-Moumin would give a timeline or discuss the mechanism to solve the pending issues. Iraq's mainly Sunni neighbors have sought since late 2007 to restore ties damaged by Saddam's rule and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion as the security situation in Iraq has improved. Washington also has pressed for Arab countries to play a bigger political role in Iraq, partly to counter Iranian influence and to promote reconciliation between Iraq's minority Sunni community and majority Shiites. Kuwait sent its ambassador to Baghdad in late 2008, but the embassy staff has been housed in temporary quarters in the heavily guarded Green Zone. Kuwait's prime minister also visited Baghdad earlier this month in the first visit by a Kuwaiti prime minister since the 1991 Gulf War, which ousted Saddam's forces. And a consortium led state-run by Kuwait Energy won the right to develop the 1.1 trillion cubic feet Siba gas field during a bidding round in December. Iraq has seen a steady stream of visitors from the region ever since Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet was formed in December after months of negotiations, including delegations from Egypt, Jordan and Iran. But relations between Kuwait and Iraq are still tense. The U.N. decided Iraq should pay more than $52 billion in compensation for individuals, companies and organizations that incurred losses in the Gulf War. Iraq has paid $28 billion from oil revenues, but still owes Kuwait about $24 billion. Kuwait's national airline, Kuwait Airways, also wants about $1.5 billion in reparations from Iraqi Airways for the alleged theft of 10 airplanes and millions of dollars worth of spare parts during the invasion. Iraq is seeking cancellation of the debt, but Kuwait has resisted pressure from Baghdad and Washington. Iraqi fishermen also killed a Kuwaiti coast guard officer during a shootout earlier this month in one of the more serious incidents between the two countries in years. Kuwait briefly detained some Iraqi fishermen. Iraqi fishermen complain of harassment by Kuwaitis who maintain that the fishermen do not respect their boundaries. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_kuwait

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By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press David Stringer, Associated Press – 28 mins ago LONDON – Former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered an emotional apology for the deaths of soldiers and civilians in Iraq, as he testified Friday to Britain's inquiry into the war. The 57-year-old Blair, making a second appearance before the panel to clarify evidence he gave to the same panel a year ago, also urged Western leaders to confront a growing threat posed by Iran. Addressing the five-member panel scrutinizing Britain's role in the unpopular war, Blair acknowledged that in phone calls and messages in 2002 — months before Parliament approved Britain's role in the conflict — he reassured U.S. President George W. Bush and told him: "You can count on us." Alongside his evidence, the inquiry published a previously unseen 2002 memo from Blair to his chief of staff, in which the leader called for a "gung-ho" approach toward Saddam Hussein's regime. Critics of the war hope the inquiry will conclude Blair had been determined to back the U.S. invasion, whether or not it was supported by the public, Parliament or legal opinion. Following his initial hearing, Blair was sharply criticized for suggesting he had no regrets over the decision to join the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. "That was taken as my meaning that I had no regrets about the loss of life," Blair said Friday, his voice faltering with apparent emotion. "I want to make it clear that of course I regret deeply and profoundly the loss of life, whether from our own armed forces, those of other nations, the civilians who helped people in Iraq or the Iraqis themselves," he said. Some bereaved relatives heckled the former prime minister as he expressed his remorse. Members of the audience shouted: "Too late, too late," while two women turned their backs on Blair, and then walked out. An official brought tissues into the hearing for another woman who burst into tears. "Your lies killed my son, I hope you can live with yourself," Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon Gentle was killed while serving in Basra, southern Iraq, in 2006, shouted as Blair completed about four hours of testimony. "You're a disgrace to your office and our country," Reg Keys, whose son was killed in 2003, shouted as Blair left. A note prepared by a senior adviser in December 2001 — and published Friday — warned Blair that the legal case for military action would be "threadbare." In the newly published March 2002 memo to his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, Blair — aware that the United States was pushing the case for regime change — said Britain "should be gung-ho on Saddam." But he acknowledged it would be difficult to convince skeptics, and said that Iraq's weapons program — later to become a key justification for military action — didn't "seem obviously worse than 3 years ago." "The persuasion job on this seems very tough. My own side are worried. Public opinion is fragile. International opinion — as I found at the EU — is pretty skeptical," Blair wrote. "People believe we are only doing it to support the U.S., and they are only doing it to settle an old score," he wrote. Blair's administration has been repeatedly criticized for allegedly overstating the case for war. In his note, the ex-leader told Powell "we have to reorder our story and message," in order to sway opinion. Under questioning, Blair angrily denied the decision to invade Iraq had emboldened neighboring Iran, or encouraged Tehran to press ahead with its attempts to develop nuclear weapons. "This is a looming and coming challenge," Blair said, calling for decisive action on Iran. "It is negative, it is destabilizing, it is supportive of terrorist groups. It is doing everything it can to impede progress in the Middle East." Britain's inquiry won't apportion blame, or establish criminal or civil liability. Its recommendations, expected by the end of year, will focus instead on how better to handle situations like the tense run-up to the war and the bloody attempt at nation-building that followed. Earlier this week, British authorities refused to publish notes — seen by the panel — detailing discussions between Blair and Bush. Blair insisted the decision had been made because leaders "have to be able to communicate in confidence," rather than to hide evidence of any pact. "I was telling Bush, you can count on us, we're going to be with you in tackling this, but here are the difficulties," Blair said. Blair largely deflected questions over apparent inconsistencies in his earlier evidence. He stood by claims that France scuppered prospects for a U.N. Security Council resolution specifically authorizing the war — evidence which other officials have questioned. The ex-leader also insisted he was sincere in the belief that Iraq had been harboring weapons of mass destruction. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_iraq_inquiry

By LARA JAKES, Associated Press Lara Jakes, Associated Press – 48 mins ago BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber killed 52 people among a crowd of police recruits in Saddam Hussein's hometown Tuesday, shattering a two-month lull in major attacks and spurring calls to keep the U.S. military in Iraq beyond 2011. It was the second time in three days that efforts to bolster Iraqi police and army soldiers have backfired. The violence underscores persistent gaps in the security forces' ability to protect the country, despite seven years and $22 billion in training and equipment provided by the U.S. In an all-too-familiar scene, the suicide bomber joined hundreds of recruits waiting outside a police station in Tikrit to submit applications for 2,000 newly created jobs — a plum, if risky, opportunity in a country with an unemployment rate as high as 30 percent. At about 10 a.m., the bomber detonated his explosives-packed vest. The blast left blood, flesh and clothing sprayed across the dirt ground. A nearby car was peppered with shrapnel. In addition to the 52 dead, 150 people were wounded, authorities said. "I saw wounded people running in my direction calling for help and asking me to take them to the hospital immediately," said taxi driver Abdul-Hamid Mikhlaf. "I saw several bodies on the ground as the policemen started to shoot in the air." Loudspeakers from the city's mosques implored people to donate blood for the wounded. A grenade that had not exploded was found near the scene. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed the strike on terrorists who he said have continued their history of "shedding the blood of innocent people and targeting young brave who came to serve their country and defend its security and stability." "The frequency of these heinous crimes with the same style indicate a blemish on, or clear negligence by the responsible authorities," al-Maliki said. "We will follow up the matter with all seriousness in order to determine negligence ... and the cause of the occurrence of this painful tragedy." Questions immediately arose over what measures security forces had taken to prevent yet another such attack. One recruit said the job applicants were frisked before they entered the station's yard. "We were waiting in the line to enter the police station yard after being searched when a powerful explosion threw me to the ground," said Quteiba Muhsin, whose legs were fractured in the blast. "I saw the dead bodies of two friends who were in the line. "I am still in shock." A statement posted on a militant website by the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, praised the bombing as a "suicide martyrdom" but stopped short of claiming responsibility. Tikrit, located 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, is the capital of Sunni-dominated Salahuddin province, and the city sheltered some of al-Qaida's most fervent supporters after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam. Local politicians blamed al-Qaida. "This is evidence that the entire Iraqi nation is being targeted. It is a clear failure by the security forces, and I expect there will be more attacks," said Falah al-Naqaeeb, a lawmaker from Salahuddin who has been nominated by the Sunni-dominated Iraqiya political coalition to be Iraq's next defense minister. Al-Naqaeeb said attacks likely will spike if U.S. forces leave Iraq at the end of the year. "The Iraqi security forces need the expertise from the Americans," he said. "They shouldn't be in a hurry with the withdrawal. And the Iraqi government should reconsider the withdrawal date because our forces are not yet ready." The Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline is part of a security agreement between Baghdad and Washington from which neither side has budged so far. Moreover, an attack by an Iraqi army soldier that killed two U.S. troops Saturday during a training drill in the northern city of Mosul casts further doubt that the military would be willing to stay. A senior U.S. Embassy official this week maintained that the year-end deadline will stand until the Iraqi government explicitly asks for it to be extended. If a request is made, President Barack Obama would have to approve it amid a hostile American political climate as he eyes re-election in 2012. "There is no discussion right now on that issue, because there is no request," the Embassy official told reporters in a briefing where he agreed to talk on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic issues more candidly. Douglas Ollivant, who oversaw Iraq issues at the National Security Council in 2008-09 after two U.S. Army tours here, said it's still too soon to judge the ability of Iraqi forces. "Objectively speaking, can we help them more if we stay longer? Obviously, yes," said Ollivant, now a contract adviser to NATO forces in Afghanistan. "But they have to make their own decisions." The performance of Iraqi forces has varied wildly throughout their training. The army is generally seen as competent, while police forces are uneven depending largely on their location, funding and support. Meanwhile, local militias such as the Sunni-run Sons of Iraq and the Kurdish peshmerga were given little equipment and training until they recently began to be integrated into police and army ranks. Insurgents have long found recruitment centers a favorite target, taking advantage of lax security measures just outside protective barriers at police and army stations and the confusion caused by desperate jobseekers scrambling for work. A similar strike on an Iraqi recruitment center and army headquarters in central Baghdad last August left 61 dead and 125 wounded. Two weeks later, militants attacked the same building again, detonating a car bomb and trying to shoot their way in, killing eight and wounding 29. Tuesday's bombing followed a two-month lull that saw mostly small-scale bombings and shootings across Iraq instead of spectacular violence. It was the deadliest attack since Nov. 2, when rapid-fire bombings and mortar strikes killed 76 people and wounded more than 200 in at least 13 Baghdad neighborhoods in a demonstration of insurgents' ability to carry out coordinated strikes from one side of the capital to the other. ___ Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Saad Abdul-Kadir in Baghdad and Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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NAJAF, Iraq | Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:55am EST NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Followers of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets on Friday after prayers to condemn a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and demand U.S. forces leave the country. Around 2,000 supporters of the fiery anti-American cleric demonstrated in the town of Kufa, chanting anti-U.S. slogans a day after Biden paid his first visit to Iraq since Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was reappointed. "In our protest, we demand that visits like Biden's to Iraq should not be repeated and that the occupier leaves," said Mohammed Abbas, 25, a day laborer. Sadr's movement has won a powerful place in Maliki's new government, with seven ministries. His clout will make it difficult for Maliki to contemplate an extension of the U.S. military presence beyond the end of the year, when the U.S. forces that ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003 must withdraw under the terms of a security pact. Biden visited Iraq on Thursday for talks with Iraqi officials, his seventh visit since January 2009. Iraqi officials said he and Maliki did not discuss keeping any U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline. Sadr, whose militia fought fierce battles with U.S. troops after the invasion and was blamed for much of the sectarian bloodshed that gripped Iraq, returned home last week from years of self-imposed exile in Iran. In his first public speech in the holy city of Najaf last Saturday, he urged his supporters to denounce the U.S. presence and demand the government of which his movement is a part live up to a promise to make the U.S. military withdraw on time. "We have responded to Sayyed Sadr's call and demonstrated against the United States, the occupation, and the unwelcome visit of the U.S. vice president to Iraq," said Ali Saad, 35, also a day laborer. The number of U.S. troops in Iraq fell below 50,000 last August when the U.S. military switched its role to advising and assisting its Iraqi counterparts, rather than leading the fight against a weakened but still lethal insurgency. Sadr attended Friday prayers in Kufa, site of a revered Shi'ite mosque, but did not deliver a sermon. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani paid Sadr a visit on Friday. (Reporting by Khaled Farhan; Writing by Khalid al-Ansary; Editing by Michael Christie and Tim Pearce) http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70636V20110114