Israeli troops detain reporters, doctor: "Israeli troops in the West Bank detained three British Broadcasting Corp. journalists and a Palestinian doctor at gunpoint for three hours Thursday before releasing them, BBC officials and the doctor said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Angry Palestinians lash out at Arafat: "Dozens of homeless Palestinians led by gunmen occupied a government office in this Gaza refugee camp Thursday, forcing officials to leave and lashing out at the Palestinian Authority."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Najaf is one of Shiite's holiest cities: "The gold-domed mosque of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib - named after the slain cousin and son-in-law of Islam's prophet Muhammad - has been revered by the world's 120 million Shiite Muslims as a place of pilgrimage for centuries."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Pandora's mosque: "While U.S. forces may have received "permission" to strike the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf from Iraqi authorities, any such action is likely to provoke widespread outrage throughout the Shi'ite community. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of neighboring Iran, said in an address on Iranian state television, "The United States is slaughtering the people of one of the holiest Islamic cities, and the Muslim world and the Iraqi nation will not stand by.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
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U.S. Marines Seize Center of Najaf, Oil Hits Record: "U.S. marines backed by tanks andaircraft seized the heart of the holy Iraqi city of Najaf onThursday in a major assault on Shi'ite rebels that drove worldoil prices to record highs. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Pentagon faults Halliburton for Iraq accounting: "An internal Pentagon audit has faulted US oil services group Halliburton for failing to account for some of the 4.2 billion dollars it has been awarded for logistical contracts in Iraq and Kuwait. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Cemetery Fight Haunts Some U.S. Soldiers: "NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 10 -- Bats flapped out of crypts, startling soldiers creeping through the cemetery with guns up. Graves opened beneath their combat boots. And an old enemy displayed a new professionalism, darting in clearly practiced moves between tombstone and mausoleum to stalk the Americans from above ground and below. (washingtonpost.com)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
UN Prolongs Iraq Mission Stymied by Unrest: "The U.N. Security Council votedunanimously on Thursday to extend for a second year a U.N.mission in Iraq that has so far failed to get off the grounddue to a lack of security. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Cheney criticizes Kerry's call for 'more sensitive' war in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror
National conference now set to begin Sunday in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror
Storms approach...Allawi appeal...No time to be sensitive? in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror
U-S helicopter crashes in Aghanistan in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror
U.N. Extends Mission in Iraq for a Year: "
The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday extending the U.N. mission in Iraq for a year, but how significant a role the world body can play remains in question because of continuing insecurity in the country."
The resolution adopted by the 15 council members reaffirms "that the United Nations should play a leading role in assisting the Iraqi people and government in the formation of institutions for representative government."
In Command Post: Irak
Sadr Not Home: "
Breaking, no links yet.
U.S. and Iraqi troops have stormed Al Sadr's home, but the cleric was nowhere to be found.
More as we get it.
Update: ABC has a short bit on the news:
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces stormed the home of rebel Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the holy city of Najaf on Thursday, witnesses said."
They said servicemen went into the house in the center of the city after warplanes bombed nearby targets and battled militiamen loyal to Sadr.The cleric was thought to be at Imam Ali shrine, about one mile away.
In Command Post: Irak
Najaf Official Resigns: "
The deputy governor of Najaf has resigned in protest against the US offensive on the city even as a series of explosions rocked Najaf as fighting between US marines and Al-Mahdi fighters entered a second week.
"I resign from my post denouncing all the US terrorist operations that they are doing against this holy city," Jawdat Kadam Najim al-Kuraishi, deputy governor of Najaf, said on Thursday.
Read more?
"In Command Post: Irak
Iraqi National Conference Set for Sunday: "
Iraq's delayed national conference to select an interim national assembly will convene Sunday, Minister of State Qassim Dawoud announced Thursday."The conference, considered a crucial step in the country's move toward democracy, was to have been held in late July, but was delayed to allow more time for preparations - a postponement encouraged by the United Nations.
Key political groups had said last month that they would boycott the conference, some areas of the country complained they hadn't been given enough time to agree on delegates, and officials expressed worries the gathering would be a target for terror attacks.
U.N. officials hoped to persuade resistant factions to attend, but it wasn't immediately clear if they had changed any minds.
In Command Post: Irak
Allawi Calls on Militants to Leave Najaf Shrine: "
Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called Thursday on the Shiite militants fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf to put down their weapons and leave the Imam Ali shrine where they have sought refuge."
Allawi's appeal, made in a statement read by Iraqi officials, came as U.S. and Iraqi forces began a major operation in Najaf intended to defeat the militants.The militants have been holed up in the shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, during the fighting and the U.S. military accused them of launching attacks from the shrine compound.
"These places have never been exposed to such violations in the past," he said, adding that the violence has killed many innocent people.
"Our government calls upon all the armed groups to drop their weapons and return to society," Allawi said. "We also call upon all the armed men to evacuate the holy shrine and not to violate its holiness."
In Command Post: Irak
IRAQ: AI criticises reinstatement of death penalty: "ANKARA, 12 Aug 2004 (IRIN) - Amnesty International (AI) has criticised the Iraqi government's recent decision to reinstate the death penalty, saying it will do nothing to restore security in the country."
In IRIN: Iraq Crisis
IRAQ: Medical supplies delivered to Najaf as fighting continues: "BAGHDAD, 12 Aug 2004 (IRIN) - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials had delivered three mt of medical supplies to the besieged southern Iraqi city of Najaf as US troops launched a comprehensive assault on Mehdi army fighters resisting them on Thursday."
In IRIN: Iraq Crisis
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Palestinians occupy gov't office in Gaza: "Dozens of Palestinians, some of them armed, occupied local government offices in a Gaza refugee camp Thursday, demanding assistance after a series of home demolitions by the Israeli army."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Rumsfeld: Iraq Security Forces Expanding: "Iraqi security forces should grow by 50,000 trained and equipped personnel during the next three or four months, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said as he acknowledged the forces so far have had a mixed record on the battlefield. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
