Archive for February 5th, 2008
This is the new Iraqi flag
Two Sistani Representatives Kidnapped in Basra
Aswat al-Iraq reports (via the Shi’a news network al-Tariq ila Karbala) that two Sistani representatives were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Basra. Their kidnappers have demanded $100, 000 for their release. British troops withdrew from Basra in September 2007.
Al-Quds al-Arabi: US Military kills 20 Iraqi civilians in airsrike, 17 from the same family
Al-Quds al-Arabi reports on a “new massacre” committed by American forces on Iraqi civilians. Sources indicate that American airstrikes on the city of al-Mada’in, near Baghdad, killed 20 civilians — 17 were members of the ‘Abd al-Salim family. After the airstrikes, 50 Iraqis were arrested. I could not find this story in any English-language news source.
Furthermore, the US military announced that it accidentally killed nine Iraqi civilians south of Baghdad in Iskandiriya. The official statement said that the civilians were killed while US forces were targeting followers of al-Qaida in an airstrike. Unlike the story above, this was covered by a few English-language outlets, including CBS.
