Current News in Context
April 29, 2005
One day after the approval of a new Iraq Government, devastating violence shakes the country. Several key posts, including the oil and defense have yet to be appointed. Juan Cole offers insights and details on the process. The lack of security has become so widespread that only unique events are reported. The chart below will give you a sense of the violence that Iraqis are now living with. The earth-shaking, window-shattering car bombs kill indiscriminately and terrorize Iraqis. At the bottom of this message is a link to the newsletter action step sent out yesterday.
41 Killed in Bomb Attacks
Thomas Wagner writing for the AP describes a horrific day of bombings one day after the approval of a new Iraqi Government. There have been at least 11 car bombs exploded in and around Baghdad. The Azamiyah section of Baghdad suffered four car bombs in rapid succession. The first one hit an Iraqi army patrol, the second a police patrol and the third and fourth at separate barricades near the headquarters of the police special forces unit killing at least 20 Iraqis.
Today's attacks may push the number of recorded deaths of Iraqi civilians and security forces to over 500 for the month of April: it stands at 491.
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New Government Approved - Juan Cole 29 April 2005
The new Iraqi government was approved by parliament on Thursday, by 180 of 185 MPs in attendance. About a third of parliamentarians did not show up for the vote. These probably included the 39 remaining members of Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya List, which was not awarded any cabinet posts. The Sunni Arabs weren't happy, either, though they only have 17 seats anyway.
Ghazi al-Yawir, now a vice president, termed the cabinet "disappointing" and complained about its sectarian character. Tariq al-Hashimi of the Iraqi Islamic Party complained that the new cabinet did not represent Iraq and would not bring national reconciliation. (- Ash-Sharq al-Awsat). He said that none of the persons suggested for cabinet posts by the IIP had been chosen, and blasted the current cabinet line-up as "racist."
It turns out that the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) did get the Interior Ministry (domestic intelligence) in the new government. The new minister is Bayan Sulagh, whose nom de guerre is Bayan Jabr [not Jubur as CNN gave it].
Jabr barely escaped being assassinated on Wednesday. Knight Ridder wrote,
"Another attack on an Iraqi lawmaker was foiled Wednesday, authorities said. Bayan Jabr, said to be al Jaafari's top choice for interior minister, survived the attack on his home in the Shiite enclave of Kadhemiya. Jabr is a member of the Badr Brigade, the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq - the dominant member of the Shiite alliance. A car tried to overrun the heavy security outside Jabr's home after sunset Wednesday, but guards shot at the driver and stopped the attack, said Hadi al Ameri, the commander of the Badr Brigade. Jabr was unharmed and the suspect was detained and turned over to police, he added."
Jabr is originally Turkmen. He headed the Syrian and Lebanese offices of SCIRI in exile and served as its Political and Arab Affairs chief. It is possibly significant that Interior went to a political operative of SCIRI rather than to the paramilitary Badr Corps, which had been angling for the ministry itself. The Badr Corps fighters were trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards."
AFSC ACTION STEP:
Oppose torture and support compensation for civilian casualties of war. We have talking points for your call and more background.
Call Congress Today About the Iraq War Funding
*****
Helen Thomas has a story of the Pentagon Report regarding torture and death in detention.
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