tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59557272012-02-05T00:43:34.702-06:00Daily news and comments on the situation in post Saddam Iraq by an Iraqi dentist currently living in TexasZeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.comBlogger5091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-76213584335686869402012-01-30T09:35:00.002-06:002012-01-30T09:40:57.117-06:00

From this morning #HsbcEgyptians seem to have learned a thing or two from Iraqis

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-80337457903881939782012-01-24T07:46:00.003-06:002012-01-24T07:50:10.275-06:00

Recent photo of Saif al-Islam Qadhafi dining with Zintan revolutionaries

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-87746758102684204422012-01-21T17:52:00.001-06:002012-01-21T17:56:15.805-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-69052975932862309282012-01-16T13:58:00.002-06:002012-01-16T14:03:49.205-06:00

Corruption in Iraq: 'Your son is being tortured. He will die if you don't pay'

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-14798646272882012522011-12-21T08:58:00.000-06:002011-12-21T08:59:21.922-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com224tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-65127412612166609292011-12-03T16:40:00.000-06:002011-12-03T16:41:09.687-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com140tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-56185859815093601072011-09-28T22:43:00.000-05:002011-09-28T22:44:28.393-05:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com536tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-10574328844047704622011-06-21T18:24:00.001-05:002011-06-21T18:29:15.714-05:00

Kurdish atheist activist Husayn Khudhri before his execution in Iran for charges of apostasy and opposition to the Iranian regime

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1526tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-40689360952028899442011-05-04T17:31:00.000-05:002011-05-04T17:32:36.512-05:00

The assassins strike quietly, often just after dark, as Iraq’s political and military leaders speed home surrounded by armed guards.The dead in April alone included generals, police commanders, a deputy minister and the head of Iraq’s tax agency. The wounded included a member of parliament, a judge and the head of the national theater, survivors of attacks on their motorcades.Among 50 targeted

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com370tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-13638056387486015732011-04-20T17:35:00.001-05:002011-04-20T17:37:22.398-05:00

Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain's involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair's cabinet and was voted through only after his claims that

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-88857329128233505792011-03-13T17:02:00.000-05:002011-03-13T17:04:57.463-05:00

RIP Abu Na3al

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1378tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-49951619091538671302011-03-11T22:31:00.000-06:002011-03-11T22:32:33.274-06:00

Hundreds of Iraqi protesters demanded jobs and better basic services on Friday, in the latest challenge to the government as a wave of popular uprisings sweeps across the Arab world.Some 500 protesters turned up in Baghdad's Tahrir Square and about as many in the city of Fallujah west of the capital.Iraq's government has been shaken by a string of rallies across the country since the beginning of

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-84023919520940081172011-03-04T17:18:00.001-06:002011-03-04T17:21:06.563-06:00

Stifled by tight security but met with far less bloodshed than the week before, thousands of people swarmed to protests across Iraq on Friday to call for better public services and more accountable politicians.The demonstrations went ahead despite curfews and bans on vehicle movement in major cities such as Baghdad and Basra. However, the gatherings were smaller than similar rallies the previous

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com258tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-23468764686800399132011-02-26T20:14:00.002-06:002011-02-26T20:18:46.834-06:00

Iraqi security forces detained about 300 people, including prominent journalists, artists and lawyers who took part in nationwide demonstrations Friday, in what some of them described as an operation to intimidate Baghdad intellectuals who hold sway over popular opinion.On Saturday, four journalists who had been released described being rounded up well after they had left a protest of thousands

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com151tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-56661031016603786802011-02-26T14:46:00.002-06:002011-02-26T19:05:55.493-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-45856493742989584292011-02-25T11:06:00.007-06:002011-02-25T19:31:07.125-06:00

Updates and videos here on Facebook (links in Arabic)On Twitter #Iraq, #iq4c and #Feb25On Youtube here and hereUpdates from the Voices of Iraq news agency:- The final count of casualties resulting from Friday’s demonstrations in Mosul city is five deaths and 15 wounded, according to a local security source in Ninewa.- Thirty-nine policemen were wounded in protests in Basra on Friday as security

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-91179640015483499772011-02-25T10:57:00.003-06:002011-02-25T16:26:46.081-06:00

Iraqi's constitution guarantees the right of peaceful demonstration and freedom of assembly so why is Maliki acting like neighboring despots and ordering security forces to fire upon protesters? Why is he detaining journalists? Iraqi officials say at least 11 people have been killed and dozens injured in a day of violent clashes across the country between security forces and demonstrators.At

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-33768932176497898572011-02-24T10:59:00.003-06:002011-02-24T11:01:46.873-06:00

Maliki's scare tactics won't work with Iraqis anymore and only serve to undermine his credibility. Iraqis are fed up with cronyism, corruption and graft: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

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com98tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-27698529903800080412011-02-23T23:06:00.003-06:002011-02-23T23:16:19.777-06:00

Typical reaction from the clerical establishment which wants to see Iraq's Shia remain under its thumb in order to keep their coffers full. These anti-corruption protests sweeping the country from Sulaimaniya to Basrah are a huge threat to those who are impeding progress in the 'democratic' Iraq. Now is the time for Iraqis to come together and demand some action from the bickering politicians

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-14130135731915581312011-02-23T16:21:00.004-06:002011-02-23T20:41:27.979-06:00

Meanwhile at Sulaimaniya's Tahrir Square in Iraqi Kurdistan(via Baghdad Facebook page)

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-23669173503330186162011-02-22T19:51:00.001-06:002011-02-22T19:51:54.518-06:00

Around 4,000 demonstrators crowded a square in the centre of the Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah on Tuesday, the latest protest against the dominance of two major parties in the Kurdish region.Iraqi officials have tried to head off nationwide rallies by cutting the pay of ministers and MPs, hiking funds to buy food for the needy and delaying implementation of new import tariffs that would raise prices

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-69434666574611946962011-02-21T12:33:00.001-06:002011-02-21T12:34:37.799-06:00

Iraq scrambled to head off further protests on Monday by cutting politicians' pay and ramping up support for the needy after a teenage demonstrator was killed at a rally in the country's north.Protests in recent weeks have taken place nationwide, in Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurd areas, railing against corruption, high levels of unemployment and poor provision of basic services such as clean water

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-90036837901434041092011-02-21T00:43:00.003-06:002011-02-21T21:52:10.865-06:00

Updates on the protests here and here. On Facebook here and videos on Youtube.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-61785292653775396972011-02-20T11:32:00.000-06:002011-02-20T11:33:01.203-06:00

Iraq's parliament gave final approval on Sunday to an $82.6 billion budget for 2011 based on an average oil price of $76.50 per barrel and 2.2 million barrels per day in crude exports.The deficit was projected at $13.4 billion, although Iraqi officials have said the shortfall would be eliminated if world oil prices remain at current levels. About 95 percent of Iraq's government budget comes from

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-37236133518351830452011-02-20T11:26:00.000-06:002011-02-20T11:27:21.872-06:00

Gunmen burst into a Kurdish television station in northern Iraq on Sunday, shooting up the equipment and setting fire to the building, apparently in retaliation for footage they aired earlier in the week of a deadly protest, station officials said.Later Sunday, about 2,000 demonstrators took to the streets of this Kurdish city, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, for a fourth

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-25474673155987218582011-02-18T19:38:00.001-06:002011-02-18T19:39:47.320-06:00

Iraqi protesters stepped up their challenges to provincial leaderships throughout the nation on Friday, with more than 1000 demanding that the governor of Basra step down and looters attacking a Kurdish political party headquarters in Sulaymaniyah.The vandalism in Kurdistan followed violent clashes between government forces and protesters on Thursday in which at least two people were killed.More

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-38260728242293279682011-02-17T11:36:00.000-06:002011-02-17T11:37:31.562-06:00

Mahmood has insight on the protests in Bahrain

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-90712690122768246142011-02-17T10:18:00.002-06:002011-02-17T10:27:19.655-06:00

Unrest continued to spread in Iraq on Thursday, with new protests erupting in several cities and reports from law enforcement officials that private security guards in Kurdistan killed five people who tried to storm the political offices of the region’s leader.It was the second time in two days that rock-throwing protesters were killed, though the shooting Wednesday in Kut was by government

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-34584000926650057122011-02-17T10:05:00.001-06:002011-02-17T10:06:30.273-06:00

I'm offering advertising space on the blog sidebar under sponsors. If you're interested, contact me for details.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-18577325924091623252011-02-15T15:03:00.001-06:002011-02-15T15:05:58.535-06:00

More (via Iraqi Streets 4 Change)

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-3470012585446607062011-02-12T23:31:00.003-06:002011-02-13T16:57:05.538-06:00

Multiple groups are springing up on Facebook calling for protests to demand reforms, among them No to Silence, Baghdad Won't Be Kandahar, the Blue Revolution and one simply called Join US Soon for the Biggest Ever Youth Sit-In in Baghdad, which initiated the small protest Friday in Tahrir Square.Another is planned for Monday, but the biggest buzz is building around what has been billed on various

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-90950115299843028732011-02-11T11:12:00.000-06:002011-02-11T11:13:13.998-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-61315981575556559432011-02-10T12:53:00.000-06:002011-02-10T12:55:51.780-06:00

BAGHDAD — Hundreds of lawyers took to the streets across Iraq on Thursday to protest against widespread corruption and unemployment in demonstrations inspired by anti-government uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.The demonstrations in Baghdad, Karbala, Kut, Ramadi and Amara came a day after Iraq's anti-corruption chief said ministers frequently covered up graft in their departments.In the capital,

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-63655432241426457182011-02-08T23:20:00.001-06:002011-02-08T23:22:45.442-06:00

Gallup is out with a new national poll on Americans' views of the pro-democracy protests in Egypt. The results show that fear-mongering by some in the media about a post-Mubarak Egypt has apparently not taken hold, with huge majorities expressing sympathy for the protesters:Overall, are you sympathetic or unsympathetic to the protestors in Egypt who have called for a change in the government?Very

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com82tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-40187968949270509042011-02-08T15:49:00.002-06:002011-02-08T15:53:18.446-06:00

The government of Iraq is moving to address a wave of protests there. The largest were on Sunday in Baghdad, Basra, Ramadi and Mosul. Iraqis demanded better electricity and more jobs, as well as a crackdown on crime and corruption. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to increase monthly food rations. He also rejected any use of violence against the demonstrators.MoreIraqis have been protesting

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-2752088013265946252011-02-05T09:47:00.002-06:002011-02-05T09:50:37.674-06:00

Maliki is suddenly talking about 'change'. Odd.Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said he will not seek a third term in office when his mandate runs out in 2014, state media say. Mr Maliki returned for a second term after polls last year but endured nine months of wrangling before a unity government could be formed.He said he would back the insertion of a clause in the constitution bringing in

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-62587025650830717912011-01-31T03:24:00.002-06:002011-01-31T03:28:38.706-06:00

I don't know if Iraqis are watching the developments in Egypt. I'm cautiously optimistic myself, but I also can't help worry that the people's revolution will be stolen again.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com157tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-33459773193399921592011-01-24T11:56:00.004-06:002011-01-24T12:03:43.026-06:00

Does Maliki think he is Saddam's heir or something? Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has won a court ruling placing independent bodies like the central bank and the electoral agency under the cabinet, a centralization of power that critics are calling a "coup."Maliki's government made the request to the supreme court in December before he was reappointed later that month to a second term, and

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-91379430697599547952011-01-10T03:33:00.001-06:002011-01-10T03:36:03.926-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com131tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-4221468944189629602011-01-05T23:08:00.002-06:002011-01-05T23:12:49.948-06:00

More

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-55582928984970731272011-01-04T04:43:00.004-06:002011-01-04T18:24:53.305-06:00

July 25, 1990:IT WAS PROGRESS TO HAVE SADDAM ADMIT THAT THE USG HAS A "RESPONSIBILITY" IN THE REGION, AND HAS EVERY RIGHT TO EXPECT AN ANSWER WHEN WE ASK IRAQ'S INTENTIONS. HIS RESPONSE IN EFFECT THAT HE TRIED VARIOUS DIPLOMATIC/CHANNELS BEFORE RESORTING TO UNADULTERATED INTIMIDATION HAS AT LEAST THE VIRTUE OF FRANKNESS. HIS EMPHASIS THAT HE WANTS PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IS SURELY SINCERE (IRAQIS ARE

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-43952649124141770272011-01-03T18:08:00.004-06:002011-01-03T22:04:27.483-06:00

From the NYT blog (nice photos in link):Saddam Hussein’s regime, which was never kind to antiquities, cleared Kirkuk’s citadel of most of its inhabitants in the 1980’s and destroyed their homes as part of a reclamation project.Such projects have long been a focus of the American efforts to win hearts and minds and rebuild Iraq. The American military has spent $220,000 to spruce up the grounds at

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-59117740860340725512010-12-16T04:36:00.004-06:002010-12-19T17:38:46.763-06:00

Maliki claims Chevron raised the issue of cross-border oilfield development with Iran:The PM said he is currently in negotiations with Chevron to develop various oil fields, to include a cross-border oil field with Iran. The PM claimed that Chevron had told him that it had already raised the issue of a cross-border development with Tehran as well. ... The PM asked the CDA about the political

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-24028618981092932732010-12-15T16:25:00.004-06:002010-12-18T08:17:22.727-06:00

Twenty-seven bodies are recovered from the churning waters off tiny Christmas Island. Another 41 people are rescued and one person makes it to shore of an estimated 70 on the boat. Authorities believe the asylum-seekers are from Iraq and Iran.More (graphic video in link)I have always advised the Iraqis I know never to take this disastrous route. But for some Iraqis in desperate situations, the

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-35345045479915885992010-12-13T20:41:00.001-06:002010-12-13T20:43:41.700-06:00

Iraq's youngest photographer was born in the same year his country was invaded by the United States. But the young man known as the boy wonder refuses to take any pictures of the violence that surrounds him.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-70969173392023926002010-12-09T19:17:00.002-06:002010-12-09T19:21:41.506-06:00

Probably not a bad idea. Operation Iraqi Freedom 2012?

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-72095167320707781132010-12-07T23:15:00.002-06:002010-12-07T23:47:02.456-06:00

You think so?The Iraqi Ministry of Education has banned theatre and music classes in Baghdad's Fine Arts Institute, and ordered the removal of statues showcased at the entrance of the institute without explaining the move, but some of the students mull religious reasons as the real motive.“Prohibiting theatre and music in the institute for its so called “violation” of religion is only an

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-15944295657128464552010-11-28T16:15:00.002-06:002010-11-28T16:40:05.657-06:00

The Saudi monarch's views about the Iraqi situation and Iranian influence in the region from a conversation in a "secret" US diplomatic cable dated March 22, 2009:IRAQ13. (S) IN THE HANDS OF GOD AND IRAN: Brennan expressed the importance the U.S. attaches to achieving peace and stability in Iraq. The King replied that this was "in the hands of God," though he agreed that Iraq was vitally

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com153tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-5362765696245029612010-11-27T18:58:00.002-06:002010-11-27T19:02:38.849-06:00

Displaced Iraqis and refugees who returned are being forced to flee again. I'm glad my family has not decided to return. Iraq’s Troubles Drive Out Refugees Who Came BackNearly 100,000 refugees have returned since 2008, out of more than two million who left since the invasion, according to the Iraqi government and the United Nations high commissioner for refugees.But as they return, pulled by

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-20658810713543014782010-11-22T15:26:00.001-06:002010-11-22T15:28:47.349-06:00

From the Manchester Guardian in 1927:The present ruler at Bagdad is, in fact, in the main stream of Islamic endeavour — that is, towards Westernisation. It is the example of Turkey, in the political sense, which he seeks largely to follow.In the commercial sense, he is anxious to open up his country to the West by calling in the aid of modern science, whether in the agricultural sphere, in the

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-6084631638310373862010-11-15T05:19:00.003-06:002010-11-15T05:34:56.676-06:00

Foreign influence behind second term for Maliki, power-sharing dealI think the makers of this video from last May, when the election results came out, may have been a bit too optimistic about Maliki's end.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com79tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-38864861799747267632010-11-08T17:27:00.002-06:002010-11-08T17:38:22.203-06:00

Should Christians suck it up and stay in Iraq for the sake of a democracy they have no stake in or to please the local church authorities? Or should they seek protection as refugees in other countries? Laith has translations of witness accounts from last week's church attack.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com86tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-45536180136183276312010-10-22T16:41:00.008-05:002011-01-03T18:56:19.558-06:00

HereMore coverageData analysis and mapsSearch the files*A Grim Portrait of Civilian Deaths in IraqThe reports in the archive disclosed by WikiLeaks offer an incomplete, yet startlingly graphic portrait of one of the most contentious issues in the Iraq war — how many Iraqi civilians have been killed and by whom.The reports make it clear that most civilians, by far, were killed by other Iraqis. Two

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com152tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-68831475527704216342010-07-06T18:35:00.008-05:002010-07-06T19:31:16.592-05:00

Posters and banners of the "Hijab Correction Campaign" from the streets of Baghdad, some of which were placed near Iraqi security checkpoints with the Quranic verse: "And they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments." These were posted by an organization called the "Kadhimiyya Center of Civil Action". Their motto is "Decency. Dignity. Originality" and

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1794tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-45837931350641073912010-02-28T20:04:00.001-06:002010-02-28T20:05:57.605-06:00

Same old, same new. A senior Iraqi spy has accused the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, of handing out thousands of guns to tribal leaders in a bid to win votes. The claim was made by Iraqi National Intelligence Service former spokesman, Saad al-Alusi, a week before Iraq's general election, in which allegations of vote buying and exorbitant handouts have become widespread.Maliki, who faces a

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com4030tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-83110704370405600462010-01-09T20:14:00.001-06:002010-01-09T20:14:46.953-06:00

test

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1018tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-64848336088777362172009-09-15T19:41:00.001-05:002012-01-11T04:09:49.654-06:00

Muntadhar al-Zaidi

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-69542956686162247602009-09-02T18:24:00.001-05:002009-09-02T18:24:39.113-05:00

I have customized, high-detail maps of tribal groups and clans in Iraq and neighboring border areas for sale to researchers. There are several hundred different clans depicted on the map. Some lower quality previews here and here. Contact me for pricing and availability.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-16585874649118614712009-08-31T16:47:00.005-05:002009-08-31T16:55:27.409-05:00

Who are these people offering to sell millions of barrels of Iraqi crude oil online at discount prices? Who is behind them? Who is allowing them to continue to do this? من وراء هذه الجهات التي تبيع ملايين البراميل من النفط العراقي الخام على الانترنت بأسعار تعاونيه جدا؟

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-47931112831829553332009-08-23T13:41:00.000-05:002009-08-23T13:42:36.941-05:00

Meet the new Mohammed Sa'id al-Sahhaf

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-11492437158206660352009-08-06T19:15:00.005-05:002009-08-10T15:59:43.037-05:00

There is little to no coverage of this, but these eight young men were the security guards of the Zuwiyya branch of al-Rafidain Bank at the Jadiriya district of Baghdad. The small bank is located just across the river from the Green Zone and a few hundred yards away from the residences of Hakim, Adil Abdul Mahdi and Badr Brigade (now members of the Presidential Brigade) checkpoints.They were

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-58684817069558370522009-04-15T17:47:00.003-05:002009-04-15T17:57:02.306-05:00

Sorry for the unannounced absence. Will start posting again regularly once I'm finished with my dental board exams. In the meantime, as an alternative to the depressing developments in Iraq and the Middle East, you may be interested in cleaning out your ears with some classical and traditional Iraqi music from the old days: Iraqi Maqam المقام العراقي

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-4393625238139558352008-12-06T14:23:00.003-06:002008-12-08T20:38:38.134-06:00

"I'm not looking at whether they are guilty or innocent," said Air Force Maj. Jeff Ghiglieri, the president of the review board that convened in May. "We're trying to determine as best we can whether they will do bad things if we release them." Minutes later, the panel unanimously voted to detain Farkhan for another six months.This proceeding is what has amounted to due process for many of the

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-69654954644219655322008-10-27T10:56:00.003-05:002008-10-27T11:07:35.687-05:00

From Kitabat.com (article by Jalil Ibrahim al-Mandilawi):Three Iraqi contractors were bidding for a contract for the construction of a wall around a local municipal council. The first contractor proposed a bid of $1000 ($400 for construction materials, $400 for the laborers, and a profit of $200). The second contractor proposed $700 ($300 for materials, $300 for workers, and a profit of $100).

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-58699618791955976632008-10-20T13:16:00.001-05:002008-10-20T13:20:14.285-05:00

The Raad brothers, and tens of thousands of children like them in this poor walled-in Shiite Muslim district, have been shaped by war, honed by poverty. They are witnesses to sectarian violence, Shiite militias, angry sermons echoing through mosques, Humvees gurgling through streets and pictures of religious leaders and wanted men hovering on billboards. These children may not know grammar and

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-30958352015407168642008-10-19T15:22:00.001-05:002008-10-19T15:47:51.625-05:00

Aws is in New York.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-18453732774678412032008-10-15T14:04:00.002-05:002008-10-15T14:08:42.135-05:00

I wanted to share a funny email I received this morning (translated from Arabic):A financial expert was asked to explain in simple layman's terms the reasons behind the recent stock market crash. He thought for a while and said: “A man traveled to a far away village and offered its inhabitants to buy every single donkey they owned for $10. Many villagers rushed to sell him their donkeys. The

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-1971384003060802008-09-01T11:43:00.003-05:002008-09-01T12:14:52.571-05:00

I'm looking for a copy of Sharafnama by Sharaf-Khan Bitlisi (شرفنامه - تاريخ الدول و الامارات الكرديه - شرف خان البدليسي). If anyone has a scanned copy in Arabic or English or knows where it can be found, please let me know.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-90905181671774427512008-08-14T09:01:00.004-05:002008-08-14T10:18:42.968-05:00

AFP: Kurdish forces refuse to quit battlefield Iraq provinceI wonder whether Maliki would dare to pull off a Charge of Knights (or a Georgia) against the two separatist Kurdish gangs to restore control over stolen Iraqi territories. Kurdish politicians have long ceased to act as partners and their ugly face has been revealed to Iraqis with their empty threats to use force to annex Kirkuk and

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-68878243836662380552008-07-02T20:04:00.001-05:002008-07-02T20:07:17.241-05:00

More.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-20818482346180200032008-06-29T14:42:00.002-05:002008-06-29T14:49:08.308-05:00

Really, no one can deny the great progress that was made in Iraq over the last year. I mean, in 2007 Iraq was ranked as second failed state after Sudan, but in 2008 we are the fifth most failed state in the world, beating Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Chad, though we are still behind countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan:The height of the U.S. military surge in Iraq was

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-77505441044392630242008-06-29T14:27:00.004-05:002008-06-29T16:36:27.410-05:00

Five students were wounded when the bodyguards of Education Minister Khudhair al-Khuza'i (Da'wa) randomly opened fire at students inside the campus of the College of Education in the Saba' Abkar district north of Adhamiya last Thursday. The minister, who was visiting the campus to oversee the ministry board examinations, first claimed there was an assassination attempt by one of the students

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-42506697875328088672008-06-19T12:56:00.001-05:002008-06-19T13:00:48.566-05:00

BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-57318860542438139732008-06-07T16:08:00.002-05:002008-06-07T16:10:44.769-05:00

During the five years the United States has occupied Iraq, the Bush administration has created a new state with a number of notable features: A venal, dysfunctional government. A terrorist haven and training ground. A nation so violent and dangerous that 10 percent of the population has fled.Add to that a new hallmark: Nearly the most corrupt nation on Earth.Only two states out of 180, Somalia

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-57741861563015421002008-06-04T21:45:00.004-05:002008-06-05T12:24:39.826-05:00

America currently has 151,000 troops in Iraq and, even after projected withdrawals next month, troop levels will stand at more than 142,000 – 10 000 more than when the military "surge" began in January 2007. Under the terms of the new treaty, the Americans would retain the long-term use of more than 50 bases in Iraq. American negotiators are also demanding immunity from Iraqi law for US troops

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-42046575269262367232008-05-23T17:36:00.001-05:002008-05-23T17:39:35.107-05:00

Only 4 per cent of Iraqi refugees currently plan to return to their own country, while almost all have fled their homeland because of direct threats or general insecurity, according to a report out today from the United Nations refugee agency.The report found that 65 per cent of refugees who do not wish to return said that they were under direct threat in Iraq. Some 30 per cent do not want to

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-77546120130403166662008-05-17T19:37:00.001-05:002008-05-17T19:38:46.435-05:00

BlogIraq

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-25529335522919539532008-05-12T15:17:00.003-05:002008-05-12T15:23:54.403-05:00

US- and Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and thugs in uniform parade the bodies of their opponents on army Humvee vehicles (graphic content). A humvee military vehicle idles on a broad avenue as an Iraqi army soldier walks nonchalantly past without so much as a glance at the body slung across the bonnet. The dead man's trousers have been pulled down to his ankles, exposing white underwear below a

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-44160037039410830232008-04-29T13:00:00.004-05:002008-04-29T13:27:54.926-05:00

A massacre that you will not see on CNN, perpetrated by the US-backed "Iraqi security forces" or, more accurately, Badr/SIIC/ Da'wa gangs in uniform and out of uniform (many of the armed gangs in the video are dressed in civilian clothes). The scene is reminiscent of images from the south during the 1991 uprising against Saddam's regime, proving that not much has really changed except the roles

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-12217547743338577142008-04-21T13:04:00.004-05:002008-04-21T13:13:25.278-05:00

I have no way of verifying this story (Arabic link) but the al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported that twelve members of the official Iraqi delegation accompanying PM Maliki to Belgium have refused to return to Iraq with the delegation. The missing officials included a close advisor to Maliki, officials from the ministries of oil, finance and trade, and journalists. The Schengen visa allows its

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-78541222001834909162008-04-17T11:36:00.001-05:002008-04-17T11:40:05.323-05:00

Justifying the lack of any interference by British troops to stop political parties, militias and gangs from spreading unrest in the city, a former British commander said that his troops did not want to breach the “traditions” of Basra’s society. The government is using similar arguments. An official in the Supreme Security Committee of the province’s council has denied the existence of organized

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-79411691471028633522008-04-03T11:48:00.003-05:002008-04-03T18:04:41.557-05:00

Yesterday's hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations in the U.S. Senate featuring Nir Rosen, Yahia Said and Stephen Biddle.UPDATE:TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE ON IRAQBy William E. Odom, LT General, USA, Ret.2 April 2008Good morning Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. It is an honor to appear before you again. The last occasion was in January 2007, when

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-37974064185502212012008-03-26T16:15:00.003-05:002008-03-26T23:21:37.152-05:00

"This is not a battle against the Jaish al-Mahdi nor is it a proxy war between the United States and Iran," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said, using the Arabic term for the Mahdi Army. "It is the government of Iraq taking the necessary action to deal with criminals on the streets." (Link.)This would be amusing if it were not so tragic. The US military, knowingly or not, is fighting

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-16557348274556429262008-03-03T12:38:00.001-06:002008-03-03T12:40:04.279-06:00

Caption reads, "President Ahmadinejad makes historic visit to Iraq."

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-65569145568628008132008-02-23T12:37:00.001-06:002008-02-23T12:38:54.815-06:00

A good firsthand account by Nir Rosen about the Awakening groups in Dora.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-21282422842048135572008-02-16T15:22:00.002-06:002008-02-16T15:26:00.692-06:00

They were then told by Abu Mohammed to get a plane to Cambodia and take a bus to Vietnam. Though their money was fast dwindling, they did so. Somehow, still speaking only Arabic, they made their way from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. The plan was to get a ticket to Sweden by way of France (Bassim now thinks that this was a mistake and it would have been better to travel first to Lithuania,

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-20117379496196777632008-02-07T14:47:00.000-06:002008-02-07T14:57:19.390-06:00

Be sure to check out the latest Iraq report from the International Crisis Group on the background of Muqtada Al-Sadr's freeze on Mahdi Army activities and the dynamics of the Sadrist/Badrist conflict, also including a comprehensive roundup of the events that led to the Mahdi Army's expanded control over the capital and its current status and ambiguous relation with Iran. Since the report is

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-26943759546494040142008-01-31T11:00:00.000-06:002008-01-31T11:04:26.893-06:00

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-83180184188075356062007-12-23T15:39:00.000-06:002007-12-23T15:40:19.837-06:00

He tried to explain to me the changes that have taken place in Baghdad, he said that the situation is about 5% better than how it was when I was Iraq, he says "do you remember the men we used to see on motorbics who used to kidnap people and kill people? Alqa`ida men?" I said "sure", he goes "well, yeah, now they call themselevs the Awakening men of Adhamiya, they have removed Alqa`ida masks from

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-35863066151514857792007-12-16T13:49:00.000-06:002007-12-16T14:01:06.019-06:00

Ali Al-Moussawi, the Iraqi correspondent for the Alive in Baghdad video blog, was found killed at his home in Habibiya, just south of Sadr City, on December 14th, 2007. An Iraqi Army convoy had raided his street that night and neighbours heard shots fired. Al-Moussawi, 23, was found shot with 31 bullets to the head and the chest.

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-61845066547379082102007-12-15T23:19:00.000-06:002007-12-16T02:24:41.353-06:00

The video posted below provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at U.S. military dealings with some of the Sunni "Awakening" movements. It is purported to be a recording of a meeting between an Iraqi tribal leader, identified as "Sheikh Mahi," and Col. Stephen Lanza, commander of the 1st Cavalry's 5th Brigade Combat Team, responsible for the Rashid sector of southern Baghdad (includes the

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-40056122225054249132007-12-08T14:55:00.000-06:002007-12-08T14:58:54.837-06:00

"Immigrants, carrying no travel documents, who said they were from Iraq and had sailed from Lebanon, sit on the beach of Kato Zakros on the Greek island of Crete on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, the Silver Wave cargo ship is in the rear. Coast guard officers transported 193 illegal immigrants to shore Thursday after being spotted on the the Silver Wave cargo ship off the island of Crete. The Merchant

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-33063011002491022522007-12-04T09:20:00.000-06:002007-12-04T09:24:29.648-06:00

Iraqi refugees in Lebanon are coerced to return to Iraq or they are detained by Lebanese authorities and imprisoned indefinitely, Human Rights Watch said in a report today. From the press release:Lebanon’s refusal to legalize the stay of Iraqi refugees affects not just the relatively small proportion of Iraqi refugees who are arrested and detained. As a result of this policy, most Iraqi refugees

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-90508897447227271532007-11-30T19:21:00.000-06:002007-11-30T19:50:33.131-06:00

Here is an investigative report on the multi-million dollar Iraqi refugee trafficking business that was aired on a Swedish radio station and translated by the Assyrian International News Agency. Thousands of Iraqis, mostly from Syria and Jordan, but also from Iraq, pay smugglers about 10-15 thousand dollars to get them to Sweden, where they apply for asylum and then bring their family members (

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-84518044748098027712007-11-28T17:22:00.000-06:002007-11-28T17:31:21.745-06:00

"But a main point of contention for Shiites is the Sunni guards now on the US military's payroll. Many Shiites refused to join a Shiite version of the US-sponsored guards program, saying it's the job of security forces – not individual former fighters – to keep the peace."I find the US military's solution foolish and simplistic … they are putting fuel next to fire," says Alaa Oweid, another

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-23578310082149094902007-11-26T13:12:00.000-06:002007-11-26T13:14:27.267-06:00

"We'd been on the phone only a few minutes and already there was a potential glitch in our relationship. Suddenly, I realized the problems of trying to court someone in a Sunni neighborhood. First, I would have to win over her parents, convincing them I was OK despite being divorced and a Shiite. Then, I would have to bring my Shiite parents into a Sunni district to meet their potential in-laws

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-51030548386341043442007-11-17T15:48:00.000-06:002007-11-17T16:56:23.422-06:00

The Norwegian FAFO Institute for Applied International Studies has finally published its study of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, concluding that an estimated 450,000 to 500,000 Iraqis currently live in Jordan--about a third less than the widely-accepted 750,000 figure, circulated by the UN, the Jordanian government, and the media. The estimate was based on Jordanian immigration statistics, the number

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-13873838768477678132007-11-13T14:23:00.000-06:002007-11-13T14:36:31.781-06:00

A remarkable piece of journalism by the New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson on some of the "Awakening" movements in western Baghdad--particularly Ghazaliya--and the dynamics of intra-Shi'ite violence in neighbouring areas. Some parts that stand out:A few days before General Petraeus testified before Congress, I met with Sheikh Zaidan al-Awad, a prominent Sunni tribal leader from Anbar. The last time I

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-71786938988611988162007-11-10T16:36:00.000-06:002007-11-10T16:42:46.312-06:00

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad November 10, 2007...A senior Sunni sheikh, whose tribe is joining the new alliance with the Americans against al-Qaida, told me in Beirut that it was a simple equation for him. "It's just a way to get arms, and to be a legalised security force to be able to stand against Shia militias and to prevent the Iraqi army and police from entering their areas," he said."The Americans

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955727.post-74018744225642100802007-10-28T17:37:00.000-05:002007-10-28T18:05:40.358-05:00

The mainstream U.S. media continues its effective news blackout on Iraq security developments, with the remaining scant coverage devoted to partisan "Iraq policy" debate on the domestic front. And in this case, no news means good news for the average American, which explains why I often receive emails from ideologues asking me why I am not acknowledging that the "tide has turned" or that "we are

Zeyadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03689419006040361295noreply@blogger.com2