Larry C. Johnson | Five Days of April in Iraq

One of our commenters ask me what about the good news, I replied I look, Dear God I look to find it, but I have not been able to. I hope this answers his comment.

By Larry C. Johnson
t r u t h o u t Report

Thursday 06 April 2006

Clearly smarting under charges that they are "failing" to tell the good news in Iraq, the major TV network and cable channels appear to have abandoned any effort to report what is going on in Iraq. Fearful of being accused of undermining the war effort, the TV side of journalism apparently decided to punt and do nothing. Fortunately, the print media and wires continue to tough it out. Working from the info collected on www.icausalties.org, I have assembled a snapshot of the first five days of April in Iraq. It is not a pretty picture. While it certainly could be worse, the facts on the ground make it very tough to argue that the US is making progress in securing Iraq.

Here is a summary of the last five days (the specific news reports are posted at the end of this article). During the period of March 31st thru April 4th the following occurred:

There were 39 shootings/ambushes that killed 144 people.

There were 25 major bombings that left 40 people dead.

There were 5 mortar attacks killing 3 people.

Four people, including a physician and the brother of a Sunni lawmaker, were kidnapped.

One US military helicopter was shot down. The crew died in the crash.

There were three major attacks on oil pipelines.

All violence is relative. In the United States our cable networks have no trouble spending weeks covering the disappearance of a teenager in Aruba. In fact, the saturation coverage of the disappearance of Natalie Holloway would lead a visitor from Mars to conclude that she was some sort of goddess and that our very security depended on finding her. Compare that coverage with the actual events in the last five days in Iraq.

If we had 25 car bombings in New York City and Washington, could George Bush's White House get away with chiding the media for not focusing on the good news in the United States? Based on the lingering shock from the four terrorist strikes on September 11, 2001, I wager that news coverage would be borderline, if not full blown, hysteria in this country if we were experiencing what the Iraqis are confronting on a daily basis.

The problem is not what the news media is reporting. The real problem is that the White House continues to delude itself into believing that the problems in Iraq can be solved simply by managing the news. The events on the ground in Iraq, however, reflect centuries of deep seated sectarian and ethnic strife. If we cannot create effective security forces or provide such security ourselves, the Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds in Iraq will seek protection from their own militias. A functioning government requires, at a minimum, that the people be protected. If it cannot fulfill that task then the government has little chance of being accepted as legitimate. Until that problem is solved Iraq will remain in the throes of a low-grade, but escalating, civil war.

News Articles From www.icausalties.org

Shootings/Executions

31 March 2006

Reuters: Gunmen Kill Five Civilians in Baqubah
Baquba - At least five civilians were killed when gunmen fired on their car near Baquba, about 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad.

AP: Soldiers Find Six More Bullet-Riddled Bodies
Earlier in the day, soldiers discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of six men, aged between 25 and 30 and wearing handcuffs, in western Baghdad, police said.

Reuters: Policeman Killed in Fallujah

A policeman was killed when gunmen fired on his patrol in Falluja 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

01 April 2006

AP: Sunni Sheik Killed in Basra
A Sunni sheik was killed by armed men in a speeding car when he left his home in the southern city of Basra. His brother, who was with him, was wounded, a Sunni official said.

AP: Two More Bodies Found, Handcuffed Man Shot
Police discovered two more bodies of young men shot in the head and wearing handcuffs in Baghdad. Witnesses also told police they saw three gunmen in a BMW pull a handcuffed man out of the car and shoot him near a highway in west Baghdad.

AP: Shop Owner Killed in Iskan Neighborhood
In the western Iskan neighborhood, gunmen killed the owner of an air conditioner repair shop on his way to work.

AP: Gunmen Kill Ice Cream Vendors and Butcher in Baghdad
Gunmen killed three ice cream vendors in the southern neighborhood of Dora and a butcher and his son in east Baghdad, police said. Another son was also wounded in the attack on the butcher shop.

AP: Iraqi Gunmen Ambush Minibus Carrying Shiites, Kill Six Men
Gunmen attacked a minibus carrying Shiites northeast of Baghdad, killing six men and wounding a woman, an official said Saturday. US and Iraqi troops killed three suspected insurgents, and six people were gunned down in the Iraqi capital

CNN: Gunmen Kill Shiite Tribal Chief, Relatives
Gunmen in three cars killed a Shiite tribal chief and four male relatives near Balad Ruz as they drove home from a funeral, according to a Diyala province Joint Coordination Center official.

AP: Seven Bodies Found
Police reported the discovery of at least seven bodies, mostly young men who were shot in the head or strangled in Baghdad - the latest victims, apparently, of sectarian death squads.

Reuters: Iraqi Sergeant Major Killed
South of Baquba, an Iraqi army sergeant major was killed on Friday after his patrol surprised a group of suspected anti-government fighters trying to steal a dump truck.

AFP: Turkish Driver Killed Outside of Baghdad
A Turkish driver was also killed just outside Baghdad late on Saturday, according to the Anatolia news agency.

AP: Gunmen Assassinate Sunni Arab Sheik
Gunmen also assassinated a Sunni Arab sheik, Abdul-Minaam Awad, in his village of Zobaa 40 miles west of Baghdad, a Sunni clerical association announced.

02 April 2006

AP: Police Discover 40 Bodies in and Around Baghdad
Police reported the discovery of nearly 40 bodies in several neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital ... The bodies found in Baghdad were all handcuffed and had been shot in the head or chest, said police Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi.

Reuters: Gunmen Kill Two Civilians in Balad Rouz
Gunmen killed two civilians and wounded three others, including a 12-year-old girl, when they attacked a family coming from Nahrwan and heading to Balad Rouz, north of Baghdad, police said.

Reuters: Five Civilians Killed in Ramadi
Five civilians, including three children, were killed in clashes between US forces and insurgents in Ramadi, a hospital source said.

Reuters: Two Farmers Killed by US Forces in Riyadh
Two farmers were killed on Saturday by US forces in Riyadh, 40 km southwest of Kirkuk, police Lieutenant Saddam Aasaf said.

AFP: Policeman Killed in Sunni Neighborhood of Khadra
In the Sunni neighborhood of Khadra, a policeman was shot dead by unknown gunmen, while in the central Mustansiriyah neighborhood the director of religious tourism at the transport ministry, Walid Sobhi Ahmed, was stopped in his car and kidnapped.

CENTCOM: Three Marines, One Sailor Killed in al Anbar Province
Camp Fallujah, Iraq - Three Marines and one Sailor assigned to 2/28 Brigade Combat Team, serving with Multi-National Force West, died from enemy action while operating in al Anbar Province April 2.

04/03/06

AP: Gunmen Kill Shiite Family of Four
Iraqi police say four members of a Shiite family were killed in southern Baghdad last night. They say gunmen lined up a brother, two sisters and their uncle against a wall and shot them.

AP: Police Captain Killed in Baghdad
Also in the same neighborhood, drive-by shooters killed a police captain outside his home

AP: Gunmen Kill Six People in the Southern City of Basra
Gunmen shot down six people, including a child, in a market area of the southern city of Basra, police said. The victims of the drive-by shooters in Basra included a navy officer, two policemen, two workers at an electrical plant, and a boy.

Reuters: Gunmen Kill Policeman, Wound Two in Baiji
A policeman was killed and two others wounded when gunmen attacked their patrol in Baiji, police said.

Reuters: Two Iraqi Soldiers Killed, Three Wounded Near Baiji
Two soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked their patrol near Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

KUNA: Iraqi Civilian Killed, Five People Injured in Attack on Fuel Station
An Iraqi was killed and five others including a policeman were injured in an armed attack on a fuel station in Huwaija west of the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, police said on Monday.

Reuters: Gunmen Kill Sunni Imam in Kurkuk
Gunmen killed the Imam of a Sunni mosque in the oil city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

AP: Two Truck Drivers Killed, Another Kidnapped North of Nibaie
North of the capital in Nibaie, gunmen killed two truck drivers and kidnapped another while they were carrying construction materials to the US military base in Balad, police said.

Reuters: Two Bodies Found Near Latifiya
Police said they found the blindfolded, mutilated bodies of two unknown people who had been shot dead near Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad.

AP: Two More Bodies Discovered in Baghdad
Police discovered two bodies in eastern Baghdad - one in Mashtal that was handcuffed and shot in the head, another in Baladiyat that was strangled and covered with bandages.

AFP: Student Killed in Baqubah
In Baquba, a university student was shot in the middle of the downtown market. Police speculated that the motive might have been because the student belonged to a Sunni political party or had a brother working as a translator for coalition forces.

AP: Three Bodies Found in Baghdad (update)
Police also discovered three bodies in eastern Baghdad neighborhoods. One in Mashtal was handcuffed and shot in the head, another in Baladiyat was strangled and covered with bandages, and the third was found in Sadr City, shot in the forehead.

04 April 2006

KUNA: British Military Patrol Attacked Near Basra, Casualties Unknown
A British military patrol was attacked by unknown gunmen armed with RPG's and machineguns north of Basra city, said a spokesperson for the British forces. The source said that the two sides exchanged fire, but did not touch on any losses on both sides.

AP: Violence in Baghdad Claims Judge, Two Vendors and a Policeman
Assailants gunned down a judge driving in eastern Baghdad. In Dora gunmen killed an ice cream vendor and a person sitting with him in the vehicle, police said. A policeman who works at a morgue was also gunned down as he headed to his Dora home.

MEOnline: Civilian Killed at Tikrit Checkpoint, Truck Driver Kidnapped
One civilian was allegedly killed by US forces near a checkpoint, north of Tikrit, police said. In the same region, but in a separate incident, an Iraqi truck driver was kidnapped, police added.

MEOnline: Civilian Killed in Fatiha, Two Truck Drivers Killed near Dujail
One civilian was killed by a roadside bomb near Fatiha, north of the oil refining city of Baiji, while two truck drivers from a US base near Dujail were also shot dead by rebels.

MEOnline: Eighteen Bodies Found in Iraq
Of the 18 corpses found since Monday night, 17 were discovered around Baghdad, while one was found near the Tigris river in the village of al-Sherkat, 250 kilometers (157 miles) north of Baghdad.

KUNA: UAE FM Condemns Killing of Two UAE Embassy Staffers in Baghdad
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed al Nehyan on Tuesday condemned an attack that targeted a UAE embassy car in Baghdad. Two Iraqi staffers of the UAE embassy were killed earlier on Tuesday when their car came under fire in Baghdad.

AP: Four Bodies Found Around Baghdad - update
Two were found near a highway in western Baghdad's neighborhood of Khadra, and another in southwestern Baghdad's Shurta district, shot in the head. The other was found floating in a small river south of the capital, police said.

Times Daily: Three More Bodies Found Around Baghdad
Police discovered three corpses. Two were found near a highway in western Baghdad's neighborhood of Khadra, both handcuffed and showing signs of torture. The other, also handcuffed, was found floating in a small river south of the capital, police said.

AP: Gunmen Kill a Policeman in Basra, Another Wounded
In southern Iraq, gunmen killed a policeman and wounded another as the two were driving in the city of Basra, police said.

Bombings

31 March 2006

Reuters: Three Car Bombs Explode Near Baghdad Market
Three successive bombs exploded on Friday near a market in southern Baghdad, wounding at least six people, police said. Police said three car bombs exploded and were followed by another blast in the Dora district of the capital.

KUNA: Bomb Explodes Near an Oil Pipeline in Kirkuk
A bomb exploded near an oil pipeline in Kirkuk, a source said, adding that the bomb went off near the village of Jedou'a, some five kilometers south of Kirkuk.

AP: Pipeline Blown Up in Baghdad
In the outskirts of Baghdad, insurgents set off explosives underneath an oil pipeline on Friday. Crews were still fighting to put out the oil fire in the afternoon. The pipeline runs from Beiji to the Dora district in southern Baghdad, he said.

01 April 2006

Centcom: Two MND-B Soldiers Killed in Central Baghdad (confirmed)
Two Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb at approximately 9 p.m. April 1 in central Baghdad. The two soldiers were conducting a dismounted patrol when the roadside bomb detonated.

02 April 2006

AFP: Two US Soldiers Killed by Roadside Bomb in Central Baghdad
"Two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb at approximately 9 p.m. (1700 GMT) on April 1 in central Baghdad," the military said in a statement.

AP: Insurgents Blow Up Small Shiite Mosque in Baqouba
In Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, unidentified gunmen planted explosives around the small Guba Shiite mosque and blew it up, police said. No casualties were reported. Three stores selling music CDs were also bombed.

Reuters: Bomb in Tikrit Music Shop Kills One Civilian
A civilian was killed on Saturday when a bomb exploded in front of a music shop in Tikrit, 175 km north of Baghdad.

Reuters: Three Policemen Wounded by Roadside Bomb in Baiji
Three policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb hit their patrol in the oil refinery of Baiji, 180 km north of Baghdad.

KUNA: Four Iraqi Soldiers Killed in Two Blasts in Kirkuk
Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and five others wounded in the explosion of two bombs in areas located west and southwest of Kirkuk, a police source said.

03 April 2006

Reuters: Car Bomb Wounds Five Civilians in Central Baghdad
Five civilians were wounded when a car bomb exploded near a convoy of SUVs in central Baghdad, police said. The vehicles are usually used by foreign contractors.

Reuters: Car Bomb Kills Two Civilians, Wounds Six in Northeastern Baghdad
Two civilians were killed and six wounded when a car bomb targeting a police patrol exploded in northeastern Baghdad, police said.

AP: Bombings Reported in Buhriz
Bombings in Buhriz damaged several buildings, including a barber shop and grocery store, in a market district of the town, which is a former Saddam stronghold about 55 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, police said.

AFP: Roadside Bomb Kills an Iraqi Civilian Near Baqubah
Outside Baquba, on the main highway, a man was killed when a roadside bomb went off, while a man and a woman riding in a taxi were shot at by gunmen.

Reuters: Car Bomb Kills at Least 10 in Baghdad
A car bomb killed at least 10 people near a Shi'ite mosque in Baghdad on Monday, Interior Ministry sources said. The blast in the Shaab district of Baghdad also wounded at least 30 people, the sources said.

04 April 2006

KUNA: Iraqi Civilian Killed in Bomb Explosion Near Kirkuk
A senior security source told KUNA the explosion targeted a British troops' vehicle, which resulted in the killing of a civilian. He said the British vehicle and the killed civilian's car were also destroyed.

AP: Car Bomb Kills One, Wounds Four in Samarra
A car bomb parked near the home of a city council member in Samarra exploded as his son was leaving the house about 8 a.m., police said. The son was not harmed, but one of his security guards was killed, and four other guards were wounded.

AP: Police: Baghdad Bomb Kills Woman, Two Sons
A bomb exploded outside a Baghdad home Tuesday, killing a woman and two of her sons, ages 9 and 12, police said. The woman's 13-year-old son was wounded in the bombing, as were two brothers of a second family, police Lt. Mazin Saied said.

MEOnline: Two Shepherds Killed by Mine
In the south of the country, in the Sahl area near the border with Saudi Arabia, two teenage shepherds were killed by an anti-personnel mine.

AP: Car Bomb Kills Ten People, Wounding 28 Others in Baghdad
A car bomb exploded Tuesday in an eastern Baghdad lot, killing at least 10 people and wounding 28 others, police said. The bomb went off in a large lot in Habibiyah, a poor, mostly Shiite area, police said. Iraqis go there to sell used cars.

Mortar/Rocket

31 March 2006

KUNA: Mortar Shell Falls on Multi-National Forces Headquarters in Kirkuk
A mortar shell fell on Friday on the headquarters of the multi-national forces in Kirkuk in northern Iraq. An Iraqi police source gave no details whether the shell caused damage to the building.

AP: Two Wounded in Rocket Attack
Army Pfc. Tristan Wyatt, of Washington, DC, was hit in the right leg by an armor-piercing rocket, requiring an amputation. It also took the right leg of Army Sgt. Michael Meinen, of Alexandria, Virginia. Wyatt required a field amputation above his knee.

AP: Mortar Round Slams Baghdad Street, Kills Three
A mortar round slammed into a street in northeastern Baghdad Friday, killing three bystanders and wounding three others, police said.

03 April 2006

KUNA: In Another Development Around Kirkuk
In another development, five Katyusha rockets slammed near an Iraqi army barracks north of Kirkuk. There were no damages reported. Unknown gunmen also attacked an Iraqi army vehicle in central Kirkuk, Gader said adding no further details.

04 April 2006

AP: British Consulate in Basra Mortared, No Casualties
Two mortar rounds exploded near the British consulate in Basra during a reception, causing no injuries but forcing the party to end early, an Associated Press reporter at the event said.

Kidnappings

01 April 2006

Xinhua: Gunmen Kidnap Iraqi Physician in Baghdad
Unknown gunmen stormed a private clinic on a main street in eastern Baghdad on Saturday, kidnapping a physician, a police source said. "Unidentified armed men rushed into the clinic of Doctor Fadhil al-Jarrah in Palestine Street ..."

02 April 2006

AP: Brother of Sunni Lawmaker Presumed Kidnapped
A prominent Sunni lawmaker in Baghdad, meanwhile, reported that his brother disappeared last week in a possible kidnapping. Saleh al-Mutlaq said his brother, Taha, went missing while driving north out of Baghdad to Salahuddin province.

Surface-to-Air Attacks

01 April 2006

Reuters: US Helicopter Down Near Baghdad, No Word on Crew
A US military helicopter went down southwest of Baghdad on Saturday, the military said in a statement, saying it was unclear if there were casualties. A militant group said it shot down a helicopter in the same area ...

Oil Pipeline Attacks

03 April 2006

Iraq Pipeline Watch #300
February 24 - An explosion set fire to an oil pipeline south of Samarra.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #303
March 1 - An oil pipeline was burning in Musayyib, following a RPG attack. Gunmen shot at firefighters as they rushed to the scene, wounding two of them. Arriving a short time later, police engaged the insurgents in an hour-long gunbattle.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #304
March 2 - Guards with Iraq's oil protection service killed one man and detained three others as they were trying to plant bombs under a pipeline west of Kerbala, south of Baghdad.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #306
March 30 - Insurgents blew up a pipeline transporting oil from Kirkuk to the Bayji refinery, at a point near a village 30 miles southwest of Kirkuk.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #309
April 1 - Roadside bomb blast near oil pipeline 44 miles (70 km) south of Basra kills two members of Iraq's Facility Protection Services (FPS); no damage to the pipeline.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #308
March 31 - Blast underneath oil pipeline that runs from Bayji to Daura.

Iraq Pipeline Watch #306
March 8 - 9:00 am explosion at the Basra headquarters of the Southern Oil Company damaged the fuel section's building; unclear if caused by bomb or mortar.

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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department's Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world.

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