Security Incidents for 04/05/07

PHOTO: Girls look through a fence at a refugee camp in Mosul April 5, 2007. About 250 families moved from Tal Afar town to camps in Mosul since last weeks' violence attacks. REUTERS/Khaled al-Mousuly (IRAQ)

In Country:

Poland's military mission in Iraq may have to go more on the offensive in response to recent attacks on its base there, President Lech Kaczynski said on Thursday. "Our base has been frequently shot at recently, so we may have to change the character (of the mission) to more offensive," Kaczynski told a news conference. "If someone thinks that this is the way to force Poles out of Iraq, he's wrong."

Baghdad:

While providing escort security for another unit, two MND-B Soldiers died and another was wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated north of the Iraqi capital April 4. In recent weeks, this unit has successfully found numerous weapons caches and detained several targeted insurgents within their area of responsibility.

In a separate incident, an MND-B Soldier died when a patrol was attacked with small arms fire in an eastern section of the Iraqi capital. The unit was conducting an area reconnaissance mission when the attack occurred. No other Soldiers were wounded during the attack.

While conducting a combat security patrol, two MND-B Soldiers died and three others were wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated in a southern section of the Iraqi capital April 4

A group of unidentified gunmen attacked a U.S. patrol, destroying two hummers in central al-Resala district in western Baghdad, a police source said on Thursday. “Unidentified armed men attacked a U.S. vehicle patrol using rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) late Wednesday, destroying two hummers,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). No word was available on U.S. casualties.

One civilian was killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb detonated in the morning in Baghdad's northeastern neighborhood of Bunouk, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Witnesses told Xinhua that the blast targeted a U.S. patrol, but the bomb exploded shortly after the patrol passed by.

Another roadside bomb detonated near a police patrol in the Zaafaraniya district in southern Baghdad, damaging a police vehicle and wounding two policemen aboard, the police source added.

A suicide garbage truck bomb detonated outside a base housing U.S. troops and Iraqi police in western Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least one civilian and wounding three others, an Interior Ministry source said. "A suicide bomber drove a garbage truck packed with explosives into the entrance of the base in the Jamia district and blew it up after midday," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The attack destroyed parts of the building. It also damaged a nearby building of the Baghdad Radio, which is the mouthpiece of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni political party participating in the government. The death toll could rise as the powerful blast damaged and set fire on several nearby buildings, the source added.

A car bomb struck a Sunni Muslim television station on Thursday, wounding at least six guards, a spokesman for the political party that owns the station said. The attack against the Baghdad TV station occurred at about 1:30 p.m. when a parked car exploded in front of the station in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Jami'a, said Mahmoud al-Obeidi of the Iraqi Islamic Party that owns the station

Ten staffs from the Baghdad satellite channel were wounded when a car bomb was detonated at the television’s headquarters in al-Jamia neighborhood in western Baghdad

Three civilians were wounded on Wednesday when a mortar bomb landed on their house in the Shorta district in southwestern Baghdad, police said.

The bodies of 10 people were found shot in different districts of Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.

A renown Iraqi woman TV presenter who was kidnapped was found dead on Thursday in western Baghdad, a relative of the victim said."Police patrols found this morning the body of Khamael Muhsin, correspondent for Radio Free Iraq and former presenter at Baghdad TV before 2003 in al-Jamia neighborhood, western Baghdad," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Ms. Muhsin was kidnapped on Wednesday, he said. "The police patrols came under intensive fire when they found the body," the source said. Ms. Muhsin is a renown TV presenter. She had worked for official Iraqi TV since the 1970s and up to 2003. After the U.S.-led invasion, Ms. Muhsin worked for the Kurdish al-Hurria TV and Radio Free Iraq.

An unidentified armed group has abducted a reporter working for the Saudi Arabian "Al-Watan" newspaper and the "Al-Watan Al-Arabi" magazine. The press freedom monitoring center, a media organization that defends rights of the journalists in Iraq, said that unidentified gunmen abducted Othman Al-Mashadani yesterday in the Al-Shu'ala suburb west of here without giving details on the nature of his abduction. The center quoted Al-Mashadani's colleagues as saying that the gunmen contacted his family hours after his abduction to demand a ransom for his release.

IED explodes on the highway between Al-Amiriya Junction and Hay al-Adl targeting a Police Patrol carrying the chief of Al-Khadhraa Police station, Lieutenant Colonel Asaad, killing one policeman and injuring two, one of whom was Asaad.

One mortar shell hit the residential area of Al-Ma’alif, killing two civilians and injuring five.

Around 3,30 pm, clashes took place between the guards of Mustansiriyah university and insurgents who tried to kidnap a student near the university east Baghdad. the clashes led to the death of a guard and the injury of 4

Around 4:00 pm, a mortar shell fell in Shaab neighborhood east Baghdad killing 2 civilians and injuring 5.

Around 4:15 pm, a civilian was injured when a mortar shell fell in Sadr city east Baghdad.

Around 4:30 pm, an IED exploded near Talbiyah bridge east Baghdad killing 1 civlinan.

Around 5:00p m insurgent opened fire randomly in Saidiyah neighborhood south Baghdad killing a civilian and injuring another

Around 5,00 pm, 2 civilian (one of them a child) were killed by a sniper in Al mel neighborhood south west Baghdad.

Police found 11 anonymous bodies in Baghdad today. All the bodies were found in Karkh, the western side of Baghdad. the bodies were found in the following neighborhoods ( 3 bodies in Amil, 2 bodies in Bayaa, 2 bodies in Hurriyah, 2 bodies in Doura, 1 body in Saidiyah and 1 body in Mamoun)

Diyala Prv:

The forensic medicine department in the Baaquba public hospital received, on Thursday, twenty bodies of captives who were kidnapped on Wednesday by gunmen near Khalis city, 55 km north of Baghdad, a medical source said. “The forensic medicine department in the Baaquba public hospital received on Thursday twenty bodies found near the main road that links Baaquba and Khalis,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped two persons on a main street north of Hibhib district, 55 km north of Baghdad, a police source said on Thursday. “Unidentified gunmen blocked the way of two persons, in a civilian car, before a gas station, north of Hibhib,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

The bodies of five people were found shot in the head in central Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said

A security source in Baquba city said that a young man was killed and another one was seriously injured when insurgent opened fire targeting young men near one of the internet cafes and playing centers in Muqdadiya town north east Baquba city today afternoon. 4 civilians were injured when a Katyosha rocket fell near one of the schools in Kan’aan town east of Baquba today afternoon

A security source in Mandili border town (90 KMs east of Baquba city) said that a major in in Mandili police diredtorate was killed and tow of his accompaniers were injured when insurgent opened fire targeting them near Zalwa intersection in Mandili town.

Educational sources in Qazaniya town mentioned that the education directorate in the town will investigate about the disappearance of two female teachers with their driver after receiving news from Badra district (part of Wasit province) that Badra police found heads of tow women on Qazaniya- Badra street today. The teachers were missed three days ago from one of the schools of the villages of Qazanya town.

A security source in Khalis town (15KMs north of Baquba)that 6 insurgents were killed in tow car bombs explosions. The source explained that a car carrying 4 insurgents exploded suddenly near Al Aswad village on Baquba- Khalis street. Another four wheel drive car exploded which was following the first car exploded at the same time. The police found an ID for one of the wanted insurgents named Moshib Al Mamori, he is the brother of an insurgent who lives now in Syria.

A car bomb exploded near one of the bus stations in Baquba city. Police sources said that the explosion caused material damages without referring to the humanitarian casualties.

At least five people were wounded on Thursday afternoon as a car bomb exploded in central Iraq, a police source said. "A car bomb was detonated this afternoon in Khalil Bash area in eastern Baaquba wounding five people," the source , who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq

Police source in Baquba city said that police patrols found a body near Baquba market. An educational source in Hibhib town said that a principle of a primary school and her assistant were kidnapped by insurgents near one of the banks in Baquba before the eyes of a combined security patrol. The source said that the principle had just received about 15 million Iraqi Dinars (12215$) which was the salaries of teachers and the allowance of the school. The source also mentioned that two secondary school students were kidnapped by insurgents in Hibhib town west of Baquba.

Wasit Prv:

The bodies of two women were found killed on the main road between Diyala and Wasit province, police said.

Basra:

The Ministry of Defence must confirm that four British soldiers and a civilian interpreter have been killed in Iraq today, 5 April 2007. The five were killed in a roadside bomb attack against a Warrior patrol west of Basra this morning.

“British forces waged a crackdown operation in the early hours of Thursday targeting a house in al-Zahraa neighborhood in central Basra to search for weapons,” Captain Katie Brown told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone. “The forces came under rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) attack during the operation and started a shootout with the attackers, wounding a gunman,” she added.

The British base in the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s palaces was attacked by indirect fire, but most of mortars landed outside the base,” the captain said, noting that two civilians were injured in the attack and they were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Safwan:

A bomb struck an oil pipeline Thursday, cutting off supplies and causing a huge fire in southern Iraq near the border with Kuwait, an official said. The pipeline carries oil from surrounding fields to storage tanks in Basra for export to the Gulf region, according to the official with the South Oil Co. But he said the tanks were full and export supplies had not yet been affected. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the explosion occurred about midnight and the fire raged for hours before it was extinguished in the afternoon. The attack occurred just north of Safwan near the border with Kuwait, the official said, adding that he expected the fire to be extinguished later Thursday.

Latifiya:

U.S. helicopter went down after coming under heavy fire in southern Iraq on Thursday, Iraqi officials and witnesses said. There is no information on casualties, and the U.S. military says it is looking into the report. Fighters, apparently using anti-aircraft heavy machine gun, opened fire on a Black Hawk helicopter at about 7:30 a.m. as it flew over Latifiya, 25 miles south of Baghdad, an unnamed Iraqi official said. One witness told Reuters: "I saw a helicopter in the sky, then I heard heavy gunfire… I saw the helicopter move right and left before landing hard. It did not explode

The U.S. military confirmed that an Army helicopter went down south of Baghdad, and reported all nine aboard survived; four were reportedly wounded. The helicopter came under fire Thursday in a Sunni militant stronghold south of Baghdad, an Iraqi army official said.

Iskandariya:

Gunmen set on fire to several houses abandoned by their Sunni owners on Wednesday night in the towns of Haswa and Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said

Diwaniya:

Gunmen kidnapped the former Diwaniya police chief, Major-General Fuad Faris, as he was standing outside his house in central Diwaniya on Wednesday, police said

Gunmen shot dead two Iraqi contractors working with the Iraqi military on Wednesday in Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Samarra:

In north of Baghdad, gunmen on Wednesday kidnapped Ali al- Harbawi, head of local NGOs, while he was travelling in his car on the main road near the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of the capital, local police source told Xinhua on Thursday.

Mosul:

Gunmen killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and wounded one in an attack on a military checkpoint near the northern city of Mosul on Thursday, an army source said. The source said at least 40 gunmen attacked the checkpoint, which was manned by 11 soldiers, at dawn 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Mosul, setting their vehicles on fire and seizing their weapons.

Kirkuk:

An armed group killed an Iraqi soldier near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a police source said on Thursday.

Three Iraqi troops were wounded on Thursday when an explosive charge went off near their patrol vehicle in Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad, a police source said

Three IEDs explode in front of the Institute of Teachers for Girls in the Tiseen area in the city centre. Material damages were extensive but no casualties were recorded.

Al Anbar Prv:

A senior officer of the former Iraqi army was killed on Thursday in the city of Falluja, 45 km west of Baghdad, by unidentified gunmen. “Unidentified armed men stormed the house of Brigadier Abdel Karim al-Halbousi in Joulan neighborhood, north of Falluja, at 1:30 pm on Thursday, killing him before his family,” the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq


Thanks to whisker for the links above.

UPDATE

Falluja- Unknown gunmen on Thursday afternoon waged an attack against a U.S. base in western Falluja, 45 km west of Baghdad, a security source said.

Kirkuk- An Iraqi civilian was wounded on Thursday when a land mine went off in al-Bahr village in southern Kirkuk, 250 km northeast of Baghdad, a police source said.

Mosul- Unknown gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint near Badoush prison in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing ten soldiers, a security source said.

Baghdad- A joint force of Iraqi and U.S. troops besieged on Thursday Raghba Khaton region in the Sunni Adhamiyah neighborhood in northern Baghdad, an eyewitness said.