Iraqi keldan and Assyrians complain for nominated Keldo- Assyrians; American fears to have the Iraqi police involved in attacks
Iraq-USA, Politics, 3/12/2004

The American administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer expected yesterday the increase of attacks in Iraq with the approaching date of handing over the authority to the Iraqis and the ceremony of Ashoura occasion ( the date when Imam al-Hussein was assassinated ).

This was amid American fears of the involvement of members of the Iraqi police in the operations which started to concentrate on the civilian contractors working with the occupation authority.

Meantime, Keldan and Assyrian parties and establishments in northern Iraq complained in a memorandum submitted yesterday to the governing council and the occupation over their nomination as Keldo-Assyrian in the Iraqi provisional state law administration.

In the memorandum, some 16 Keldo and Assyrian establishments and parties expressed their regret because the state administration gives no mention to the Keldan community though "it had an abundant history and ancient civilization in Iraq that can not be denied." The memorandum explained " What was stated in the law does not reflect the ambitions of the Keldan and the Assyrians in Iraq and is a great underestimation for the rights of the Keldan and Assyrian."

Meantime, Bremer said during his visit for American units in west Iraq "we will have more threats by the terrorists while we are proceeding towards handing over the authority on June 30 because the terrorists understand clearly, should there will be democracy here, there will be no need to launch attacks aftermath." He added " we expect the situation to be more critical." Bremer stressed that the security measures should be tightened, in particular before reviving Ashoura anniversary next month, as he expected that more than five million Shiite in Karbala and Najaf will take part, noting it will be impossible to watch all of them.

Meantime, one Sunni clergy was wounded yesterday in what was said to be an assassination attempt and resulted in killing his son and son in law. Imam of Al-Rahman mosque in Abu Dashir, in the outskirts of Baghdad, Sheikh Nazem Khalaf said that the attackers approached by their car, the car of the Imam and opened fire. He added "who ever the one who tried to kill me, tries to provoke sectarianism," noting that a member in a Shiite militia he did not name threatened to kill him if he does not abstain from going to the mosque under the pretext that he is Wahhabi.

One American military official announced yesterday the death of one American soldier and wounding others on Wednesday in an attack by a mortar that targeted a patrol for the occupation at the outskirts of Baqouba.

One explosive also went off on the road in al-Falouja while an American military convoy was running and this resulted in killing one Iraqi and wounding others.

In al-Basra, armed men killed yesterday two Iraqi sisters working in a laundrymat in the "K. Brown and Root" company of the Giant American oil Group " Halliburton." One official in the occupation authority said that the two sisters where in a taxi in the city on Wednesday evening when unidentified persons stopped the car and opened fire at them.

The American occupation army announced that its unit detained 30 persons on Wednesday in diverse raids in Karkouk, Balad and al-Miqdadeyah.

The Iraqi police announced yesterday it detained in al-Hmeira village near Tikrit, the former lt. Gen. In the Iraqi republican guard, Rashid Hamid Abdullah al-Bayati, the master mind for the operations against the Iraqi police forces and the American forces.

Karkouk police said that it detained four suspects: one Iraqi, two Palestinians and one British "over suspicion that they are preparing for suicide operation in the city " and handed them to the American forces.

Previous Stories:
  Bremer talks about ' embassies for the occupation after June 30: We withdraw from cemeteries at the request of clergies   (3/6/2004)
  Former UN chief criticized US policy in Iraq   (3/6/2004)
  Al-Seistani accepts the agreement to hand over sovereignty under conditions: end of year elections to be made by UN decision, supervision   (2/27/2004)

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