Intensive attacks in Iraq coincide with Cheney's visit
Iraq-USA, Politics, 12/19/2005

While statements are greatly contradictory over the results of the Iraqi elections, field attacks continued resulting in killing 19 Iraqis.

These attacks coincided with the visit made by the US Vice President Dick Cheney and the lessening of the security measures by the Iraqi police imposed during the voting operations in the general elections which took place on Thursday.

Iraqi medical sources said that 17 citizens most of whom are from the police were killed in various incidents. The sources added that among the killed persons is Khuder al-Hamadani, the leading figure in the Kurdistani National Union party.

One Iraqi woman was killed and other 15 were injured in a bomb explosions in al-Kazemeyah area. In Balad, one Iraqi was killed by the fire of the American soldiers. One Iraqi was also injured in Beji when the American soldiers opened fire at him near an inspection point. In Ramadi, gunmen kidnapped the brother of Saad al-Hardan, the minister of state for governorate affairs.

On the other hand, the American army said that one soldier from the marines died because of his wounds he had from gunfire, which was described as non hostile near Falluja.

All these developments coincided with the visit of Cheney to Iraq during which he is to meet with the interim president Jalal al-Talibani and the interim prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad. During the meeting, Cheney commended the progress Iraq achieved during the legislative elections phase.

Cheney arrived in Iraq in a sudden visit which is his first since the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein. Cheney stopped in Iraq while he was on his way to Afghanistan to take part in the inauguration of the works of the parliament in Kabul.

These developments came while normal life starts to return in Baghdad and the other cities, as the Iraqi government started to lessen tough security measures which coincided with making the elections.

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