POTPOURRI OF EVENTS IN IRAQ: SHELLING OF GREEN ZONE CONTINUES LATE MONDAY

The mainstream media in the US have gone totally ballistic over Rev. Jeremy Wright's speech at the National Press Club and it has given them just another reason not to cover the war in Iraq.

We have not been "told" by owners and editors to avoid the war and so we keep bringing our blog readers the latest from Iraq.

Here is a potpourri of events in Iraq on Monday. Click on BLUE for more details.


Three Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers were killed as the result of an indirect-fire attack in eastern Baghdad at approximately 1:05 p.m. April 28. Another soldier was killed by indirect fire in western Baghdad, the military said separately.

Shelling of the Green Zone continues, at least three more rocket or mortar strikes. No reported casualties at this time.The U.S. has also reported killing additional Iraqis in the ongoing clashes in Sadr City since Whisker's post this morning.

The total of Iraqi dead in the past 24 hours is now given as 45. The ongoing violence occurs in the context of a sandstorm which has grounded U.S. attack helicopters.Note: there have been additional incidents reported in various places around the country since Whisker's post this morning. I'll let him compile them tomorrow.Other NewsThe Pentagon says it has "suspended" a program to falsely present retired military personnel on U.S. television as "independent" analysts, which was reported in the New York Times last week. However, they apparently intend to bring it back once the dust has settled.It is revealed that a Tufts University Institute and a Finnish non-governmental organization have been sponsoring meetings among Iraqi factional leaders outside of the country, beginning in September 2007. The participants now plan to continue to meet in Baghdad. However, the Sadrists are not participating and it is not clear what support there may be within the rival communities for this process.

AP reports that the U.S. is having difficulty handing over reconstruction projects to Iraqi authorities. Excerpt:
The U.S. is struggling to hand Iraq control of many of its reconstruction projects after spending tens of billions of dollars on them since the 2003 invasion, a report said Monday."The U.S. program continues to have serious weaknesses that ultimately could place much of the U.S. reconstruction investment at risk," warned the report by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.Since 2003, Congress has approved $46 billion to rebuild Iraq's war-torn infrastructure, including oil production plants and pipelines. The expectation after the U.S. invasion had been that it would take up to 18 months for Iraq to assume responsibility for reconstruction efforts, using its oil revenues.In recent months, lawmakers have suggested that Baghdad pay more of the tab for the war in light of Iraq's burgeoning oil revenues, which are expected to hit $70 billion this year — twice what was initially expected because of soaring fuel prices. Democrats and even some Republicans say Iraq will be more likely to accept responsibility for the projects if they are financially invested.Administration officials, reluctant to restrict U.S. aid and slow progress, have countered that Baghdad is already taking control. Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker declared in congressional testimony that "the era of U.S. major infrastructure projects is over." Indeed, in recent months, the U.S. has refocused its spending on smaller local projects and building the capacity of the Iraqi security forces, rather than the major bricks-and-mortar efforts that dominated the early part of the war.But according to the inspector general, the U.S. and Iraq have yet to agree on the terms of handing over many of these assets. And with no one senior-level Iraqi official in charge of overseeing the transfers, U.S. officials are resorting to negotiations at the local level and, in some cases, handing over projects without explicit consent.

Richard Butler doesn't know who kidnapped him or why. However, he says he'd prefer to be kidnapped by unknown militants in Iraq than held prisoner by the Americans. "I was pleased I wasn't being mortarboarded in Guantanamo or being held for six and a half years like an Al-Jazeera cameraman, for instance," he said. And I guess I'll call that the Quote of the Day.

USA TODAY BREAKING NEWS: 4 US SOLDIERS KILLED IN BAGHDAD

4 U.S. soldiers die in Baghdad attacks

BAGHDAD (AP) — Four American soldiers were killed Monday in rocket or mortar attacks in separate volleys in Baghdad.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-04-28-baghdad-soldiers_N.htm

The attacks raised the monthly U.S. death toll to at least 44, making it the deadliest since September.

Three of the Multi-National Division — Baghdad soldiers were killed just after 1 p.m. in an eastern section of the capital, the military said.

The statement did not give an exact location for the attack, but the area has been the scene of intense fighting recently between Shiite militiamen and U.S.-Iraqi troops.

Another soldier was killed by indirect fire in western Baghdad, the military said separately, using its term for a rocket or mortar attack.

In all, at least 4,056 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Earlier Monday, militants shelled Baghdad's Green Zone as troops tried to push Shiite fighters farther from the U.S.-protected enclave and out of range for their rockets and mortars.
At least three more salvos hit the Green Zone in central Baghdad, but there were no reports of injuries. In Sadr City — the stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia — U.S. soldiers battled deeper into the district a day after fierce clashes that killed at least 38 suspected militants, the military said.

U.S. soldiers killed seven more extremists Monday after coming under small-arms fire in Sadr City, the military said. Four of the suspects were killed in an airstrike and three others by an Abrams tank crew, according to a statement.

Sadr City has become the center of a showdown between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army, which is led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces have been increasingly drawn into the battles — including operations seeking to curb a rise in mortar and rocket attacks on the Green Zone.

"DUCK AND COVER" ALARM SOUNDED IN GREEN ZONE. 2 KILLED. 20 WOUNDED

Baghdad Green Zone blasted under cover of storm.

Iraqi police said eight missiles or mortars had hit the Green Zone and another 14 fell in other parts of the Iraqi capital, killing two people and wounding 20.


By Wisam Mohammed and Peter Graff
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080427/ts_nm/iraq_dc_2

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Militants bombarded Baghdad's Green Zone with rockets, taking advantage of the cover of a blinding dust storm to launch one of the heaviest strikes in weeks on the fortified compound.

The strikes appeared to defy a renewed call for a ceasefire issued on Friday by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, which has seen many of his masked gunmen leave the streets of the Sadr City slum where they hold sway in eastern Baghdad.

Reuters correspondents heard the missiles whistling overhead and exploding inside the heavily fortified government and diplomatic compound on the west side of the Tigris River. Sirens wailed, ordering people to take cover.

"The Green Zone has received several rounds of IDF (indirect fire) but I can't say more than that," U.S. embassy spokesman Armand Cucciniello said. "The duck and cover alarm sounded and people ran out for cover."

Militiamen have fired 700 missiles and mortars over the past month, but U.S. forces had said they believed they had reduced the fighters' ability to strike the Green Zone by occupying the part of the Sadr City slum closest to it.

179 IRAQIS KILLED; 131 WOUNDED IN ONE DAY

The US military continues to say the "surge" is working, however on Sunday alone 179 Iraqis were killed and another 131 wounded.

The Green Zone was hit by mortar attacks and at this time it is still unclear if there have been any casualties.

Meanwhile, back in the United States the mainstream media continues to treat the Iraq war like it was all over. Seldom are there reports on the violence that is escalating in Iraq, and April saw the highest number of IED attacks on US troops in months.

Sunday: 179 Iraqis Killed, 131 Wounded; Mass Graves Found
Updated at 12:25 a.m. EDT, April 28, 2008

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12750

At least 101 bodies were found in two separate mass graves. Another 78 people were killed or found dead, and 131 more were wounded in other violence. No Coalition deaths were reported.
In political news, several dozen lawmakers from different blocs staged a sit-in, asking that the blockade of Sadr City and the military operations there be ended. Meanwhile, attempts at bringing boycotting Sunni politicians back into the Shi'ite-led government are underway.
Fifty bodies were recovered from a grave in al-Kabba. The victims had been bound and handcuffed, and the bodies were in varying states of decomposition. The village is in the greater Baquba area, where numerous mass graves have been found.
Another 51 bodies were found in Mahmudiya, just south of Baghdad. Authorities have found a number of mass graves there in recent weeks. Family members were able to identify some of the victims.
In Baghdad, six dumped bodies were found. A pair of roadside bombs killed an Iraqi soldier and wounded six people in Mansour. In Maalif, five people were killed and 15 more were injured during clashes. A suicide bomber killed three people and wounded nine others in Zayouna. A roadside bomb in Shabb killed three policeman and wounded 14 people. In Kadhimiya, mortar fire left one dead and six wounded. Five people were injured during shelling in Baladiyat. Mortars fell in the Green Zone, but no casualties were reported. A roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol in Amin failed to cause casualties, but mortars that fell there killed one person and injured seven more. Also, U.S. forces reported killing 22 gunmen who attacked a checkpoint in northeastern Baghdad.
Overnight clashes in Sadr City left 10 people dead and 43 wounded. Women and children were among the casualties. Also, U.S authorities reported killing seven suspects in separate incidents.
In Mosul, clashes left one civilian dead and another injured. A civilian was shot and killed during a separate incident. Two separate roadside bombs left four injured. Two civilians were injured when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in southern Mosul. Four policemen were killed during a suicide bombing. Also, gunmen shot dead a man and a woman in central Mosul.
In Diyala province, one Awakening Council (Sahwa) leader was killed and three others were wounded in separate incidents. A police officer was killed and three others were injured when their vehicle overturned after coming under fire from gunmen. Also, three Iraqi army servicemembers were arrested in connection with the escape of an al-Qaeda leader.
A woman was killed and four civilians were wounded when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb planted in Samarra.
An Iraqi soldier was killed during a drive-by shooting in Tuz Khormato. Also, two men and a woman were arrested after an explosives belt was discovered in their possession.
Gunmen killed a police officer outside his home in Diwaniya.
A roadside bomb in Ninewah province killed two policemen and wounded five others, including civilians.
The body of a policeman was found near Baiji.
Seven suspects were captured in Basra.
Four suspects were arrested in Karbala.
In al-Shatra, security forces freed a hostage.
Two policemen were gunned down in Tikrit.
Gunmen attacked the al-Khaldiyah police station near Ramadi. One gunman was killed. Two gunmen and two policemen were injured.

WASHINGTON POST: A STORM OF SAND AND SHELLS RIP INTO GREEN ZONE

A Storm of Sand and Shelling. Heavy Fire Aimed at Green Zone as Ground Forces Continue Push Into Sadr City

By Sholnn FreemanWashington Post Foreign ServiceMonday, April 28, 2008; A10

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/27/AR2008042701944.html

BAGHDAD, April 27 -- Shelling rocked the Green Zone as a sandstorm blanketed Baghdad on Sunday, days after U.S. commanders said they had nearly eliminated deadly rocket and mortar attacks on the heavily fortified government zone through a security crackdown in the eastern slum of Sadr City.

Clashes continued over the weekend in Sadr City, where U.S. and Iraqi forces have confronted fighters tied to the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. military said drones fired Hellfire missiles, killing at least three men believed to be engaging in bomb attacks.

Abu Ammar al-Mayahi, a Mahdi Army fighter, said that U.S. and Iraqi forces continued to press into Sadr City on Sunday but that the dust storm curtailed U.S. use of air power.
Ground forces had been limited to city blocks at the edge of the district where authorities are building a security wall, he said. "The situation is intense," he added. "The weather is dusty. They are trying to get further inside."

Civilians living in the Green Zone said the rocket and mortar attacks Sunday were in double digits. A U.S. Embassy spokesman said there were no reports of casualties in the zone. A military spokesman said he knew of at least two Iraqi civilians killed and one wounded in the shelling, which often falls short of the compound.

The continuing violence has dimmed hopes that a cease-fire order issued by Sadr in August and reaffirmed on Friday would ease tensions in the city. Sadr said Friday that his threat this month of an "open war until liberation" did not mean a fight against Iraq's government, but rather "the occupier," meaning U.S. and allied foreign troops.

The move was seen as an attempt to lower tensions between Sadr's political movement and the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Maliki initiated an offensive against Shiite militiamen last month in the southern city of Basra, and it quickly spread to Baghdad. Iraqi commanders have described Sadr City, where the Mahdi Army holds much control, as a foothold for armed outlaws.

The neighborhood was the scene of a sit-in protest Sunday led by members of the Sadr bloc in parliament, demanding an end to a three-week-old blockade of Sadr City and an end to military operations there.

Falah Hasan Shanshal, a parliament member who is a Sadr City resident, was among the protesters. He called for "dialogue and understanding" in place of the fighting, which he said was killing innocent women and children. He also called for a second sit-in on Monday.

On a satellite television program, Yaseen Majeed, a media adviser for the prime minister, called the sit-in a "cover for the outlaws."

Also Sunday, President Jalal Talabani met with parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani to discuss ways to end the Sadr City fighting, which he described in a statement as a "crisis between the government and the Sadr trend."

Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Baghdad, said late Sunday that U.S. soldiers were tracking several engagements in eastern Baghdad, which he said amounted to "un-aimed harassment fire." Stover said the attacks involved small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

"We are not the aggressor," he said. "We went into south Sadr City to stop the rocket and mortar attacks."

HOW REUTERS IS REPORTING GREEN ZONE ATTACK

Baghdad Green Zone blasted under cover of storm
By Wisam Mohammed and Peter Graff

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKAA-7E52ZZ?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=irq

BAGHDAD, April 27 (Reuters) - Militants bombarded Baghdad's Green Zone with rockets on Sunday, taking advantage of the cover of a blinding dust storm to launch one of the heaviest strikes in weeks on the fortified compound.

The strikes appeared to defy a renewed call for a ceasefire by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, which has seen many of his masked gunmen leave the streets of the Sadr City slum where they hold sway in eastern Baghdad.

Reuters correspondents heard the missiles whistling overhead and exploding inside the heavily fortified government and diplomatic compound on the west side of the Tigris River in Baghdad. Sirens wailed, ordering people to take cover.

Iraqi police said eight missiles or mortars had hit the Green Zone and another 14 fell in other parts of the Iraqi capital before nightfall in several quick bursts, killing two people and wounding 20.

"The Green Zone has received several rounds of IDF (indirect fire) but I can't say more than that," U.S. embassy spokesman Armand Cucciniello said. "The duck and cover alarm sounded and people ran out for cover."

Several more missiles were fired late on Sunday evening but it was unclear if there were any casualties.

Go back to link to read the full account by REUTERS.