SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Dozens Dead in Baghdad Shooting
Up to 25 people have been killed after a group of
men dressed in Iraqi army uniforms stormed five houses in southern
Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have said.
The attack took place in a
village in the capital's Rasheed district in the early hours of
Saturday.
Apr 03, 2010
Up to 25 people have been killed after a group of
men dressed in Iraqi army uniforms stormed five houses in southern
Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have said.
The attack took place in a
village in the capital's Rasheed district in the early hours of
Saturday.
"Men wearing uniforms and driving vehicles
similar to those used by the army stormed ... houses in the village of
Sufiya ... and killed 25 people, including five women," an interior
ministry official said.
The victims were handcuffed and shot in the head, police said.
Awakening Councils
Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a Baghdad security spokesman,
said some of the victims were members of the Iraqi security forces and
others of the Awakening Councils, also known as the sahwa or Sons of
Iraq - Sunni fighters who have allied with US forces to fight al-Qaeda.
He said
authorities had arrested 25 people and sealed off the area to conduct a
search for other suspects.
Seven people were left alive with their hands tied behind their backs
after the attack, he said.
Saad al-Muyalibi, an Iraqi government adviser, told Al Jazeera that
the killings "could be political, but not linked to the results of [the]
elections".
"We are trying to investigate the background of the people who were
murdered and was it al-Qaeda or was [it] a tribal thing, It's [too]
early to say," he said.
"We are not ruling out any possibility, but the initial view [is]
that it could be al-Qaeda. Most likely al-Qaeda continues its attacks on
government installation and on the Sons of Iraq, the sahwa members."
Al-Qaeda stronghold
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said the Rasheed
district used to be an al-Qaeda stronghold until the Awakening Council
clamped down on the fighters.
"[Awakening Council members] are targets, just like security
officials, government officials."
She said the attack came in a time of political uncertainty with no
clear winner emerging from the March 7 national elections and the
political parties still negotiating to form alliances.
"A lot of discussion has taken place but still no progress. So, a lot
of tension and speculation that the post-election period might see an
upsurge in violence.
"It could be the Iraqi style of negotiating. This is what you hear
when you talk to people here. They are expecting violence, maybe to step
up pressure."
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Up to 25 people have been killed after a group of
men dressed in Iraqi army uniforms stormed five houses in southern
Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have said.
The attack took place in a
village in the capital's Rasheed district in the early hours of
Saturday.
"Men wearing uniforms and driving vehicles
similar to those used by the army stormed ... houses in the village of
Sufiya ... and killed 25 people, including five women," an interior
ministry official said.
The victims were handcuffed and shot in the head, police said.
Awakening Councils
Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a Baghdad security spokesman,
said some of the victims were members of the Iraqi security forces and
others of the Awakening Councils, also known as the sahwa or Sons of
Iraq - Sunni fighters who have allied with US forces to fight al-Qaeda.
He said
authorities had arrested 25 people and sealed off the area to conduct a
search for other suspects.
Seven people were left alive with their hands tied behind their backs
after the attack, he said.
Saad al-Muyalibi, an Iraqi government adviser, told Al Jazeera that
the killings "could be political, but not linked to the results of [the]
elections".
"We are trying to investigate the background of the people who were
murdered and was it al-Qaeda or was [it] a tribal thing, It's [too]
early to say," he said.
"We are not ruling out any possibility, but the initial view [is]
that it could be al-Qaeda. Most likely al-Qaeda continues its attacks on
government installation and on the Sons of Iraq, the sahwa members."
Al-Qaeda stronghold
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said the Rasheed
district used to be an al-Qaeda stronghold until the Awakening Council
clamped down on the fighters.
"[Awakening Council members] are targets, just like security
officials, government officials."
She said the attack came in a time of political uncertainty with no
clear winner emerging from the March 7 national elections and the
political parties still negotiating to form alliances.
"A lot of discussion has taken place but still no progress. So, a lot
of tension and speculation that the post-election period might see an
upsurge in violence.
"It could be the Iraqi style of negotiating. This is what you hear
when you talk to people here. They are expecting violence, maybe to step
up pressure."
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
Up to 25 people have been killed after a group of
men dressed in Iraqi army uniforms stormed five houses in southern
Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have said.
The attack took place in a
village in the capital's Rasheed district in the early hours of
Saturday.
"Men wearing uniforms and driving vehicles
similar to those used by the army stormed ... houses in the village of
Sufiya ... and killed 25 people, including five women," an interior
ministry official said.
The victims were handcuffed and shot in the head, police said.
Awakening Councils
Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a Baghdad security spokesman,
said some of the victims were members of the Iraqi security forces and
others of the Awakening Councils, also known as the sahwa or Sons of
Iraq - Sunni fighters who have allied with US forces to fight al-Qaeda.
He said
authorities had arrested 25 people and sealed off the area to conduct a
search for other suspects.
Seven people were left alive with their hands tied behind their backs
after the attack, he said.
Saad al-Muyalibi, an Iraqi government adviser, told Al Jazeera that
the killings "could be political, but not linked to the results of [the]
elections".
"We are trying to investigate the background of the people who were
murdered and was it al-Qaeda or was [it] a tribal thing, It's [too]
early to say," he said.
"We are not ruling out any possibility, but the initial view [is]
that it could be al-Qaeda. Most likely al-Qaeda continues its attacks on
government installation and on the Sons of Iraq, the sahwa members."
Al-Qaeda stronghold
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said the Rasheed
district used to be an al-Qaeda stronghold until the Awakening Council
clamped down on the fighters.
"[Awakening Council members] are targets, just like security
officials, government officials."
She said the attack came in a time of political uncertainty with no
clear winner emerging from the March 7 national elections and the
political parties still negotiating to form alliances.
"A lot of discussion has taken place but still no progress. So, a lot
of tension and speculation that the post-election period might see an
upsurge in violence.
"It could be the Iraqi style of negotiating. This is what you hear
when you talk to people here. They are expecting violence, maybe to step
up pressure."
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.