Arrest warrant issued for Sunni minister

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - Iraqi authorities issued an arrest warrant against the Sunni culture minister and raided his home on Tuesday after he was accused of ordering an assassination attempt against a secular Sunni politician more than two years ago, officials said.

Culture Minister Asad Kamal al-Hashimi, who was not home when the raid occurred, was identified by two suspected militants as the mastermind of a Feb. 8, 2005, ambush against then-parliamentary candidate Mithal al-Alusi, according to governmental spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. Al-Alusi escaped unharmed but two of his sons were killed.

"The two who planned and carried out the killings of Mithal al-Alusi's two sons confessed that they took orders from him," al-Dabbagh said, adding that al-Hashimi was a mosque imam at the time but declining to elaborate further.

Al-Hashimi was the first full Cabinet minister to face arrest, although Iraqi authorities have arrested other senior officials, including the deputy health minister who was linked to Shiite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070626/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[maddezmom]

1. Arrest warrant issued for Sunni culture minister, accused of ordering the death of another Sunni pol

Arrest warrant issued for Sunni culture minister, accused of ordering the death of another Sunni politician
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Authorities in Iraq issued an arrest warrant against the country's Sunni culture minister, accused of ordering the killing of a maverick Sunni politician more than two years ago.

The Iraqi Judiciary Council issued a warrant for Assad al-Hashimi, who wasn't home when his central Baghdad house was raided in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Al-Hashimi has been accused of ordering the assassination of parliamentary candidate Mithal al-Alusi on Feb. 8, 2005 -- an attempt that failed. He was an imam at a mosque at the time of the incident.

The minister is part of the General Conference of the Iraqi People party, part of the Iraqi Accord Front, the country's largest Sunni bloc.

more:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/26/tuesday/index.html

[maddezmom]

4. Iraqi minister sought on 'terrorist' charges, arrested 42 of fhis guards

Iraqi minister sought on 'terrorist' charges 16 minutes ago



BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi forces raided the house of a top Sunni minister and detained dozens of his guards after a court issued a warrant for his arrest on "terrorist" charges, political sources said Tuesday.

Troops raided the house of Asaad Kamal al-Hashemi, minister of culture in the Shiite-led Iraqi government, and arrested his 42 guards, a statement from the General Conference of People of Iraq, Hashemi's party, said.

"They arrested 42 guards of Hashemi saying that he had incited violence against the sons of Mithal Alussi when he was a cleric," it said, referring to a fellow Sunni lawmaker.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070626/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestsunni_070626145105;_ylt=AiH2i4b_qzMwsvOq8ybYUViaOrgF

[Eugene]

2. Iraqi tribal leader shot dead in Baghdad: police

Source: Reuters

Iraqi tribal leader shot dead in Baghdad: police

12 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi tribal leader was assassinated
in Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police said, a day after a suicide
bomber killed six Sunni Arab tribal leaders opposed to al Qaeda.

A police source said Hamid Abid Al-Shijera from Wasit province
and one of his companions were killed in a drive-by shooting in
the southern Baghdad district of Saidiya.

The source said he believed Shijera was Shi'ite Muslim.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070626/wl_nm/iraq_sheikh_killing_dc

---

Source: Reuters

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, June 26
26 Jun 2007 12:24:45 GMT
Source: Reuters

June 26 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq
at 1200 GMT on Tuesday:

* denotes new or update item.

* BAGHDAD - Gunmen assassinated Nihad Mohammed, the deputy
dean of Nahrain college, in southern Baghdad, police said.

-snip-

BAGHDAD - The bodies of 16 people were found shot in different
districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM639290.htm

[maddezmom]

3. Five killed in central Iraq clashes

Five killed in central Iraq clashes 7 minutes ago



DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - At least five people were killed when Shiite militiamen ambushed an Iraqi army patrol in the central city of Diwaniyah, officials said Tuesday.

Two women were among the dead and another 14 people were wounded, including four teenage girls, according to a security official.

The fighting began when gunmen opened fire on the patrol in the northern part of the predominantly Shiite city, setting a Humvee alight. Explosions and gunfire spread across neighbouring areas.

"Two police cars have been burned and ambulances cannot reach the area," a police official said shortly after the fighting began. He later added that five houses and 15 civilian vehicles had been destroyed.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070626/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestdiwaniyah_070626145237;_ylt=AoqV8IA76mYRAltlEbkUPneaOrgF

[maddezmom]

5. Gunmen assassinate Baghdad University official

Gunmen assassinate Baghdad University official
BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Gunmen shot and killed a top Baghdad University official Tuesday, the Interior Ministry told CNN.

Nihad Mohammed al-Rawi, the deputy dean of Baghdad University, was being driven home from work when gunmen intercepted his car and shot him. Al-Rawi's driver and a passenger, his daughter, were unharmed.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. in western Baghdad's Yarmouk district.

more:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/26/tuesday/index.html

[Javaman]

6. Sadr has had an arrest warrent for years for murder but they haven't gone after him, why? nt

[Eugene]

7. British warplane kills 6 insurgents in Iraq

Source: Reuters

British warplane kills 6 insurgents in Iraq
26 Jun 2007 18:21:05 GMT
Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, June 26 (Reuters) - A British warplane killed six
insurgents southeast of Baghdad on Tuesday when it bombed
a building used by gunmen who had attacked an Iraqi police
station, the U.S. military said.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the insurgents had
attacked the police station and a checkpoint after destroying
a guard tower and four vehicles near the town of Salman Pak.

It said a British Royal Air Force GR-4 Tornado dropped a
2,000-pound bomb on the building, where the gunmen had
sought to hide.

A British military spokesman said he had no information on
the incident. But he added it was not unusual for British
aircraft to be involved in operations outside southern Iraq,
where British forces are based.

Link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/YAT664616.htm