Purple Fingers

Michael Yon

Don't ask me, I was looking at the pictures, and I just had to have this. Reminds me of the hamster magic movie I made when I was a kid.

More pictures

"I quess those pictures get acceptance by most of my reader. A friend of mine, (An American friend), send me more pictures but this time the crowd is of thousands of protesters.
Here are some of the new pictures."
A Citizen of Mosul

Sunset over Laundry Pond - LSA Anaconda

"This several acre pond surrounded by reeds is a focus of bird activity on base.

I found that another birder has made it to Anaconda. His main interest is reptiles but he's looking out for the other critters too. His work area is near the other large pond on post. He's got a few photos on his blog of black-winged stilts. I'm looking forward to hearing about his observations."
Birding Babylon

Better to Deserve Them AND Have Them or Your God Damn Right It's Sour Grapes!

"I think the worst part of the Army Awards System is the fact that anyone can put anyone in for an award. In Iraq we all received a "blanket" commendation with the same citation. I was put in for 2 ARCOMs one with "V" and both were kicked back. Most of us in Iraq were turned down for at least one real decoration for actions in combat. The sad part is that this week we had a battalion awards ceremony and about 120 awards were given out. About one third were ARCOMs and for all but about 10 achievement medals were given out."
Candle in the Dark

A new liberal lobby emerges in Baghdad...

"Today, Mohammed and I had the privilege to be invited to attend a conference organized by a group of civil society organizations to announce the launch of a new community under the name “Ahd Al-Iraq” or (the oath of Iraq).

The basic theme of the community is to take a promise from politicians, civil society activists and MPs (current or running for office) to preserve and protect the rights and freedoms every Iraqi citizen is supposed to enjoy under the new constitution and under the internationally recognized conventions and laws and to work to introduce amendments in the constitution whenever believed necessary for the protection of these rights and freedoms.
The founders of the community named five main points in the constitution that require urgent reconsideration:"
ITM

Leave it to the Iraqis to accept a constitution that now has to be amended. They seem to be on the right track, but now, after ratification, they are on a up hill battle with the religious authority and the US administration, that will not back your amendments. Good luck and all that, but your best chance to get a good constitution was last constitutional referendum. I hate to tell you this, but your up the creek without your prayer rug. Then again maybe the struggle will strengthen the movement in the future, you know 25-50 years down the road.

America - Behind the Curtain

"Libby and American Political Justice

Like many other people, I was closely following the ‘Plamegate’ affair in America: the investigation, the indictment, the spinning, the speculation… and the anticipation.

It is only natural. Libby and the likes of him have devastated my already ruined country. Anything that exposes these people for what they are must bring some gratification.

But…"
Iraqi Letters

Sectarian protest rocks Mosul

"MOSUL (Reuters) - Angry Sunni Arabs protesting the removal of a top police official have threatened to topple the provincial government of Nineveh as sectarian tensions flare in the volatile northern Iraqi province.

Several hundred armed protesters, chanting slogans against what they say is Kurdish domination of Nineveh's regional administration, besieged government offices in the provincial capital of Mosul late on Saturday and were kept from overrunning the building by U.S. troops, local officials said on Sunday.

Sunni Arab groups in Nineveh, which has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and other ethnic groups, had demanded the reinstatement of Arab provincial police chief Ahmed Mohammed al-Jibouri, who was sacked following allegations of corruption."
The Kurdistani

They better learn to take it to the ballot box, and they better learn that quick. Or at least they better learn how to channel this anger towards the political and not the social values of the city, or it could burn.

I wonder if TT was at the protest?

Jihad on teenage Girls

"Oh God.

They were 16 years old. 16. Beheaded. Just like that. Jihad. Killing the christian infidels. Girls? Even better. Sisters of the Devils. Bonus Points for doing this during Ramadan. Praise Allah.

When will it end? WHEN WILL IT FUCKIN END?

God..

Update: There are pictures of those 3 girls. I wouldn't recommend looking, but here they are. Try to withhold your rage and disgust, cause I couldn't!"
Sandmonkey

Dear god, what can I say. I wonder if people still need proof that they're bad guys out there, waiting for their chance to get you. Hide under your bed if you like, maybe they'll miss you when they come by.

US 'had no policy' in place to rebuild Iraq

"The US government had "no comprehensive policy or regulatory guidelines" in place for staffing the management of postwar Iraq, according to the top government watchdog overseeing the country's reconstruction.

The lack of planning had plagued reconstruction since the US-led invasion, and been exacerbated by a "general lack of co-ordination" between US government agencies charged with the rebuilding of Iraq, said Stuart Bowen, the special inspector-general for Iraq reconstruction, in a report released on Sunday."
MSNBC

So what's new?
I think the only plan this administration ever had was called fly-paper strategy, and as far as I can tell the sticky part of that is over, the only thing left is the permanent disposal part. As far as I know, remember I have been out of it for a week, and things, lots of things could have changed. Even though from what I have been reading about the white house tonight, my earlier prediction of a melt down looks to have been right on the mark. So I think they will try to quiet down the background noise for a while. This is good for Iraq and the Iraqis, unless of course they deiced to just cut it lose altogether, or forget all about it, or something stupid like that... we shall see in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Victims of insurgents in Iraq top 26,000

"The United States military has for the first time admitted that it is keeping records of Iraqi deaths as it disclosed that it estimates 26,000 to have been killed or injured by insurgents since January last year.

The data, released without fanfare in a report compiled by the Pentagon for the US Congress, says casualties, which include Iraqi police and soldiers as well as civilians, have risen from about 26 a day on last Jan 1 to 64 a day in the run-up to this month's constitutional referendum.

Attacks by insurgents have also tripled from just under 200 a week at the start of 2004 to more than 650 now."
Telegraph

We knew this, cb told us as much way back when. It's always been why I believe he was shut down. Maybe now that the book is out, and who knows if it's selling, that they figured hiding the facts just would not do.

Score one for the blogger.

Lebanon Tries to Cut Off Palestinian Group

"BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Having rid itself of Syrian occupying forces with a show of people power, Lebanon is now deploying its army to cut off Syrian support for its proxy - a Palestinian group behind some of the worst attacks against Israel over the years.

To many Arabs, the outfit that goes by the name of PFLP-GC, for Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, is Syria's tool in its shadowy war against its enemies. It is on the U.S. State Department's terrorist list and has lately been accused of involvement in the February assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri - the event that ended up forcing the Syrians to pull out of Lebanon.

Lebanese troops and armor have surrounded some of the PFLP-GC's bases in the rugged mountains along the Syrian border. The government has said it will not use force, but wants to stop weapons and reinforcements coming in from Syria which it fears will be used to stir up trouble."
MyWay

Times, they are changing.

Utility update

The electric is back, phone still has some noise but it's working. The cables outside the house are hanging because the storm pulled the anchor off the wall so I'll have to have all the companies out to secure the wires, but that is about the extent of the damage around here, well that and my car port and old generator.

The city has been coming back to life over the past week gas has become available and stores are open. Amazingly traffic has not been too bad all week. People have learned to drive without lights around here. And if you can believe it they have been courteous, stopping and letting people in. You would never believe it if you had seen it with your own eyes. There were a few incidents, one guy got shot and killed at a propane filling station, and I saw a couple of women get arrested in a gas station line, not really sure why, but I suspect that they were running some kind of scam.

The neighborhood hood has also been a bit strange. Children everywhere, I never knew there were so many children around here. I guess you just don't see them, there're either off to school or indoors, or off at some activity. But this last week they have been right outside my door. Kid's everywhere you look. That is the one thing about driving that made me nervous, all the kids, and there are so many trash piles on the curb. You have to be careful some kids don't run out while you driving down the street. Hopefully not that the electric is back they'll all go back to school and get off the streets.

And Carmen reports.....

"Hello and THANK GOD WE ARE ALL OK in Boca Raton!!
Just got our power restored after almost 6 days...not too bad considering the devastation that bitch Wilma has caused in Palm Beach County....Whatever you see in the news, not always the truth, so here is my version:
Monday Wilma came by around 6 am....we were told by our weather reporters that by the time Wilma came to our area after hitting the West Coast of Fla it would be a hard tropical storm.... most people in Palm Beach County did not prepare for a CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE!!!!"
Killcastro

And check out the pictures of what Wilma did to Cuba here, here, here, Thanks Charlie for some great pictures.

UAE Says Saddam Agreed to Exile Before War

"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saddam Hussein accepted an 11th-hour offer to flee into exile weeks ahead of the U.S.-led 2003 invasion, but Arab League officials scuttled the proposal, officials in this Gulf state claimed.

The exile initiative was spearheaded by the late president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, at an emergency Arab summit held in Egypt in February 2003, Sheik Zayed's son said in an interview aired by Al-Arabiya TV during a documentary. The U.S.-led coalition invaded on March 19 that year."
MyWay

Weird news

WINDS OF CHANGE

"Hi,

Rather, Hurricane force “Winds of Change”; that is what we are experiencing. Do you realize the significance of the results of the constitution referendum? To start with you have the percentages and figures. Of registered voters about 63% turned out to vote. Of these voters 78% voted "Yes" and 22% voted "No". Most of those who voted No were Sunnis. Some of the Sunnis have voted in favor, especially in Mosul. Therefore the percentages really reflect the percentage of Sunnis in Iraq. It is interesting that in Baghdad, roughly the same proportions of Yes & No’s as the overall figures, which goes to show that Baghdad has a sectarian mix almost representative of the whole country."
The Mesopotamian

I'm so tired

You have no idea, what a mess and a hassle. I have been surviving this past week by generator, and candle light, cooking on a little gas stove. My whole life is turned upside down, and I'm not even sure what day it is. I don't know if the war in Iraq is even still on. So If you came here to find out the latest news, please turn to any of the fine links we have on our sidebar.

It's so strange being cut off, I have not been to Drudge, read anything, even the local paper in the last week. My whole day is dedicated to trying to bring some semblance of modern life back to our daily lives.
I was sort of prepared for a hurricane, I had many of the basic supplies, and even a small generator that I got way back the day before hurricane Andrew hit years ago. I loved my old generator, we had been through several storms together and there was no reason why it would not get me through this one. But all good thing have to come to an end, and so did my old generator. May she rest in peace...

Good news is I ran down to the Home Depot, and made a line. there were no generator left, but they were expecting a truck that day. So I hung out for like an hour by the generator display, and what do you know, a palate of new machines rolled out, and I grabed one. I did not even read the brand name or anything, just put my hands on one box and declared it mine. saved the food in the freezer, and I wired it up to the hot water tank.
So I took a hot shower....don't even ask.

I want to thank everyone that left a message, I just got a chance to read them. The phone is still not working and I can only use the dial up for a few seconds before it drops me. If there is any interesting news out there that I should be aware of please leave a link so I can read it.
Be back as soon as I am able.

I'm still here.

Wilma was a bitch, se left us here high and dry, well not so bad. We only lost some aluminum roofs and shit. The electric and the phone lines have been out. I've got by backup power going but phone is very iffy so I have to make this short. Thank god for dial up.

Hi everybody,

"My response to this survey is simply that it cannot be accurate. And why believe this kind of poll when you have the results of the referendum and elections to go by.

A simple fact: Regardless of what you think of the new constitution and regardless of what those voting in the referendum think concerning this document, it is a fact that each person voting is opting for the political process rather than any form of violent action"
The Mesopotamian

Dr. Evil & his minime

Results of votes for the Iraqi Constitution

"The following are percentages (%) of Yes and No results of votes for the constitution announced today by the High Electoral Authority"


Hammorabi

Wow 99.11%
Judge for yourself. Saddam will be proud

No sign of serious Iraq vote violations- commission

"BAGHDAD, Oct 22 (Reuters) - The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said on Saturday it had found no instances of serious fraud in an Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and was still verifying some results only because of statistical issues."
Reuters

Those people don't get out much, do they. What a joke.

Two days with the same date

"I decided, three years ago, to boycott the referendum. As day was moving toward sunset time, my nervousness increased. I kept on thinking about the kinds of problems would be caused to me & my family by the baathists on boycotting. I recall that I felt uneasy and, frankly speaking, terrified. I was sure, and the whole Iraqis, that the result to be announced was 100%. So, boycotting wouldn't make difference but harming oneself. As we were approaching the referendum deadline, I asked my brother to go to the polling place & vote for the family."
Ibn Alrafidain

Entropy

"As if the state of religious harmony wasn't already in shambels in Alexandria thanks to last week's attack and siege of a church by angry muslims duped by local MB parliamentary candidate, it seems that the situation won't get better anytime soon: The Mujahedeen of Egypt have issued a statement threatening the "cross-worshippers of Egypt" (Hattip Ritzy), and now a young man stabbed a nun and another man in a church in Alexandria while shouting "Allahu Akabar". While the young man was later arrested by the police and while the injuries sustained by the nun and the man were not dangerous, this incident is clearly disturbing, especially given the timing. It may be too early to call it, but there may be a resurrection of secterian violence in Egypt between christians and muslims once again."
Sandmonkey

The trial of the century!?

"On the 19th this month, the trial of Saddam Hussein (Former Iraqi president, or الرئيس العراقي المخلوووع) began. An interesting timing, a try to distract Iraqis from the referendum results. Which were supposed to be announced after 5 days of the referendum, if no serious problems occured!!

Anyway, I was chatting with a friend from Canada yesterday, talked about the trial since he didn't have the chance to see it live himself.. Well, he thought he hasn't missed much, but he did, you too if you haven't seen it!"
A Star from Mosul

The Baghdad Breeze....

"I aint sure if this blog will get published or not since I have written quite a few in the past few weeks and whenever I hit that Publish button everything goes down the drains, and that just peeved me off. Anyways, Constitution Day was on Saturday and I VOTED, YAAAAAAAAAY. I didnt think I would be allowed to vote since I havent registered but hey I aint complaining. We went as a group from work, at first we thought we could cast our votes in the convention center in the GZ, but as we got in line, a guy came up to us and asked whether we were members of the National Assembly. We shook our heads, and said no, so apparantely the place was just for VIP's but after 3pm regular people could go in. We decided that it was far much of a hassle to wait and decided to go and vote in one of the schools that was a voting center."
Neurotic Iraqi Wife

The more I read about that referendum, the more I dislike it. What a disservice to those who paved the way.

Syria on the verge of new era

"The death of the interior Minister of Syria who was the main Syrian figure directly involved in Lebanon for long time is of no doubt related to the ongoing investigations about the Syrian role in the death of Rafiq Hariri.

Irrespective of whether the death was by suicide or some one kills him the investigations of Hariri’s death should be extended to include the death of the Syrian Interior Minister."
Hammorabi

UN report rocks ruling elites in Syria, Lebanon

"A United Nations investigation headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis has identified political and military leaders as suspects in the Hariri assassination, Western diplomatic sources said .

The report, relayed on Thursday to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, determined that leading Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officers lied to UN investigators and could be subject to prosecution.

"The UN could end up declaring leading members of the Syrian and Lebanese governments as criminals sought for prosecution," a diplomat said."
World Tribune

Personal Iraq Diary: 14-23 July 2004.

'14 July 2004

Today while wasting my usual 4 hours at the Hajji internet I was loading a blog entry about what goes on here and with perfect timing a mortar round went off near the gym. You can always tell who has really been in the shit and who is playing war. Not one single 1-23 guy ran while the reserve engineers all ran for the bunkers. The good part was it freed up some computers for the 1-23 guys waiting"
Candle in the Dark

"Daddy, I want to be a martyr. Can you get me an explosive belt?"

"Most of you have probably already seen this Time article on the guy who supplies and trains murder-suicide bombers.

When his 9 year-old-son asked him the question that I've chosen for the title, he says "I didn't know what to say."

His brother and sister have approached him about becoming human bombs as well. He gave them "basic training", but talked them out of it. For his son?"
IBC -CMAR II

29 Dead

"One of the world's foremost fighters against terrorism, French judge Jean Louis Bruguiere, says that Iraq has become virtual manufacturing plant for Muslim terrorists in Europe. Young Muslims go off to fight there, and return with the skills to do damage in Europe itself. Seems like the flypaper has lost its stickum."
Juan Cole

Or more evidence that the policy has changed.

White House Defense Crumbling in Leak Case

"The evidence prosecutors have assembled in the CIA leak case suggests Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff sought out reporters in the weeks before an undercover operative's identity was compromised in the news media, casting doubt on one of the White House's main lines of defense.

For months, the White House and its supporters have argued top presidential aides did not knowingly expose Valerie Plame, the wife of administration critic Joseph Wilson, as a CIA operative.

At most, the aides passed on information about her that entered the White House from reporters, the supporters argued.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald now knows that Libby met three times with a New York Times reporter before the leak of Plame's identity, initiated a call to NBC's Tim Russert and was a confirming source about Wilson's wife for a Time magazine reporter."
BreitBart

Which trial do you think would get more ratings world wide, Dick Cheney's or saddam's?
Maybe they can bring back Colin Powell as the new V.P.

Inside Bay Area coverage of Joe Wilson incompetent

"That's my take on the latest Bush Administration push to evict all illegal immigrants, "without exception."

That's the same sort of "zero-tolerance" thinking that has made drooling morons out of school administrators across the country....
...xenophobe wing of the Republican party."
CounterColumn

Like there are any other wing's in the party, if they're out there they must be under rocks.

The trial, as some Iraqis see it...

"The hot topic in Baghdad today is Saddam’s trial and one can easily see opinions divided about it; some see that it is a true victory for justice while others think the trial was seriously weak and in my opinion this is not unexpected from a people living the transition from a totalitarian regime to a state of law and institutions thus why some (or actually many) still think that the trial has to be repressive so they didn’t like the calm behavior of the judge especially when he addressed Saddam using the word “Mr”."
ITM

This is a great post. Way to go Mo.

Losing Our Humanity and Passion

"A jab at the former dictator? Does that mean we should destroy Babylon because Saddam compared himself to Nebuchanezzar, King of Babylon? This isn't helping anybody except the outside groups that wants to see Iraq sink in its misery."
Iraqi in America

Maybe it's a calling card from our friends the wahabies.

IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL

"Hi,

Hearty greetings to all my friends – actually I have been away for a few days. Guess where? To the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia! That was to perform Al Umra, a religious tradition which is less demanding than Hajj, which I had been fortunate enough to perform a couple of years back, Wa Alhamdu lillah (Praise be to God). It is quite an interesting subject, as a ritual, which I might talk to you about sometime."
The Mesopotamian

Oh No!

What happened to "Am I Evil" blog?

Life

"Last night a grain of hot metal tumbled through the air, a swift manmade meteor crashing through the heavens. The statistical chances of this solitary round impacting one the scattered buildings was negligible, and the chances of it actually injuring someone were almost infinitesimal. But in stark defiance to all known laws of probability, this small sliver of dead steel plummeted downward, downward, downward… until its path intersected a house. And then it continued on, tunneling its way into a little girl sitting down for the celebration of Ishtar. The round smashed into the girls head, its sheer velocity driving it on a merciless path through her neck and into her chest. Left alone she would have died in less than five minutes, her death throes painting the kitchen with bright spatters of arterial blood."
365 and a Wakeup

The Iraq War Comes Home

"The Iraq war is coming home, with more than one of every four returning vets complaining of mental or physical wounds caused by the conflict. The first time the U.S. went to war with Iraq, in 1991, ground combat lasted precisely 100 hours, but its impact on the U.S. troops who waged it, including physical and mental scars, was ignored and belittled by the Pentagon hierarchy for years. This time, with the war going much worse for U.S. forces, the Pentagon is paying much closer attention to the invisible wounds combat is leaving on soldiers."
Time

SPAIN: MADRID COURT ORDERS ARREST OF US MILITARY FOR IRAQ HOTEL DEATHS

"Madrid, 19 Oct. (AKI) - The Madrid chief prosecuto'rs office has issued arrest warrants for three American soldiers, accused of the murder of Jose Couso, a Spanish television cameraman, in Iraq. Couso was killed, along with Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk, as they were filming from the balcony of their 15th-storey room in the Hotel Palestine. Their room in the hotel, where many journalists were staying, was hit by a shell from a US armoured vehicle in April 2003. A Pentagon probe later concluded that the US-led forces bore "no fault or negligence" when they fired at the building.

After an inquiry lasting more than a year, Santiago Pedraz, a Spanish High Court judge, has concluded that the three US soldiers; Lieutenant Colonel Philip de Camp, Sergeant Thomas Gibson and Lieutenant Philip Wolford, were responsible for the deaths of the two cameramen. Washington in June rejected a request to question the three men."
AKI

I wonder if they have indicted at terrorist while they were at it. Somehow there are all these rule out there that only tend to apply to us. Or how about castro and every member of his regime? When can we expect to see an indictment and arrest.

Saddam's Judge Is Longtime Kurdish Lawyer

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Silver-haired and seemingly patient, the judge presiding over Saddam Hussein's trial is a longtime Kurdish lawyer and judge who has worked under both Saddam's regime and under his own people's self-rule.

Rizgar Mohammed Amin, 47, the top judge of a five-judge tribunal overseeing the Saddam case, is from the town of Sulaimaniyah, about 160 miles north of Baghdad. He was asked about a year ago by Kurdish government officials to participate in the Iraqi Special Tribunal, local officials said.

It was unclear if Amin's Kurdish background played any role in his selection as presiding judge. But it is sure to hold symbolic power, because Kurds and Shiites were the two main groups that Saddam oppressed. The case Amin will oversee concerns Shiite victims of a 1982 massacre."
MyWay

Let justice be served.

"While Baghdad’s streets were nearly empty, most Iraqis were glued to the TV and I bet many Arabs were as well.
Our place was full of full of friends today as we decided we would watch the trial together just like we lived what led to this day together; the first thing we noticed was that electricity was much better today and I don’t know if that was an exceptions made to allow more people to watch the awaited show but anyway we already prepared for outages and stored enough fuel for the generator."
ITM

Allawi, Other Centrists Announce Coalition

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and other secular leaders announced a new coalition Monday they said unites moderate Sunnis, Shiites and other political groups to run in December's parliamentary elections.

The coalition appeared to be aimed at striking a middle ground in Iraq's sharply divided political scene, where parties have been strictly defined on sectarian lines, including the Shiite and Kurdish groups that now dominate the government.

"This conference is a major attempt to create a political bloc able to bring unity to this country and intent on saving the people from sectarian strife," said Mahdi al-Hafidh, a former planning minister.

It also could be a vehicle for Allawi to try to return himself to a position of influence. With strong U.S. backing, the secular Shiite was named prime minister of an interim government put in place after American administrators returned sovereignty to Iraq in June 2004.

Allawi and his allies were swept out of power in January parliament elections - the first national vote since Saddam Hussein's fall in April 2003. Clerical-backed Shiite parties won a majority in parliament and kept Allawi out of their coalition with the Kurds."
MyWay

Get Ready...Brace Yourself...Here It Comes...The Allegations of Fraud in the Constitutional Referendum

"I don't think I've mentioned anywhere before that I was once bitten by a radioactive unrealist rejectionist (he ate some depleted geraniums). This has provided me with uncanny, superhuman powers to predict when a rejectionist is about to say something stupid. I call it Riverbend-sense. I began predicting to friends about a month ago, that if the Constitution seemed likely to pass* those who were hoping it would not pass--"
IBC -CMAR II

Iraqi Constitutional Referendum Results

"Initial results from Iraq's constitutional referendum, as reported by election officials in each province. The figures are from the first tallies done by each province's counting centers, which must be sent to Baghdad for another check and compilation. The final official figures, likely to be announced no sooner than Wednesday, may differ.

The names of each province is followed by its capital in parentheses. No information was available from Baghdad province; the northern Kurdish provinces of Dahuk, and Irbil; and the central province of Salahuddin.

In some cases, elections officials gave only rounded figures.

West-Central Iraq:

ANBAR (Ramadi):

Figures only from the area of the city of Fallujah. Turnout in other parts of Anbar province believed to be minimal, and results not known.

- Yes: 3 percent.

- No: 97 percent.

- Votes counted: All 100,000 votes from Fallujah counted. (Turnout of 77 percent in Fallujah. )

DIYALA (Baqouba)

- Yes: 280,000 (70 percent)

- No: 80,000 (20 percent)

- Disqualified votes: 40,000 (10 percent)

- Votes counted: All 400,000 votes counted. (57 percent turnout)

NINEVAH (Mosul)

- Yes: 326,774, (78 percent)

- No: 90,065, (21 percent)

- Disqualified votes: 2,965 (less than 1 percent)

- Votes counted: 419,804 votes, from 475 of the 500 polling stations counted so far. (Turnout percentage unknown.)

TAMIM (Kirkuk)

- Yes: 341,611 (63 percent)

- No: 195,725 (36 percent)

- Disqualified votes: 5,420 (1 percent)

- Votes counted: All 542,000 votes counted. (78 percent turnout).

Northern Iraq:

SULAIMANIYAH PROVINCE (Sulaimaniyah)

- Yes: 676,451 (98 percent)

- No: 6,903 (1 percent)

- Disqualified votes: 6,903 (1 percent)

- Votes counted: All 690,257 votes counted. (72 percent turnout).

Southern Iraq:

BABIL (Hillah)

- Yes: 720,000. (98 percent)

- No: 18,000. (2 percent)

- Votes counted: All 738,000 votes counted. (Nearly 100 percent turnout).

BASRA (Basra)

- Yes: 640,200. (97 percent)

- No: 19,800. (3 percent)

- Votes counted: All 660,000 votes counted. (64 percent turnout).

DHI QAR (Nasiriyah)

- Yes: 415,000 (90 percent)

- No: 46,000 (10 percent)

- All 461,000 votes counted. (54 percent turnout)

KARBALA (Karbala)

- Yes: 417,715 (95 percent).

- No: 21,985 (5 percent).

- Votes counted: All 439,700 votes counted. (60 percent turnout.)

NAJAF PROVINCE

- Yes: 236,466. (90 percent).

- No: 26,274 (10 percent).

- Votes counted: All 262,740 (58 percent turnout).

WASIT (Kut)

- Yes: 494,950. (95 percent)

- No: 26,050. (5 percent)

- All 521,000 votes counted.(54 percent turnout).

Four southern provinces where only the turnout was known, as reported by Carina Perelli, the U.N. elections chief:

MUTHANNA (Samawah): 58 percent turnout

MAYSAN (Amarah): 57 percent turnout

QADISIYAH Diwaniyah): 56 percent turnout."
MyWay

Iraq Electoral Division to Audit Results

"BAGHDAD, Iraq Oct 17, 2005 — Election workers will audit results showing unexpected ratios of "yes" to "no" votes from some parts of Iraq in the country's landmark referendum on the draft constitution, officials said Monday.

The U.S. military said, meanwhile, that its warplanes and helicopters bombed two western villages Sunday, killing an estimated 70 militants near a site where five American soldiers died in a roadside blast. Residents said at least 39 of the dead were civilians.

Word of the unexpected results came as Sunni Arab lawmaker Meshaan al-Jubouri claimed fraud had occurred in Saturday's election including instances of voting in hotly contested regions by pro-constitution Shiites from other areas repeating earlier comments made by other Sunni officials over the weekend."
ABC

This steams me....

"Truth Teller from A Family from Mosul has been posting recently some articles about the validity of Saddam ordering the bombing of Halapja. News stories blaming the Iranian government for the gassing of Kurds is nothing new, but they seem to resurface over and over. Truth Teller has posted two stories in the past few days, here and here, and of course my favorite entitled No Proof Saddam Gassed the Kurds. Rather than paraphrases each post, please read what he wrote (which is mostly articles written by other people) and let me know what you think."
KBU

Voted... Not me though

"An hour ago, dad came back from the mosque and said that the voting center is open. I went upstairs, changed my clothes, prayed and came down to go out with the family.

We went out to vote.. I and HNK are under the legal age, but we went out all together. The neighbors were out, waiting in the streets, men and women.
"They say a bus will come and pick us up to the voting center" said a neighbor.. And so we waited.. Few minutes later, the bus came and we all went up. It wasn't enough and so each 3 sat on 2 seats....
...After about half an hour, and with the help of our neighbor who has already voted, we knew we can vote. Our turn came, mom went in with us, she voted for herself and dad (Who was waiting outside for his turn, but since mom had his ID card, she could vote for him).. They even gave us 3 voting cards, by mistake, but we returned the third."
A Star from Mosul

That sounds like voter fraud to me? It's supposed to be one person one vote.

NO!

"I have been thinking that we have a very good chance to vote the constitution out, since all what we need is two thirds of the voters in three cities only, perfect! Anbar, Mosul and Salahiddeen will do the work for sure, that's all what we need, three cities! too easy, too do-able, almost guaranteed results already...go people, go my friends, go my brothers..vote NO to the constitution...do this effort for your own country and your own future...
we have a very good chance! i was thinking.
and then it hit me like a vase on the back of my head: WAIT A MINUTE.
why did "they" make it so easy? why why why why?? they know that it will be rejected for sure with this kind of rules!"
Tell me a Secret

Talabani's vote might not be counted!

"well, I have not being following the referendum on the UNKNOWN constitution, but I have this very funny bit of news which I wanted to share, but I just thought I should write something as it is not very nice for KBU to be so quiet while the whole world's eye is on the Kurdish participation in the Referendum!
well quoting zaman.com.tr , the Islamic Racist Turkish newspaper's online version in this article says: "
KBU

The magic is not in the paper....

"Even before the official result of the ballot count is due to be announced, it seams quite clear that the outcome of this constitutional referendum has been preordained to be an unequivocal yes by the majority of Iraqis except of course those areas where the Arab Sunni population so overwhelmingly outnumber any other sect that any suggestion of a ‘Yes’ vote would be so absurd as to be laughable.

It seams that the current Kurdish / Shia’t government, backed by the US administration, have managed to achieve a substantial coup in convincing the world that they have run an honest and legitimate vote count in order to pass this draft constitution. The fact that the average Iraqi is mind boggled by the 70+% ‘Yes’ acceptance in majority held Sunni Dyala and Niniveh provinces is considered neither here or there to the Iraqi government or the American administration."
IRAQ RISING

Ays talks

"what is that silly constitution? what AlJa'fari is doing in Iraq, he is driving it to hell..
He is the one who's starting the civil war..
of course all of you are happy with the voting thing, but wait what will happen in the coming months.
Obviously the Sunnis do not want this constitution..."
Iraq at a Glance

And what looks like some more bad news

My friend's father has been killed in Baghdad last week, a bullet in the head, he was in his car when an American soldier shot him."
Iraq at a Glance

The Results indicate YES vote for the Iraqi constitution

"Over all how nice it is to be free and votes then calculate like the other civilized nations and not 99.999% yes for one person or one family under the barbaric dictatorship regimes."
Hammorabi

I think this says it all. Congratulation to the Iraqi people on what looks like a successful referendum.

CIVIL WAR!

No not in Iraq, in the republican party. Why? Well the presidents nominee to the supreme court Mrs. Miers. The party is split down, well party lines, the conservatives and neo-cons are mad as hell about the nomination of Miers, they say she is not qualified to sit on the high court, for one, she's a woman, and has never been a judge, so they do not know her judicial philosophy. In other words they have no idea how she would vote. They wanted someone that was guaranteed to vote for them. But the president seems to have other ideas. he was looking I think for someone that would not clash with the democrats in the Senate. The president did not want a showdown with the dems. I think he's looking to the future of his party. A drawn out fight with the dems might have an effect in the upcoming elections and might make him look like a lame duck early in his second term. seems to me he made a choice between fighting the dems that would be coming armed to the teeth with slogans like "he lied and they died" or fight his own party with a Miers nomination and control the damage. The republicans are sure to have a cleaner fight with their president, and I don't think they will filibuster Miers, though they might vote her out. But that's a fight that win or lose the president wont come out of too bloodied.

The Embed

"I've returned to Iraq.

People ask how journalists get embedded. This seems a fair moment for synopsis of some firsthand experience.

The process begins with an application to the Combined Press Information Center (CPIC). This is simple to complete with emails. If a journalist works for a credible media organization, and can pass some kind of background check—quick and transparent—in all likelihood, CPIC will instruct the applicant to fly to Kuwait.

My second application for an embed was recently declined, a process from which I learned that simple is not always straightforward. For me, one of the sharp turns came just before the intersection of independence and affiliation. Although the guidelines for embedding with the military stipulated an affiliation with a media organization, I was previously embedded, for more than eight months, as a completely independent writer.

For some reason, this time my independent status caught up on a snag and seized the embed machinery. Some have speculated that dispatches like "Proximity Delays" might have brought deliberate, even disgruntled, scrutiny to my work, but whether or not there's merit to that claim does not alter that I did not have a formal affiliation with any media organization."
Michael Yon

Iraq tribes play key role in treaty vote

"HADITHA, Iraq - U.S. Marines hurriedly finished last-minute fortifications to protect voters in Iraq's referendum, but one tribal sheik in this Sunni Arab city wondered why they bothered: His tribesmen will vote as he tells them anyway. In fact, he offered to just vote on behalf of all 500 of them.

Tribes throughout this area are the critical, unknown factor in Saturday's landmark vote on a new constitution. They could tilt the electorate toward or against the draft charter that many in this Sunni Arab area oppose. Few know the exact strength of tribes here in western Iraq or how they will urge their tribesmen to vote.

Some in the military believe the tribes have filled the void left after the fall of Saddam Hussein and are capable of going to the polls in a synchronized vote.

"The decision to vote will be a tribally sanctioned decision," said Col. Stephen W. Davis, who commands Marine operations in western Anbar province. "The sheiks will decide what's good for their people."

Others contend that tribal influence had been waning throughout the country for years, noting that senior members of the Dulaimi tribe, the largest tribe in the province, and other tribes have fled to London or neighboring Jordan.

Some sheiks are nonetheless confident in their clout.

"All my tribe is going to vote," said Sheik Mohammed Abd al-Jaleel, who says he oversees 500 tribesmen in Haditha. "If you bring me a place for them, I will have all of them there."

Better yet, he suggested, "I can vote for all of them.""
The Mercury News

Baghdad Blackout Caused by Sabotage

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents sabotaged power lines Friday, plunging the Iraqi capital into darkness and cutting off water supplies on the eve of a landmark vote on a constitution that would define democracy in Iraq.

The charter - hammered out after months of bitter negotiations - is supported by a Shiite-Kurdish majority but has split Sunni Arab ranks after last-minute amendments designed to win support among the disaffected minority.

In Friday sermons across the nation, the message from Shiite pulpits was an unequivocal "yes," but it was not so clear-cut in Sunni Arab mosques - varying from "yes,""no" and "vote your conscience.""
MyWay

Iraqi's preparing to decide...

"Only hours separate us from a major historic day for our nation (too many historic days for Iraq in these two years!). Tomorrow will draw a line that would mark the beginning of a new era in Iraq; a constitutional Iraq will become reality.
It’s only a beginning since there will be more steps to go but it’s the right beginning because it’s a transition from temporary laws to a permanent-though amendable-constitution on which the people will assume control through their elected representatives and through their own direct votes."
ITM

Tomorrow is a big day....

"Tomorrow is suppose to be the big day (referendum day)…
I can't made up my mind about………….. what shall I do?
What shall I choose ?...am I be safe?"
Emotions....

Interviewing Treasure of Baghdad

"Today, I bring to you an interview with an Iraqi/International journalist . He's known to you as Iraqi blogger, Treasure of Baghdad. I hope you enjoy it.

Q: What made you decide to become a journalist?

A: Since I was a child I used to participate in school activities of writing articles and stories. In 1993, I established my own newspaper in my high school, Baghdad College, but it was forbidden by the schoolmaster as he was afraid of Saddam discovering there are students writing articles and expressing their opinions freely. Since then, I stopped writing but kept on reading newspapers in English and Arabic. Until, I worked as a translator first with a newspaper in 2003, after I got my B.A. in English Literature. This made me improve my English and start writing and reporting."
Iraqi in America

For Iraqis only

"We should free our selves from us ,to live in peace ,& to rebuilt our country. Many of our functionaries don’t do their jobs in dedication, as teachers, doctors , industrial workers ,engineers etc. Every citizen should be loyal & honest .
Every one of us experienced a bad behavior of some functionaries, when we need some papers to be done ,for example ,or when we have a patient in hospital, or when we have children in schools, or as a student in the university. WHY?"
Emotions....

My Review of Colby Buzzell's "MY WAR"

"This has been my first experience witnessing the birth of an author. The experience is all the more compelling, knowing I have witnessed the metamorphosis of a talent unleashed during the chaos of the war in Iraq.

I first stumbled on CB’s blog, “MY WAR”, in the last days of August 2004, I don’t recall how, when he had already published the infamous post “MEN IN BLACK”. This post was his account of the surreal, chilling, mind-numbing events he participated in, while being ambushed, by who else, as many as 100 foreign fighters, all dressed in black. This was in the city of Mosul on 04 August 04."
My View

Al-Ahram newspaper is a terrorist apologist

"...The Egyptian government should realize that their biggest threat isn't the US presence in Iraq and the US pressure to democratize the region, but rather it's the islamist extreemist organizations who want to overthrow it by force and establish a theocracy in egypt. They should relaize that anything that would make the "Al Qaeda crowd" more popular with the public, like this article, shouldn't be allowed on the press, let alone the state-owned newspapers. It's not in their best interest to continue to do that, and it will surely bite them in the ass afterwards. Too bad that means it will bite us all in the ass as well. Morons."
Sandmonkey

You could just feel it...

"You could just feel how badly the media wanted to believe the President's videoconference with 10 U.S. soldiers was "staged." And dammit, if the media wanted it to be staged, then staged it will be."
CounterColumn

TheKurdistani.com's special report on the Iraqi constitution from Suleimani

"Suleimani (TheKurdistani.com) 14/10/2005 - A high number of professional Kurds would not participate in tomorrow's Iraqi constitution draft referendum, according to TheKurdistani.com reporter in Suleimani, in south [Iraqi] Kurdistan.

TheKurdistani.com managed to obtain a paperback-copy of the Kurdish draft of the Iraqi constitution, in which only 200 000 out of 1 Million were delivered to Kurdistan. The 63 pages document is a translation of the Arabic version of the current constitution draft which will be put to be voted on tomorrow in a popular referendum throughout Iraq and Kurdistan. The document which was supposed to be distributed with the monthly food ratio in September, is very hard to obtain in a large city like Suleimani. TheKurdistani.com had to contact a few high ranking members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in order to get a copy of the Kurdish version of the constitution. Many ordinary citizens have not yet seen the document which they are going to vote on tomorrow."
The Kurdistani

All of a sudden I feel guilty, I've had the silly thing posted here from day one...And the people that really needed a copy cant seem to find one. But if your unsure what the damn thing says then go vote, vote fucken NO, it's a lot better than not voting at all and not telling the MAN that you did not have time to read and understand the thing. Vote NO.

Thatcher reveals her doubts over basis for Iraq war

"Baroness Thatcher has criticised Tony Blair for taking Britain to war in Iraq on the basis of flawed evidence about Saddam Hussein's weapons. The former prime minister's embarrassing criticism emerged as Mr Blair was among the 670 guests who attended a party to mark her 80th birthday.

Although Lady Thatcher remains a strong supporter of the decision to topple Saddam by invading Iraq, it is the first time she has questioned the basis for the war. Yesterday's Washington Post reported that when asked whether she would have invaded Iraq given the intelligence at the time, Lady Thatcher replied: "I was a scientist before I was a politician. And as a scientist I know you need facts, evidence and proof - and then you check, recheck and check again.""
Independent

Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

"It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.

"This is an important time," Allison Barber, deputy assistant defense secretary, said, coaching the soldiers before Bush arrived. "The president is looking forward to having just a conversation with you."

Barber said the president was interested in three topics: the overall security situation in Iraq, security preparations for the weekend vote and efforts to train Iraqi troops.

As she spoke in Washington, a live shot of 10 soldiers from the Army's 42nd Infantry Division and one Iraqi soldier was beamed into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from Tikrit _ the birthplace of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"I'm going to ask somebody to grab those two water bottles against the wall and move them out of the camera shot for me," Barber said.

A brief rehearsal ensued. "
BreitBart

From Drudge

Iraqi City Braces for Constitution Vote

"
HADITHA, Iraq (AP) - U.S. Marines handed out thousands of fliers and copies of Iraq's new constitution Thursday, urging people to vote in this Sunni Arab town that only a week ago was the target of U.S. airstrikes.

But with the crucial referendum on the charter just two days away, many residents still did not know where to cast ballots. Across Iraq's insurgent heartland - the overwhelmingly Sunni Arab province of Anbar - fears of attacks have limited plans to only a handful of heavily fortified polling stations.

Even then, the sites were still unannounced Thursday for security reasons, officials said, and a ban on vehicle traffic will force many residents to walk miles to vote.

And American forces were not the only ones waging a public campaign: Insurgents had distributed fliers of their own before the U.S.-led offensive, Iraqi soldiers said, threatening that anyone who votes will be beheaded."

MyWay

We and the Constitution

"Two days left before the vote for the constitution, but till now no body in Mosul have seen a copy of it which supposed to be distributed to the population before the referendum.
In addition till now we and our neighbors don't know yet the place where to vote which is necessory to be known in advance since there is a curfew for all vehicles started from wednesday Oct 12 at 10 pm till monday Oct 17 at 5 am. That mean no body can use a car for trnsportation from place to place inside the city, the schools, the University and all the governmental offices are closed for 4 days."
A Citizen of Mosul

Turkey: No changes for Kurds

"On a Kurdish mountain the Turkish national slogan is written by probably soldiers. It says ‘Ne mutlu Türküm diyene’, meaning ‘How happy is he who can say ‘I am a Turk’. Kurds have to look to this everyday. (Source google maps)

Delal made a good summary of the recent saddening news about the Kurdish question in Turkey here. Recently a Kurdish politician of the Dehap got sentenced for six months imprisonment and a fine of YTL 1,640 for beginning a speech at a local party convention by saying "good-day" in Kurdish.

He was charged with using a language other than Turkish for public political purposes in violation of the Political Parties Law."
KBU

The New Constitution

"The Iraqi people is about to witness a historic day. It is the referendum on the proposed constitution on Saturday 15 October. I'll try to make a general review of some articles of the constitution, introducing my perspective about some of them. I'm not versed in jurisprudence, so I'm referring to the TEXT OF THE DRAFT IRAQI CONSTITUTION (Translated from the Arabic by The Associated Press)."
Ibn Alrafidain

While We're Waiting

"Four more days until Iraqis vote on the constitution. So, let's talk about the rights of a small Iraqi minority that's almost neglected by everyone. It's the Iraqi gay and lesbian community. A community that exists and needs some attention."
Iraqi in America

De Nile is not just a river in Egypt, it runs deep throughout the world.

Al-Zarqawi Has Become Commander of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Perhaps Even in the Entire Middle East and North Africa

""The warfare policy of Qaedat Al-Jihad in Iraq:

"After the fall of Afghanistan, the Jihad fighter Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, accompanied by his followers, set out for Kurdistan, where he began to prepare for the war of revenge against the American army that was about to invade Iraq. Commander Al-Zarqawi was a man of determined outlook, and therefore set out directly for Kurdistan, and from there began to prepare bases and arsenals throughout Iraq. Many Saudis went to Iraq in order to join Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, who was well known in Afghanistan.

"The American war [in Iraq] began, but Abu Mus'ab did not make an appearance. It is quite possible that this was a deliberate [tactic]: [to wait] until the Iraqi Ba'ath regime fell, in order to make a clean start and to avoid any accusation of having aided the Ba'ath regime headed by Saddam and his men.

"After the fall of the Ba'ath party, Al-Zarqawi's organization emerged under its previous name: Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad. Then came the great alliance, which brought us much joy: [Al-Zarqawi] swore an oath of allegiance to Sheikh Al-Islam the Imam and Jihad fighter, Osama bin Laden, and became the commander of Qaedat Al-Jihad in Iraq, and perhaps in the [entire] Middle East and North Africa. The operations of the Al-Qaeda organization steadily increased and continue to increase, and it now targets well-defined, carefully chosen targets, which are legitimate.

"In order to [achieve] these legitimate goals on Iraqi soil, Al-Zarqawi employs three main courses: "
MEMRI

H/T Rantburg

I wonder if this has anything to do with that rumor of Bin Laden's death in Pakistan

The Iraqi Army in Action

"October 12, 2005: Despite the controversy over independent operations certification, that has been in the news recently, the Iraqi military has clearly been coming into their own. Iraqi combat divisions have taken over security work in several parts of the country. On October 3, the 6th Iraqi Division assumed formal authority over Baghdad's central and northern districts, where it has been operating for several months. Also operating in the Baghdad area is the Ninth Iraqi Division (Mechanized), which has been teamed up with the U.S. 1st Armor in raiding operations over the major road networks. The Iraqi 4th Division has been conducting raids and cordon and searches along the Tigris River Valley north of Baghdad, up to Tikrit. The Iraqi 2nd Division has been operating with good success in extending control in and around Mosul out to Tal Afar. A battalion of the Iraqi 2nd Division was moved to Tal Afar at the end of August by the Iraqi 23rd Air Transport Squadron (operating C-130 airplanes). This was the first report of the new Iraqi Army supported by the new Iraqi Air Force."
Strategy Page

Ten Shots At Che Guevara

"Che Guevara fans are preparing to commemorate one more anniversary of the revolutionary’s death, which took place thirty-eight years ago at the Yuro ravine in Bolivia. It’s an appropriate time to address ten myths that keep Guevara’s cult alive.

The last time I visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an American student wearing a Che Guevara T-Shirt and a beret caught my eye (the fact that Nicole Kidman happened to walk in at that very moment may have had something to do with my noticing him). I asked him politely what exactly he admired so much about that man. Here are the ten reasons he mentioned— and my response."
RealClear Politics

H/T Nadzs in a post linked at Sandmonkey

Text of Proposed Iraqi Constitution

SECTION SIX: FINAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER ONE: FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 122:

First: The President of the Republic and the Council of the Ministers collectively or one-fifth (1/5) of the Council of Representatives members may propose to amend the Constitution.

Second: The fundamental principles mentioned in Section One and the rights and liberties mentioned in Section Two of the Constitution may not be amended except after two successive electoral terms, with the approval of two-thirds of the Council of Representatives members, and the approval of the people in a general referendum and the ratification of the President of the Republic within seven days.

Third: Other Articles not stipulated in clause "Second" of this Article may not be amended, except with the approval of two-thirds of the Council of Representatives members and with the approval of the people in a general referendum and the ratification of the President of the Republic within seven days.

Fourth: Articles of the constitution may not be amended if such amendment takes away from the powers of the regions that are not within the exclusive powers of the federal authorities except by the consent of the legislative authority of the concerned region and the approval of the majority of its citizens in a general referendum.

Fifth:

A. The amendment is considered ratified by the President of the Republic after the expiration of the period stipulated in clauses "Second" and "Third" of this Article in case he does not ratify it.

B. An amendment shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 123:

The President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, members of the Council of Ministers, the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, his two Deputies and members of the Council of Representatives, members of the Judicial Authority and people of the special grades may not use their influence to buy or rent any of the State properties, or to rent or sell any of their assets to the State, or to sue the State for it or to conclude a contract with the State under the pretense of being building contractors, suppliers or concessionaires.

Article 124:

The laws and judicial judgments shall be issued in the name of the people.

Article 125:

Laws shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall take effect on the date of its publication, unless stipulated otherwise.

Article 126:

Existing laws shall remain in force, unless annulled or amended in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.

Article 127:

Every referendum mentioned in this constitution is valid with the approval of a simple majority of the voters unless otherwise stipulated.

CHAPTER TWO: TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Article 128:

First: The State guarantee care for political prisoners and victims of the oppressive practices of the defunct dictatorial regime.

Second: The State guarantees compensation to the families of the martyrs and those injured due to terrorist acts.

Third: A law shall regulate matters mentioned in clauses "First" and "Second" of this Article.

Article 129:

The Council of Representatives shall adopt in its first session the bylaws of the Transitional National Assembly until it adopts its own bylaws.

Article 130:

The Iraq High Criminal Court shall continue its duties as an independent judicial body, in examining the crimes of the defunct dictatorial regime and its symbols. The Council of Representatives shall have the right to dissolve by law the Iraqi High Criminal Court after the completion of its work.

Article 131:

First: The High Commission for De-Ba'athification shall continue its functions as an independent commission, and in coordination with the Judicial Authority and the Executive institutions within the framework of the laws regulating its functions. The Commission shall be attached to the Council of Representatives.

Second: The Council of Representatives shall have the right to dissolve this Commission after the completion of its function by absolute majority.

Third: The nominee to the Position of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the members of the Ministers Council, the Speaker and the members of the Council of Representatives, the President and members of the Federation Council, the corresponding positions in the regions, members of the Judicial committees and other positions included in the De-Ba'athification pursuant to the law may not be subject to De-Ba'athification judgments.

Fourth: The conditions stated in clause "Third" of this article shall remain in force unless the commission provided for in clause "First" of this article is dissolved.

(Fifth: Membership in the defunct Ba'ath party alone is not considered a sufficient basis for transfer to the courts, and a member enjoys equality before the law and its protection, as long as he is not subject to the rulings of the De-Ba'athification Commission and its bylaws.)

(Sixth: The Council of Representatives will form a parliamentary committee from its members to oversee and review the executive activities of the Supreme De-Ba'athification Commission and state agencies to guarantee justice, objectivity and transparency, and to examine its accordance with the law. The committee's decisions will be subject to agreement by the Council of Representatives.)

Article 132:

First: The Property Claims Commission shall continue its functions as an independent commission in coordination with the Judicial authority and the Executive institutions in accordance with the law. The Property Claims Commission shall be attached to the Council of Representatives.

Second: The Council of Representatives shall have the right to dissolve the Commission by a two-thirds majority vote of its members.

Article 133:

Application of the provisions of the articles related to the Federation Council, wherever it may be cited in this Constitution, shall be postponed until the Council of Representatives issues a decision by a two-thirds majority vote in its second electoral term that is held after this Constitution comes into force.

Article 134:

First: The expression "the Presidency Council" shall replace the expression "the President of the Republic" wherever it is mentioned in this Constitution. The provisions related to the President of the Republic shall be reactivated one successive term after this Constitution comes into force.

Second:

A. The Council of Representatives shall elect the President of the State and two Vice Presidents who shall form a Council called "the Presidency Council," which shall be elected by one list and with a two-thirds majority.

B. The provisions to remove the President of the Republic present in this constitution shall apply to the President and members of the Presidency Council.

C. The Council of Representatives may remove a member of the Presidency Council with a three-fourths majority of its members for reasons of incompetence and dishonesty.

D. In the event of a vacant seat in the Presidency Council, the Council of Representatives shall elect a replacement by a two-thirds majority vote of its members.

Third: The members of the Presidency Council shall be subject to the same conditions as members of the Council of Representatives and must also:

A. Have completed forty years of age.

B. Enjoy good reputation, integrity and uprightness.

C. Have quit the defunct Party ten years prior to its fall, in case he was a member of the dissolved Baath Party.

D. Have not participated in suppressing the 1991 uprising and the Anfal campaign. He must not have committed a crime against the Iraqi people.

Fourth: The Presidency Council shall issue its decisions unanimously and a member may delegate his place to any of the other members.

Fifth:

A. Legislation and decisions enacted by the Council of representatives shall be forwarded to the Presidency Council to approve it unanimously and to issue it within ten days from the date of delivery to the Presidency Council, except the stipulations of Articles (114) and (115) that pertain to the formation of regions.

B. In the event the Presidency Council does not approve, legislation and decisions shall be sent back to the Council of Representatives to re-examine the disputed issues and to vote on by the majority of its members and then shall be sent for the second time to the Presidency Council for approval.

C. In the event the Presidency Council does not approve the legislation and decisions for the second time within ten days of receipt, the legislation and decisions are sent back to the Council of Representatives who have the right to adopt it by a three-fifths non-appealable majority vote and shall be considered ratified.

Sixth: The Presidency Council shall practice the powers of the President of the Republic stipulated in this Constitution.

Article 135:

The Prime Minister shall have two deputies in the first electoral cycle.

Article 136:

First: The Executive Authority shall undertake the necessary steps to complete the implementation of the requirements of all subparagraphs of Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law.

Second: The responsibility placed upon the executive branch of the Iraqi Transitional Government stipulated in Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law shall extend and continue to the executive authority elected in accordance with this constitution, provided that it completes (normalization and census and concludes with a referendum in Kirkuk and other disputed territories to determine the will of their citizens), in a period not to exceed (the thirty first of December two thousand and seven).

Article 137:

Legislation enacted in the region of Kurdistan since 1992 shall remain in force, and decisions issued by the government of the region of Kurdistan - including court decisions and agreements - shall be considered valid unless it is amended or annulled pursuant to the laws of the region of Kurdistan by the competent entity in the region, provided that they do not contradict with the constitution.

(First: At the start of its functioning, the Council of Representatives shall form a committee from its members, which will be representative of the main components of Iraqi society and the duty of which will be to present within a period no longer than four months to the Council of Representatives a report that includes recommendations for the necessary amendments that can be made to the Constitution. The committee will be dissolved after a decision is made on its proposals.

Second: The amendments proposed by the committee will be put before the Council of Representatives in a single batch for approval. It will be considered approved by the agreement of an absolute majority of the number of council members.

Third: The articles amended by the Council of Representatives under the second clause of this article will be put before the people for a referendum within two months of the Council of Representatives' approval of them.

Fourth: The referendum on the amended articles will be considered successful with the agreement by an absolute majority of those who vote, unless it is rejected by two-thirds of those who vote in three governorates or more.

Fifth: This is an exception to Article 122 of this Constitution which concerns amending the constitution. After the amendments discussed in this article are decided on, work will return to the terms of Article 122.)

Article 138:

The Transitional Administrative Law and its Annex shall be annulled on the seating of the new government, except for the stipulation of Article 53(A) and Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law.

Article 139:

This Constitution shall come into force after the approval of the people thereon in a general referendum, its publication in the Official Gazette and the seating of the government that is formed pursuant to this constitution.


Source

The Day of National Accord.

"At this moment, the National Assembly is holding a ceremony celebrating the new breakthrough agreement on the constitution which President Talbani described as the “Day of National Accord”.
The ceremony is attended by the ministers of the cabinet as well as the presidency council and the president of the Kurdistan region, Masoud Barzani."
ITM

And

"A last minute agreement brings a more flexible constitution...

A surprising change of attitude by the Iraqi Islamic Party has dramatically shifted the balance towards ratifying the draft constitution.
An accord to approve the document has been reached and announced today in Baghdad between Iraqi Sheat, Kurdish and Sunni prominent political leaders after it seemed that all Sunni parties were going to encourage voters to vote ‘no’....I like this new rule and I think I will change my mind and vote with ‘yes’ as I wasn’t feeling prepared to accept the constitution as it is for whole eight years but now I feel much more hopeful.
The struggle for amendments will naturally be tough and tiring but no pain no gain they say."
ITM

I don't know what to think. In a way it's a good thing that they will continue to work out the kinks, the people of Iraq will get another chance to elect representative and get their voice heard in the constitution. And that is a good thing, these questions are hard and complicated and no one can expect that the first draft will be perfect.
Now I do believe that if this compromise to be able to keep working toward amendments right after the next election brings more people to the table, It's a very good thing. That said I only see benefits for big parties and sects, I still see nothing for the little guys, nor any hope that there voice will be heard or protected. I still vote no, but a little no. It's not that bad a compromise, but I would not go on the record with a Yes.

congratulations Iraq

"I just want to congratulate the Iraqis for the New document which we will have questionary on it in Friday 15 oct. 2005, I thank God that the Sunni Parties agreed to this constitution because if the didn't we would had more violence, but I think when all the Iraqis approve this document, that will put an end to this severe violence."
Nabil's Blog

A Step forward for democracy in defiance of terrorism

"Today's agreement of the main political parties including the Iraqi Islamic Party on the draft of the constitution has been described by some as a historic day.

The agreement came after amendment of some of the points which raised differences between the various political groups. On the other hand it left the doors open for farther changes after discussion with in 4 months after the new election by the end of the year."
Hammorabi

Letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi

Today the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a letter between two senior al Qa'ida leaders, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that was obtained during counterterrorism operations in Iraq. This lengthy document provides a comprehensive view of al Qa'ida's strategy in Iraq and globally.

The letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi is dated July 9, 2005. The contents were released only after assurances that no ongoing intelligence or military operations would be affected by making this document public.

The document has not been edited in any way and is released in its entirety in both the Arabic and English translated forms. The United States Government has the highest confidence in the letter's authenticity.

Source

Full text:

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In the name of God, praise be to God, and praise and blessings be upon the Messenger of God, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow him.

.................................

The gracious brother/Abu Musab, God protect him and watch over him, may His religion, and His Book and the Sunna of His Prophet @ aid him, I ask the Almighty that he bless him, us, and all Muslims, with His divine aid, His clear victory, and His release from suffering be close at hand. Likewise, I ask the Almighty to gather us as He sees fit from the glory of this world and the prize of the hereafter.

1-Dear brother, God Almighty knows how much I miss meeting with you, how much I long to join you in your historic battle against the greatest of criminals and apostates in the heart of the Islamic world, the field where epic and major battles in the history of Islam were fought. I think that if I could find a way to you, I would not delay a day, God willing.

2-My dear brother, we are following your news, despite the difficulty and hardship. We received your last published message sent to Sheikh Usama Bin Ladin, God save him. Likewise, I made sure in my last speech-that Aljazeera broadcast Saturday, 11 Jumadi I, 1426h, 18 June 2005-to mention you, send you greetings, and show support and thanks for the heroic acts you are performing in defense of Islam and the Muslims, but I do not know what Aljazeera broadcast. Did this part appear or not? I will try to attach the full speech with this message, conditions permitting.

Likewise, I showed my support for your noble initiative to join with your brothers, during a prior speech I sent to the brothers a number of months ago, but the brothers' circumstances prevented its publication.

3-I want to reassure you about our situation. The summer started hot with operations escalating in Afghanistan. The enemy struck a blow against us with the arrest of Abu al-Faraj, may God break his bonds. However, no Arab brother was arrested because of him. The brothers tried-and were successful to a great degree-to contain the fall of Abu al-Faraj as much as they could.

However, the real danger comes from the agent Pakistani army that is carrying out operations in the tribal areas looking for mujahedeen.

4-I want to keep corresponding with you about the details of what is going on in dear Iraq, especially since we do not know the full truth as you know it. Therefore, I want you to explain to me your situation in a little detail, specially in regards to the political angle. I want you to express to me what is on your mind in regards to what is on my mind in the way of questions and inquiries.

A-I want to be the first to congratulate you for what God has blessed you with in terms of fighting battle in the heart of the Islamic world, which was formerly the field for major battles in Islam's history, and what is now the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era, and what will happen, according to what appeared in the Hadiths of the Messenger of God @ about the epic battles between Islam and atheism. It has always been my belief that the victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world, specifically in the Levant, Egypt, and the neighboring states of the Peninsula and Iraq; however, the center would be in the Levant and Egypt. This is my opinion, which I do not preach as infallibile, but I have reviewed historical events and the behavior of the enemies of Islam themselves, and they did not establish Israel in this triangle surrounded by Egypt and Syria and overlooking the Hijaz except for their own interests.

As for the battles that are going on in the far-flung regions of the Islamic world, such as Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Bosnia, they are just the groundwork and the vanguard for the major battles which have begun in the heart of the Islamic world. We ask God that He send down his victory upon us that he promised to his faithful worshipers.

It is strange that the Arab nationalists also have, despite their avoidance of Islamic practice, come to comprehend the great importance of this province. It is like a bird whose wings are Egypt and Syria, and whose heart is Palestine. They have come to comprehend the goal of planting Israel in this region, and they are not misled in this, rather they have admitted their ignorance of the religious nature of this conflict.

What I mean is that God has blessed you and your brothers while many of the Muslim mujahedeen have longed for that blessing, and that is Jihad in the heart of the Islamic world. He has, in addition to that, granted you superiority over the idolatrous infidels, traitorous apostates, and those turncoat deviants.

This is what God Almighty has distinguished you and your brothers with over the mujahedeen before you who fought in the heart of the Islamic world, and in Egypt and Syria to be precise, but this splendor and superiority against the enemies of Islam was not ordained for them.

God also blessed you not only with the splendor of the spearhead of Jihad, but with the splendor as well of the doctrines of monotheism, the rejection of polytheism, and avoidance of the tenets of the secularists and detractors and inferiors, the call to the pure way of the Prophet, and the sublime goal that the Prophet @ left to his companions {. This is a blessing on top of blessing on top of blessing which obliges you and your noble brothers to be constantly thankful and full of praise. The Almighty said: (If ye are grateful, He is pleased with you) and the Almighty says: (If ye are grateful, I will add more unto you.)

B-Because of this, we are extremely concerned, as are the mujahedeen and all sincere Muslims, about your Jihad and your heroic acts until you reach its intended goal. You know well that purity of faith and the correct way of living are not connected necessarily to success in the field unless you take into consideration the reasons and practices which events are guided by. For the grandson of the Prophet Imam al Hussein Bin Ali }, the Leader of the Faithful Abdallah Bin al-Zubair }, Abdul Rahman Bin al-Ashath ~, and other great people, did not achieve their sought-after goal.

C-If our intended goal in this age is the establishment of a caliphate in the manner of the Prophet and if we expect to establish its state predominantly-according to how it appears to us-in the heart of the Islamic world, then your efforts and sacrifices-God permitting-are a large step directly towards that goal.

So we must think for a long time about our next steps and how we want to attain it, and it is my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals:

The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq.

The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of a caliphate- over as much territory as you can to spread its power in Iraq, i.e., in Sunni areas, is in order to fill the void stemming from the departure of the Americans, immediately upon their exit and before un-Islamic forces attempt to fill this void, whether those whom the Americans will leave behind them, or those among the un-Islamic forces who will try to jump at taking power.

There is no doubt that this amirate will enter into a fierce struggle with the foreign infidel forces, and those supporting them among the local forces, to put it in a state of constant preoccupation with defending itself, to make it impossible for it to establish a stable state which could proclaim a caliphate, and to keep the Jihadist groups in a constant state of war, until these forces find a chance to annihilate them.

The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq.

The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity.

My raising this idea-I don't claim that it's infallible-is only to stress something extremely important. And it is that the mujahedeen must not have their mission end with the expulsion of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their weapons, and silence the fighting zeal. We will return to having the secularists and traitors holding sway over us. Instead, their ongoing mission is to establish an Islamic state, and defend it, and for every generation to hand over the banner to the one after it until the Hour of Resurrection.

If the matter is thus, we must contemplate our affairs carefully, so that we are not robbed of the spoils, and our brothers did not die, so that others can reap the fruits of their labor.

D-If we look at the two short-term goals, which are removing the Americans and establishing an Islamic amirate in Iraq, or a caliphate if possible, then, we will see that the strongest weapon which the mujahedeen enjoy - after the help and granting of success by God - is popular support from the Muslim masses in Iraq, and the surrounding Muslim countries.

So, we must maintain this support as best we can, and we should strive to increase it, on the condition that striving for that support does not lead to any concession in the laws of the Sharia.

And it's very important that you allow me to elaborate a little here on this issue of popular support. Let's say:

(1) If we are in agreement that the victory of Islam and the establishment of a caliphate in the manner of the Prophet will not be achieved except through jihad against the apostate rulers and their removal, then this goal will not be accomplished by the mujahed movement while it is cut off from public support, even if the Jihadist movement pursues the method of sudden overthrow. This is because such an overthrow would not take place without some minimum of popular support and some condition of public discontent which offers the mujahed movement what it needs in terms of capabilities in the quickest fashion. Additionally, if the Jihadist movement were obliged to pursue other methods, such as a popular war of jihad or a popular intifadah, then popular support would be a decisive factor between victory and defeat.

(2) In the absence of this popular support, the Islamic mujahed movement would be crushed in the shadows, far from the masses who are distracted or fearful, and the struggle between the Jihadist elite and the arrogant authorities would be confined to prison dungeons far from the public and the light of day. This is precisely what the secular, apostate forces that are controlling our countries are striving for. These forces don't desire to wipe out the mujahed Islamic movement, rather they are stealthily striving to separate it from the misguided or frightened Muslim masses. Therefore, our planning must strive to involve the Muslim masses in the battle, and to bring the mujahed movement to the masses and not conduct the struggle far from them.

(3) The Muslim masses-for many reasons, and this is not the place to discuss it-do not rally except against an outside occupying enemy, especially if the enemy is firstly Jewish, and secondly American.

This, in my limited opinion, is the reason for the popular support that the mujahedeen enjoy in Iraq, by the grace of God.

As for the sectarian and chauvinistic factor, it is secondary in importance to outside aggression, and is much weaker than it. In my opinion-which is limited and which is what I see far from the scene-the awakening of the Sunni people in Iraq against the Shia would not have had such strength and toughness were it not for the treason of the Shia and their collusion with the Americans, and their agreement with them to permit the Americans to occupy Iraq in exchange for the Shia assuming power.

(4) Therefore, the mujahed movement must avoid any action that the masses do not understand or approve, if there is no contravention of Sharia in such avoidance, and as long as there are other options to resort to, meaning we must not throw the masses-scant in knowledge-into the sea before we teach them to swim, relying for guidance in that on the saying of the Prophet @ to Umar bin al-Khattab<: lest the people should say that Muhammad used to kill his Companions.

Among the practical applications of this viewpoint in your blessed arena:

(A) The matter of preparing for the aftermath of the exit of the Americans: The Americans will exit soon, God willing, and the establishment of a governing authority-as soon as the country is freed from the Americans-does not depend on force alone. Indeed, it's imperative that, in addition to force, there be an appeasement of Muslims and a sharing with them in governance and in the Shura council and in promulgating what is allowed and what is not allowed. In my view-which I continue to reiterate is limited and has a distant perspective upon the events-this must be achieved through the people of the Shura and who possess authority to determine issues and make them binding, and who are endowed with the qualifications for working in Sharia law. They would be elected by the people of the country to represent them and overlook the work of the authorities in accordance with the rules of the glorious Sharia.

And it doesn't appear that the Mujahedeen, much less the al-Qaida in the Land of Two Rivers, will lay claim to governance without the Iraqi people. Not to mention that that would be in contravention of the Shura methodology. That is not practical in my opinion.

You might ask an important question: What drives me to broach these matters while we are in the din of war and the challenges of killing and combat?

My answer is, firstly: Things may develop faster than we imagine. The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam-and how they ran and left their agents-is noteworthy. Because of that, we must be ready starting now, before events overtake us, and before we are surprised by the conspiracies of the Americans and the United Nations and their plans to fill the void behind them. We must take the initiative and impose a fait accompli upon our enemies, instead of the enemy imposing one on us, wherein our lot would be to merely resist their schemes.

Second: This is the most vital part. This authority, or the Sharia amirate that is necessary, requires fieldwork starting now, alongside the combat and war. It would be a political endeavor in which the mujahedeen would be a nucleus around which would gather the tribes and their elders, and the people in positions, and scientists, and merchants, and people of opinion, and all the distinguished ones who were not sullied by appeasing the occupation and those who defended Islam.

We don't want to repeat the mistake of the Taliban, who restricted participation in governance to the students and the people of Qandahar alone. They did not have any representation for the Afghan people in their ruling regime, so the result was that the Afghan people disengaged themselves from them. Even devout ones took the stance of the spectator and, when the invasion came, the amirate collapsed in days, because the people were either passive or hostile. Even the students themselves had a stronger affiliation to their tribes and their villages than their affiliation to the Islamic amirate or the Taliban movement or the responsible party in charge of each one of them in his place. Each of them retreated to his village and his tribe, where his affiliation was stronger!!


The comparison between the fall of Kabul and the resistance of Fallujah, Ramadi, and Al Qaim and their fearless sisters shows a clear distinction, by God's grace and His kindness. It is the matter towards which we must strive, that we must support and strengthen.


Therefore, I stress again to you and to all your brothers the need to direct the political action equally with the military action, by the alliance, cooperation and gathering of all leaders of opinion and influence in the Iraqi arena. I can't define for you a specific means of action. You are more knowledgeable about the field conditions. But you and your brothers must strive to have around you circles of support, assistance, and cooperation, and through them, to advance until you become a consensus, entity, organization, or association that represents all the honorable people and the loyal folks in Iraq. I repeat the warning against separating from the masses, whatever the danger.


(2) Striving for the unity of the mujahedeen: This is something I entrust to you. It is between you and God. If the mujahedeen are scattered, this leads to the scattering of the people around them. I don't have detailed information about the situation of the mujahedeen, so I ask that you help us with some beneficial details in this, and the extent of the different mujahedeen movements' readiness to join the course of unity.


(3) Striving for the ulema: From the standpoint of not highlighting the doctrinal differences which the masses do not understand, such as this one is Matridi or this one is Ashari or this one is Salafi, and from the standpoint of doing justice to the people, for there may be in the world a heresy or an inadequacy in a side which may have something to give to jihad, fighting, and sacrifice for God. We have seen magnificent examples in the Afghan jihad, and the prince of believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar - may God protect him - himself is of Hanafi adherence, Matridi doctrine, but he stood in the history of Islam with a stance rarely taken. You are the richer if you know the stances of the authentic ulema on rulers in times of jihad and the defense of the Muslim holy sites. And more than that, their stances on doing justice to the people and not denying their merit.


The ulema among the general public are, as well, the symbol of Islam and its emblem. Their disparagement may lead to the general public deeming religion and its adherents as being unimportant. This is a greater injury than the benefit of criticizing a theologian on a heresy or an issue.


Of course, these words of mine have nothing to do with the hypocritical traitors who are in allegiance with the crusaders, but I wish to stress the warning against diminishing the ulema before the general public.


Also, the active mujahedeen ulema - even if there may be some heresy or fault in them that is not blasphemous - we must find a means to include them and to benefit from their energy. You know well -what I am mentioning to you- that many of the most learned ulema of Islam such as Izz Bin Abdul Salam, al-Nawawi, and Ibn Hajar - may God have mercy on them - were Ashari. And many of the most eminent jihadists, whom the Umma resolved unanimously to praise such as Nur al-Din Bin Zanki and Salahal-Din al-Ayyubi - were Ashari. The mujahedeen sultans who came after them - who didn't reach their level - whom the ulema and the historians lauded such as Sayf al-Din Qatz, Rukn al-Din Baybars, al-Nasir Muhammad Bin-Qallawun, and Muhammad al-Fatih, were Ashari or Matridi. They fell into errors, sins, and heresies. And the stances of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya regarding al-Nasir Muhammad Bin Qallawun and his extolling of him and his inciting him to jihad - despite the prosecutions and prison which befell the sheikh in his time - are well known.


If you take into account the fact that most of the Umma's ulema are Ashari or Matridi, and if you take into consideration as well the fact that the issue of correcting the mistakes of ideology is an issue that will require generations of the call to Islam and modifying the educational curricula, and that the mujahedeen are not able to undertake this burden, rather they are in need of those who will help them with the difficulties and problems they face; if you take all this into consideration, and add to it the fact that all Muslims are speaking of jihad, whether they are Salafi or non-Salafi, then you would understand that it is a duty of the mujahed movement to include the energies of the Umma and in its wisdom and prudence to fill the role of leader, trailblazer, and exploiter of all the capabilities of the Umma for the sake of achieving our aims: a caliphate along the lines of the Prophet's, with God's permission.


I do not know the details of the situation where you are, but I do not want us to repeat

the mistake of Jamil al-Rahman~, who was killed and whose organization was shattered, because he neglected the realities on the ground.

(4) The position on the Shia:


This subject is complicated and detailed. I have brought it up here so as not to address the general public on something they do not know. But please permit me to present it logically:


(A) I repeat that I see the picture from afar, and I repeat that you see what we do not see. No doubt you have the right to defend yourself, the mujahedeen, and Muslims in general and in particular against any aggression or threat of aggression.


(B) I assert here that any rational person understands with ease that the Shia cooperated with the Americans in the invasion of Afghanistan, Rafsanjani himself confessed to it, and they cooperated with them in the overthrow of Saddam and the occupation of Iraq in exchange for the Shia's assumption of power and their turning a blind eye to the American military presence in Iraq. This is clear to everybody who has two eyes.


(C) People of discernment and knowledge among Muslims know the extentof danger to Islam of the Twelve'er school of Shiism. It is a religious school based on excess and falsehood whose function is to accuse the companions of Muhammad { of heresy in a campaign against Islam, in order to free the way for a group of those who call for a dialogue in the name of the hidden mahdi who is in control of existence and infallible in what he does. Their prior history in cooperating with the enemies of Islam is consistent with their current reality of connivance with the Crusaders.


(D) The collision between any state based on the model of prophecy with the Shia is a matter that will happen sooner or later. This is the judgment of history, and these are the fruits to be expected from the rejectionist Shia sect and their opinion of the Sunnis.These are clear, well-known matters to anyone with a knowledge of history, the ideologies, and the politics of states.

(E) We must repeat what we mentioned previously, that the majority of Muslims don't comprehend this and possibly could not even imagine it. For that reason, many of your Muslim admirers amongst the common folk are wondering about your attacks on the Shia. The sharpness of this questioning increases when the attacks are on one of their mosques, and it increases more when the attacks are on the mausoleum of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib, may God honor him. My opinion is that this matter won't be acceptable to the Muslim populace however much you have tried to explain it, and aversion to this will continue.

Indeed, questions will circulate among mujahedeen circles and their opinion makers about the correctness of this conflict with the Shia at this time. Is it something that is unavoidable? Or, is it something can be put off until the force of the mujahed movement in Iraq gets stronger? And if some of the operations were necessary for self-defense, were all of the operations necessary? Or, were there some operations that weren't called for? And is the opening of another front now in addition to the front against the Americans and the government a wise decision? Or, does this conflict with the Shia lift the burden from the Americans by diverting the mujahedeen to the Shia, while the Americans continue to control matters from afar? And if the attacks on Shia leaders were necessary to put a stop to their plans, then why were there attacks on ordinary Shia? Won't this lead to reinforcing false ideas in their minds, even as it is incumbent on us to preach the call of Islam to them and explain and communicate to guide them to the truth? And can the mujahedeen kill all of the Shia in Iraq? Has any Islamic state in history ever tried that? And why kill ordinary Shia considering that they are forgiven because of their ignorance? And what loss will befall us if we did not attack the Shia? And do the brothers forget that we have more than one hundred prisoners - many of whom are from the leadership who are wanted in their countries - in the custody of the Iranians? And even if we attack the Shia out of necessity, then why do you announce this matter and make it public, which compels the Iranians to take counter measures? And do the brothers forget that both we and the Iranians need to refrain from harming each other at this time in which the Americans are targeting us?

All of these questions and others are circulating among your brothers, and they are monitoring the picture from afar, as I told you. One who monitors from afar lacks many of the important details that affect decision-making in the field.

However, monitoring from afar has the advantage of providing the total picture and observing the general line without getting submerged in the details, which might draw attention away from the direction of the target. As the English proverb says, the person who is standing among the leaves of the tree might not see the tree.

One of the most important factors of success is that you don't let your eyes lose sight of the target, and that it should stand before you always. Otherwise you deviate from the general line through a policy of reaction. And this is a lifetime's experience, and I will not conceal from you the fact that we suffered a lot through following this policy of reaction, then we suffered a lot another time because we tried to return to the original line.

One of the most important things facing the leadership is the enthusiasm of the supporters, and especially of the energetic young men who are burning to make the religion victorious. This enthusiasm must flow wisely, and al-Mutanabbi says:

Courage in a man does suffice but not like the courage of one who is wise.

And he also says:

Judiciousness precedes the courage of the courageous which is secondAnd when the two blend in one free soul it reaches everywhere in the heavens.

In summation, with regard to the talk about the issue of the Shia, I would like to repeat that I see that matter from afar without being aware of all the details, I would like my words to be deserving of your attention and consideration, and God is the guarantor of success for every good thing.

(5) Scenes of slaughter:

Among the things which the feelings of the Muslim populace who love and support you will never find palatable - also- are the scenes of slaughtering the hostages. You shouldn't be deceived by the praise of some of the zealous young men and their description of you as the shaykh of the slaughterers, etc. They do not express the general view of the admirer and the supporter of the resistance in Iraq, and of you in particular by the favor and blessing of God.

And your response, while true, might be: Why shouldn't we sow terror in the hearts of the Crusaders and their helpers? And isn't the destruction of the villages and the cities on the heads of their inhabitants more cruel than slaughtering? And aren't the cluster bombs and the seven ton bombs and the depleted uranium bombs crueler than slaughtering? And isn't killing by torture crueler than slaughtering? And isn't violating the honor of men and women more painful and more destructive than slaughtering?

All of these questions and more might be asked, and you are justified. However this does not change the reality at all, which is that the general opinion of our supporter does not comprehend that, and that this general opinion falls under a campaign by the malicious, perfidious, and fallacious campaign by the deceptive and fabricated media. And we would spare the people from the effect of questions about the usefulness of our actions in the hearts and minds of the general opinion that is essentially sympathetic to us.

And I say to you with sure feeling and I say: That the author of these lines has tasted the bitterness of American brutality, and that my favorite wife's chest was crushed by a concrete ceiling and she went on calling for aid to lift the stone block off her chest until she breathed her last, may God have mercy on her and accept her among the martyrs. As for my young daughter, she was afflicted by a cerebral hemorrhage, and she continued for a whole day suffering in pain until she expired. And to this day I do not know the location of the graves of my wife, my son, my daughter, and the rest of the three other families who were martyred in the incident and who were pulverized by the concrete ceiling, may God have mercy on them and the Muslim martyrs. Were they brought out of the rubble, or are they still buried beneath it to this day?

However, despite all of this, I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media. And that we are in a media battle in a race for the hearts and minds of our Umma. And that however far our capabilities reach, they will never be equal to one thousandth of the capabilities of the kingdom of Satan that is waging war on us. And we can kill the captives by bullet. That would achieve that which is sought after without exposing ourselves to the questions and answering to doubts. We don't need this.

E-I would like you to explain for us another issue related to Iraq, and I think without a doubt that you are the most knowledgeable about it. Can the assumption of leadership for the mujahedeen or a group of the mujahedeen by non-Iraqis stir up sensitivity for some people? And if there is sensitivity, what is its effect? And how can it be eliminated while preserving the commitment of the jihadist work and without exposing it to any shocks? Please inform us in detail regarding this matter.

F-Likewise I would like you to inform us about the Iraqi situation in general and the situation of the mujahedeen in particular in detail without exposing the security of the mujahedeen and the Muslims to danger. At the least, we should know as much as the enemy knows. And allow us to burden you with this trouble, for we are most eager to learn your news.

G-I have a definite desire to travel to you but I do not know whether that is possible from the standpoint of traveling and getting settled, so please let me know. And God is the guarantor of every good thing.

5-Please take every caution in the meetings, especially when someone claims to carry an important letter or contributions. It was in this way that they arrested Khalid Sheikh. Likewise, please, if you want to meet one of your assistants, I hope that you don't meet him in a public place or in a place that is not known to you. I hope that you would meet him in a secure place, not the place of your residence. Because Abu al-Faraj - may God set him free and release him from his torment - was lured by one of his brothers, who had been taken into custody, to meet him at a public location where a trap had been set.

6-The brothers informed me that you suggested to them sending some assistance. Our situation since Abu al-Faraj is good by the grace of God, but many of the lines have been cut off. Because of this, we need a payment while new lines are being opened. So, if you're capable of sending a payment of approximately one hundred thousand, we'll be very grateful to you.

7-The subject of the Algerian brothers at our end, there are fears from the previous experiences, so if you're able to get in touch with them and notify us of the details from them, we would be very grateful to you.

8-As for news on the poor servant,

A-During an earlier period I published some publications:

(1) Allegiance and exemption - A Faith transmitted, a lost reality.

(2) Strengthening the Banner of Islam - an article emphasizing the authority's

commitment to monotheism.

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(3) Wind of Paradise - an article about: Most Honorable Sacrifices of the Believers - Campaigns of Death and Martyrdom.

I endeavored in this article to include what was written on the subject as much as I could. I also strived to verify every word in it, and it's an issue that took me almost a year or more.

(4) The Bitter Harvest - The Muslim Brotherhood in 60 Years - Second Edition 1426h - 2005m.

In this edition, I wanted to delete all the extreme phrases for which there's no proof, and I referred to the book a number of times, then I wrote a new preface. In it I pointed out a dangerous trend of the Brotherhood, especially in the circumstances of the New Crusader War which was launched on the Islamic Umma. In my opinion, this edition is better than the first with respect to the calmness of the presentation instead of being emotional. The Brotherhood's danger is demonstrated by the weakening of the Islamic Resistance to the campaign of the Crusaders and their supporters. God is the only one who is perfect.

(5) I have also had fifteen audio statements published and six others that were not published for one reason or another. We ask God for acceptance and devotion.I will enclose for you the written statements and what I can of the audio and video statements with this message, God willing. If you find they are good, you can publish them. We seek God's assistance.

(6) I don't know if you all have contact with Abu Rasmi? Even if it is via the Internet, because I gave him a copy of my book (A Knight under the banner of the Prophet@) so he could attempt to publish it, and I lost the original. Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published it truncated and jumbled. I think that the American intelligence services provided the aforementioned newspaper with it from my computer which they acquired, because the publication of the book coincided with a publication of messages from my computer in the same newspaper. So if you can contact him and get the original of the book, if that is possible for you all, then you can publish it on your blessed website and then send a copy to us, if that is possible.

B-As for my personal condition, I am in good health, blessings and wellness thanks to God and His grace. I am only lacking your pious prayers, in which I beg you not to forget me. God Almighty has blessed me with a daughter whom I have named (Nawwar), and Nawwar means: the timid female gazelle and the woman who is free from suspicion, and technically: it is the name of my maternal aunt who was a second mother to me and who stood with me during all the difficult and harsh times. I ask God to reward her for me with the best reward, and have mercy on her, our mothers and the Muslims.

9-My greetings to all the loved ones and please give me news of Karem and the rest of the folks I know, and especially:

By God, if by chance you're going to Fallujah, send greetings to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

In closing, I ask God entrust you all with His guardianship, providence and protection, and bless you all in your families, possessions and offspring and protect them from all evil and that He delight you all with them in this world and the next world, and that He bestow upon us and you all the victory that he promised his servants the Believers, and that He strengthen for us our religion which He has sanctioned for us, and that He make us safe after our fear.Peace, God's blessings and mercy to you.

Your loving brother

Abu Muhammad

Saturday, 02 Jumada al-Thani, 1426 - 09 July, 2005.

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I wonder what stops him, they don't have direct first class camel service from Afghanistan to Baghdad?