uruknet.info, Italy
March 23 2005

Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Tuesday, 22 March 2005

Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial
board, the Free Arab Voice.

Al-Anbar Province.
Al-Qa’im.

Nine US troops killed in Resistance ambush late Tuesday morning.

About seven masked Iraqi Resistance fighters armed with C5K and RPG7
rocket launchers attacked a column of five US Humvees and one tank at
the intersection at the end of al-Kubaysat Street in the middle of
the city of al-Qa’im on the border with Syria at 11:15 local time
Tuesday morning. Mafkarat al-Islam reported witnesses as saying that
the Resistance fighters completely blew up two American Humvees and
killed nine US troops in the attack, which also left three Resistance
fighters martyred.

US troops returned fire causing great damage to the fronts of three
houses on the street. The correspondent reported seeing US vehicles
hauling away the bodies of the nine dead Americans and two wounded
soldiers from the area, which they left an hour after the attack. The
Americans left Iraqi puppet troops surrounding the zone in which the
attack took place.

A source in the Iraqi puppet “national guard” who reported to the
scene of the attack told Mafkarat al-Islam that the Resistance had
begun to change its attack methods in a way that the Americans were
not expecting. He said that the American forces regard many areas as
particularly dangerous, yet the Resistance does not hit them there,
but rather in areas that the Americans regarded as totally secure and
where they don’t expect any attacks at all.

Hit.

Resistance bombards US base near Hit late Tuesday afternoon.

Iraqi Resistance forces fired 12 heavy mortar rounds into northern
and central parts of the US ‘Ayn al-Asad base in the area of Hit,
west of Baghdad, at 4:15pm Tuesday afternoon, local time. Mafkarat
al-Islam reported that an extremely dense plume of black smoke rose
into the sky after the attack, visible throughout the city. The
Americans called in three helicopters that flew around over the camp
for about an hour.

Al-Fallujah.

Resistance bombards US headquarters in agricultural area near
al-Fallujah Tuesday night.

In a dispatch posted at 7:50pm Tuesday night, Mecca time, Mafkarat
al-Islam reported that about 10 minutes previous the US occupation
headquarters in al-Fallujah was bombarded by Resistance fighters
positioned to the west and north of the US facility.

The correspondent said that at the time he was sending his report,
the bombardment was escalating in force. US helicopters and fighter
planes were flying all over the city in an attempt to get a fix on
the source of the Resistance fire.

The correspondent reported that so far more than nine rockets had
been fired into the US base in the agricultural area.

Ar-Ramadi.

Resistance abducts deputy chief of puppet police in ar-Ramadi.

In a dispatch posted at 5:15pm Mecca time Tuesday afternoon, Mafkarat
al-Islam reported that more than 10 Iraqi Resistance fighters with
light arms attacked a Land Cruiser belonging to the Iraqi puppet
police in the city of ar-Ramadi and forced Muhammad Khalaf, the
deputy chief of puppet police, and three of his aides out of the car.
Witnesses told Mafkarat al-Islam in ar-Ramadi that the Resistance
fighters tied the hands of the captive puppet police officials and
blindfolded them and then took them away to an unknown destination.
Two other Resistance fighters poured gasoline over the police car and
set it ablaze.

Baghdad.

US soldier killed in Resistance bombing in Abu Ghurayb early Tuesday
afternoon.

An Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded in the middle of Shaykh Darri
Street in Abu Ghurayb, 30km west of Baghdad, at about 1pm Tuesday
afternoon, local time. Mafkarat al-Islam reported residents who saw
the explosion as saying that the blast disabled one US Humvee and
killed a US soldier. Three other American troops were wounded. A
member of the Iraqi puppet police confirmed to the correspondent the
toll of one dead, three wounded Americans, adding that the three who
were wounded only suffered light injuries.

Kurdish separatist demands reportedly deadlock talks among US lackeys
on new puppet “government.”

The meetings of Iraqi collaborationist parties that have been taking
place on the grounds of the area around the Republican Palace – known
to the invaders as the “green zone” – have reached an impasse in
their efforts to chose a new puppet president and puppet prime
minister to serve as front men for the US occupation regime.

The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in Baghdad met with Amin
Muhammad, a leader of the Shi’i chauvinist collaborationist “Islamic
Da’wah Party” and asked him about the latest developments in the
on-going discussions between Kurdish collaborators and Shi’i
collaborators – two groups with distinct sectarian objectives under
the umbrella of the American occupation.

Amin Muhammad told Mafkarat al-Islam that the Kurdish demands were
impossible for any Iraqi, whether Sunni or Shi’i, to accept. Muhammad
said that, for example they want to keep the Peshmergah militia
intact, something all the other group leaders oppose, for they feel
it’s not right to have militias inside a state.

Muhammad said, “then they want Kirkuk to be joined to the northern
region and to be considered a Kurdish city. That is a matter full of
many problems, since Kirkuk is a city with Arabs, Turkmen, Armenians,
and Assyrians too. They also demanded that the natural resources in
the north – the oil and natural gas – be put under Kurdish control,
not under the authority of the Iraqi state. That also is something
that no sect or group in Iraq can accept, whoever they are.”

Muhammad went on, “another of their conditions is that the Iraqi army
would not be allowed to enter Kurdish territory, while members of the
Kurdish Peshmergah militia would be permitted to enter and move about
all the provinces of Iraq. They insist on getting three sovereign
cabinet posts – namely the foreign ministry, the ministry of defense,
and the ministry of finance – as well as six other ministries. This
has created problems with the other parties.”

“We told them that the Sunnis in Iraq are still silent and if they
speak they will upset the scales altogether. But still they insisted
on those ministries, despite what we told them about how the Sunnis
must be given some ministries. They rejected that argument saying
that the Kurds themselves are Sunnis,” Muhammad said.

Amin Muhammad went on, “They are playing all their cards. The
negotiations now, and today in particular, have become deadlocked.”
He added that the Kurdish parties have reservations about Ibrahim
al-Ja’fari becoming Prime Minister, for fear that this would create a
religious state, despite all the assurances of pro-American Shi’i
religious authority ‘Ali as-Sistani that he does not believe in the
rule of religious legal scholars. Amin Muhammad said, “that calmed
them down considerably, but they are still not convinced.”

Muhammad concluded saying, “If the Kurds insist on those conditions
of theirs, there won’t be any government formed in the next few days
or even the next few weeks.”

Diyala Province.
Ba ‘qubah.

Resistance bombards US camp near Ba’qubah at noon Tuesday.

Iraqi Resistance forces fired a barrage of rockets into the southern
parts of the US camp located west of the city of Ba’qubah (which is
east of Baghdad) at 12 noon local time Tuesday. The correspondent of
Mafkarat al-Islam in Ba’qubah reported that the southern parts of the
camp are where the US troops are concentrated.

Witnesses said that eight Grad rockets pounded the US camp, which is
set up in what was formerly an Iraqi military headquarters. The
attack ignited fires that raged for about half an hour. US
helicopters were brought in afterwards.

Salman Bak.

Resistance targets US Marines with high explosive bomb.

A high-explosive Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US armored
vehicle in downtown Salman Bak, 35km south of Baghdad at 10am Tuesday
morning. Mafkarat al-Islam reported a US Marine corporal who gave his
name as “Chistopher” saying that the Resistance had planted a
home-made bomb by the side of the road that blew up as his patrol was
searching for members of al-Qa’idah. He said that the blast severely
wounded five US Marines.

A captain in the puppet so-called “Iraqi national guard” reported
that the blast killed seven US troops instantly and totally destroyed
a US armored vehicle.

Witnesses confirmed that version, one of them saying, “the explosion
set a big fire burning inside the armored vehicle after blowing it
upside down and sending whole parts of its rear section flying
through the air.”

The correspondent watched US helicopters transport the bodies away
from the site of the blast. American forces called in giant cranes
and big military trucks to haul away the hulk of the armored vehicle.

Babil Province.
Al-Hillah.

Resistance bombing kills four Polish occupation troops Tuesday
morning.

An Iraqi Resistance roadside bomb exploded by a column of Polish
occupation troops on 1920 Revolution Street in central al-Hillah,
south of Baghdad at 5:30am Tuesday morning. The correspondent for
Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the blast destroyed a Polish vehicle
and killed four Polish soldiers instantly, according to a lieutenant
in the city puppet police who was on the scene at the time of the
bombing.

The lieutenant told Mafkarat al-Islam that the blast left a deep
crater in the street forcing traffic to take alternate routes.
Wreckage of the vehicle and blood from the dead soldiers was also
strewn all over the street.

Al-Latifiyah.

Resistance fighter blows up motorbike by US foot patrol in
al-Latifiyah Tuesday afternoon.

An Iraqi Resistance martyrdom fighter driving an explosives-laden
motorcycle blasted into a US foot patrol in downtown al-Latifiyah,
30km south of Baghdad, at 2pm Tuesday afternoon, local time. The
fighter blew himself up along with his motorcycle, killing or
wounding more than 11 US troops.

Witnesses in the area told Mafkarat al-Islam in al-Latifiyah that the
fighter on the motorbike suddenly burst ouf of one of the narrow
alleys onto the main street where a foot patrol of more than 20
heavily armed and equipped US troops was walking. A source in the
puppet police confirmed that the attack had taken place and said that
it resulted in a “large number” of American dead and wounded, but
gave no precise figures.

Ninwa Province.
Mosul.

Resistance car bomber strikes US column in Mosul Tuesday morning.

An Iraqi Resistance car bomb exploded by a US military column in
Mosul at about 9:30am Tuesday morning. The correspondent for Mafkarat
al-Islam reported witnesses as saying that an Iraqi Resistance
martyrdom fighter drove an explosives-laden white Mercedes car broke
into the US column in the overgrown area north of the city, totally
destroying two Humvees and killing all aboard them.

The correspondent was able to get to the scene of the attack and
observed a number of dead US soldiers and the two totally demolished
vehicles. He was unable to ascertain the exact number of American
casualties, however.

Irbil Province.
Irbil.

Four Peshmergah gunmen killed in Resistance bombing in Irbil Tuesday
afternoon.

An Iraqi Resistance bomb that was apparently planted by the side of a
road in the Sarkis neighborhood west of Irbil exploded by a passing
patrol of Peshmergah Kurdish chauvinist gunmen at 3pm Tuesday
afternoon, local time. Witnesses told Mafkarat al-Islam that one
pickup was destroyed and four Peshmergah gunmen were killed in the
attack.

A source in the Peshmergah accused the Ansar al-Islam Resistance
organization of planting the bomb, which, he admitted, killed four
Peshmergah militiamen and destroyed one vehicle. The source added
that the Peshmergah gunmen were now interrogating citizens who live
in the neighborhood who, as he put it, “allowed the ‘terrorists’ to
plant the bomb and did not inform on them.”

Al-Muthanna Province.
As-Samawah.

Resistance bombards Japanese occupation troops camp in as-Samawah.

In a dispatch posted at 2:15pm Mecca time Tuesday afternoon, Mafkarat
al-Islam reported that the Japanese occupation camp in the southern
Iraqi city of as-Samawah was at that moment under mortar bombardment
by the Iraqi Resistance.

The correspondent in as-Samawah reported that four mortar rounds had
so far blasted into the Japanese camp, followed by the sound of
explosions. Sirens wailed within the Japanese camp and could be heard
from far away, witnesses reported.

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