1 600 gefallene US-Soldaten im Iraq

The assembly, which has sat only once since it was elected in December, was postponed on Sunday to give parties more time to bury their differences.

Signaling growing frustration at the delay, President Bush said on Wednesday the "the political process in Iraq must occur soon and we are working toward that end".

Although legislators are unlikely to resolve the row over the premiership if they meet at all on Thursday, they could vote on the nomination of other key government posts, including the speaker of parliament.

The Alliance bloc, drawn from the country's majority Muslim Shiite community, earned the constitutional right to choose a prime minister after winning 130 seats in the 275-seat assembly.


Removing a smaller hurdle in the impasse, Sunni leader Tareq al-Hashemi withdrew his candidacy for speaker after objections by Shiite legislators, who expressed concern over his past links to Saddam Hussein's Baath party, Sunni sources said.

Instead, the Iraqi Accordance Front, the minority Sunnis' largest parliamentary group, decided on Wednesday to support Sunni leader Adnan al-Dulaimi for speaker, a post which is expected to go to a Sunni.

The secular group of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who is popular in Washington, will propose him for one of the two vice presidents, a largely ceremonial post. Allawi's group, the Iraqi List, is the fourth biggest bloc, with 25 seats.

Jaafari was nominated during an internal Shiite vote in February, but his critics say he is a weak leader who has failed to curb violence and improve the economy in his year in office.

He told a televised news conference on Wednesday that resigning was "absolutely not" in his plans.
 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite Alliance said on Thursday it would hold a new internal vote to name a prime minister, raising the possibility that Ibrahim al-Jaafari will be removed to end a months-long impasse over a unity government.

The Alliance announced the move after Jaafari, who had ignored calls from Sunni Arabs, Kurds and even some Shi'ites to step aside, invited it to decide whether he should resign.

"The general chamber in the Alliance will vote on this issue as it did previously. That will be soon," Alliance member Hussain al-Shahristani told a news conference.


Jaafari's refusal to step down as the Alliance's nominee for prime minister has paralyzed the U.S.-backed political process.

Washington is increasingly frustrated at the inability of Iraqi leaders to put together a government comprising Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, seen as the best hope to tame a Sunni insurgency, halt sectarian bloodshed and avert civil war.

Failure to agree how to share government posts prompted Iraqi legislators to postpone Thursday's scheduled meeting of parliament until Saturday -- the second such delay in a week.

The Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament, chose Jaafari by a one-vote margin in an internal ballot in February. The vote exposed splits in the grouping that won December elections.

Critics says Jaafari is a weak leader who has failed to curb violence and improve the economy in his year in office.
 

Bagdad (Reuters) - Angesichts der anhaltenden Unklarheit über die künftige Regierung hat das irakische Parlament zum zweiten Mal innerhalb weniger Tage seine nächste Sitzung verschoben.

Die Beratungen fänden nun am Samstag statt, teilte Parlamentspräsident Adnan Pachachi kurz vor dem Auftakt des für Donnerstag angesetzten Treffens mit.

Der designierte Ministerpräsident Ibrahim al-Dschaafari schien zugleich den Weg für eine Lösung in den festgefahrenen Koalitionsverhandlungen freizumachen. Er bot seiner Partei an, von Neuem über seine Nominierung zu entscheiden und jede Entscheidung der Schiitischen Allianz zu respektieren. Die Gruppierung kündigte daraufhin eine interne Abstimmung über Dschaafari an. Die Entscheidung werde bald fallen, erklärte ein Mitglied der größten Fraktion im Parlament bei einer Pressekonferenz. Bislang hat Dschaafari allen Rückzugsforderungen eine strikte Absage erteilt.

Neben Sunniten und Kurden halten auch die USA und Großbritannien die Kandidatur des Schiiten für eines der Haupthindernisse, fünf Monate nach der Parlamentswahl zu einer Regierung der nationalen Einheit zu kommen. Von einem breit abgestützen Kabinett versprechen sich die Irak-Verbündeten nicht zuletzt eine Stabilisierung der Sicherheitslage im Land. Die Gewalt zwischen Schiiten und Sunniten hat den ölreichen Golfstaat in den vergangenen Woche phasenweise an den Rand eines Bürgerkriegs getrieben.

Wegen recht enger zeitlicher Vorgaben für Nominierung und Bestätigung von Regierungschef und Kabinett durch das Parlament versucht die Schiitische Allianz alle Personalfragen im Vorfeld der nächsten Beratungen der Abgeordneten zu lösen.


 

Irak: Dschaafari macht Weg für Regierungsbildung frei

 Der irakische Ministerpräsident Ibrahim el Dschaafari hat den Weg für die Bildung einer neuen Regierung freigemacht. Er werde die schiitischen Abgeordneten über die Nominierung des künftigen Regierungschefs entscheiden lassen, sagte Dschaafari gestern Abend in einer Fernsehansprache an das Volk.

Regierungsbildung seit Monaten blockiert

Bereits zuvor hatte ein Sprecher seiner Dawa-Partei mitgeteilt, Dschaafari werde nicht mehr länger an seinem Amt festhalten.

Der Streit um den Ministerpräsidenten blockiert seit Monaten die Regierungsbildung nach der Parlamentswahl vom Dezember. Er wolle kein Hindernis sein, sagte der amtierende Ministerpräsident in der Fernsehansprache. Am Vortag hatte er noch betont, er werde an seinem Amt festhalten.

Schiiten gegen Dschaafari

Die Mehrheit der Schiitischen Allianz sei inzwischen gegen eine Nominierung Dschaafaris, sagte der Abgeordnete Bassem Sharif.

Der amtierende Ministerpräsident wird auch von Sunniten und Kurden abgelehnt, auf deren Kooperation die schiitische Mehrheitsfraktion angewiesen ist. Die Führer der aus sieben Parteien bestehenden Schiitischen Allianz wollen am heute über das weitere Nominierungsverfahren entscheiden
 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A wave of car bombs hit Baghdad on Monday, killing at least eight people and wounding nearly 80 as the trial of Saddam Hussein heard his signature was on documents linking him to the killings of 148 people.

The bloodshed comes while Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki works on choosing a cabinet, which will share power among Shi'ites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds in a bid to end the sectarian violence that threatens to drag Iraq into a civil war.

Two car bombs near Baghdad's Mustansiriya University, killed at least five people and wounded 25 others. Another bomb near the health ministry in the city center killed three and wounded 25, police said. Four more bombs across the city wounded at least another 27 people.


Maliki has four weeks to choose a new cabinet and form a government of national unity, widely seen as the only way to halt sectarian violence.

The cabinet and Maliki's own appointment, made by President Jalal Talabani on Saturday, must be ratified by parliament.

A key test of his ability to lead and to unite will be his choice of interior minister, perhaps the most sensitive post given the brutal past many Iraqis endured under Saddam's rule and a present wracked by relentless instability and violence.

"We want nothing but security and a safe community in which we can live and raise our children safely," said Wael Khamis, a 44-year-old businessman.

RIDE WITHOUT FEAR
 

"Despite all that happened, I think we can still make a new beginning and forget the past if the new government makes a genuine good beginning by forming a cabinet away from sectarian interests and the militias.

"All we have now is a hope and a dream of a better life. The coming government is our last chance. My wish is to take my family on a car ride without fear."

The court trying Saddam and six others heard signatures on documents linking them to the killing of 148 Shi'ites in the 1980s were genuine.

"The signatures and margins stipulated in the documents match the signature of Saddam Hussein on presidential decrees," said the report read out by a judge.


The prosecution had demanded the court commission a team of criminal experts to authenticate signatures and handwriting of the defendants facing charges of crimes against humanity.

Saddam and his half brother Barzan al-Tikriti have refused to give samples of their writing but both have said there was no crime in prosecuting the 148 from the village of Dujail because they were accused of trying to kill the former leader.

The defendants could face death by hanging if found guilty.

Defense lawyers demanded 45 days to study new evidence before commenting. The trial was adjourned until May 15 to give the defense time to present their witnesses in next session.

Saddam sat in his dark suit and white shirt in his metal pen, unusually quiet for a man who has dominated the court with tirades calling for Iraqis to revolt against U.S. occupation.
 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi firefighters are battling a large blaze at a domestic crude oil gathering center in the north which erupted on Sunday, an Iraqi oil official said on Monday.

The fire is burning between the northern oil center of Kirkuk and Baiji, home to the country's biggest refinery.

"We need more resources and trucks to fight the fire but I believe it will come under control," the official told Reuters.

Sabotage bombs against oil pipelines have crippled the energy industry in northern Iraq, which is vital to Iraq's efforts to rebuild an economy shattered by insurgent violence.

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thirty-two bodies of Iraqi police and security forces recruits were discovered in two areas of Baghdad on Monday, Interior Ministry sources said.

All 32 were from the town of Ramadi in the insurgent heartland of Anbar province, which is fiercely opposed to the government, the sources said.

One group of 17 were kidnapped and then shot dead after they signed up for the police force one week ago. They were found in the Baghdady district of the capital.

The other 15 were found bullet-riddled in two cars in Abu Ghraib, on the western edge of Baghdad.



U.S. officials say the al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been focusing on bombing and shooting Iraqi security forces, who are charged with eventually taking over security and enabling American troops to head home.

Sunni insurgents have also infiltrated Iraqi army and security forces in a bid to topple the government.

 

Hollywood-Film als Anti-These
Saddams Schrift identifiziert

Im Prozess gegen Saddam Hussein haben Experten die Handschrift des früheren irakischen Präsidenten auf Befehlen zur Ermordung von 148 Schiiten im Jahr 1982 identifiziert. "Die Unterschriften auf den Dokumenten entsprechen der Unterschrift Saddam Husseins auf seinen präsidialen Dekreten", heißt es in dem Experten-Bericht, den das Gericht auf Antrag der Kläger in Auftrag gegeben hatte.

Die Staatsanwaltschaft macht Saddam und die sieben Mitangeklagten für die Ermordung von 148 Schiiten im Dorf Dudschail 1982 verantwortlich. Saddam soll die Exekutionen befohlen haben, nachdem in dem Ort ein Anschlag auf ihn verübt worden war. Bei einer Verurteilung droht ihm die Todesstrafe.

Saddam selbst saß an diesem Verhandlungstag - entgegen früheren, von Schimpftiraden geprägten Auftritten - ungewöhnlich ruhig in seinem Metallkäfig auf der Anklagebank. Er trug einen schwarzen Anzug mit weißem Hemd und überließ das Reden seinem mitangeklagten Halbbruder Barsan al-Tikriti.

Barsan, der während Saddams langjähriger Herrschaft zu den am meisten gefürchteten Männern des Iraks zählte, wies den Experten-Bericht von seinem Platz auf der Anklagebank aus zurück: "Ich habe meine Zweifel an den Vorwürfen, dass die Unterschrift und die Handschrift echt sind", sagte er stehend in eine traditionelle weiße Robe gekleidet. Der amerikanische Kinofilm "Catch Me If You Can" mit Tom Hanks und Leonardo DiCaprio sei ein Beweis dafür, wie leicht es sei, Unterschriften zu fälschen, so die Argumentation des Halbbruders des Ex-Präsidenten. Der Film handelt von einem Teenager, der mit gefälschten Schecks 2,5 Millionen Dollar stiehlt. Die Geschichte ist angelehnt an wahre Begebenheiten um den Hochstapler Frank Abagnale.

Saddam und Barsan weigern sich bislang, dem Gericht Proben ihrer Handschrift zu geben. Ihre Anwälte forderten nun 45 Tage Zeit, um den Bericht prüfen zu können. Der Prozess wurde daraufhin bis zum 15. Mai vertagt.

Seit Beginn des Prozesses Mitte Oktober vorigen Jahres kam es immer wieder zu Vertagungen und Verzögerungen. Saddam muss sich womöglich bald in einem weiteren Verfahren wegen des Vorwurfs des Völkermords an den irakischen Kurden Ende der 80er Jahre vor Gericht verantworten.

 

Pentagon bestätigt neue Folter von Häftlingen im Irak

 Das US-Verteidigungsministerium hat im Irak neue Fälle von Häftlingsmisshandlungen festgestellt. Inspektoren aus den USA und dem Irak hätten in Gefängnissen, die vom irakischen Innenministerium geführt werden, Fälle von Misshandlungen festgestellt, sagte Pentagon-Sprecher Brian Whitman heute in Washington.

Oft seien die Häftlinge jedoch vor ihrem Eintreffen im Gefängnis misshandelt worden. Die Inspektorenteams hätten seit November insgesamt sechs Gefangenenlager im Irak besucht.

"Zahlreiche Prellungen"

Zuvor hatte die US-Zeitung "Washington Post" berichtet, Inspektoren aus den USA und dem Irak hätten Gefangene gesehen, deren Rücken Spuren von Riemenschlägen aufwies. Auch von "zahlreichen Prellungen an Armen, Beinen und Füßen" war die Rede.

Im November hatte die US-Armee in einem geheimen Bunker des irakischen Innenministeriums im Zentrum von Bagdad 173 Gefangene entdeckt; bei einigen von ihnen wurden Folterspuren festgestellt.
 

IRAKS NEUER PREMIER

Strippenzieher in der ersten Reihe

Von Yassin Musharbash

Dschawad al-Maliki war Sprecher seines Vorgängers, jetzt übernimmt er den schwierigen Posten des irakischen Premierministers. Der schiitische Ex-Guerillaführer gilt als pragmatisch und durchsetzungsstark. Kann er zur ersten politischen Führungsfigur des Landes werden?


Berlin - Dass er auf den richtigen Moment warten kann, hat Dschawad al-Maliki schon bewiesen: Am vergangenen Donnerstag verkündete er der Presse noch, dass sein Chef,  Premierminister Ibrahim al-Dschaafari, dem Druck nachgegeben habe und für eine zweite Amtszeit nicht zur Verfügung stehe. Zwei Tage später war es der geschmeidige Strippenzieher und Verhandler al-Maliki selbst, den die mächtige Allianz der schiitischen Parteien auf den Schild hob. Umgehend ließ die US-Außenministerin Condoleezza Rice ausrichten, mit dem 55-Jährigen werde man zusammenarbeiten können. Endlich ist der Wochen währende politische Stillstand im Irak beendet.



AP
Designierter neuer Premier al-Maliki: Hardliner, Strippenzieher, Pragmatiker.
Nun hat der Schiit aus der Nähe der heiligen Stadt Kerbela 30 Tage Zeit, ein Kabinett zu bilden. Wer sein Ministerium auf "religiöser oder ethnischer Grundlage" führen wolle, lautete eine seiner ersten Ankündigungen, sei nicht erwünscht. Solche Töne sind Balsam in den Ohren der Iraker, die sich nach Monaten gewalttätiger Ausschreitungen zwischen den Milizen der schiitischen Mehrheit und den Aufständischen der sunnitischen Minderheit danach sehnen, dass der Marsch in Richtung Bürgerkrieg gestoppt wird. Der Amtsinhaber al-Dschaafari hatte diese Hoffnungen enttäuscht. Die Sunniten werfen ihm vor, schiitische Todesschwadrone im Innenministerium geduldet zu haben. Al-Maliki kündigte dagegen an, die Milizen in die staatlichen Sicherheitsapparate einzubeziehen, damit sie kontrolliert werden können.

Wie sein Vorgänger gehört al-Maliki der Dawa-Partei an, einer schiitischen Organisation, die unter Saddam Hussein brutal verfolgt wurde. Al-Maliki wurde von dem Ex-Despoten wegen seiner Mitgliedschaft sogar zum Tode verurteilt. Gemeinsam mit al-Dschaafari floh er Anfang der Achtziger ins Exil: Zunächst in den Iran, später nach Syrien, wo er das "Dschihad-Büro" leitete und Guerilla-Einsätze im Irak koordinierte.

Unverhohlener Hass auf die Saddam-Partei

Nach Saddam Husseins Sturz kehrte er 2003 in sein Heimatland zurück - und spielte von Beginn an eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Errichtung des neuen Staates, wenn auch zunächst in der zweiten Reihe. So stand er dem Sicherheitsausschuss des Parlaments vor und gilt als Vater eines harten Anti-Terror-Gesetzes, dessen Ziel die Niederschlagung der sunnitischen Aufständischen ist. Auch leitete er die Kommission zur Entfernung von Ex-Schergen der Baath-Partei aus öffentlichen Ämtern.

In all seinen Posten, halten ihm Kritiker vor, habe er allerdings über das Ziel hinausgeschossen. Tatsächlich wurden einige einfache Parteimitglieder, die al-Maliki schasste, später wieder eingestellt. Aus seinem Hass auf die Tyrannen-Partei machte er nie ein Geheimnis: "Es gibt keine Zukunft für unsere staatlichen Organe, wenn wir sie nicht von den Baathisten reinigen", sagte er in einem undatierten Interview auf der website der Dawa-nahen Zeitung "Ard al-Sawad". Die Baathisten würden den "kranken Traum von einer zweiten Machtübernahme" verbreiten - und für dieses Ziel nicht einmal davor Halt machen, "sich das Fell des Hundes und des Schweines überzuziehen". In dieser harten Haltung liegt eine Hypothek für seine künftige Amtsführung, denn die sunnitischen Parteien werden ihn bedrängen, den Ausschluss von Ex-Baathisten aus dem politischen Leben weniger total zu handhaben.

Vorschusslorbeeren vom Sunniten-Führer

Auch in anderen brisanten Konflikten fand al-Maliki stets deutliche Worte: "Ja, ich sage es in aller Klarheit: Es gibt Korruption in der Verwaltung", sagte er dem Blatt "Ard al-Sawad" weiter. Am Wochenende deutete er an, dass er sich dieses Problems nun bald annehmen werde. Von dem führenden sunnitischen Politiker Saleh al-Mutlak bekam er Vorschusslorbeeren: Im Vergleich zu al-Dschaafari sei al-Maliki der "stärkere, nachdrücklichere und praktischere Mann". Der designierte Regierungschef sei "darum bemüht, dass seine Zuhörer verstehen, was er zu sagen versucht", erklärte der Sunnit weiter, der den Schiiten aus den Verhandlungen über die Verfassung kennt. Diese warmen Worte sind keine Selbstverständlichkeit im politischen Klima des Irak - und zeigen, dass al-Maliki auch in anderen politischen Lagern als Hoffnung gesehen wird.

Aber nicht nur in Bagdad, auch in London und Washington wurde die Entscheidung für den vierfachen Vater mit Genugtuung aufgenommen. Al-Maliki ist nach Wochen der Uneinigkeit der erste und einzige, der die nötige Mehrheit zusammenbekommen kann. Er ist Sunniten und Kurden um einiges genehmer als sein Vorgänger.

Arabische Zeitungen warnen vor Kämpfen

Guido Steinberg, Irakexperte der Berliner Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, hält al-Malikis Erfolg dennoch nicht für garantiert: "Viel wichtiger wird sein, wer das Innen- und Verteidigungsministerium besetzt", sagte er SPIEGEL ONLINE. "Wird das Innenministerium wieder von einem Funktionär der schiitischen SCIRI-Partei besetzt, zeichnen sich schon künftige Konflikte ab." Die SCIRI-Partei wird von den Sunniten für die angeblichen Todesschwadronen verantwortlich gemacht.

Zu den Vorzügen al-Malikis gehöre indes, dass er dem radikalen Schiiten-Führer Muktada al-Sadr weniger verpflichtet sei als al-Dschaafari es war, meint Steinberg. Es sei nicht ausgeschlossen, dass es dem promovierten Arabisten gelingt, den Irak zu stabilisieren und zu dessen erster politischen Führungsfigur nach Kriegsende zu werden. Aber die Voraussetzungen seien denkbar schlecht und der Erfolg nicht nur von al-Maliki abhängig. So verweist Steinberg zum Beispiel auf Berichte in arabischen Zeitungen, in denen bereits von größeren Vorbereitungen für Kämpfe zwischen sunnitischen und schiitischen Milizen die Rede sei.

"Jede Hand und jede Zunge, die die Einheit (des Irak) durch falsche Taten oder Provokationen behindern will, verdient es, abgeschnitten zu werden", kommentierte der neu gewählte Parlamentspräsident Mahmud al-Maschhadani solche Bestrebungen. Doch hinter der martialischen Rhetorik scheint die Angst durch, dass die Kräfte der Gewalt noch lange stärker sein könnten als jene der Politik. Al-Maliki tritt ein schweres Amt an.

 

Teurer als der Vietnam-Krieg

Max Böhnel 25.04.2006
Irak-Krieg: 2,5 Milliarden Dollar pro Woche, Tendenz steigend
Werden sich die US-Truppen im Irak dieses Jahr langsam [extern] aus der Schusslinie bringen und das geschundene Land irgendwann sich selbst überlassen? So unklar die Aussichten derWashingtoner Irak-Politik sind, so eindeutig ist die Frage nach den Kosten des Krieges und der Besatzung zu beantworten: Die Bush-Regierung hat sich grob verschätzt, in finzanzieller Hinsicht ist der Irakkrieg als [extern] einer der teuersten der amerikanischen Geschichte einzustufen.


Die Kosten für den Irak-Krieg (vgl. [local] Der Krieg gegen den Terror wird immer teurer..) haben sich seit Beginn der US-Invasion vor mehr als drei Jahren fast verdoppelt, wie das unabhängige [extern] Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington ermittelte. Dabei ergibt sich wegen der Reparatur- und Neuanschaffungskosten für die zerschlissene Kriegsmaschinerie und die Entwicklung von modernerem Tötungsgerät eine [extern] steigende Tendenz. Im laufenden Jahr werden die Kosten auf 94 Milliarden Dollar geschätzt - was in einem Zahlenspiel für jeden der statistisch gesehen 78 Millionen amerikanischen Haushalte eine jährliche Zusatzbelastung von 1.205 Dollar bedeuten würde.

Die Ausgaben und die Haushaltsprioritäten Washingtons werden diese Woche zu hitzigen Debatten im Senat führen, der nach der Rückkehr aus der Frühjahrspause den umfangreichsten Sonderantrag der amerikanischen Geschichte berät. Der Entwurf sieht 106,5 Milliarden Dollar Extraausgaben vor, davon allein für die Kriege in Afghanistan und im Irak 72,4 Milliarden. Die präsentierte Rechnung ist die fünfte seit Beginn der Irakinvasion im März 2003.

Derzeit gibt die US-Regierung monatlich fast zehn Milliarden Dollar für die Kriege in beiden Ländern aus, wie der "Congressional Research Service", eine dem US-Kongress unterstehende Institution, vor kurzem für Kongressmitglieder [extern] ermittelte. Letztes Jahr lag die Summe bei 8,2 Milliarden Dollar. Die Personalkosten werden Regierungsangaben zufolge im laufenden Jahr zwar um 14 Prozent sinken. Doch die Ausgaben für Reparaturen, den Ersatz und die Anschaffung von Kriegsmaterial werden um ein Drittel in die Höhe schießen, wie der "Congressional Research Service" in Anhörungen herausfand. Die entsprechenden Kosten waren zu Kriegsbeginn bei 2,4 Milliarden Dollar gelegen und betragen heute mehr als das Zehnfache.

Hubschrauber, Panzer, Truppenfahrzeuge und selbst kleinkalibrige Waffen erfordern nach Angaben des [extern] Army Materiel Command, das das Kriegsgerät wartet, mehr Zeit und Geld für Instandhaltung als geplant. Der Army-Sprecher Gary Motsek sagte US-Medien zufolge, das Kriegsgerät sei "völlig heruntergewirtschaftet".

Sogar funktionierende Ausrüstung von Army- und Marineeinheiten werde derzeit in fünf Stützpunkte innerhalb der USA zur Verbesserung zurückbefördert. Dies bedeutet in Zahlen beispielsweise rund 700 Hubschraubermotoren, 600 "Bradley"-Fahrzeuge und 9.000 "Humvees". Dabei geht es aber nicht nur um Reparatur- und Aufrüstungsarbeiten innerhalb der Armeestützpunkte in den USA. Darüberhinaus sind mehr als 50.000 Arbeitskräfte - die meisten davon werden vom Pentagon beauftragt - im Irak und Nachbarländern mit Pflege und Wartung von US-Kriegsgerät beschaeftigt.

Nach [extern] Angaben des Army-Chefs General Peter Shoomaker vor dem Militärausschuss des Senats im Februar werden solcherlei Kosten noch lange nach einem Truppenrückzug aus dem Irak anfallen. Die US-Army vollständig auszurüsten und auf den neuesten Stand zu bringen, würde innerhalb von sechs Jahren rund 36 Milliarden Dollar kosten, warnte der General.

Die jährlichen Kosten für den Irakkrieg sind seit Monaten höher als die Gelder, die der Vietnamkrieg pro Jahr zwischen 1964 und 1972 verschlungen hatte, auf heutige Dollarzahlen umgerechnet. Vietnam hatte die amerikanischen Steuerzahler Jahr für Jahr 61 Milliarden Dollar gekostet.


Q:  http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/22/22522/1.html  

Der Bush schafft es aleine die ganze USA in die Pleite zu fahren!

bei uns sind da schon mehr Politiker beteidigt.

Gr.  

2,5 Milliarden pro woche ist noch viel zu wenig.
diese Summe müssten die am Tag verbrennen! Diese *$   "$"
§
Vielleicht denken die beim nächsten mal dann etwas realistischer!  

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb inside a minibus exploded in a market area in Baghdad's Sadr City Shi'ite slum on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding five, police said.

Sadr City, in eastern Baghdad, is a stronghold of radical Shi'ite cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who is a member of the ruling Shi'ite coalition.

The blast damaged shop fronts in a commercial street and turned the bus into a mangled wreck.

No group has claimed responsibility but tensions between Muslim Shi'ites and Sunnis are running high since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine unleashed a bloody wave of reprisal attacks.



"We are innocent people. They bombed a bus," said one neighbor. Earlier, police said the blast was a car bomb.

Seven car bombs exploded in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing at least eight people and wounding 80.

Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki is working to form a government of national unity, widely seen as the best solution to avert a slide into sectarian civil war.

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Shiite Muslim politician tapped as Iraq's prime minister said Monday that he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country's security forces get up to speed.

In an interview with CNN, Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki also promised to tackle the problem of militias, the armed groups thought to be fueling sectarian violence in the country.

Al-Maliki said the private forces that have held sway on the streets of Iraq must be "disarmed."

The Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance nominated al-Maliki, 55, for the prime minister post last week after the initial nominee, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, stepped aside amid opposition from Sunnis, Kurds and secularists who disliked his performance as transitional prime minister.

Al-Maliki was nominated to become prime minister Saturday by President Jalal Talabani, longtime leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Al-Maliki is attempting to assemble a national unity government to present to parliament for its approval.

Under Saddam Hussein, the minority Sunni Muslims wielded power, often through violence against Shiites and Kurds. In the current government, the Sunnis have a minority voice, and many officials think disaffected Sunnis largely fuel the insurgency.

During the interview, al-Maliki said Iraqi must establish a "nationwide reconciliation" in the ethnically and religiously diverse country, torn by bloody, sectarian vendettas.

"I call on the Iraqis in all of their different factions and ethnic groups ... to go back to what they were like in Iraq, when the relationships were good between them and there was no prejudice based on their differences," he said, citing the many groups -- including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, and Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Christians.

A Dawa Party official, al-Maliki has been a prominent player in the United Iraqi Alliance, the most powerful political bloc in the country.

He was involved in the drafting of a new constitution and de-Baathification efforts.

He escaped Hussein's regime and lived in exile for more than 20 years, mostly in Syria.

Optimism about Iraqi forces
In the interview, he spoke about a top concern for many Iraqis -- the U.S.-led military occupation in the country of 26 million people. Al-Maliki says he believes it won't be long before Iraqi troops begin taking the reins from the U.S.-led coalition.

Asked when the U.S. troops would begin departing the country, al-Maliki said he "heard from the leadership of the multinational forces that they are expecting that to be in 18 months."

"I think that it will be less time than that because I am determined to provide the Iraqi forces with all of their needs."

Al-Maliki said he is optimistic "about preparations in speeding the building of the security forces, not only to take over the security file [but] also to face the security challenges."

He added a much-repeated caveat: "The presence of the multinational forces is connected directly with our security forces' ability to provide security. If we don't have the security and military ability to provide security, the multinational troops will not be able to leave."

Al-Maliki: Job creation to steer manpower from militias
Al-Maliki said Iraqi society must be cleansed of terrorism, the government must be rid of "administrative corruption" and factional militias must be disarmed.

"We must also address the issue of government centrality and the centrality of the armed forces and that weapons must only be in the hands of the government and the people must be disarmed," he said.

He said that "no militia in Iraq can share authority with the government's armed forces" and cited the constitution, "which states the dissolving of these militias into the security forces and to end their affiliation with the political parties they belong to."

Al-Maliki pointed to job creation strategies that would help steer manpower away from those groups.

"We would like to argue against all the arguments that will be put forth that militias are necessary to protect themselves and so on," said al-Maliki, who emphasized that "the presence of these militias will add to the tension and the danger of a civil war."

Al-Sadr 'ready to participate'
The Mehdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is among the militias on Baghdad streets raising concerns within the coalition, but al-Maliki insisted al-Sadr is "ready to participate in the political process and its responsibilities."

"Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr is a part of the political process, and he has representation in parliament and he is a part of this government," he said.

Regarding suspicions that the Shiite-led Interior Ministry has been linked to Shiite militias carrying out revenge acts against Sunnis, al-Maliki said that "confidence can be restored" if ministries "were administered by people who have no affiliation with militias."

He said the government will work on all of the concerns of Sunni Arabs, who have complained about unfair and brutal raids and detentions by Shiite police commandos in the Interior Ministry.

"If we can settle the case of militias and the ministers, there will be bridges of trust again, and we will work on all of the issues pointed out to us by our brothers, the Sunni Arabs," said al-Maliki, who has created bonds with Kurdish and Sunni politicians.

 

lt. Pentagon:


http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf  

CNN) -- Video that appears to show Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of insurgent group al Qaeda in Iraq, was posted on an Islamist Web site Tuesday.

The most-wanted man in Iraq, al-Zarqawi is accused of conducting terrorist attacks in that country and elsewhere.

If the video is authenticated, it would mark the first time the Jordanian native has been seen speaking without a mask since emerging as the leader of the insurgency in Iraq. (Watch what will be rare video of al-Zarqawi, if authenticated -- 2:57)

Previously, there have been still photos of al-Zarqawi and audio messages delivered by him.

The tape comes two days after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden issued a tape in which he slammed the West for a "crusader-Zionist war" against Islam. (Full story)

In Tuesday's video, a bearded man believed to be al-Zarqawi talks about the insurgency.

He is wearing what appears to be an ammunition vest over a black shirt and a black head covering. In a portion of the video, he speaks to the camera with a firearm in the background.

In another part of the video, he is seated on the floor with a firearm by his side and three masked people with him. He also is shown standing in a dusty, barren field, wielding a firearm.

Al-Zarqawi has eluded U.S. and Iraqi authorities for years, and the United States has posted a $25 million bounty for the Jordanian-born militant.

He and his followers have taken responsibility for -- or been accused of -- perpetrating or aiding suicide bombings, car bombings, beheadings and other acts of brutality.

In October 2004, al-Zarqawi pledged his allegiance to bin Laden, renaming his group al Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Zarqawi gained recognition in February 2003 when then-Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared before the U.N. Security Council to make his case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Iraq, he said, was harboring al-Zarqawi's terrorist network, a "collaborator of Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda lieutenants."

Two years later, a man thought to be al-Zarqawi said his group had "declared a bitter war against democracy and all those who seek to enact it," and declared all Iraqi candidates and voters enemies of Islam.

Counterterrorism and intelligence officials believe al-Zarqawi has forged links with terrorist groups in other countries, including Jordan, where he admitted to the November triple hotel bombings in Amman that killed 60 people and injured scores of others.

Jordanian courts have convicted and sentenced al-Zarqawi in absentia.

In December 2005, he was sentenced to death by hanging for a failed suicide bombing at a border crossing between Jordan and Iraq. In March, he received 15 years in prison for a plot to attack the Jordanian Embassy in Iraq.

A court handed him a death sentence for the October 2002 assassination of Laurence Foley, who was with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and convicted al-Zarqawi in a December 1999 "millennium" plot against Jordanian hotels.

 

AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- Iraq is on a knife-edge, bleeding and possibly headed to civil war, if not already there.

And Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is tightening his grip on the handle of that knife, according to those close to the situation.

In the past, the U.S. military talked of al-Zarqawi and the rest of the foreign fighters in Iraq as separate from local insurgents, though linked by common goals and common enemies.

That seems to have changed, even as the U.S. negotiates with Sunni politicians, and in some cases, those linked to the insurgents.

Al-Zarqawi and his al Qaeda in Iraq followers are certainly not the only ones pushing Iraq into chaos. But the bloodbath since the bombing of a Shiite Muslim mosque in Samarra has made his position stronger among Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority who were favored by Saddam Hussein.

Al-Zarqawi has claimed credit for many of the worst attacks against Iraq's Shiites, and further bolstered his support by referring to them as "the lurking snake, the crafty and malicious scorpion, the spying enemy and the penetrating venom."

Listen to Sheik Zeidan, once one of the most prominent tribal chieftains in Anbar province, now an exile across the border in Jordan.

"If there was a gap between the Sunnis and Zarqawi before Samarra, this brought it together, the gap was brought together," he said.

"They [the Sunnis] are getting killed. They looked left and right and the only savior they had was Zarqawi. Now Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is their only leader, the only one providing them protection."

Sheik of nowhere
If you want a barometer of how bad things are in Iraq, spend some time with Zeidan.

When we've talked to him in the past, he's said the situation in the Sunni triangle was bad, but not irreversible.

Just have the Americans withdraw, he would say, and the people will desert al-Zarqawi, flocking back to their more traditional leaders who were the tribal sheiks such as himself (Zeidan was kicked out of Iraq in 2004 by the Americans).

That's not what he's saying now, after Samarra.

What's happened now is that al-Zarqawi is more powerful than ever, despite claims by a new group called the Anbar Revenge Brigade that they are targeting al Qaeda in Iraq and its leader on behalf of the tribes.

In Zeidan's view, al-Zarqawi -- who is from the largest tribe in Jordan -- has used his knowledge of tribal loyalties to bind him to the local population. He's also killed any sheiks who dare disagree, including several who recently agreed to negotiate with the Americans.

"I do know people, tribal people, who did negotiate. But they all got killed. Anyone who is talking to the Americans got killed," Zeidan says.

Ali Shukri, a retired Jordanian general and former adviser to the late King Hussein, agrees.

"Those tribal leaders who are in Iraq are definitely living in fear," he said.

Those who are not in Iraq and happen to be in the region are afraid of what Zarqawi could do to their immediate families. It seems he could reach them and he did reach them.

The role of the tribes
Shukri says the Sunni tribes in western Iraq are key to ending strife in Iraq because their leaders could keep the peace there and end the insurgency.

But he says the U.S. refused to negotiate with them after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Now, he says, there is a power vacuum that is being filled by al-Zarqawi.

I give you the news, there is a civil war.
-- Sheik Zeidan, exiled Iraqi tribal leader"Historically, these people kept the peace in the western part of Iraq," Shukri said. "Now we see the tribes becoming indifferent. It has reached the point where some of my tribal friends say al-Zarqawi has become more important in the traditional tribal areas of western Iraq than the actual historical leaders. This is bad."

And it leaves Zeidan mostly powerless and in exile. He's committed to getting the U.S. out of Iraq, but he is also afraid of that because he says he fears the Shiites and the Iranians who back them even more.

"The failure of America to win in Iraq means victory for Iran. And our real enemy is not America, it is Iran," he said.

Zeidan says al-Zarqawi no longer has to rely on foreign fighters to fill his ranks as he is winning over young Iraqi Sunnis.

"There has become a culture of martyrdom among the younger generation that never existed before," Zeidan says, adding that the movement is encouraged by al-Zarqawi, but also fueled by U.S. actions against the Sunnis.

Zeidan no longer sees al-Zarqawi leaving Iraq if the U.S. pulls out. Instead, he says, al-Zarqawi will stay and lead the Sunnis in their fight against Iran.

Does all this mean Zeidan believes there is a civil war already under way in Iraq?

"I give you the news, there is a civil war," is his reply.

Kingdoms on the brink?
Here in Jordan, there was defiance after the triple suicide bombings killed more than 50 people last November.

And I hope to God, the way I see things is wrong. Because if it is correct, the whole region will be suffering.
-- Ali Shukri, retired Jordanian generalJust this week, the Jordanians indicted al-Zarqawi and several others for planning those bombings. And there were arrests last week that allegedly forestalled another possible attack against another high-profile Jordanian target.

But civil war in Iraq and al-Zarqawi's growing strength there have the Jordanians worried.

"The more the situation continues in Iraq, the more [al-Zarqawi] will have a free hand. And it will come across us, not only across Jordan, but we are going to see worse things happening in Saudi Arabia," said Shukri, pointing to the recent failed al Qaeda attack on an oil facility in Saudi Arabia.

Shukri is not by nature a pessimistic man, but as he recounts all the threats facing not only Jordan, but the region, he shakes his head.

"It's not good, it's not good at all. And I hope to God, the way I see things is wrong. Because if it is correct, the whole region will be suffering."

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi capital's plague of violence continued Tuesday with at least three killings, including that of a judge, authorities said.

Ibrahim Malik al-Hindawi, chief judge of Karkh Civil Court, was killed by gunfire from another vehicle as he drove through western Baghdad's Amriya neighborhood.

Elsewhere in the city, a civilian was killed and four others injured when a minibus exploded in the Sadr City area.

In another bombing, two police were injured on patrol when a car bomb went off near Yarmouk Hospital, police said.

Earlier Tuesday, a pair of car bombs exploded, killing at least one person and wounding six others, police said.

Later Tuesday, gunmen kidnapped an engineer working at a power station in eastern Baghdad.

And two days after 15 bodies were found dead of gunshots in the capital, two more bodies were discovered Tuesday afternoon in southern Baghdad. The latest had been shot in the head and could not be immediately identified by police. It was not known when they died.

Police said the bodies of 15 men found Sunday are believed to be those of Sunni Muslims. The men reportedly were heading to Anbar province to seek work with Iraqi security forces, police said.

The victims, whose bodies were discovered in two vehicles in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib section, all appeared to have died from gunshots.

Widespread killings that witnesses describe as sectarian in nature have raised fears that Iraq could descend into civil war.

Under Saddam Hussein, the minority Sunni Muslims wielded power, often through violence against Shiites and Kurds. In the current government, the Sunnis have a minority voice, and many officials think disaffected Sunnis are largely fueling the insurgency.

On Monday, at least eight people died and 90 others were injured in eight bombings across the Iraqi capital, authorities said.

Other developments

The Shiite Muslim politician tapped as Iraq's prime minister said Monday that he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country's security forces get up to speed. In an interview with CNN, Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki, 55, also promised to tackle the problem of militias, the armed groups thought to be fueling sectarian violence. (Full story)


A retired CIA official has accused the Bush administration of ignoring intelligence indicating that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and no active nuclear program before the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country, CBS News' "60 Minutes" reported Sunday. (Full story)  

Lob für Kämpfer im Irak
Video von Al Sarkawi

Der Anführer der radikalen Moslem-Organisation El Kaida im Irak, Abu Mussab al Sarkawi, hat einer Internet-Botschaft zufolge seine Unterstützer für ihre Ausdauer im Kampf gegen den Westen gelobt.

Die Kämpfer der Mudschahedin seien in der Lage, sich "einem der grausamsten Feldzüge der Kreuzfahrer gegen ein moslemisches Land entgegen zu stellen", hieß es in der im Internet verbreiteten Videobotschaft, die offenbar von Al Sarkawi stammt. "Sie haben diesem Angriff drei Jahre lang stand gehalten." Als der Feind in den Irak einmarschiert sei, habe er im Sinn gehabt, die Kontrolle über die islamische Nation zu bekommen, hieß es weiter.

Sollte die Botschaft tatsächlich von Al Sarkawi stammen, wäre dies eine sehr seltene öffentliche Erklärung von ihm auf bewegten Bildern. Bislang hat er Botschaften eher über Sprachaufnahmen via Tonband verbreitet. Der Rat der Mudschahedin, der der El Kaida nahe steht, nannte die jüngste Aufnahme das "erste Video des irakischen El-Kaida-Anführers".

Al Sarkawi ist auf den Bildern in schwarzer Kleidung mit grüner Weste und einem Sturmgewehr zu sehen. Auch wird gezeigt, wie er eine Gruppe maskierter Männer im Freien ausbildet.

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad Wednesday morning on an unannounced visit.

Rumsfeld is expected to meet with Jawad al-Maliki, the Shiite Muslim politician recently tapped as Iraq's prime minister.

Earlier this week, al-Maliki said he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country's security forces get up to speed.

In an interview with CNN, al-Maliki, 55, also promised to tackle the problem of militias, the armed groups thought to be fueling sectarian violence. (Full story)

The Iraqi capital's plague of violence continued Tuesday with at least three killings, including that of a judge, authorities said.

Ibrahim Malik al-Hindawi, chief judge of Karkh Civil Court, was killed by gunfire from another vehicle as he drove through western Baghdad's Amriya neighborhood.

Elsewhere in the city, a civilian was killed and four others injured when a minibus exploded in the Sadr City area.

In another bombing, two police were injured on patrol when a car bomb went off near Yarmouk Hospital, police said.

Earlier Tuesday, a pair of car bombs exploded, killing at least one person and wounding six others, police said.

Later Tuesday, gunmen kidnapped an engineer working at a power station in eastern Baghdad.

And two days after 15 bodies were found dead of gunshots in the capital, two more bodies were discovered Tuesday afternoon in southern Baghdad. The latest had been shot in the head and could not be immediately identified by police. It was not known when they died.

Police said the bodies of 15 men found Sunday are believed to be those of Sunni Muslims. The men reportedly were heading to Anbar province to seek work with Iraqi security forces, police said.

The victims, whose bodies were discovered in two vehicles in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib section, all appeared to have died from gunshots.

Widespread killings that witnesses describe as sectarian in nature have raised fears that Iraq could descend into civil war.

Under Saddam Hussein, the minority Sunni Muslims wielded power, often through violence against Shiites and Kurds. In the current government, the Sunnis have a minority voice, and many officials think disaffected Sunnis are largely fueling the insurgency.

On Monday, at least eight people died and 90 others were injured in eight bombings across the Iraqi capital, authorities said.

Other developments

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi surfaced Tuesday in a Web site video, defending the insurgent fight, exhorting followers to keep the faith and mocking the U.S.-led effort in Iraq. (Full story)


More than half of Americans believe the United States erred in sending troops to Iraq, a poll released Tuesday said, indicating that recent White House efforts to rally support for the war have not been successful. (Full story)


A retired CIA official has accused the Bush administration of ignoring intelligence indicating that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and no active nuclear program before the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country, CBS News' "60 Minutes" reported Sunday. (Full story)

CNN's Arwa Damon, Auday Sadik
 

Irak: Überraschende Rumsfeld-Visite


 US-Verteidigungsminister Donald Rumsfeld ist heute Früh überraschend zu einem Besuch im Irak eingetroffen.

Das berichtete der US-Sender CNN. Rumsfeld wolle die dort stationierten US-Truppen besuchen, hieß es. Wegen der angespannten Sicherheitslage im Irak werden solche Besuche von US-Regierungsmitgliedern nicht angekündigt.

Es wird erwartet, dass Rumsfeld in Bagdad auch mit dem mit der Bildung der neuen irakischen Regierung beauftragten Ministerpräsidenten Dschawad el Maliki zusammentrifft. Präsident Dschalal Talabani hatte den Schiiten Maliki am vergangenen Samstag berufen.

 

Dubai (Reuters) - Der Anführer der radikalen Moslem-Organisation Al-Kaida im Irak, Abu Mussab al-Sarkaui, hat die neue Regierung des Landes als Marionette der USA kritisiert.

Die Vereinigten Staaten wollten mit der Mannschaft des designierten Ministerpräsidenten Dschauad al-Maliki ihre Probleme im Irak lösen, sagte Sarkaui in einem am Dienstag im Internet veröffentlichten Video. Grund sei, dass die USA die so genannten Heiligen Krieger nicht durch Gewalt besiegen könnten. Deshalb wollten sie nun auch Vertreter der sunnitischen Minderheit an der Regierung beteiligen, die "die Schlinge um den Hals von Sunniten zuziehen" sollten. Der Aufstand im Irak wird vor allem von Sunniten getragen. Sarkaui kündigte weitere Anschläge an.

Zuvor hatte der schiitische Politiker al-Maliki erklärt, dass er mit allen politischen Parteien über die Bildung einer Regierung der nationalen Einheit verhandele. Ein Kabinett aus Vertretern aller wichtigen Volksgruppen im Irak soll nach dem Willen der USA dazu beitragen, die Gewalt zu mindern.


 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- On a mission to show support for Iraq's fledgling new government, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld arrived Wednesday morning in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.

According to Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff, the defense secretary was personally asked by President Bush to make the trip at this particularly critical time for the Iraqi political process and was scheduled to meet with Iraqi government and U.S. officials.

Last week, Iraqi lawmakers broke an impasse over the selection of a prime minister when President Jalal Talabani designated Jawad al-Maliki, a Shiite Muslim politician, to the post.

However, this does not necessarily assure a swift formation of a government.

Al-Maliki has 30 days to put together a government and present it for approval by the 275-member Council of Representatives, the new parliament.

In the past, squabbling Iraqi lawmakers have missed other deadlines. And in this case, it is conceivable that the parliament might reject the new government, a development that would prompt more delays.

Rumsfeld was greeted at Baghdad International Airport by Gen. George Casey, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, before they then went to the U.S. Embassy for a one-on-one meeting.

The secretary arrived in Iraq on a C-17 military transport.

Earlier this week, PM-designate al-Maliki said he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country's security forces get up to speed.

In an interview with CNN, al-Maliki, 55, also promised to tackle the problem of militias, the armed groups thought to be fueling sectarian violence. (Full story)

Three U.S. senators, meanwhile, plan legislation that will send a stark message to Iraqi politicians: Form a government quickly or risk losing U.S. military support.

Sens. Carl Levin, D-Michigan; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, said Tuesday the legislation they plan to introduce in Congress would place "significant pressure" on politicians in Baghdad.

"It would put the Senate on record as urging the president, for the first time, to specifically link the continued presence of American forces to the Iraqis meeting their own self-imposed deadline," Levin said. "That is an incredibly powerful message, if the president delivers it." (Full story)

Airstrike, raid kill 12 suspected militants
U.S. and coalition forces killed 12 "terrorists" and a woman Tuesday in a raid on a safe house south of Baghdad, a military statement said.

According to the military, intelligence sources led troops to a building in Yusifiya, about five miles north-northeast of where a Apache helicopter went down April 1.

After a gunbattle with the insurgents and an airstrike on the structure, five bodies were found outside the building, with eight more inside -- seven men and a woman.

"Every male who was found in the rubble was wearing an AK-47 vest with two loaded magazines and two grenades," the statement said. "The troops also discovered suicide notes on one of the terrorists, body bombs, weapons [including] a shoulder-fired rocket and ammunition."

The military said two wanted terrorists were believed to have been operating out of the building. It was not immediately clear if they were among the dead.

Roadside bombs killed one civilian and wounded five others in central Iraq on Wednesday, police said.

One person died when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a police patrol in western Baghdad's upscale Mansour neighborhood. Two others were wounded.

About 15 miles south of Baghdad in Mahmodiya, three police officers were wounded when a bomb blast hit their vehicle.

Four bodies were found across Baghdad on Wednesday -- three in Khadamya in northern Baghdad and one in western Baghdad's Yarmouk neighborhood. According to police, the victims were shot execution-style and showed signs of torture.

Other developments

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi surfaced Tuesday in a Web site video, defending the insurgent fight, exhorting followers to keep the faith and mocking the U.S.-led effort in Iraq. (Full story)


More than half of Americans believe the United States erred in sending troops to Iraq, a poll released Tuesday said, indicating that recent White House efforts to rally support for the war have not been successful. (Full story)


Sen. Hillary Clinton wants administration officials and retired generals -- including those who recently urged Rumsfeld to resign -- to testify before Congress about the handling of the Iraq war. The chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, reacted coolly Tuesday to Clinton's request and said he will make a decision on the request soon. (Full story)  

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twelve suspected Iraqi militants and a woman were killed in a U.S. raid and air strike on a house in a town just south of Baghdad, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

As U.S. troops closed in on a house believed to be used by two foreign fighters on Tuesday, they came under fire, a U.S. military statement said.

"The troops initially killed five terrorists outside of the safe house and then called for an air strike," it said.

"After the precision air strike, the ground troops conducted a tactical search of the destroyed safe house and located the bodies of seven more terrorists and a woman."



The statement said U.S. forces were trying to determine the identity of those killed. It did not say how it was known all the men were rebels, although it said each of the dead men were wearing a magazine vest and carrying two grenades.