Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MulhollandDrive who wrote (54456)	7/15/2004 6:33:39 PM
From: Nemer	Respond to of 793963

Kansas City Star .... your section of the woods, gal .... ggggg *New Iraqi spy agency announced after deadly car bomb* BY HANNAH ALLAM July 15, 2004 Knight Ridder Newspapers BAGHDAD, Iraq - (KRT) - Iraq's interim prime minister announced Thursday that he was forming a domestic spy agency to help root out insurgents, hours after a powerful car bomb killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20 northwest of Baghdad. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said agents for the new National Security Directorate would infiltrate Iraq's tenacious insurgency in an effort to stop attacks on U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and civilians. He gave few details on the scope or work of the new department. "Terrorism will be annihilated, God willing," Allawi said. It was the second day in a row that attackers targeted police and government buildings. The latest bombing occurred in the western city of Haditha, a stronghold of support for Saddam Hussein, and damaged a government complex that houses the police station and the city's Iraqi national guard headquarters. In addition to the 10 killed, at least 27 people were injured in the blast, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber killed at least 10 Iraqis and injured about 40 outside the U.S. and Iraqi government compound in Baghdad. The same day, insurgents assassinated the governor of Nineveh province in an ambush of his convoy. Also Thursday, an unidentified decapitated body in an orange jumpsuit was recovered from the Tigris River and handed over to U.S. authorities for identification. It's suspected that the body is that of a Bulgarian hostage killed the day before. Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a U.S. government-funded research center in Washington, said the interim Iraqi government "has really gotten off to a good start" in its first three weeks. "The new leaders of Iraq are determined to prevent the terrorists from achieving their aims," Powell said, praising the steps Allawi's government has taken on security. While there have been near-constant attacks on Iraqis working for the new government, "yet Iraqis are still stepping forward to serve their country," Powell said. Despite the escalating violence, Allawi said he had no immediate plans to invoke the martial law-like measures included in a safety plan he signed into law shortly after taking office June 28. He said the new security directorate would address safety concerns and that he would push for international help starting with his tour next week of several Arab nations. The first stops will be in Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. A later trip would include Iran, Pakistan and some European states, he said. Tighter control of Iraq's long and porous borders would be a key issue discussed with other Arab leaders, Allawi said. Already, he added, Iraq and Syria have agreed to improve security along their shared border. Lax border security is blamed for the infiltration of hundreds of foreign fighters who are suspected of participating in many large-scale attacks in Iraq. Though the U.S. military estimates that foreign extremists are only a fraction of the insurgency, many Iraqis view them as the No. 1 threat to their nation's stability. Most Iraqis draw a distinction between foreign Islamic militants and Iraqi anti-occupation nationalists. Recognizing the difference in public perception, Allawi has outlined an amnesty plan for rebels who attacked U.S. forces in the name of protecting their country. However, he said his government would show no mercy for insurgents who continue attacks now that Iraq has regained limited sovereignty. Allawi said Thursday that he would announce the amnesty plan next week. He also said the return of capital punishment, widely favored by Iraqis as a just end for Saddam, is still under consideration. "The safety of Iraqis is central to our agenda," Allawi said. "Of course, we can use our strength and force, but we will always do everything under the rule of law." Hundreds of protesters marched through central Baghdad on Thursday, chanting anti-Saddam slogans and demanding execution as the only acceptable outcome of the former dictator's upcoming trial. Saddam is expected to be charged with war crimes related to the Iran-Iraq war, the 1991 invasion of Kuwait and his brutal oppression of Shiite Muslims and Kurds. Though Saddam was the main focus for the largely Shiite crowd, demonstrators also called for death for Sunni religious extremists and foreign fighters, such as suspected Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Many marchers shouted support for firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who's been moving toward a political role after months of battling U.S. forces with his Mahdi Army militia. ---