Sunni and Kurdish Blocs Boycott Iraqi Parliament While Attacks Continue
Iraq’s parliament reconvened today, but without Iraqiya bloc members who have been staging a mass boycott. At least five Iraqis were killed and 25 more were wounded in new violence.
The Iraqiya bloc continued its boycott of parliament even as other lawmakers arrived for the first assembly in two weeks. Just two days before U.S. troops formally left the country on Dec. 18, the bloc voted to stop attending because, they say, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has not kept a power-sharing agreement he signed on to last year. Instead, the premier has consolidated power and openly targeted his Sunni political rivals for arrest and harassment.
The Kurdish Coalition briefly skipped the gathering as well, in protest over one lawmaker calling President Jalal Talabani a supporter of terrorism. State of Law MP Hussein al-Asadi made the charge because Talabani, who is a Kurd, is hosting Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi at his home. The vice president remains in Kurdistan over fears that the judicial process in Baghdad has been corrupted.
In odd news, the Salah ad-Din Operations Command said a reported attack on Finance Minister Rafe al-Essawi did not occur even thought it landed several guards in the hospital. The command does come under the authority of Baghdad, so there may be a political need to discount the attack. Essawi is one of several senior Sunni politicians targeted by Maliki for dismissal. Separately, Wassit province asked Kurdistan to return four wanted men who were once security leaders.
In Baghdad, gunmen killed a lieutenant. A blast in Saidiya wounded two street sweepers and two others. Six more people were wounded in a bombing in Ur.
In Qara Durra, a bomb killed one civilian and wounded four others.
One soldier died and two others were wounded when a bomb exploded in Falluja.
West of Mosul, one policeman was killed and two more were wounded in separate attacks.
Gunmen stormed a home in Muqdadiya where they killed an Awakening Council member and wounded his wife.
Five security personnel were wounded in a bombing in Abu Ghraib.
A sticky bomb wounded a Peshmerga servicemember in Kirkuk.
Read more by Margaret Griffis
- Iraq: Shi’ite Pilgrims Targets For More Violence – January 7th, 2012
- Iraq Gov’t Show Favoritism Towards Deadly Shi’ite Militia; 10 Dead Across Iraq – January 6th, 2012
- Iraq: 84 killed, 157 wounded in attacks – January 5th, 2012
- Iraqi Children Killed in Attacks – January 4th, 2012
- Sunni Parliament Speaker Criticizes Maliki Admin. Over Abuses; 4 Killed in Iraq Attacks – January 2nd, 2012
skulz fontaine
January 3rd, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Let's see here – gunmen, blast, bomb, bomb, separate attacks, stormed a home…killed, bomb, and sticky bomb.
Oh yeah, the fires of democracy are burning brightly in Iraq on this fine day.
Sunni and Kurdish Blocs Boycott Iraqi Parliament While Attacks Continue — Antiwar.com | My Marketing File
January 4th, 2012 at 8:26 am
[...] Sunni and Kurdish Blocs Boycott Iraqi Parliament While Attacks Continue — Antiwar.com. [...]
xtire
January 4th, 2012 at 11:48 am
i'm sure we won't be hearing much more about maiki's crackdown on "democracy" since he's Washington's dictator, well um, Tehran's too actually , probably more so Tehran's. Hell, our Imperial elites couldn't even get that part right .
US Approves of Maliki’s Consolidating Dictatorial Power in Iraq -- News from Antiwar.com
January 4th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
[...] Maliki also recently betrayed an agreement that would have limited his ability to marginalize the Sunnis and turn the military into a sectarian force and ended up arresting hundreds of former Baath Party members on charges that they were involved in a coup plot. Because of the turmoil, Sunni and Kurdish blocs in the Iraqi parliament have committed themselves to a boycott. [...]
Nathan
January 4th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Is the author relaying a new item or is she injecting her own two cents in it?
Nathan
January 4th, 2012 at 9:59 pm
The hell with Iraqi Sunnis. When Saddam was in power he wouldn't let Shiites share power or play. So now it is the Shiites turn.
The Sunnis in Bahrain have total control and they are even killing those (mostly Shiites) who are demonsrating to be treated fairly and for a democratic government. What do you think Shiites should do when they become the powr?