17 killed in Iraq violence

Published December 19, 2005

BAGHDAD, Dec 18: At least 17 Iraqis were killed as violence flared on Sunday after Sunni Arab and Shiite politicians appealed for unity and warned against sectarian divisions following a landmark election. Eleven security force personnel were among those shot dead or blown up in a string of attacks in or north of the capital since late Saturday.

In Kirkuk, gunmen killed Dhiab Hamad al-Hamdani and his son Munah, the uncle and nephew of a leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party.

And Ali Karim al-Assadi, a Shia member of the Badr Organisation, the former military wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), was shot dead in Baghdad, a security source said.

A woman was killed and 15 people wounded in a bombing outside a mosque in the capital, the first attack targeting the majority community since the election.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, a suicide bomber in a minibus blew himself up wounding one policeman, while 11 police offiers were wounded in a shootout with insurgents in the west of the capital, security sources said.

After several days of relative calm amid a massive security clampdown that was lifted on Sunday, the Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda has warned minority Sunni Arabs against being lulled into a false sense of security by the polls.

More than 15.5 million Iraqis were eligible to vote on Thursday to elect the first full-term parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003.

The fallen Sunni elite, who largely boycotted a vote for a transitional assembly in January, flocked to polls to elect a full-term parliament and boost their political representation over the next four years.

Leading Sunni Arab politician Adnan al-Dulaimi on Saturday called for a coalition to protect national unity in a new parliament and thanked insurgents for not attacking polling stations during the vote.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...