Iraqi-American Haider Ajina sends the following reports from the Iraqi news:
From Iraq’s Azzaman news paper of Nov. 12:
185 schools constructed
The ministry of education has built 185 schools and repaired 332 others as part of its reconstruction plan for 2007.
From Iraq’s Azzaman news paper of Nov. 12:
Al-Qaeda defeated in main Baghdad neighborhood
Forces loyal to government have purged the restive and violent Baghdad’s Adhamiya quarter of Qaeda fighters, according to Ahmad al-Samarrai.
Samarrai said Qaeda ‘terrorists’ were defeated and forced out of the neighborhood following two days of ferocious fighting.
Samarrai is head of the government-sponsored Sunni endowments in Baghdad.
Many Sunnis have turned against the so-called ‘Qaeda in Mesopotamia’ and have formed alliances backed by U.S. troops to flush Qaeda members from their areas. These newly formed tribal militias are locally known as ‘Sahawa’ or Awakening. “After two days of fighting the Awakening Forces of Adhamiya have spread their full control over Adhamiya’s streets and districts,” said Samarrai.
The following is an article from ‘Voices of Iraq’ an independent news agency on Nov. 14:
Iraqi president says risks of civil war decreased
Baghdad, Nov 14, (VOI)- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that odds of civil war in Iraq decreased after the improvement of security condition in the country.
In statements to Egyptian daily al-Ahram, the president said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed to set up a higher political committee to boost Iraqi-Egyptian strategic relations.
“We were promised for the return of the Egyptian ambassador to Iraq by the end of the year,” Talabani also said, noting that Iraqi will also send an ambassador to Egypt.
“I expect a bigger Arab support to Iraq and i will head for Saudi Arabia to discuss means of bolstering bilateral ties,” he added.
“Economic and cultural situations improved in the country, but there is still a need for more efforts within the national reconciliation,” he added.
The following is from Iraq’s ‘Alsabah’ Newspaper of November 13:
17Billion for investment in provinces next year
Govt. decided increasing investment projects’ allocations at next year in all provinces at 60% according population density of each province to provide many jobs for many unemployed
This increase that its amount reaches to $17Billion compared with $11Billion in recent year with what revealed by Vice President Dr. Adel Abdulmahdi in a conference of reconstruction in Nasiryia province about a plan to reconstruct all destroyed infrastructure in provinces that would begin in 2008.
The following is a Haider Ajina translation of an article from Buratha news of November 14 2007:
Sunni Endowments banishes Um Al-Qura terrorist Takfiri mission closes the Mosque and radio station
The Sunni Endowments in Iraq under the leadership of Sheik Abdul Ghafoor Alsameraai closed the Takfiri terrorist bomb making Mosque called Um Al-Qura in Baghdad. The Endowment also evicted the people in the Mosque. This courageous decision and action has angered the Takfiri terrorist group headed by Hareth Aldhari. Aldhari who is a fugitive from justice, released a press memo in which he condemns the closure of the Mosque and expresses his anger at the eviction of the Mosque and the confiscation of it contents along with the removal of the large door plaque identifying the Mosque as Um Alqura mosque.
Haider Ajina comments:
It is becoming evident to the Iraqis that the rule of law and elected government (at the national and provincial level) are here to stay. It is also evident to the Iraqis that we are sticking by them and training their security forces to take over soon. Iraqis also realize that we are training their security forces to protect, serve and defend their citizens while observing the rule of law. This part of the training is the hardest and obviously most effective. Iraqi citizens will not support their security forces unless they trust them.
The grassroots support for the Iraqi security forces has increased and solidified to a tremendous extent over the last five months and especially in the last two. This is due to our training and the Iraqis willingly internalizing this training and implementing it.
The increased security and gradual weakening of the Takfiri Al-Qaida and the Baathist and Shiite Militias are allowing the voices condemning religious intolerance to become louder and more active. Iraqi Sunni Muslims are standing up, containing and condemning Takfiries and those who distort Islam to meet their own evil agenda. Voices of Muslims condemning intolerance, and abuse is getting louder and louder. Especially since it is Muslims who suffer the most due to religious intolerance and oppression by other Muslims.
Regards,
Haider Ajina
UPDATE: Iraq the Model has more good news from Baghdad- 20 car bombs stopped by US-Iraqi forces.
Hat Tip BG
UPDATE 2: All Things Conservative reports on two more defeats for Al-Qaeda.
And, another chart on Iraq fatalities is HERE.
