[Onthebarricades] Protests, occupied Iraq and Afghanistan, Apr-Aug 2008

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/

IRAQ
*  In Kurdish city of Arbil, 1 killed, 4 wounded as police attack service 
delivery protest
*  Protests over election law
*  Arabs protest over status of Kirkuk
*  Sadr supporters protest US security agreement
*  Brussels march against attacks on Iraqi Christians
*  Muthana residents protest corruption, demand sackings of officials
*  Furious protests after soldier shoots Quran
*  "Naked in hijab" - Iraqi woman protests see-through checkpoint x-rays
*  Basra oil workers protest replacement of chief
*  Customs officers protest against transfer
*  Shutdown of university over arrest of president
*  Iraqis protest Iranian president
*  Border town residents demonstrate protesting water crisis
*  Iraqi governor halts work to protest son's death

AFGHANISTAN
*  Civilian deaths spark protest; police stoned, 2 protesters killed
*  Protest over alleged burning of Quran
*  Villagers in west demonstrate over civilian killings
*  Students join teachers' wage protest
*  Funeral for BBC journalist killed in Afghanistan
*  Villagers protest civilian deaths
*  Hazaras protest in land dispute with Kuchi nomads

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35293

1 killed, 4 wounded in protest march in Arbil

Arbil, 17 August 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
A hospital in Arbil province on Sunday received four wounded men and a body 
eyewitnesses said had protested lack of services, a medic in the city said.
 "Four wounded men and one corpse were received by the Khlifan hospital in 
northeastern Arbil. The wounded and the dead man had participated in a 
demonstration staged by the local residents in Khlifan district," the 
source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of 
Iraq - (VOI).
Saeed Hallaq, an eyewitness, told VOI that hundreds of residents of the 
village of Srishma, Khlifan, (90 km) northeastern Arbil, have protested the 
lack of services in the district. The march developed into clashes between 
the demonstrators and policemen, which left one man killed and four others 
wounded.
VOI failed to contact the Khlifan police for comments.
Arbil, also written Erbil or Irbil, is believed to be one of the oldest 
continuously inhabited in the world and is one of the largest cities in 
Iraq. The city lies eighty kilometers (fifty miles) east of Mosul. In 2005, 
its estimated population was 990,000 inhabitants. The city is the capital of 
the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region and the Kurdistan Regional Government 
(KRG).
Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, only isolated, sporadic violence has 
hit Arbil, unlike many other areas of Iraq. Parallel bomb attacks against 
the Eid celebrations arranged by the PUK and KDP killed 109 people on 
February 1, 2004. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamist group Ansar 
al-Sunnah, and stated to be in solidarity with the Kurdish Islamist faction 
Ansar al-Islam. Another bombing on May 4, 2005 killed 60 civilians. Despite 
these bombings the population generally feels safe.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/34506

Duhuk demo ends by presenting warrant of protest against elections law

Baghdad, 31 July 2008 (Voices of Iraq)

The massive demonstration staged by thousands of Duhuk residents ended on 
Thursday by presenting a warrant of protest to the Iraqi parliament against 
the endorsement of the provincial council elections law.
"The demonstration, in which all political parties, governmental 
institutions, syndicates and cultural centers took part, continued for two 
hours and was held on the main square in central Duhuk," Adel Hassan, member 
of the higher committee which organized the demo, told Aswat al-Iraq - 
Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
"The protesters presented a warrant of protest to the UN secretary general, 
the Iraqi president, the president of Kurdistan and other officials in the 
region and the representatives of the political blocs in the Parliament, 
condemning the endorsement of the law and asserting the common interests 
between all Iraqi components," he explained.
"The angry men raised banners proclaiming (all of us against article 24), 
( we will only accept implementing article 140) and (the new elections law 
violates constitution and article 140)," he also said.
For his part, Head of the Duhuk provincial council Fadel Omar who received 
the warrant told the VOI that "we hope that our Arab brothers can overcome 
this and refuse to implement the new law to maintain stability and peace in 
Iraq."
"The decision and the article 24 stand against Kurds' ambitions so will 
continue to express our rejection to the violation of the constitution in a 
civilized way," Omar added.
On Monday, a total of 22 civilians were killed and 150 others were wounded 
when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of demonstrators, who 
took to the streets in downtown Kirkuk, condemning the passage of the 
provincial council elections law, which includes an article postponing the 
city's elections.
Last July 22, the Iraqi Parliament, with the approval of 127 deputies out of 
140 who attended the session, passed the law on provincial council 
elections.
Last Wednesday, the Presidential Board, with the unanimity of President 
Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Adel Abdul Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashimi, 
rejected the law in a rapid reaction one day after the Iraqi Parliament 
passed it during a session that raised hue and cry over its 
constitutionality.
Duhuk lies 460 km north of Baghdad.
Also spelled Duhok, Dohuk Dehok or Dahok; it is a city in northern Iraq. It 
has about 500,000 inhabitants, mostly consisting of Kurds and Assyrians.
According to some sources, the name "Duhuk" comes from Kurmanji Kurdish 
meaning "small village."
Circled by mountains along the Tigris river, Duhuk has a growing tourist 
industry. Its population grew extremely since the 1990s as the rural 
population moved to the cities. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the 
United States, Duhuk and Iraqi Kurdistan in general have remained the only 
safe places for foreigners.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1420340.php/Hundreds_of_Kurds_protest_in_northern_Iraq

Hundreds of Kurds protest in northern Iraq
Jul 30, 2008, 8:59 GMT
Baghdad - Hundreds of Iraq's politically assertive Kurds protested in the 
northern Kurdish capital of Sulaymanyah over a provincial election law 
passed by parliament last week, security sources said Wednesday.
The Kurdish protestors gathered in various places across the northern 
Sulaymanyah province.
The last two days have witnessed similar protests in the northern provinces 
of Arbil and Kirkuk.
During the Kurdish protest in Kirkuk Monday 22 people were killed and 150 
injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up amongst the protestors.
Angry Kurds are objecting to a provincial elections law passed by parliament 
last week which calls for a secret ballot to decide a power-sharing 
arrangement in the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk.
In the last week's parliament session, Kurdish lawmakers walked out in 
protest at the law.
The Iraqi legislature approved the law despite the walkout by Kurdish 
lawmakers. Kurdish parliament members promised to have the law rewritten. 
They also denounced the measure as 'unconstitutional.'
Meanwhile, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd himself, rejected the law 
in a presidential statement.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/34460

Protestors in Sulaimaniya present warrant of protest against elections law

Sulaimaniya, 31 July 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
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Thousands of protestors in Sulaimaniya on Wednesday presented a warrant of 
protest to the governor expressing their rejection of the endorsement of the 
provincial council elections by the Iraqi Parliament.
The protestors demanded that the law be rejected, while the Sulaimaniya 
governor called on the committee supervising the demonstration to stage a 
campaign to gather signatories of those rejecting the endorsement of the 
law.
"The demonstration was peaceful and Ali Saeed, president of the Sulaimaniya 
University, presented a warrant of protest to be submitted to the Iraqi 
Parliament to revoke the law," Othman Zendani, a member of the committee 
supervising the demo, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Local police chief Brigadier Hassan Nouri had said Tuesday tight security 
measures have been put in place in preparation for a demonstration that is 
scheduled to take place in Sulaimaniya city condemning the passage of the 
provincial council elections law.
On Monday, a total of 22 civilians were killed and 150 others were wounded 
when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of demonstrators, who 
took to the streets in downtown Kirkuk, condemning the passage of the 
provincial council elections law, which includes an article postponing the 
city's elections.
Last July 22, the Iraqi Parliament, with the approval of 127 deputies out of 
140 who attended the session, passed the law on provincial council 
elections.
Last Wednesday, the Presidential Board, with the unanimity of President 
Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Adel Abdul Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashimi, 
rejected the law in a rapid reaction one day after the Iraqi Parliament 
passed it during a session that raised hue and cry over its 
constitutionality
Sulaimaniya, the capital city of Sulaimaniya province, lies 364 km north of 
the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080804/wl_mideast_afp/iraqpoliticsvoteprotest

Hundreds protest in Baghdad over Kirkuk's status
Mon Aug 4, 3:11 PM ET
BAHGDAD (AFP) - Several hundred people in a Sunni neighbourhood of Baghdad 
took to the streets on Monday to protest moves by Kurds to incorporate the 
oil province of Kirkuk into the autonomous Kurdish region.
Residents of Adhamiyah marched for an hour carrying banners that read: "No 
to the breakup of Iraq", "Kirkuk must remain a symbol of national 
brotherhood" and "the tribes of Adhamiyah condemn the annexation of Kirkuk 
to Kurdistan."
Many carried Iraqi flags as they chanted: "No to the division of Iraq;" "Yes 
to unity of the country;" "We will give our blood and our soul for Kirkuk."
The Kurdish bloc of the Kirkuk provincial council last Thursday voted to 
demand the inclusion of the province into the northern Kurdish region.
The status of Kirkuk has come under the spotlight with the introduction in 
parliament of a bill governing provincial elections due later this year.
Since the bill came before the house last month, Kurds have staged a series 
of angry demonstrations against the law in Arbil, capital of the Kurdish 
region.
Kurdish officials fear the parliament will approve legislation that will 
delay local elections in Kirkuk, fail to address issues relating to power 
sharing and force the removal of the current security force, which is mainly 
controlled by Kurds.
On the other side of the political spectrum, thousands of Arabs staged a 
noisy rally in Iraq's northern city of Hawija on Saturday against Kurdish 
demands that Kirkuk be incorporated into their region.
Under the Iraqi constitution, a referendum had due to be held by last year 
on longstanding Kurdish claims for Kirkuk and its oil wealth to be 
incorporated in their autonomous region in the north.
But in December, Kurdish leaders agreed to a six-month postponement of the 
vote at the recommendation of the United Nations. The vote has yet to be 
held.
Parliament is now trying to come to an agreement over a stalled provincial 
election law.
Kirkuk has been gripped by ethnic tension since the US-led invasion of 2003, 
with Arab and Turkmen residents fearful they would be marginalised if the 
city were handed over to the Kurds.
At least 22 people were killed a week ago in a suicide bombing during a 
protest rally held by Kurds over the same issue in Kirkuk and gunfire in the 
panic that followed.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2008/05/iraq-080530-voa02.htm

Sadr Supporters Protest Planned US-Iraqi Security Agreement
By VOA News
30 May 2008
Thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have rallied 
in the streets of Baghdad to protest plans for a long-term U.S.-Iraq 
security agreement.
The protesters took to the streets after Friday Muslim prayers Friday in the 
capital's Sadr City neighborhood and other cities across Iraq.
Sadr called Tuesday for demonstrations to protest a possible agreement that 
could lead to an extended U.S. troop presence in Iraq. He said supporters 
should continue to hold demonstrations after Friday prayers until Iraq's 
government cancels the negotiations with the United States.
The agreement would replace the current United Nations mandate for U.S. 
troops in Iraq, which expires at the end of this year.
Elsewhere, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told reporters in Stockholm 
that his government is working on plans to encourage tens of thousands of 
refugees to return home.
Mr. Maliki met with Swedish officials Friday, one day after a U.N.-backed 
conference in Stockholm on rebuilding Iraq.
He said the Iraqi government has earmarked funds as part of an effort to 
make Iraq more attractive to citizens who sought asylum in Europe and 
elsewhere.
Also Friday, the U.S. military said its forces killed a suspected al-Qaida 
arms dealer and captured three key members of al-Qaida's bombing network in 
a series of operations across the country Friday.
The military also said Friday a U.S. Marine had been removed from duty after 
Iraqis in Fallujah complained he was handing out coins that quoted verses of 
the Bible.
A spokesman says an investigation is under way. A military statement said 
U.S. troops are prohibited from "proselytizing any religion, faith or 
practices."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/world/middleeast/28iraq.html

Iraq Struggle Unfolds in Peaceful Protest and Violent Attacks in Sadr City

Moises Saman for The New York Times
Students from Baghdad's Sadr City district held photographs of people killed 
or wounded in recent fighting there, at a rally on Sunday led by Parliament 
members.

By ALISSA J. RUBIN and ERICA GOODE
Published: April 28, 2008
BAGHDAD - The latest episode in the struggle between the Shiite cleric 
Moktada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government unfolded Sunday on the streets of 
Sadr City, where members of Parliament demonstrated peacefully while clashes 
occurred a few blocks away.
Several hours later, Shiite militiamen in the Sadr City district took 
advantage of a huge dust storm that enveloped Baghdad, and kept American 
aircraft grounded, to fire at least a dozen mortar rounds at the Green Zone, 
the home of the American Embassy and of many Iraqi government officials.
The mix of peaceful protest and armed attacks is characteristic of the many 
levels on which the Sadr movement and the government are locked in an 
all-out fight for political advantage. At stake is the outcome of October 
provincial elections in which other Shiite parties in the government stand 
to lose seats to Mr. Sadr's supporters.
However, for now, members of Parliament from several parties - with the 
apparent exception of some of the Shiite blocs that rival Mr. Sadr's - 
seemed to be trying to transcend the fight for power and focus on the 
terrible living conditions for residents of Sadr City, the impoverished 
Shiite neighborhood where militiamen and American and Iraqi troops have 
fought for more than a month.
"What is different about this delegation is that it is composed of all kinds 
of Iraqis," said Azzad Barbani, a member of Parliament from the Kurdistan 
Democratic Party. He was among 40 lawmakers who protested Sunday.
"The situation is so bad," he said. "But from a political point of view, the 
solution is dialogue, without getting rid of any bloc in Parliament."
Mustafa al-Heeti, a Sunni member of Parliament who led the delegation on 
Sunday, said, "We want to solve the problem peacefully."
Mr. Heeti, of Anbar Province, said the goal of the protest was to demand an 
end to the fighting and the withdrawal of military forces. He added that a 
committee of Sadrists and other members of Parliament hoped to meet with 
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to discuss their concerns.
The residents of Sadr City "are Iraqis," he said, "they are very poor people 
with very few services, and the military action has caused so much loss of 
life."
Mr. Maliki has said that, before the government will stop its fight, Mr. 
Sadr must comply with four conditions: hand over heavy weapons; stop 
fighting the security forces; stop menacing government workers; and hand 
over outlaws sought by the government.
But on Sunday, an aide to Mr. Sadr in Najaf rejected those terms, accusing 
the government of trying to resolve political differences by force.
Qassim Atta, a spokesman for the government's effort to restore order in 
Baghdad, the capital, told a news conference that the government had 
earmarked $100 million in aid for Sadr City and listed many services that 
the district would receive. However, it was apparent that little had 
arrived, primarily because the fighting made it dangerous for city service 
workers to venture into the worst areas, but also because government 
officials remained ambivalent about helping a neighborhood where their 
enemies lived.
Mr. Sadr's officials, however, lost no time in reaching out to beleaguered 
residents. Hazim al-Araji, a member of Parliament from Mr. Sadr's bloc, 
announced that Mr. Sadr's offices would compensate families who had lost a 
close relative and would make payments to those who had been wounded.
While Mr. Araji did not say the exact amount that each family would get, a 
reporter attending a funeral in Sadr City said the family had received a 
half million Iraqi dinars, about $425, from an official in Mr. Sadr's 
office. Seriously wounded people were said to be getting about $200 and 
those with minor injuries were receiving about $110. Sadr officials were 
also said to be paying for funerals, which include a three-day period of 
mourning when relatives and friends come to the home of the bereaved and 
must be offered food and drink.
In Nasiriya, in southern Iraq, where there has also been fighting between 
Mr. Sadr's supporters and government troops, a bloc of members of Parliament 
representing him made a formal visit and drafted a memorandum of 
understanding between the sides.
At a news conference on Sunday, one of the Sadrist lawmakers, Akram Fawzi 
said: "The aim of this visit is to solve Nasiriya's troubles. This is an 
exceptional phase, and it can be ended by cooperation between the different 
groups in the province."
A car bomb killed three people in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Shaab in 
northern Baghdad. Two other car bombings struck the west side of Baghdad, 
one in Harthiya, an affluent neighborhood, and another in Jamiya.
Mortar shells landed in three Baghdad neighborhoods, killing two people and 
wounding 18.
In Samarra, a car bomb killed one woman and wounded four other people, 
including two children, the local police said.
In Muqdadiya, in Diyala Province, a mass grave with at least 50 bodies was 
discovered in an orchard, officials said. Some of the bodies were badly 
decayed, but others appeared to have been of people executed recently.
The High Iraqi Criminal Court announced that the chief judge had dismissed 
four other judges. The criminal court is the new name for the court that 
tries people connected to former President Saddam Hussein.
"The four judges were dismissed because they had connections with Baath 
Party," said Munir Haddad, the deputy chief judge of the court. "The 
decision was made on the 17th of April." He added that it was in accordance 
with court rules that prohibit anyone with connections to the Baath Party 
from serving on the court.
Iraqi employees of The New York Times contributed reporting from Baghdad, 
Baquba, Samarra and Nasiriya.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/31783

Sadrists protest in Missan against Iraqi-U.S. agreement

Amara, 31 May 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
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Sadrists staged a demonstration in front of al-Sadr's office in Missan 
province, protesting the long-term U.S.-Iraqi agreement, a source from the 
Sadrist bloc said on Friday.
"Sadrists in Missan went to the streets and condemned the scheduled 
long-term deal between Iraq and the United States which aims at boosting 
U.S. occupation in Iraq," a media source in al-Sadr's office told Aswat 
al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The angry men called on the national fronts and noblemen to discard this 
agreement which aims at blackmailing Iraq and its economic resources and 
impose the U.S. authority on the Iraqi people," he added.
A media source from al-Sadr's office had said earlier thousands of Sadrists 
staged a demonstration after the Friday prayer in Sadr City, protesting the 
long-term Iraqi-U.S. deal.
A declaration of principles was signed between U.S. President George W. Bush 
and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in December 2007. The declaration 
was planned to be ratified on July 31, 2008 to be effective as of January 1, 
2009.
The agreement governs the U.S. forces' presence in Iraq after the year 2008. 
This presence currently relies on a mandate by the UN, renewed annually upon 
the request of the Iraqi government.
The agreement should not be effective except after endorsement by the 
275-member Iraqi parliament, which comprises five political blocs, the 
Fadhila (Virtue) Party and the Sadrist Bloc, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite 
leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

http://www.worthynews.com/news/foxnews-com-printer_friendly_story-0,3566,351826,00-html/

Thousands March in Brussels to Protest Attacks on Christians in Iraq
Saturday , April 19, 2008

BRUSSELS, Belgium -
Thousands of people were demonstrating outside EU headquarters Saturday to 
demand protection for Christians in Iraq, saying they were increasingly 
being targeted in cold-blooded attacks.
Iraqi religious leaders led the protesters, whom police prevented from 
marching toward U.S. Embassy. Organizers said 4,000 to 7,000 had come for 
the demonstration from several European countries. Police put the turnout 
figure at 3,750.
"Christians in the Middle East are being assassinated and massacred," Iraqi 
priest Jacob Idine said. "Above all, religious leaders, the archbishops and 
priests, are being killed in cold blood in Iraq."
Islamic extremists have killed prominent members of Iraq's Christian 
community in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians are 
believed to have fled since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Idine said the demonstrators wanted the EU to help protect Iraqi people and 
clergy in Iraq.
German officials on Friday sought backing from other EU nations to accept 
more Christian refugees from Iraq, arguing that they were particularly 
vulnerable to violence and discrimination.
But other EU countries expressed concern that giving priority to Christians 
could discriminate against other groups.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35619

Dozens rally demonstrations to protest corruption in Muthana

Muthanna, 24 August 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
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Dozens of Muthana province residents on Sunday staged demonstrations in the 
southern city of Samawa to protest corruption and to call for sacking key 
provincial officials.
"A new committee  called Muthana peaceful popular uprising committee against 
corruption organised the demonstration,"Khazal Khashan, a demonstrator,told 
Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq(VOI).
Although Khashan did not unveil  the number of demonstrators, he said "they 
called for the Iraqi prime minister to make good on pledges to fight 
corruption and to sack the chief of Muthana's provincial council along with 
improving delivered services".
"We would wait for the government's response and would send a delegation to 
Baghdad to meet officials", he noted.
The committee in a statement released in demonstration accused the local 
government in Muthana of "forming tribal and factional lobby to monopolise 
decision-making and resources, resulting bad services delivery and whopping 
failed development projetcs".
The announcement also called for the donor countries and international 
companies implemntong projects in Muthana to stop "squandering money granted 
to Iraqi people".
Samawa is the capital city of Muthana province, the less populated province 
in Iraq, lies 280 km south Baghdad.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/us-soldier-shoots-quran-sparks-off-protests-in-iraq/65515-2.html?xml

US soldier shoots Quran, sparks off protests in Iraq
CNN-IBN
Published on Mon, May 19, 2008 at 01:05, Updated at Mon, May 19, 2008 in 
World section

FAUX PAS: The Qur'an was found riddled with multiple bullet holes.

New Delhi: Furious protests have been held outside Baghdad after it was 
revealed that an American soldier used the Quran for target practice.
The soldier, whose name was not released, shot at the Quran on May 9. The 
holy book was discovered two days later on a shooting range, by an Iraqi 
policemen. It was found riddled with multiple bullet holes and with an 
expletive scrawled on one page, as well.
The soldier, who claimed he did not know he was shooting at the Quran, has 
now been re-deployed back to the US.
This incident has forced the Commander of the US Forces in Baghdad to 
formally issue an apology.
Major-General Jeffery Hammond later read out a letter of apology from the 
soldier, and described his actions as criminal behaviour. Another military 
official kissed a Quran and presented it as "a humble gift" to the tribal 
leaders.

"I've come before you today seeking your forgiveness. In a most humble 
manner, I look into your eyes today and I say 'Please forgive me and my 
soldiers'," Hammond said.
"The actions of one soldier was nothing more than criminal behavior. And I 
come to this land to protect you, to support you, not to harm you, and the 
behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong, and unacceptable. I 
have punished this soldier. I have dealt fiercely in punishing this soldier.
"This solder has lost the honour to serve the United States Army and the 
people of Iraq here in Baghdad. He will no longer be able to do that," said 
Hammond in his apology.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92301102&ft=1&f=1004

Reporter's Notebook

by Corey Flintoff

Naked In Hijab

Corey Flintoff/NPR
Farah al-Jaberi holds her protest sign outside the Green Zone checkpoint 
that leads to Iraq's parliament. Her sign says, "From the American to the 
[female] Parliament employee - either no clothes, or the American prisons."

Corey Flintoff/NPR
This is the way Farah al-Jaberi says women are seen by an electronic 
security scanner at one of the checkpoints entering Baghdad's Green Zone - 
essentially naked, even when they are fully covered in conservative Muslim 
attire.

NPR.org, July 8, 2008 · A conservatively dressed Iraqi matron holding a 
provocative sign and a picture of a naked woman stood against the dusty 
concrete blast wall outside the main checkpoint where Iraqi workers enter 
and leave Baghdad's Green Zone.
It's almost impossible for us, as Americans, to grasp just how shocking this 
was. First, you have to consider that for Farah al-Jaberi, an observant 
Muslim woman, conservative attire doesn't mean a tailored pantsuit; it means 
full hijab: a headscarf that conceals her hair and throat, topped by a 
head-to-foot abaya, a black drapery that's designed to obscure any hint of a 
womanly shape underneath.
That this lady would be holding up a picture in public that revealed, well, 
every feature of a woman's shape, was striking to say the least. Jaberi 
explained that she was protesting her treatment while going through the 
various security checkpoints on the way to her job at the Iraqi parliament 
building.
Because the Green Zone is the location of the Baghdad Convention Center, 
where Iraq's parliament meets, as well as the U.S. Embassy, security is 
exceptionally tight. Workers who enter on foot must pass through seven or 
more different checkpoints before they reach the Convention Center.
People often have to wait in long lines to have their bags searched, their 
bodies patted down, their bodies scanned by an electronic imaging machine, 
their bags sniffed by dogs, and their identification cards examined.
It was the scan that Jaberi particularly objected to, because, she said, 
guards are essentially able to see a woman naked as she stands in the 
scanning booth. The picture she displayed actually looks like a naked female 
alien, blue-tinted and bald, because the scanner doesn't see hair or 
clothing. What it sees is the body itself, plus the dark outline of any 
jewelry or, presumably, any concealed weapon.
The fact that a woman in hijab can conceal so much is a matter of real 
concern to security officials, especially lately, as the number of attacks 
by female suicide bombers in Iraq has grown.
Jaberi said that she and other Muslim women who pass through the checkpoints 
understand the need for security.
"We're not terrorists, and we care about our safety. We don't want our 
offices to be blown up," she said.
She said female employees don't object to having their bags examined, or to 
being patted down by female guards in curtained booths that are set aside 
for that purpose.
What they do object to, she said, is going through a scan where their bodies 
can be seen by male guards or where images of their bodies can be saved and 
viewed by anyone later.
Jaberi said she believed that she and other women had won their point in 
May, when officials agreed that women would not have to go through the 
scanner but could be searched separately and privately by female guards. She 
said that was the procedure for a couple of weeks until a new American 
soldier came on guard at the checkpoint and insisted that she had to go 
through the scanner. When she refused, Jaberi said the soldier took her 
aside, shouted at her and threatened to call the police. When she told him 
to go ahead and call, Jaberi says the soldier pointed his gun at her.
That's when, she said, she turned back from the checkpoint, went home and 
inscribed her protest sign, which says in Arabic: "From the American to the 
[female] Parliament employee - either no clothes, or the American prisons."
All this happened in early June. Reached recently by telephone at her 
workplace, Jaberi said her protest lasted a couple of hours. Eventually, she 
said, officials came out and told her that she would not have to go through 
the scanner.
That's the way it has been for the past month, she said, and parliamentary 
authorities have recently opened a separate gate for women. Iraqi officials 
said the incident Jaberi was protesting is still under investigation. And 
she said she's still waiting for an apology.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/34838

Workers in Basra protest decision to replace oil company chief
By Abed Battat

07 August 2008 (Azzaman)
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Thousands of workers in Iraq's Southern Oil Company organized a two-hour sit 
early this week protesting a government decision to replace the company's 
chief.
CEO Abduljabbar al-Aibi has been leading the company for the past four years 
and is credited with efforts to revamp the firm and maintain and boost 
output.
The company in the southern Province of Basra is responsible for gigantic 
oil fields which currently produce most of Iraqi oil exports.
The sit-in was called for by the Oil Workers Union.
The union's leader, Hassan al-Assadi said the workers were determined to 
have the decision to move Aibi revoked.
He said when Aibi took over the company was almost in shambles.
"Aibi is an asset which should not be underestimated particularly at a 
critical juncture like this," he said.
Despite Basra's turmoil and the presence of rival, disparate and powerful 
militia factions, Aibi has managed to steer the company and keep crude oil 
flowing.
The union has sent a letter to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asking for his 
personal intervention.
The Oil Ministry's order to move Aibi to Baghdad as a consultant was issued 
three months ago.
But the ministry is reluctant to put it into effect due to opposition from 
company workers who have threatened a general strike.
Assadi said he hoped the ministry has understood the message of the sit-in 
in which almost all company employees took part.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/34266

Customs officers protest transfer decision

Basra, 27 July 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
Dozens of customs officers in Basra on Sunday staged a demonstration in 
front of the provincial council building protesting a decision ordering the 
transfer of 1,900 of them to the boarder guard forces.
"We held a peaceful demonstration demanding the cancellation of a decision 
recently issued by the head of the customs police department, which orders 
the transfer of 1,900 of customs policemen..," one of the demonstrators, 
Saad Salman, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq ­- (VOI).
"The decision orders our transfer to the river police and SWAT teams, which 
are irrelevant to our work in the customs police that we have joined since 
the collapse of the former regime in 2003," Salman noted.
"The demonstrators urged concerned governmental bodies to set up a committee 
to examine the rationale behind the decision," he added.
VOI has made every effort to contact the customs police chief, Staff Colonel 
Dhafir Sabah Abdelnabi, but to no avail.
The Shiite city Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35449

Work in Diala university suspends, in protest to president's arresting

Diala, 20 August 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
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The Diala presidency on Wednesday decided to suspend its official work for 
two days in protest to Iraqi forces arresting the president of the 
university, the media official of the university said.
"The university's presidency held a meeting today at the university's 
headquarters in al-Senaaei neighborhood in Baaquba, and decided to suspend 
the work for two days in protest to the arresting of its president Nezar 
al-Khazragi yesterday by security forces," Duham al-Ubaidi told Aswat 
al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
Iraqi security forces, from Baghdad, waged yesterday a crackdown operation 
in separate areas of Diala, where they arrested President Nezar al-Khazragi 
and the official of the security committee Hussin al-Zubaidi.
Diala province extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian 
border. Its capital is Baaquba. It covers an area of 17,685 square 
kilometers (6,828 sq mi).
A large portion of the province is drained by the Diala River, a major 
tributary of the Tigris.
Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diala's main 
industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large Date Palm groves. It 
is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East.
In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to 
eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province 
campaign between 2006 and 2007.

http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/4879/109/

Iraqis stage protest against Ahmadinejad

Friday, 29 February 2008
NCRI - A group of Iraqis on Friday protested in Baghdad against the upcoming 
visit to Iraq by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime's president.

The protesters for two consecutive days in the Iraqi capital handed out 
pamphlets which read "Iraq is not for sale." They called on the 
Multi-National Force-Iraq to stop Ahmadinejad's visit to that country.

Similar protest was held on Thursday in central city of Baquba.  "No, no to 
the Iranian regime," read a banner carried by protesters.

They said Iranian regime and its president were interfering in the internal 
affairs of Iraq, supporting al-Qaeda, promoting religious hatred and 
inciting sectarian violence.

On Wednesday, Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, Baghdad's intelligence chief 
in a statement said that Iranian secret service agents are working to 
"sabotage" the operations of groups fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Hurra TV reported that Mr. Shahwani asked the Iraqi Security systems to 
prosecute Iranian regime's mercenaries in Iraq.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/32181

Border town residents demonstrate protesting water crisis

Wassit, 09 June 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
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Residents of Jasan town near the borders with Iran on Sunday demonstrated 
near the local council's building, protesting low drinking and irrigation 
water supplies in their area.
"The demonstration came due to the catastrophic circumstances in Jasan 
border district, due to the lack of drinking and irrigation waters," Sattar 
Jabor, a demonstrator, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
"The majority of Jasan district's residents think of immigration, as their 
cattle and farms suffered from water shortage," he said.
He demanded Jasan's local council and Wassit provincial authority to meet 
the demonstrator's demands of providing drinking and irrigation water.
Another demonstrator, Na'em Mohammed, who is a farmer, said "Hundreds of 
donams (1 donam = 2,500 squared meters) of farms at Jasan district suffer 
lack of water, and were not irrigated since long time."
The demonstrators handed over a list of their demands to the local council. 
The list embraced "forming a committee to investigate why water went off in 
the district, dismissing the manager of water resources directorate in the 
province, removing all the violations occurring on the district's water 
project, and connecting this project to the emergency power line."
Jasan district (60 km east of Kut city) gets a water feed from an irrigative 
source that runs from al-Diboni district (50 km east of Kut), and passes 
through the farms to feed the district's water project.
Press reports depict that al-Galal river that comes from Iran stopped 
running through the Iraqi territories, due to the Iranian intervention in 
this regard, a matter that deepened the water crisis in Jasan.
Kut, capital city of Wassit province, is 180 km southeast of Baghdad.

http://arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=112024&d=22&m=7&y=2008&pix=world.jpg&category=World

Iraqi governor halts work to protest son's death
DPA
BAGHDAD: An Iraqi provincial governor stopped all work in his office 
yesterday until an inquiry was conducted into the killing of his son and 
nephew by US troops, while an Iraqi lawmaker blamed an attack in which his 
Baghdad home was blown up on "sectarian killers."
US troops killed Sunday the son and the nephew of the governor of the 
northern Iraqi province of Salahaddin, Hamad Mahmoud. According to the 
provincial authorities, US forces raided the house of Mahmoud's 
sister-in-law in Bayji, 240 km north of Baghdad, and killed the governor's 
son and his nephew.
But the US military said its troops were conducting a search operation for 
an Al-Qaeda suspect in a house in Bayji and found two armed men. The troops 
killed the men in self-defense, the military said.
In Baghdad, armed men blew up the house of Iraqi lawmaker Mithal Al-Alusy. 
There were no fatalities in the explosion, as the house was empty at the 
time, but it was extensively damaged, security sources said. The Sunni 
lawmaker, who leads the secular Iraqi Nation Party, accused "sectarian 
killers" of carrying out the attack.
Separately, attackers assassinated a clan chief, Abdel-Ghafar Abdullah, 
while he was on his way to a national reconciliation meeting in Baquba in 
the restive Diyala province, security sources told reporters.
Also in Diyala, two police volunteers from the so-called Awakening Councils 
were killed and four were injured when gunmen attacked a council center in a 
village in the province. The Awakening Councils are US-backed tribal police 
units formed to fight Al-Qaeda militants in Iraq.

http://mwcnews.net/content/view/22387/0/

Fatality at Afghan anti-US protest

The protests centred on claims of civilian deaths at the hands of US 
military personnel [AFP]
At least one person was killed and several wounded in Afghanistan when 
police opened fire to disperse a protest accusing US-led soldiers of killing 
civilians, witnesses said.
Demonstrators tried to block a road on Saturday in the eastern province of 
Nangarhar, protesting over the killing of three men in a military operation 
overnight.

Darya Khan, a resident, said: "Police tried to stop them, they threw stones 
at the police. Police then fired at the crowd. One person was killed and 
three others were injured."

A doctor in the nearby city of Jalalabad said six people had been admitted 
with gunshot wounds.

Sayed Abdul Ghafar, the provincial police chief, insisted that his men had 
opened fire into the air only and dismissed allegations that they had caused 
casualties.
Contradicting claims by the US, Abdul Ghafar said that the people killed in 
the nighttime assault in Shinwar district were not fighters or Taliban 
members, but members of the public.
marketing

He said: "The coalition conducted independent operations in Shinwar and 
martyred three people. They were civilians."

The protesters chanted slogans against foreign troops, George Bush, the US 
president, and Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.

"The Americans killed three civilians," said Rizwan Khan, a demonstrator.

"They were my neighbours and I knew they were not Taliban."

Contradicting claims

Others at the protest said the dead were an elderly man shot in a mosque and 
two other men, employed as drivers, shot in their homes.

Protesters drag a traffic sign in the Nangarhar protest [Reuters]
But the US-led coalition said it had killed only fighters who had attacked 
troops searching for a "foreign fighter network".

"During the operation, several fighters were killed when they attacked 
coalition forces. Nine militants suspected of foreign fighter [facilitators] 
were detained," a statement said.

It is often difficult to verify events in Afghanistan, where thousands of 
Afghan and international soldiers are working against several networks 
opposed to the US-backed government, some of which have al-Qaeda backing.

International troops are regularly accused of mistaking civilians for 
fighters and of being heavy-handed in their operations.

The soldiers say they work on verified information and have the right to 
self-protection.

Most Afghans are already unhappy with the ongoing presence of foreign troops 
in their country seven years after they came to drive out the Taliban-led 
government.

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080511/WIRE/805110436/1033/NEWS

KABUL, Afghanistan Protester killed in clash

Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 3:34 a.m.
Dozens of protesters blocked a road Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, 
claiming U.S.-led coalition forces killed three civilians, and a local 
official said police fatally shot one of the protesters and injured three of 
them.
Villagers from the area carried three bodies to a major highway during the 
protest. Police allegedly opened fire, killing one and wounding three.
The coalition said its troops were attacked Friday while searching compounds 
in the Shinwar district of Nangarhar province.
"Several militants were killed" and nine insurgents were arrested, the 
coalition said in a statement Saturday.
Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said the government is 
investigating the villagers' claims.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200805/s2241204.htm?tab=latest

Protestors clash with police in Afghanistan
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Updated Sun May 11, 2008 6:53pm AEST

A least two people were killed and seven wounded in eastern Afghanistan when 
police clashed with demonstrators.

Several thousand protesters were demonstrating against the killing of three 
civilians in the area by foreign forces in an overnight raid.

The protesters said five civilians had also been detained in the raid.

An official for NATO in Kabul said he was not aware of the raid.

The U.S. military said all those killed were militants and the target of its 
raid was "a foreign fighter network".

More than 700 civilians have been killed during operations by foreign troops 
while hunting Taliban-led insurgents in Afghanistan in recent years.

http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/398225/cs/1/

Afghan villagers protest US air strike deaths
Australian Herald
Saturday 23rd August, 2008
Afghan villagers have launched protests against all allied forces after 
claims that 76 civilians, most of them children, were killed in US-led air 
strikes against Taliban rebels.

The US military previously said that only 30 militant fighters had been 
killed in the strikes, but later admitted it was launching investigations 
into civilian deaths.

About 250 villagers gathered in the angry demonstration on Saturday night, 
hurling stones at Afghan troops.

The police chief for western Afghanistan, General Akram Yawar, said his 
officers had fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd.

Two people were wounded after police were forced back into their compound.

The protests centred around an incident in the village of Azizabad, about 
120 kilometres south of Herat city, an area which is considered a stronghold 
of Taliban and other militants.

If the death toll from the new incident is confirmed it would be one of the 
highest for civilians in Afghanistan.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1048630/Afghan-protests-erupt-US-jets-kill-76-civilians.html?ITO=1490

Afghan protests erupt after US jets 'kill 76 civilians'
By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 12:05 AM on 24th August 2008
Comments (8)
Add to My Stories
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai yesterday condemned US-led coalition 
forces for an air strike which he claims killed 76 civilians - including 
women and children.
Hundreds of people demonstrated in the city of Herat in protest.
American officials said they had targeted armed Taliban militants in Friday's 
air raid after Afghan and coalition forces came under attack from 
insurgents.

Furious Afghans demonstrate after Friday's air strike

More...
Tide is turning in Talibanistan as mighty Nato loses ground
LIZ JONES: The women of Kabul would tell us why British troops really are 
heroes
The US claimed the strike killed 30 militants, including a Taliban 
commander, and only two civilians had been wounded.
But Afghanistan's Interior Ministry claimed coalition forces bombarded the 
Shindand district of Herat, killing 76 civilians, including 19 women and 
seven men. It said the rest were children under the age of 15.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said that according to 
initial findings civilians including women and children had been killed in 
the raid but it could not be verified. Investigations by the Afghan 
government and the US military have been launched.
A US military spokesman said: 'Our reports from our own forces on the ground 
are only, so far, that those killed in the strikes numbered 30 and they were 
all militants.'
In a statement the US military said: 'All allegations of civilian casualties 
are taken very seriously. Coalition forces make every effort to prevent the 
injury or loss of innocent lives. An investigation has been directed.'

A woman mourns the death of a relative following the airstrike in western 
Herat province
UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said: 'It is imperative that we exercise caution 
before jumping to any conclusions.
'The issue of civilian casualties is so important that it is vital that we 
verify the facts of what has actually happened. It is a matter of great 
concern that we are seeing reports of large numbers of civilian casualties. 
The first rule of any counter-insurgency operation is to do no harm.'
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Shindand district yesterday, shouting 
anti-US slogans, after Afghan soldiers arrived in the area to bring aid to 
the victims' families.
Witness Shah Nawaz said: 'People didn't accept the aid and started throwing 
stones at the soldiers, saying the Afghan army is our enemy.
'We don't want anything from our enemies.' He claimed Afghan soldiers fired 
shots into the air and wounded six people after the crowd threw stones.
He added: 'We will continue our demonstration until the international 
community listen to us and bring those who carried out yesterday's attack to 
justice.'
The demonstrators also shouted anti-US slogans, saying Americans should 
withdraw from the area.

A police vehicle blazes after being set on fire by protesters
According to the United Nations, nearly 700 civilians were killed in 
Afghanistan in the first six months of this year, 255 of them by Afghan 
government and international troops, the rest by Taliban militants.
Meanwhile, Afghan police chief Matiullah Khan said a roadside bomb in 
southern Afghanistan killed ten civilians who were passengers in a small bus 
when the bomb exploded yesterday in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar 
province.
And another roadside bomb killed three more civilians in the Tani district 
of Khost province yesterday.
On Friday a battle between Taliban fighters and Afghan police killed 17 
militants in Helmand province.
More than 3,500 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related 
violence this year.

http://quqnoos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=878&Itemid=48

Police open fire on anti-NATO protest
Written by Quqnoos.com
Saturday, 14 June 2008 16:58

Gunfire wounds more than a dozen protestors, doctor says
POLICE have opened fire on anti-NATO demonstrations in the south-east, 
wounding more than a dozen protestors, eye-witnesses have said.
Hundreds of people in Paktia's Zurmat district took to the streets on 
Saturday in protest at what they called NATO's heavy-handed military 
tactics, which residents blame for the recent death of 15 civilians in a 
NATO raid on a home in the district.
One of the demonstrators, Haji Zahir, said police opened fire on the rally 
and wounded 13 people.
An official at the provincial police headquarters, Ghulam Dastgir Rustamyar, 
said police opened fire on the protestors, but that only three people were 
wounded.
Rustamyar said police were told "terrorists" had infiltrated the protest and 
planned to attack the police headquarters.
Protestors denied rebel fighters were among the crowd of demonstrators.
The head of a private clinic in the area, Dr Haji Muhammad, said 13 people 
had been brought into his clinic with gunshot wounds. He said six people 
were in a critical condition.
NATO officials say they killed five Taliban insurgents and one woman in the 
air-strike two days ago.
Residents say the raid killed 15 civilians, including six children.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/13/asia/AS-GEN-Afghan-Violence.php

US-led force says it killed 17 militants in southern Afghanistan

The Associated Press
Published: June 13, 2008

In neighboring Kunar province, more than 2,000 Afghans staged a peaceful 
protest claiming U.S. troops at a remote base had burned a copy of Islam's 
holy book, officials said.
U.S. spokesman Lt. Nathan Perry confirmed the protest but denied the 
allegation. "We respect the Afghan culture and religion," he said.
Local lawmaker Gulhar Jalal said Afghans working inside the base at Mano Gai 
had spread news about the alleged burning of a Quran. She said the incident 
allegedly occurred Thursday but had no further details.
Provincial police Chief Abdul Jalal Jalal said police were sent to the area 
after the protest broke out in the town near the base but demonstrators 
dispersed peacefully.
Afghanistan is a Muslim nation where blasphemy of Muhammad and the Quran is 
a serious crime that carries the death sentence. Such reports have sparked 
unrest before.
In May, a protest in western Ghor province against an American sniper who 
shot at a copy of the Quran in Iraq turned violent, leaving one NATO soldier 
and two civilians dead.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/227625,afghan-villagers-protest-after-civilians-killed-in-herat--update.html

Afghan villagers protest after civilians killed in Herat - Update
Posted : Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:16:54 GMT
Author: DPA

Kabul - Hundreds of villagers in western Afghanistan demonstrated Saturday 
to protest the apparent death of scores of civilians in a US airstrike in 
Herat Province. Afghan police increased their estimate of the number of 
civilians killed to more than 90, and the senior UN representative called 
for a thorough investigation into the incident that took place in the 
village of Aziz Abad on Friday.
The US military said in a statement that it had launched an investigation. 
"All allegations of civilian casualties are taken very seriously," the 
statement said.
Western region police spokesman Abdul Raouf Ahmadi said that more than 90 
civilians had been killed in the strike, speaking to Deutsche Presse-Agentur

http://afghanistaninfo.blogspot.com/2008/05/afghan-students-join-teachers-wages.html

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Afghan students join teachers' wages protest

KABUL (AFP) - Police used gunfire to disperse about 400 students 
demonstrating Saturday in the Afghan capital in support of their teachers 
who are on strike demanding a pay rise, witnesses said.

"My salary is 3,000 afghani (60 dollars) while my house rent is 4,000 
afghani. This is not justice," said Agha, one of 300 teachers from Habibia 
High School on strike.

"We will not teach unless our salaries are not raised," he added.

Teachers earn among the lowest civil service salaries in Afghanistan, where 
food prices have shot up in the past weeks as part of a global hike in 
prices.

http://www.gulfnews.com/World/Afghanistan/10219740.html

Funeral held for BBC journalist killed in Afghanistan
Agencies
Published: June 09, 2008, 13:55
Helmand: The funeral has been held for an Afghan journalist working for the 
BBC who was found shot dead on Sunday.

Abdul Samad Rohani disappeared from Lashkar Gah in the southern province of 
Helmand on Saturday. Helmand police chief Mohammad Hussain Andiwal said 
police did not know who abducted and killed Rohani, 25, and were 
investigating the murder.

Dozens of journalists and media activists gathered in Kabul to condemn the 
murder. The reporter's body was taken from Lashkar Gah to his nearby home 
district of Marja where he was buried in the village cemetery.

Jon Williams, the BBC's world news editor, said, "Rohani's courage and 
dedication have been a key part of the BBC's reporting from Afghanistan in 
recent years."

A relative, who did not want to be identified, said neither the family nor 
Rohani had enemies. "The reason we lost our brother, we think, is to do with 
his job, being a journalist," he said.

Hwoever, Reporters Without Borders said it had been told by Rohani's 
colleagues that he had received phone threats from "a local chief who 
accused him of supporting the Kabul government and of 'boycotting' news put 
out by the Taliban."

The journalist had worked alongside the BBC's Kabul correspondent, Alastair 
Leithead, and was the Helmand reporter for the Pashto service of the BBC 
World Service.

He was the second foreign BBC journalist to be killed over the weekend.

Naftah Dahir Farah, 26, a freelancer who worked for the BBC and the 
Associated Press, was shot dead in Kismayo, southern Somalia, on Saturday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7469338.stm

Monday, 23 June 2008 13:08 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Protests over Afghanistan deaths

Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a civilian man and his young son have 
been killed in fighting between US-led troops and militants.
Several hundred villagers in Nangarhar Province took to the streets blaming 
US-led troops for the deaths.
A local official said it was not clear who killed them. The coalition said 
it could not confirm any civilian deaths.
US-led forces say they have killed 55 militants in clashes further south. 
There is no independent confirmation.
A statement said 25 other "anti-Afghan forces" had been injured and three 
detained after coalition troops were ambushed in Paktika province on Friday.
Meanwhile, Afghan intelligence officials say they have foiled a potential 
bombing after recovering a pressure cooker packed with explosives in the 
capital, Kabul.
'Death to America'
Protesters demonstrated in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province on 
Monday.
A BBC reporter in the nearby city of Jalalabad said 200-300 people took 
part.
They shouted "death to America" and called for foreigners to leave the area 
as well as for compensation to be paid after the deaths of the civilians.
Khogyani district governor Zalmi Khan told the BBC: ''A joint 
Afghan-American convoy was ambushed by the Taleban. Security forces returned 
fire and killed one Taleban - three others fled.
"The dead body of the Taleban and his weapons are lying there.
"As a result of the firing, one child and father got killed. We don't know 
whose firing killed them.''
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says Khogyani district is a remote and 
mountainous area on the border with Pakistan.
He says there have been demonstrations against foreign forces there in the 
past when poppies were eradicated.
Civilian deaths at the hands of foreign forces have prompted a number of 
protests in Afghanistan. President Karzai has repeatedly urged international 
troops to be more careful.
Last year US forces said they were deeply ashamed" by the killings of 19 
Afghan civilians by US Marines in Nangarhar Province.
Correspondents say many more civilians are killed in attacks and suicide 
bombings by insurgents opposed to the Western-backed government in Kabul.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/07/28/afghanistan-violence-in-the-hazarajat-protests-in-kabul/

Afghanistan: Violence in the Hazarajat, Protests in Kabul

Monday, July 28th, 2008 @ 06:26 UTC
by Joshua Foust
Afghanistan is one of those countries where minority issues drive nearly 
everything. They form the basis for why President Hamid Karzai is "the best 
game in town," but also why he should resign. They form the fundamental 
structure of the national government, with ethnic set-asides (Kuchis get 10 
seats in Parliament, Tajiks and Hazara each get a Vice-Presidency), 
warlordism (no one will dare move against Abdulrashid Dostum's ethnic Uzbek 
enclave in the north), and generally a tense unease between various people 
groups.
Because this situation is not new, it sometimes gets ignored in the face of 
the Taliban insurgency. But sometimes ethnic rivalries boil over into 
outright disputes. In Wardak province, just west and south of Kabul, the 
Hazara have a long-standing feud with the nomadic Kuchi over land rights. On 
Tuesday, July 8-the day after the horrific bombing at the Indian embassy in 
Kabul-a band of Kuchis moved into the Behsud district of Wardak and killed 
several Hazaras, taking at least four hostage and claiming the "right" to 
use their land. The Rumi reports:
In April, Human rights workers expressed fears that Hazaras were planning to 
take up arms against Kuchis who settled on their land.
"Given that both parties lack confidence in the government's ability to 
solve their disputes they may try to defeat each other by violent means," 
Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission said.
Kuchis, who are predominantly Pashtuns, traditionally move all over the 
country in search of green pastures for their livestock and, at the start of 
each spring, many travel to the central provinces, where most of Afghanistan's 
Hazaras live.
Kuchi elders complain that Hazaras have enjoyed strong international support 
since the Taliban's fall, while Kuchis have been perceived as collaborators 
of the mainly Pashtun Taliban.
In July 2007, after several people were reportedly killed in clashes between 
Kuchi herders and Hazara settlers in Behsud district, President Karzai set 
up a commission to come up with a solution. Then commission has yet to 
report its finding.
Very quickly, a blog to help the victims of the attack was set up. A 
relatively recent blog-based clearing house for Hazara issues, Hazarajat 
Times, picked up a story that would grow in significance: Haji Mohammad 
Mohaqiq, a Hazara Member of Parliament, first warned that the Kuchi 
incursion would lead to civil war if it was not resolved, then began a 
hunger strike on July 16 to end the conflict. He drew some rather surprising 
supporters, such as Abdulrashid Dostum, and within days hundreds had pledged 
to join in the strike.
Since the current conflict was eerily similar to the exact same clash that 
happened in July of 2007, many Hazara were deeply frustrated at the 
perceived inaction of Kabul. So they planned a protest.
By July 21, Mohaqiq was trying desperately to spread the word about the 
clashes (which were almost entirely unreported in the West). The Rumi 
captured most of what he said:
He said "over 15 villagers including children and women have been gunned 
down while 20,000 persons have been displaced fleeing the barbarism of 
Al-Qaeda and Taliban supporters".
Mohaqiq expressed disappointment towards human rights organizations, media 
and UN for not taking any serious notice of the invasion and strongly 
appealed the international community, human rights organizations and United 
Nations to intervene and avoid Kuchi nomads massacring the people of Behsud 
District.
Last year on June 23, 2007 there was a giant peaceful public demonstration 
in Kabul against the Government to resolve the "Kuchi Headache" for ever 
"The international community, NATO led coalition forces, United Nations and 
Human Rights' organizations are needed to look into the matter and get rid 
of the "headache" meeting the human rights of the downtrodden people of 
central highlands" he added.
About this time, some Farsi/Dari-language media began to cover the 
incursion. Quqnoos has a disturbing video of some Hazara victims of the 
attack.
In posting the above video, The Rumi angrily wondered why President Karzai 
seemed to be doing nothing:
Kabul government sent police forces to stop the Kuchis but in this video you 
can see the kuchi-armed groups dressed in Taliban style are walking in front 
of National Police. Why the police forces cannot take their weapons? What is 
so special for the kuchies to be armed while the rest of the ethnicities are 
disarmed?
About this time, Mohaqiq was reportedly weakening. Registan.net noted that 
the ethnic issues surrounding the conflict had much more complex roots, and 
warns against assuming it is all about the Taliban:
Many Hazara claim the Kuchi are "Taliban," or at least Taliban-loving, 
because during the 90s they worked with the Taliban, who granted them access 
to Hazara (and Tajik) land. Naturally the Hazara are angry over this 
imbalance.
Here's the rub. As a predominantly Pashtun force, the Taliban were rather 
notorious for their appalling treatment of all other minorities within 
Afghanistan, including (or perhaps especially) the Hazara. In fact, the 
imposed famine on the Hazarajat was particularly brutal and generally 
unreported in the media in the West.
Wardak is about half Pashtun, with most of the rest (somewhere around 40%, 
according to unreliable official statistics) Hazara.It seems, in brief, a 
fairly standard nomad/settler conflict, with the consequent disputes over 
land used both for agriculture and grazing. These types of conflicts become 
especially acute during times of drought or shortage, and the current 
squeeze over food prices, and a looming drought in the south, have probably 
exacerbated the conflict.
The next day, July 22, Safrang noted that thousands of people took to the 
streets of Kabul, demanding the government put a stop to the depredation.
The march started around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning in Dasht-e-Barchi area of 
West of Kabul and proceeded towards the city center and the offices of the 
UN's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan -UNAMA. Several news agencies have 
put the number of demonstrators at "thousands". By mid-day, Farda TV 
reported that the demonstrations were over and no incidents had taken place. 
Farda TV also aired footage of the demonstrations showing people in 
thousands marching in large thoroughfares of the city, advancing towards the 
center of the city.
Footage also showed police in riot gear standing around, and in some cases 
lining up on the main streets at a distance from the demonstrators, blocking 
their advance. Faced with the riot police, some among the demonstrators 
encouraged those at the head of the demonstrations to sit down and not 
advance any further, avoiding contact with the riot police and keeping a 
distance of 15 meters or so.
It was hard to read many of the placards and banners held up by 
demonstrators on TV screen. Those that I could read included:
"We oppose ethnic conflict and those who support/encourage it"
"The government should stand with defenseless civilians of Behsud"
"We want Justice"
The protests seem to have worked. Amidst a crowd Hazaristan Times estimated 
at 300,000, Mohaqiq ended his hunger strike, having met with both Karzai and 
UNAMA officials about the incursion. They posted some beautiful pictures. 
And President Karzai ordered an evacuation of the Kuchi, who by all accounts 
are slowly leaving the embattled district.
At what cost, however? The Hazaristan Times started a donation drive to 
financially assist Hazara who had their homes razed or family members 
killed. The images they post are gruesome, but help to highlight just how 
severe this sadly ignored problem really was.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/22/asia/AS-Afghan-Protest.php

Ethnic Hazaras protest in Afghan capital over land dispute with nomads

The Associated Press
Published: July 22, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan: Thousands of members of an ethnic minority group called 
on President Hamid Karzai to resign during a protest Tuesday over an 
escalating land dispute with nomads.
The tensions are another headache for the Western-backed government and 
threaten to add ethnic conflict to a list of woes already including the 
growing Taliban insurgency and runaway corruption.
The protest was a response to weeks of tension - including allegations of 
murder - between ethnic Hazara communities and Kuchi nomads over grazing 
rights in Wardak province, southwest of the capital.
On Tuesday, several thousand Hazaras gathered in downtown Kabul chanting 
slogans including "Karzai resign! Karzai resign!" Some had smeared mud on 
pictures of the Afghan president and held signs saying "Hazara people want 
justice."
The crowds of mostly young men were halted in front of the Kabul zoo by a 
line of security forces wearing riot gear and carrying shields, but 
dispersed peacefully after about five hours.
Haji Ramazan, a Hazara elder, claimed that Kuchis had killed at least nine 
members of his community, including women and children, in recent days. 
Several demonstrators demanded that the government disarm and settle the 
nomads elsewhere.
Mohammad Aref Noorzai Kuchi, a nomad lawmaker, said the dispute should go to 
the courts. He claimed that Hazaras had killed at least five Kuchis in the 
past few days.
"Those people who launched this demonstrations are political players," he 
said. "They are only looking for their own benefit."
Tensions between Kuchi nomads and the Hazaras in Afghanistan date back 
decades, but are flaring this year partly because low rainfall means nomads 
and farmers are competing for scarce pasture.
The nomads, who are mainly ethnic Pashtuns, claim that they have 
long-standing rights to let their animals graze in areas including the 
central highlands, where most Hazaras live.
But the Hazaras dispute that, and want the nomads' animals off their land.
The tension risks upsetting ethnic relations just as candidates begin to 
emerge for presidential elections due next year. Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun, 
has indicated that he will seek another term. 
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