Saturday 05 February 2005, 18:26 Makka Time, 15:26 GMT
Four Iraqi soldiers died close to the city of Basra, when a motorcycle bomb exploded, behind the al-Risala Hospital, on Saturday.
A captain of the Iraqi forces said: "The booby-trapped motorbike exploded as the patrol passed by. Four soldiers were killed and their vehicle destroyed."
According to several sources two children were killed due to a landmine explosion in the district of Samarra, north of Baghdad, when later two others Iraqi soldiers were killed as a roadside bomb exploded.
Police Lieutenant Husain Abbas said that a civillian and a policemen died during a gunbattle between Iraqi security forces and insurgents in the centre of Samarra.
Another soldier was killed and four civillians wounded close to Dhuluiya.
Il Romanaccio at 4:40 PM
Friday 04 February 2005, 19:05 Makka Time, 16:05 GMT
Giuliana Sgrena an italian journalist working for the communist daily newspaper "Il Manifesto", was kidnapped at a gunpoint in Baghdad.
Gabriele Polo a director of this newspapaper, said: "Giuliana called us to say she was fine, but five minutes later her interpreter rang us back to say that she had been abducted near a mosque in Baghdad."
Apparently a group of armed men opened fire on her car and forced the journalist to come with them.
Fortunately the political position of the "Il Manifesto" is totally against US troops in Iraq, knowing how this kidnappers think, that should be a reason why she can receive a better treatment.
Il Romanaccio at 6:49 PM
Thursday 03 February 2005, 14:03 Makka Time, 11:03 GMT
According to the US military, a mortar attack in northern Iraq, meant to hit a US base, fell too short and killed two civillians in ht e area of Tal Afar.
Another six people were wounded.
"The insurgent minority attempted to fire mortar rounds at the Tal Afar Castle, instead missing and killing and wounding innocent Iraqis," the military reported.
In the province of al-Anbar a predominant Sunni area in western Iraq, two US marines were killed in action, on Thursday.
"A marine assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was killed in action yesterday (Wednesday) bringing to two the number of marines who died while conducting security and stability operations in the al-Anbar province," as a military statement declares.
Il Romanaccio at 2:07 PM
Thursday 03 February 2005, 14:03 Makka Time, 11:03 GMT
An Iraqi employee died and four of his collegues wounded in a gunbattle in Baquba, on Thursday.
Raid Rizuqi, on e of the wounded said that they were going to work on their car while fighters suddendly opened fire from another vehicle.
At the general hospital in Baquba they confirmed that a dead body arrived.
In al-Quaim city (western Baghdad) an unpecified number of US soldiers were killed and wounded due to a bomb placed in a US headquarters (a former house).
Il Romanaccio at 1:56 PM
Wednesday 02 February 2005, 11:42 Makka Time, 8:42 GMT
Transfer about 5000 US soldiers with their high-tech equipment and know-how to train the Iraqi army, this is the idea of US commanders to help the country in any possible way.
It will also be a very good training field for the American soldiers themselves, once the resistance will be stopped, of course.
"It will be a process of 'train-fight-train'," the officer said.
There still are 170,000 US soldiers in Iraq, both the White House and the Iraqi interim government were thinking about a quick pullout from the country but Ghazi al-Yawir (Interim President) said that it will be wise for the American army to start leaving the country in a year from now.
Il Romanaccio at 4:06 PM
Wednesday 02 February 2005, 3:29 Makka Time, 0:29 GMT
According to Iraqi officials it is possible that many people didn't vote becuase of the lack of infrastructures.
Sunni citizens said the were left out from the reconstruction and the political process and now they have another possibility to whine about what happened on Sunday, when many of them arrived at the poll stations too late for voting.
Ghazi al-Yawir, interim prime minister, called an extra ballot for the city of Mosul in which the majority of the people are Sunni-Arab.
"Also, tens of thousands were unable to cast their votes because of the lack of ballots in Basra, Baghdad, and Najaf," he also declared.
Il Romanaccio at 3:51 PM
Monday 31 January 2005, 23:59 Makka Time, 20:59 GMT
Iraqi interim Vice-President Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leader of the Propagation Party, said that there can be a possibility of a civil war if American troops will leave the country early.
Al-Jafari said, "We are doing our best to save the country from civil war".
"The withdrawal of the multinational troops from Iraq at this stage would trigger further killings, explosions and victims."
Il Romanaccio at 3:34 PM
Monday 31 January 2005, 23:59 Makka Time, 20:59 GMT
According to the US military three marines were killed south of Baghdad during a gunbattle on Monday.
An official statement from the US says: "Three US marines were killed in action and two others wounded on 31 January while conducting security and stability operations in northern Babil province."
These were the first American deaths after the elections, the toll for US soldiers died in Iraq since the beginning of the war is now 1435, according to the Pentagon.
A US military base situated in the former presidential complex was attacked in Mosul with mortar shells, as leraned by Al-Jazeera.
No further details are available.
Il Romanaccio at 3:21 PM
Monday 31 January 2005, 22:32 Makka Time, 19:32 GMT
Bullets from Israeli occupation forces reached the life of a young schoolgirl in Gaza.
Nurad Did, a ten-year-old kid was shot from the army's termit post not far away, while she was entering the scholl at nine a.m., on Monday.
Witnwsses said she suddendly screamed and fell on the ground, bleeding.
The palestinian resistance fighters of the Hamas group fired mortar shells toward Israeli Jewish town, close to the Gaza Strip.
Il Romanaccio at 3:13 PM
Sunday 30 January 2005, 23:14 Makka Time, 20:14 GMT
Statitistics about the elections are not completely clear but apparently 72% of Iraqis vote yesterday, according to most important politicians.
Commission spokesman Farid Ayar commented, "However, these figures are only very rough, word-of-mouth estimates gathered informally from the field. It will take some time for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq to release accurate figures on turnout."
He thinks that the votes were about eight milion, there were many voters outside Iraq, meaning around 60% of the population, more than what expected.
A commission statement said, "Turnout figures recently announced represent the enormous and understandable enthusiasm felt in the field on this historic day."
Il Romanaccio at 10:57 AM
Agencies Updated: 2005-01-31 09:14
According to theIraqi interim Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib Us forces could leave the country within eighteen months.
"I think we will not need the multi-national, foreign forces, in this country within 18 months," he said. "I think we will be able to depend on ourselves."
This is also because the election turnout happened to be higher than expected, despite the terrorists tried to destroy every polling station.
But al-Naqib said, "We are building our forces and I think we will need 18 months -- it's my estimate -- that we will have a quite reasonable sized force, trained, well trained force, well equipped to protect the country.
"So I believe very much that we won't need more than 18 months."
President Bush recently said that US forces must help the new government in its first steps.
Il Romanaccio at 10:28 AM
Monday 31 January 2005, 11:01 Makka Time, 8:01 GMT
In the Mubarak al-Kabir neighbourhood on Monday morning policemen and terrorists were involved in a gunbattle, several died and many others were wounded.
The state tv reported that a quote from the Interior Ministry who said
, "wounded and killed from both parties".
Apparently one civillian died in the clash and four policemen were wounded.
A witness said, "The neighbourhood has been cordoned off completely by hundreds of police including commandos, and shots seem to be concentrated at one villa."
The British , the US and the French embassies in Kuwait urged their nationals to avoid certain areas of the country, recent talks about al-Quaida being involved in the rising political violence in the country, worried the international community.
Il Romanaccio at 10:07 AM
Saturday 29 January 2005, 21:56 Makka Time, 18:56 GMT
In the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Saturday, Sudanese police opened fire against demonstrators, killing at least 20 civillians and wounding another 40, according to a local political leader.
Khalil Usman Khalil, a witness, reported to al-Jazeera what happened: "Clashes took place between demonstrators and police, lasting for almost all Friday night." He added, "work at Port Sudan was partially stopped, and almost completely this morning, after renewal of violence, so police resorted to disperse demonstrators."
Abd Allah, another witness, said that about 400 members of the Beja ethnic group were marching to ask the Khartoum government to start talks about sharing the power and the country's resources with the Beja group.
"There was a special police unit that appeared and just opened fire at them before they even moved. They fired at their heads and bodies, not even in the air," said Abd Allah. He added that 3 children were also killed.
Offical sources confirm the story saying that all of the wounds were from bullets.
Il Romanaccio at 11:55 AM
Sunday 30 January 2005, 2:40 Makka Time, 23:40 GMT
Official sources coming from both sides agree on the fact that the two leaders Mahmud Abbas and Ariel Sharon will meet each other within two weeks.
The forthcoming meeting is supposed to start peace talks beetween the two countries.
Israeli spokesman David Baker said, "The meeting will apparently be during the week of February 8, with the objective being to make progress between both sides, contingent on continued efforts by the Palestinians to prevent terrorism to Israel."
New US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be visiting the region by that time.
Il Romanaccio at 11:46 AM
Sunday 30 January 2005, 13:12 Makka Time, 10:12 GMT
As soon as the elections started, the violence of insurgents groups rose in Iraq.
At least 22 people were killed in many attacks all over the country.
In Baghdad, on Sunday, a man wearing a jacket full of explosives, blew himself up at a polling station, killing two policemen.
A goverment official said that it was the seventh attack of that kind which occurred in the capital during the elections.
Earlier, in eastern Baghdad, six people were killed in a line outside a polling station by a bomber in a similar way.
Seven civillians and two policemen died when another bomber blew himself up at a polling station centre in the Zayuna area of eastern Baghdad, where another twelve people were wounded.
A car-bomb killed another policeman outside a polling station and bombers did the same with two other polling stations, killing at least four people and wounding a dozen.
Another car-bomb was meant to reach the interim Justice Minister, but did not find him at home.
Six people were killed and another thirteen injured when a makeshift polling station was hit by a car-bomb in the al-Mansur disctrict of Baghdad.
Il Romanaccio at 11:31 AM
