Fierce fighting in Baghdad?? Sadr City fueled the bloodshed last month, with at least 1,073 people killed across Iraq and the US military?? toll hitting a seven-month high.
Overnight clashes in Sadr City between US forces and Shiite militiamen left another eight people killed, including two children, officials said. The military said it killed eight militants.
Data collected by the interior, health and defense ministries and made available to the media show 966 civilians were killed last month, as were 69 police officers and 38 soldiers.
Most of the fatalities were in clashes between troops and Shiite militiamen loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Sadr City, the sprawling Baghdad district of some 2 million people, a security official said.
Last month?? toll was marginally lower than in March, which saw 1,082 Iraqis killed.
Combined figures obtained by AFP from the three ministries showed that 1,745 civilians, 159 policemen and 104 soldiers were wounded during the month.
The toll for last month maintains the trend of rising violence that in March reversed a gradually declining trend seen from June last year. It follows 721 killed in February, 541 in January, 568 in December, 606 in November, 887 in October, 917 in September and 1,856 in August.
April was also the deadliest month for the US military since last September. It lost 50 soldiers during the month, according to independent Web site icasualties.org based on the deaths announced by the military so far for last month.
These deaths brought the number of US troops killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 4,062.
Twenty-three of the 50 US soldiers killed last month died in Baghdad, where the military is engaged in fierce street battles with Shiite militiamen.
The fighting between security forces and Shiite militiamen erupted in the southern city of Basra on March 25, and spread quickly to other Shiite areas of Iraq, particularly Sadr City.
Iraqi security and medical officials said at least eight people were killed in overnight violence in Sadr City?? Hay Tareq and Obeidi neighborhoods. They included two women and two children, they said.
US military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Stover said troops ??ositively identified??militiamen and killed eight in separate incidents between Wednesday evening and yesterday morning.
He said the militants are ??nowingly placing innocent Iraqis in harm?? way. He does this purposely, not because he cares, but because he doesn?? care.??br />
On Wednesday Tehseen Sheikhly, a spokesman for the Baghdad security plan, said that at least 925 people had been killed in Sadr City firefights since late March.
He did not offer a breakdown of separate figures for March and last month. He also did not clarify how many civilians and militants died.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused the militiamen of using civilians as ??uman shields??while battling security forces.
??riminals and lawless gangs are using human shields in Sadr City ... They are following the steps of the Baathist regime,??he told a news conference.
??hey are trying to gain sympathy but they are using the lies and the values of the former regime??of executed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
The US military says that gunmen have been shooting at troops from rooftops, alleyways and houses, resulting in firefights in which civilians are often killed.
Maliki vowed to disband the Mahdi Army as well as Sunni insurgent groups, particularly al-Qaeda.
??e will not allow scavengers in Iraq. The suffering will not be long in Sadr City. We will save our brothers,??he said.
The premier accused the militias of forcing Sadr City residents to stay at home out of fear.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS