It's a new month and yet the violence continues in Iraq.  All Iraq News reports that a Tikrit armed attack on the homes of 2 Iraqi soldiers has left them dead, an armed attack in Samarra utilized bombs and left 1 police officer dead and five more injured, and they note that Baghdad is warning that there is a new weapon, explosive mobile phone chargers.  The National Iraq News Agency adds that an attack on the Nineveh border left 1 Iraqi soldier dead and six more injured (supposedly by Syrian rebels)  [on Iraq and Syria, you can check out Ron Beasley's post at The Moderate Voice],  2 suspects were shot dead in Mosul by police, a Kirkuk sticky bombing injured police Col Qassem Hamid, a Falluja sticky bombing injured provincial election candidate Fakhri Sarhan, and, dropping back to Friday night, the son of Gen Wathiq al-Hamdani was shot dead in Mosul.  Alsumaria notes mobile phone trucks exploded in Baghdad killing six people.

Kitabat reports the latest of Nouri's paranoia: He's convinced if the Syrian army falls (and President Bashar Assad falls), that he will be the next leader deposed.  After Bully Boy Bush made Nouri prime minister in the spring of 2006, the State Dept began charting Nouri's paranoia.  By 2010, when the vote of the Iraqi people meant Nouri should have been shown the door, Barack Obama decided Nouri had to stay.  He overrode the vote and the Constitution to keep Nouri in place.  When he did that, there were four years of documentation regarding Nouri's paranoia.  To put a puppet in place is wrong and undemocratic.  To put or keep a puppet who is plagued by paranoia in place is green-light to abuse and murder.

Maybe the protesters will manage to topple Nouri's corrupt reign?

Maybe not.  But there's a good sign that they will be successful: They're being trashed by the Telegraph of London's Colin Freeman.  Considering how wrong he's been repeatedly about Iraq, this is good news for the protesters.  The UN notes that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres is calling for the Camp Ashraf residents (most now at Camp Liberty) to be protected.  The UN notes:


"After the despicable attacks on Camp Liberty on 9 February, it is particularly important that we redouble our efforts to resettle the residents and find durable solutions for them outside Iraq as quickly as possible," said Mr. Kobler.
He noted that, under the memorandum of understanding of 25 December 2011, the Government of Iraq is responsible for the security and safety of the residents.
Mr. Kobler also thanked Mr. Guterres for the efforts of UNHCR and assured him that the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which he heads, will continue to support the agency to bring about a quick resettlement of the residents to third countries.

That "despicable attack" war ordered by Nouri al-Maliki.  The same guy Freeman drools over.

Yesterday, at the Ramadi protest,  Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi resigned.  Alsumaria reports today that Nouri's State of Law is dismissing the notion that others will step down from the council.   Al Mada adds that al-Issawi called today for others to leave the council including Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.  al-Issawi and al-Mutlaq are both members of Iraqiya.  Iraqiya came in first in the 2010 parliamentary elections, besting Nouri's State of Law.

You may remember Mutlaq attempting to speak to protesters and being booed.  Some wanted to say that what ensued (his guards firing at protesters) demonstrated "violence" on the part of protesters.  No, it demonstrated an intolerance for whores.  Saleh al-Mutlaq sells out everyone.  He is a joke and he will always be a joke.  He thought he could parade his usual fraud act before protesters and that they'd lap it up.  They had no need to.  He can deliver nothing and he's got no backbone.

While al-Issawi was calling for him to resign, al-Mutlaq was instead currying favor.  All Iraq News reports he and Nouri met today to bond and discuss Iraq. No word on whether al-Mutlaq had to apply a new coat of lipstick after a session of kissing Nouri's butt.  NINA notes that Nouri issued a statement which included, "The meeting touched the political situation and the measures that should be adopted to meet the current challenges." NINA quotes Hamid al-Jubouri, the spokesperson for the  Hawija protesters, stating, "More than two months when the demonstration and sit-ins stared regularly in the province, during which people declared condemnations of the bombings, which killed Iraqis whether in Shiit or Sunni areas steaming from our belief that all are Iraqi citizens all over. "  And they quote Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Mashhadani stating,  As hundreds gathered in the courtyard of /Pride and Honor/ in Kirkuk where Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Mashhadani,  Imam and preacher of Friday prayers stressing as saying: "Our gathering is devoted to remove injustice, but the Prime Minister made a deaf ear and a blind eye."

NINA quotes Falluja protest organizer Sheikh Khalid Hmoud al-Jumaily stating, "The people of Anbar did not come out in support of the Finance Minister, even though he is the province's citizen; the people took to the streets demanding their rights, mainly releasing the detainees.  Everybody must know that the people of Anbar are not supporters of a party, bloc or person." 

al-Issawi tells Kitabat that he resigned because there had been over 70 days of protest and the government had still not responded to the protesters.  He notes that a government is supposed to be responsive to the people, not ignore them.  He tells Alsumaria that Article IV -- which has been used to punish so many Sunnis -- is no longer going to work and that the government refused to listen to the protesters or to take accountability for the eleven shot dead in Falluja by Nouri's forces January 25th.   He feels the solution to the crises facing Iraq can be found in the sit-ins taking place.

Ayad Allawi is the head of the Iraqiya.  All Iraq News notes he has declared that the clergy in Iraq are helping to preserve the unity and that he met today with Sheikh Hussein al-Sadr.

From the February 27th snapshot:

  This morning,  National Iraq News Agency was reporting:

The MP, of the state law coalition, Sadiq al-Labban revealed that "the government would issue arrest warrants against those who instigated and participated in fueling sectarian strife through exploiting the demonstrations to split the Iraqi National Front, noting that among these names, the Finance Minister Rafie al-Issawi. 


This is apparently  another case of Nouri's State of Law political slate being unable to control themselves in public.  In this case, al-Labban has revealed something in existence that Nouri wasn't wanting known just yet.

Rafie al-Issawi is a member of Iraqiya, the political slate that came in first in the March 2010 elections (beating Nouri's State of Law).  He is also Sunni.  Nouri's reputation is one for fighting dirty against political opponents.  If the warrants are real, expect things in Iraq to get a lot worse a lot quicker than many anticipated.  If the talk of warrants if false, al-Labban just made some very uninformed remarks that will have huge repercussions.

NINA quotes Iraqiya MP Wissal Saleem stating:
The statements of the State of Law coalition's MPs about arrest warrants against the leader of the Iraqiya, Finance Minister Rafie al-Issawi is dangerous [and]  if they have court orders issued by their courts, this is another subject.  We do not know the basis that the state of law coalition's MP is authorized to talk about an arrest warrant while the judiciary did not say anything about it, indicating that the goal is to create new crises after failing of the Government.   These remarks will lead to a backlash, especially at this critical juncture, through which the Iraqi state is passing.


Distrust, anger and hostility are just some of the feelings State of Law has created with the comments about arrest warrants.

Kitabat reports today that Nouri has 19 arrest warrantes ready to serve on members of Iraqiya.
Dar Addustour also reports security sources say there are 19 arrests and the outlet notes that Iraqiya plans to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday.

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