Iraq: Moderates are hard to find as 'bad old days' return in Baghdad

 Even in the darkest, deadliest days of Iraq's war, you'd find people still hopeful it would all work out. That the killings would stop, the bad guys would be routed and a stability of some sort would return. That the Americans would leave with their Humvees and their private security companies and the country would -- perhaps -- get on with the freedom the U.S. promised upon Saddam Hussein's removal.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promised as much, and pledged an inclusive system for all. Power-sharing politics and making all Iraqis -- Sunni, Shia, Christian -- feel they shared national values. Now, there a plenty of Iraqis who believe he had his fingers crossed when he said such things.

Just over two years ago, I watched as the last of 110 or so U.S. military vehicles crossed the border from Iraq and into Kuwait -- the same border crossing I'd gone through in at the start of the war in 2003 with a U.S. Marine convoy headed to the Iraqi capital.

I've had nearly a dozen trips in between and now here I am, back in Baghdad. The city feels much the same as it did during some of those other trips -- and that's not a good thing. Actually, it feels worse.

The U.S. departure may have ended the war for Americans, but for Iraqis, the violence, the bombs, the shootings and the torrents of blood barely skipped a beat. A lull here and there, periods of what might (for Iraq) pass for stability, but really, the deaths never stopped. More than 8,000 people were killed here last year, mostly innocent civilians, according to the U.N.

The feeling in Baghdad today is one of dread -- dreading the next car bomb or suicide attack or assassination. The city isn't lacking a security presence -- it is awash in it. Two years ago there were checkpoints, but nowhere near the number we've seen these past days, nor were those manning those checkpoints as, let's say, fastidious as they are now.

Just moving around the city is an exercise in moving from one checkpoint to the next, each manned by young men who themselves, one imagines, fear the next car could be the last one they ever inspect.
Getting around the city is as difficult as ever. Traffic jams are a way of life here, but they seem worse because of the security presence. Check points and police posts are everywhere, but they can't stop every attack -- eight bombs have gone off in Baghdad in the past two days as I write this.

People have to get on with life, and do the best they can. One target of the terrorists is marketplaces, where locals put their lives on the line just to shop for dinner.

Many buildings damaged during the war sit unrepaired, but there are signs of construction too. There's even a mall of sorts being built not far from where we're staying. Many parts of the city retain a tattered feel, like it's a tired city, weary of the tribulations of the last decade.

Public services are a problem -- electricity can still be patchy, there's no shortage of roads needing repair, unemployment is high, sewage systems are in desperate need of repair. Iraq's to-do list, despite growing oil revenues, is a long one.

In the "bad old days" of, say, 2005-2007, barely a day went by when, sitting in our bureau, we would not hear a boom or gunshots, some dulled by distance, others rattling our windows. One day, a stray bullet pierced one of those windows.

Those booms are back.

Plenty has been reported about the violence in Ramadi and Fallujah and the resurgence of al-Qaeda linked radicals, but the killing is widespread -- from Mosul in the north to Baghdad to the south of the country.
Dr. Ayad Allawi was Iraq's first post-Saddam head of government, serving as interim Prime Minister in 2004 and 2005. Tough as nails, but a committed secularist, he looks at his country today with more than a dose of pessimism.

"Unfortunately the country is moving on a sectarian road now," he tells me as we sit in his office, hidden behind blast walls and protected by government and private security.

"It was very dangerous to start with, and I warned leaders in the region. (Now) Iraq has started a civil war -- it hasn't reached the point of no return, but if it does then the whole region will burn up."
He points the finger of blame in many directions, from Syria to the U.S. to Iran, but mainly at the man who now holds his old job -- Prime Minister al-Maliki.

"He doesn't believe in power sharing, he doesn't believe in reconciliation," Allawi says. "He promised to do these things once he became Prime Minister, but in effect he talks against this -- accusing everyone else of being a terrorist, or corrupt, or extremist and so on.

"Authoritarian regimes don't work in this country -- we tried this before and it didn't work. No one sect can rule, no one party can rule, no one man can rule -- we want a democratic country but this is not, unfortunately, what this government wants."

There is no shortage of those who also point to al-Maliki, a Shia Muslim, and his sectarian brand of governing and say his alienation of Sunnis is why al Qaeda-linked fighters could reappear so easily to once again wreak havoc. Extremists thrive on disaffection, and there is plenty of that in Anbar and Mosul and other places.

Allawi is also unhappy with the U.S., saying they have made a "huge mistake" by supporting al-Maliki without also turning the screws on him to engage Sunni leaders and include them in a meaningful way in the running of the country.

"They can support al-Maliki -- that's up to them," he says. "But they should clarify to him that their support is conditional on inclusivity of the political process and respecting the constitution and respecting human rights."
I suggest to him that the Americans have of late been applying some of that pressure, but he disagrees. "Of course the Americans are not doing this," he says. "I don't know if they are pushing, frankly speaking -- I do believe they may pay lip service, but they don't fully use the influence they have as friends of Mr. al-Maliki."
Over the course of more than a dozen trips to Iraq since the war began, I've always encountered angry Iraqis -- angry at the American troops, angry at the lack of services, angry at the insurgents and the sectarian bloodletting.

But on this visit, I've found a hardening of attitudes right down the sectarian line -- Shias who feel Sunnis are al Qaeda-supporting extremists, and Sunnis who tell terrible tales of persecution, exclusion and fear of being detained based on their religion alone.

The moderates who wish to embrace their fellow Iraqi, regardless of sect, are becoming harder to find.

Bombings in Iraq hit markets, funeral, kill dozens

A wave of bombings across Iraq striking busy markets and a funeral north of Baghdad killed at least 44 people Wednesday, authorities said, as the country remains gripped by violence after al-Qaeda-linked militants took control of two cities in western Anbar province.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Insurgent groups, mainly al-Qaeda's local branch and other Sunni militants, frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas, as well as Shiites and members of Iraqi security forces, in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir sectarian tensions.

The deadliest attack struck a funeral in the town of Buhriz, about 35 miles north of Baghdad. That bombing killed 16 people and wounded 26 inside of a mourning tent, a police officer said.

The funeral was for an anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militiaman who died of natural causes two days ago. The Sunni militia, known as the Awakening Council, was formed by U.S. forces during the height of the insurgency. They are seen as traitors by al-Qaeda's local branch and other militant groups.

In Baghdad, a series of bombings killed at least 28 people.

The deadliest attack there took place in the northern Shula neighborhood, where a parked car bomb exploded in an outdoor market, killing five shoppers and wounding 12, a police officer said. In another nearby market, a bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.

A car bombing in the nearby Shaab neighborhood killed four civilians and wounded 14, officials said.

Another car bomb in a commercial area in the central Karrada area killed four civilians and wounded 14, police said. A car bomb in another part of Karrada killed two civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.

In Baghdad's southern suburb of Hussainya, a car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 11 in a market, officials said. In the capital's eastern Palestine Street, a car bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said. Another market bombing killed three civilians and wounded eight in the eastern Maamil area, police said.

Medical officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The army and allied tribesmen have been fighting al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group around Anbar's provincial capital, Ramadi, and the nearby city of Fallujah. The militants control the center of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, a major challenge to the government and its forces two years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"The battle will be long and will continue," Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki said on state television on Wednesday, calling for world support. "If we keep silent it means the creation of evil statelets that would wreak havoc with security in the region and the world."

He has ruled out an assault on Falluja by the troops and tanks ringing the city of 300,000, but has told local tribesmen to expel the militants, who have exploited anger among minority Sunnis against a government they accuse of oppressing them.

Also Wednesday, the World Health Organization said the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah have acute health needs due to the conflict. The organization said it has dispatched 2 tons of medicines and supplies.

"There is an increasing number of patients suffering from injuries which, if not treated, will lead to irreversible damage," the WHO's Iraq representative, Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain, said in a statement.

Violence has escalated in Iraq over the past year. Last year, Iraq saw the highest death toll since the worst of the country's sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007, according to United Nations figures. The U.N. said violence killed 8,868 last year.

At least 285 people have died in violence across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.

2 dead in clashes between Egyptian security, Muslim Brotherhood protesters

About 200 demonstrators in Egypt clashed with security forces and local residents, leaving two dead in the country's second-largest city Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said.

A crackdown by authorities on Muslim Brotherhood rallies in the coastal city of Alexandria left two demonstrators dead and two policemen wounded, according to the Interior Ministry.

"During the demonstrations, protestors cut off roads, threw Molotov cocktails, set fires, damaged private cars, and fired birdshot pellets, and clashed with local residents," the Interior Ministry said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which was recently designated a terrorist organization by Egypt's military-backed government, claimed security forces had opened fire on demonstrators, killing two, including a college student, and wounding several others, according to a statement on the official Muslim Brotherhood website.

Social media video, posted by supporters of the now banned Islamist organization, shows a chaotic scene with youths throwing fireworks at police vehicles and small fires smoking near residential apartments and local businesses.

The overthrow of President Mohammed Morsy, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, in July 2013 spurred a deadly crackdown on Egypt's most organized opposition group. The group was recently banned by a court.

Supporters of the organization demand the reinstatement of Morsy, the country's first democratically elected president, and the full restoration of their political and social rights. But the interim government blames the group for a series of coordinated attacks, including a recent bombing on a police headquarters that left 16 dead and more than 100 injured.

Egypt roadside bus bomb wounds five, two other devices defused

CAIRO – Five people were injured – one of them critically – when a roadside bomb hit a bus in Cairo's Nasr City district on Thursday, officials said.
The homemade device had been place near a bus stop and was detonated as passengers were getting off, a security source said.
A second bomb was found nearby and defused by an explosives ordnance team, the sourced added – and a third device was also being dealt with.

An explosion has hit a public bus in Cairo, wounding five people. Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

All three devices were in an area close to the King Fahd school complex.
Egypt’s military-backed interim government has vowed to fight "black terrorism" after Tuesday's deadly attack on a police compound in the city of Mansoura which killed 16 people and injured about 140.
It intensified its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday, formally listing the group as a terrorist organization.
The move gives the authorities the power to charge any member of the Brotherhood with belonging to a terrorist group, as well as anyone who finances the group or promotes it "verbally, or in writing."
The Brotherhood, which estimates its membership at up to a million people, was Egypt's best organized political force until this summer's crackdown. A political and social movement founded in 1928, it won five elections after the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Government Airstrikes Kill at Least 32 in Syria

Syrian aircraft pummeled opposition areas in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, killing at least 32 people and extending the government's furious aerial bombardment of the rebel-held half of the divided city to an eighth consecutive day.

Since it began on Dec. 15, the government's unusually heavy air campaign in Aleppo has killed more than 200 people, smashed residential buildings and overwhelmed the city's hospitals with casualties. The timing of the assault — a month ahead of planned peace talks in Switzerland — suggests that Syrian President Bashar Assad could be trying to strengthen his position and expose the opposition's weaknesses before sitting down at the negotiating table.

Sunday's air raids targeted several Aleppo neighborhoods, but the worse hit was Masaken Hanano, where bombs fell on a second-hand market, a two-story building and a main road, activists said.

The Aleppo Media Center activist group said at least 32 people were killed, and published a list of the names of the dead on its Facebook page. Another group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said in a later statement that at least 47 people, including seven rebels, were killed and dozens wounded.

"The medics say they are removing people in parts; they aren't sure how many there are," said Hassoun Abu Faisal, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center. He said the bombs destroyed vehicles lining a main road, destroyed a two-story building and left a crater where part of the market was.

Activists said the airstrikes were carried out by government helicopters that dropped so-called barrel bombs, crude devices filled with explosives and fuel that are wildly inaccurate but cause massive damage on impact.

Human rights groups warn that even if Syrian forces are targeting rebels with the bombs, they often explode in residential areas, killing civilians.

In an amateur video posted online, a man held up to the camera a severed foot from the air raids, while crowds scrambled among rubble, hoarsely shouting "God is Great!" as they came across corpses. Flames and dust from the smashed building and cars darkened the sky. One man rhythmically smashed a hammer against a jammed door of a vehicle containing charred bodies.

The videos appeared genuine and corresponded with other Associated Press reporting of the events depicted.

The air raids have exacted a devastating toll since they began. Over the first four days alone, the airstrikes killed at least 189 people and wounded 879, according to the aid group Doctors Without Borders.

Communities in the surrounding countryside have also been hit.

In the town of Marea north of Aleppo, a barrel bomb that exploded Sunday near a school used by Syrian fleeing fighting in other areas killed three members of the same family, according to Abu Faisal and the Observatory.

Schools decided to close Monday in opposition-held parts of Aleppo to avoid more casualties, citing the attacks in Marea, the Aleppo Media Center reported.

Syrian officials have not commented on the air raids in Aleppo, the country's largest city, and a major front in the war since the rebels launched an offensive there in mid-2012. The city has been carved into opposition- and government-held areas.

Syria's civil war, now into its third year, has killed more than 120,000 people, according to activists. Millions have fled their homes because of the fighting.

In central Syria, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a primary school in the predominantly Shiite town of Umm al-Amed in Homs province, killing at least 20 people, seven of them children, the Observatory said.

Syria's state news agency also put the death toll at 20, but said six children had died.

The bombing highlighted the sectarian overtones of the Syrian civil war, which is now in its third year.

Syria's rebels are mainly Sunni, with hard-line brigades emerging as the most powerful fighting groups. Shiites and other Syrian minority groups have either stayed neutral or sided with Assad, fearing for their future should the rebels prevail. Groups on both sides have targeted civilians.

Also Sunday, Syrian military aircraft bombed Bab al-Hawa, a border crossing to Turkey, said a private Turkish news agency, Dogan, and the Aleppo Media Center and the Local Coordinating Committees, two activist networks.

The news agency said the bombs hit the Syrian side of the crossing, killing or wounding several people, and that several ambulances from the Turkish town of Reyhanli were heading to the border gate to carry the wounded to hospitals. It was not immediately clear why the area was targeted.