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Another
deadly day across Iraq as insurgents step up efforts
to disrupt the election.
Insurgent attacks claimed the lives of at least
eight Iraqis and five United States soldiers as
security forces began an unprecedented crackdown
aimed at securing the country's elections.
A car bomb exploded next to a police station in
southern Baghdad, killing four people early on
January 28. Another bomb exploded nearby, next to a
school designated as a polling site.
The US military said one soldier was killed by a
roadside bomb in the southern part of the city.
Another was shot minutes later in a northern
district. Later, another bomb claimed the lives of
three American soldiers in western Baghdad
The Associated Press reported that polling sites in
at least six major cities were attacked, including
Kirkuk where a policeman died.
Police in Diyala province said two people were
killed and three others wounded in a mortar attack
on a polling center in Baqubah on the morning of
January 28. A policeman died when a roadside bomb
exploded near a patrol in the city.
Dahuk governor Nichervan Ahmed, speaking on
KTV television on January 28, said 10 Arabs had been
arrested after two bombs exploded in Dahuk city. The
bombs, placed in trash bins, exploded within ten
minutes of each other at the College of Law and near
the Zhian Hotel, which is close to the city's
security centre.
Ahmed insisted that, "The police and security forces
are ready to defend the election forces."
Thousands of police and Iraqi National Guardsmen are
deploying throughout the country to enforce new
security measures, which include closing Iraq's
borders and banning travel between provinces.
An extended curfew was announced in most cities,
stretching from 7 pm to 6 am. On election day,
Baghdad International Airport will be closed and
civilian traffic banned.
Under the crackdown, police in Baaqubah closed three
bridges in the city and extended the curfew by two
hours, so that now it runs from 5 pm to 6 am.
Iraqis crowded into bakeries and grocery stores
around the country to stock up before the start of
the extended curfew.
"People have been coming to my shop a great deal
during these days," said Baaqubah grocer Abu Ali.
"Everyone has been buying loads of things."
An IWPR reporter in Diyala says the situation there
is growing worse every day, with the sounds of
shooting now heard constantly, despite the security
measures.
Witnesses in Diyala say insurgents pull up alongside
motorists and threaten them not to vote. In Baghdad,
rebels and others who oppose the election are
slipping threatening messages under doors.
Supporters of militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
posted a message on an Islamic website taking credit
for killing a candidate on prime minister Ayad
Allawi's list. The death of Salem Jaafar al-Kanani
was one of the most serious strikes yet against the
National Accord Party.
The website included video footage of the killing,
including a statement from a captured Kanani in
which he said, "I advise all young men not to back
the enemy occupiers and ask them to serve the people
of their homeland. I have been captured by the
mujahedin. They have treated me very well."
Then an insurgent fired three bullets into his
chest.
The video came out the same day that the Iraqi
government announced the arrests of three close
aides of Zarqawi, whose organisation is believed to
be linked to al-Qaeda. The Associated Press quoted
Qassim Dawoud, a top security adviser, as saying the
arrests occurred in mid-January.
US Marines in al-Anbar province claim they are
making progress in their fight against the
insurgents there, thanks to recent tips from
residents which have led to the discovery of
mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank mines
and ammunition in Ramadi and Fallujah.
The Marines also discovered a car that was being
wired with a bomb near Fallujah. The car was
confiscated and two people arrested.
This story has not been bylined because of concerns
for the security of IWPR reporters.
http://www.iwpr.net
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