By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – On August 14, a female bomber detonated her explosives amongst a group of Shiite pilgrims in Iskandariyah, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 30 miles south of Baghdad. The explosion followed a government announcement describing new measures to protect worshippers.
There are conflicting reports on the number of casualties. The U.S. military put the death toll at 17, including one policeman and 16 civilians. A senior provincial security officer said 26 people were killed and 75 wounded.
Earlier on August 14, two smaller bombings in Baghdad killed two and injured 16. These bombings were thought to target pilgrims as well. Last month, three women suicide bombers attacked Shiite pilgrims during a festival in Baghdad, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 100.
No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, but given the target, Shiite pilgrims, it is thought that the Sunni extremist group, Al Qaeda in Iraq, is responsible.
For more information, please see:
Xinhua – Female Suicide Bomber Kills 18 Iraqi Pilgrims – 15 August 2008
Associated Press – Bombs Target Shiite Pilgrims in Iraq, Kills 17 – 14 August 2008
BBC – Iraq Suicide Blast Kills Pilgrims – 14 August 2008
Foreign Policy in Focus – Behind the Surge in Iraqi Women Suicide Bombers – 11 August 2008
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TEL AVIV, Israel – The Israel Defense Force has closed its probe into the April death of Fadel Shana, a Reuters cameraman. The IDF issued a letter to Reuters announcing its decision to close the investigation. In the letter, Israel’s top military lawyer, Brigadier General Avihai Mendelblit, stated that the tank crew involved in the shooting could not tell whether Shana was holding a camera or a weapon. The letter continued by claiming that the crew reached the “reasonable conclusion” that Shana was “hostile”.
One reason for the tank crew’s suspicion was that Shana and his soundman were wearing blue flak jackets, which are “common to Palestinian terrorists.” However, Shana’s jacket was clearly marked with “PRESS” and his vehicle was marked with the words “TV” and “PRESS”.
“I’m extremely disappointed that this report condones a disproportionate use of deadly force in a situation the army itself admitted had not been analyzed clearly,” said David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of Reuters.
The Foreign Press Association was also dismayed by the decision to close the investigation. “The IDF’s decision to close its probe without taking any disciplinary action is the latest in a long line of cases clearing its soldiers of deadly negligence,” it said.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Israelis Who Shot Cameraman Cleared – 14 August 2008
Guardian Unlimited – Gaza: Israel Clears Tank Crew over Killing of Reuters Cameraman – 14 August 2008
Washington Post – Israel Clears Troops in Death of Journalist – 13 August 2008
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TRIPOLI, Lebanon – On August 13, a roadside bomb detonated as a bus full of off-duty soldiers passed in northern Lebanon. According to Reuters, at least 15 people were killed, including nine soldiers. However, earlier security reports stated that at least 18 people were killed. In addition, medical sources state that 45 people were injured, four critically.
“It seems that the bomb was detonated wirelessly by remote,” Lebanon’s police chief Ashraf Reefi said. Following initial investigations, it appears that the bomb was placed at a bus stop where soldiers gathered; deliberately targeting the Lebanese military.
There has been no immediate claim for the attack. But an army statement described the attack as a “terrorist bombing”; a phrase used in the past by the military when it suspects militant Islamist involvement.
The attack followed a day after the new unity government received a vote of confidence from parliament.
For more information, please see:
The Daily Star – Security Chiefs Probe Tripoli Blast as Army Buries Slain Soldiers– 15 August 2008
BBC – Lebanese City Rocked by Bus Bomb – 13 August 2008
Reuters – Lebanon Bomb Kills 15 in Attack on Army – 13 August 2008
