Iraq Notebook
Insurgents killing Iraq intellectuals

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Insurgents are killing at least one and as many as five Iraqi intellectuals every month, hoping to stop people from working with the U.S.-led coalition, American spokesmen said yesterday.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations chief, said the number of attacks against Iraq's intelligentsia such as professors, doctors, lawyers, judges and managers has stayed in the range of 10 to 15 per month, resulting in roughly one to five deaths.

However, the number "goes up dramatically" if the attacks against Iraqi police are taken into account, he said.

"The focus by the insurgents ... is to break our will by isolating us with attacks against all these institutions," said coalition spokesman Dan Senor, adding that despite the attacks, more and more intellectuals and professionals are coming forward to help thwart the insurgents' aims.

U.N. team begins study of early legislative elections

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A U.N. team yesterday began its mission to study prospects for early legislative elections opposed by the United States but demanded by the powerful Shiite Muslim clergy.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the arrival of the team, saying experts would begin "intensive consultations" with Iraqi leaders, Shiite clergy and members of the U.S.-led coalition.

Annan did not say how long the team, led by Carina Perelli of Uruguay, would remain in Iraq, but a senior Iraqi official said members would be here about 10 days.

7 pounds of cyanide found in Baghdad house

WASHINGTON — U.S. forces in Iraq found 7 pounds of cyanide during a raid late last month on a Baghdad house believed connected to an al-Qaida operative, U.S. officials said.
 
The cyanide salt was in either one or several small bricks, and U.S. officials said they believe it was to have been used in an attack on U.S. or allied interests. Cyanide is extremely toxic and can be used as a chemical weapon, although it was unclear if the cyanide was in a form that could be used that way easily.

The raid took place on Jan. 23, a defense official said, adding that parts for making bombs also were found in the house.

The house was inhabited by a suspected subordinate of Abu Musab Zarqawi, U.S. officials said. Zarqawi is a Jordanian whom CIA officials have described as a senior associate of Osama bin Laden. Zarqawi is believed to have tried to direct al-Qaida operations inside Iraq, although it is unknown if he is in the country now.

Rules say senior officials must disclose finances

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Senior Iraqi officials, from the president down to judges, will have to disclose their personal finances under new anti-corruption rules aimed at keeping the country's future government clean and prosecuting past malfeasance.

The rules, set by a new commission and announced yesterday, reflect Iraqi efforts to redress the corruption that warped the economy and government under Saddam Hussein. They are also meant to show the Iraqi public that things will be different when a new government takes power.

"The commission will not have a magic wand to end all corruption in Iraq. But it's a good start," Iraqi Governing Council member Mouwafak al-Rubaie said as he announced details of the Public Integrity Commission. "It is nearly an impossible job to do."

Also ...

A U.S. Army helicopter crew killed one insurgent and wounded another during a rocket attack against an Army base near Balad, the U.S. military said yesterday. ... Just over half of Britons think Prime Minister Tony Blair should resign and 54 percent believe he exaggerated to the nation about the threat from Iraq, according to a poll conducted for the anti-war Independent newspaper. ... At least 30 bodies have been found in a mass grave outside the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, apparently buried during Saddam Hussein's crackdown against rebellious Shiites after the 1991 Gulf War, local residents said yesterday.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company