Kathleen Ridolfo

Also by Kathleen Ridolfo

• October 19, 2005

  PACE Envoy Says Conflict Spreading In North Caucasus

  The deadly 13-14 October raids in Nalchik look like the latest sign of violence spilling over from Chechnya. Andreas Gross, rapporteur on Chechnya for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, says he is increasingly worried about the phenomenon.

• October 19, 2005

  The Al-Dujayl Massacre

  Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and seven of his associates went on trial on 19 October on charges of crimes against humanity for the regime's role in the deaths of 143 residents from the town of Al-Dujayl, and the imprisonment of 1,500 others following a botched assassination attempt against Hussein there on 8 July 1982. Following the arrests and deportations, the regime leveled the town.

• October 17, 2005

  Iraq: Sunni Arabs Lose Bid To Vote Down Constitution

  Voters at the polls on 15 October Preliminary results from the 15 October referendum on the Iraqi draft constitution point to a loss by Sunni Arabs who sought to vote down the draft. While the final tally is not expected for at least another day, local electoral officials have told journalists that it appears the draft got a "yes" vote in two Sunni Arab-populated governorates: Diyala and Ninawah. It appears that a "no" vote won out only in the Sunni Arab-populated governorates of Salah Al-Din and Al-Anbar. The Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) stipulates that the draft will fail only if three or more governorates reject it.

• October 14, 2005

  Iraq: The Constitution Agreement And The Sunni Opposition

  Many aren't swayed by efforts to promote the draft constitution This week's agreement between the Sunni-led Iraqi Islamic Party and the Shi'ite and Kurdish leadership in Iraq has done little to sway other Sunni Arab groups to support the draft constitution in the 15 October referendum. The Iraqi government praised the agreement as a success, saying Sunni Arabs now have no reason to vote "no" on the draft, but in reality, the agreement serves to further fracture the Sunni Arab electorate, as those who reject it move further away from the political process rather than toward it.

• October 14, 2005

  Iraq: Parliamentarian Predicts Al-Sadr Supporters Will Align With Sunnis After Election

  Qusay Abd al-Wahhab Abbud al-Suhail -- a member of the Iraqi National Assembly and a supporter of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- predicted in a 14 October interview that al-Sadr supporters in parliament will align with the Sunni group National Dialogue Council following the December election. Al-Suhail also discussed al-Sadr's position on the draft constitution, as well as Iranian influence in Iraq.

• October 13, 2005

  Iraq: The Corruption Quandary

  Iraq's transitional government has issued arrest warrants for former Defense Minister Hazim al-Sha'lan and 23 other officials for the misappropriation of more than $1 billion during the administration of the interim government that ruled Iraq from June 2004 until April. Al-Sha'lan has denied any role in the corruption scandal and has claimed that the allegations are politically motivated by the current Iraqi government and Iran.

• September 16, 2005

  Iraq: A Nation Finds Itself At A Crossroads

  Iraqis gather at the scene of this week's bloody bombing in Baghdad Fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi declared war on Iraq's Shi'a community in a 14 September statement posted to the Internet (http://www.bayanat.info). "Battles intensify and names change but the goal remains the same: a crusader, rejectionists' [Shi'a] war against the Sunnis," al-Zarqawi said of the Iraqi government and multinational force. "Now that the government...and the servant of the Cross, Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, has declared an all-out war against the Sunnis in Tal Afar...under the pretexts of restoring law and eliminating the terrorists, the organization [Al-Qaeda] has decided to declare an all-out war against the rejectionist Shi'a everywhere in Iraq," al-Zarqawi said.

• September 12, 2005

  Iraq: Chemical Threat Aimed At Offensive In Tal Afar

  An Iraqi man (second from left) speaks with Iraqi and U.S. troops today in Tal Afar An Al-Qaeda-affiliated group has threatened to attack Iraqi and coalition forces with chemical weapons "within 24 hours" if they do not withdraw their troops from Tal Afar. The so-called Victorious Sect Army posted the statement to an Internet site on 11 September, and it appears aimed at inflicting psychological terror on the Iraqi population as well as on joint forces currently engaged in fierce fighting against the insurgents.

• September 11, 2005

  Iraq: Operation In Tal Afar A Success, But For How Long?

  U.S. soldier in Tal Afar After months of preparation, some 5,000 Iraqi security forces backed by 3,500 U.S. troops launched a major push into the northwestern Iraqi town of Tal Afar on 10 September in an effort to drive out terrorists based there once and for all.

• September 08, 2005

  Iraq: Kurds Sponsor Talks With Sunni Arabs On Draft Constitution

  A man walks past a poster promoting the Iraqi constitution The Iraqi Independent Election Commission confirmed on 8 September that a referendum on the draft constitution will take place on 15 October, Al-Sharqiyah television reported, citing an unidentified commission spokesman as saying that copies of the draft were being printed for distribution.

• August 31, 2005

  Background: The Growing Sunni-Shi'a Divide

  As the debilitating security situation in Iraq threatens to widen the Sunni-Shi'ite rift, leaders on both sides are trying to allay fears of a sectarian war -- a tall order in an atmosphere charged with accusations, power struggles, and growing animosity.

• August 31, 2005

  Iraq: Sunnis Weigh In On Draft Constitution

  Vice President Ghazi Ajil al-Yawir, a Sunni leader (file photo) Iraq's Sunni Arab leaders have expressed varying levels of opposition to the draft constitution since it was announced on 28 August. As with other turning points in Iraq's post-Hussein political development, it is clear now that Sunnis do not have a united stance on the draft. However, a number of Sunni groups have given the draft a lukewarm reception, indicating that they could be swayed to support the draft in the national referendum set for 15 October.

• August 25, 2005

  Iraq: Al-Sadr Reasserts Himself -- This Time Against Coreligionists

  Al-Sadr has appealed to his supporters to remain calm Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr appears to be playing both agitator and mediator in the sudden surge of internecine fighting that broke out on 24 August between rival Shi'ite groups in Al-Najaf and subsequently spread to eight cities across Iraq.

• August 25, 2005

  Deadly Shi'a Infighting Persists As Iraqi Deadline Nears

  25 August 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Hundreds of supporters of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered outside the cleric's offices in the central Iraqi city of Al-Najaf on 25 August, apparently awaiting instructions following deadly clashes that have highlighted divisions within the country's Shi'a community, Radio Free Iraq reported.

• August 23, 2005

  Iraq: Devil In The Constitutional Details

  A promotional poster for the constitution Iraq's National Assembly accepted an unfinished draft constitution on 22 August and voted to allow drafters three additional days to work out the remaining details of the draft before the assembly weighs in on the document, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reported on 23 August.

• August 19, 2005

  Iraq: Al-Zarqawi Tactics Could Be Alienating Supporters

  Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi (file photo) Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's agenda may be proving too ambitious these days. In recent weeks, the terrorist's Tanzim Qa'idat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Rafidayn declared war on the Shi'a and formed an assassination brigade to hunt and kill members of a Shi'ite political organization; threatened Sunnis on the constitution drafting committee; vowed to kill Sunnis who vote for the constitutional referendum this fall; and verbally attacked al-Zarqawi's onetime spiritual mentor, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, when the latter "advised" al-Zarqawi against targeting Shi'a and civilians in his attacks.

• August 16, 2005

  Iraq: National Assembly Amends Transitional Law, Extending Drafting Period

  More discussion is necessary Just before midnight on 15 August, Iraq's National Assembly voted unanimously to amend the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), Iraq's interim constitution, to allow the committee charged with drafting a permanent constitution seven more days to draft the document.

• August 12, 2005

  Iraq: Unrest In Samawah Bodes Ill For Handover

  Recent anti-Japanese protest in Samawah The south-central Iraqi city Samawah has been touted by Iraqi and U.S. officials as one of the calmest cities in Iraq. Some 550 Japanese ground self-defense troops (GSDF) have been stationed in the city for more than a year, carrying out humanitarian activities. But a recent surge in violence and reports of growing public hostility to the Japanese presence are prompting many to question the prospects for continued humanitarian assistance there. Moreover, the growing unrest leaves many wondering whether Samawah -- named as one of the first cities where the coalition is expected to hand over control to Iraqi forces -- is ready for self-governance.

• August 08, 2005

  Iraq: UN Chief Seeks Mission Extension, Amid Corruption Allegations Against Former Oil-For-Food Head

  Kofi Annan may be facing a fresh investigation into his ties to the oil-for-food scandal United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked the UN Security Council on 5 August to extend the mission of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq until August 2006. The request comes as the UN-established Independent Inquiry Committee released its third quarterly report on allegations related to corruption within the UN-administered oil-for-food program, which ran from 1996 to 2003.

• August 05, 2005

  Iraq: Kurds Taking Hard-Line Stance On Constitution

  Kurds are becoming increasingly vocal in their demands for the new constitution Kurdish leaders in Iraq have called for all of their demands to be met in the draft constitution, threatening that otherwise they will encourage voters in the three Kurdish provinces to vote down the document in October.

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