(Iraq) PM's party office burned in central Karbala

[sabra]

Source: Voice of Iraq

Karbala, Aug 29, (VOI)- Unidentified gunmen attacked the office of the Islamic Dawa party in central Karbala on Wednesday afternoon, setting it on fire, eyewitnesses said.

"Unidentified gunmen attacked the office of the Islamic Dawa party, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in central Karbala and burned it," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"The attack caused no casualties," he noted, adding no more details.
No word was available from official sources on the incident.
The attack coincided with the visit of al-Maliki to the city of Karbala, where scores of civilians and police forces were killed and injured as a result of clashes between gunmen and police forces.

The party is one of the main components of the Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with 115 out of a total 275 seats.

Read more: http://66.111.34.180/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=53834&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

[Eugene]

1. But Maliki said gov't forces had restored order there.

Source: Reuters

Iraq's Sadr suspends activity of his militia
Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:24AM EDT

-snip-

The battles in Kerbala appeared to pit Iraq's two biggest
Shi'ite groups against each other -- followers of Sadr
and his Mehdi Army, and the rival Supreme Iraqi Islamic
Council (SIIC), whose armed wing controls police in much
of the south.

-snip-

Earlier, Maliki flew to Kerbala and announced his forces
had restored order in the city.

But the violence among Shi'ites spread overnight, with
gunmen attacking SIIC offices in at least five cities and
setting many of them ablaze.

Maliki blamed "outlawed armed criminal gangs from the
remnants of the buried Saddam regime" for the violence
and sacked the army general in charge of the Kerbala
command centre.

-snip-

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSYAT71336220070829

It's always the Saddamists with Maliki. :eyes:

[sabra]

3. "It's always the Saddamists with Maliki." - I see he is picking up pointers from BushCo

[acmavm]

2. Wonder if it's some of Allawi's boys?

[Doctor_J]

4. Freedom is on the march - Dodd's office is burglarized, Al-Maliki's attacked

they've embraced US-style democracy.