Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Al-Bayan [Baghdad, daily newspaper in Arabic published by the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party] [From editorial]: "We do not claim that all Americans are devoid of human feelings, nor can we imagine that it is in America's interest to deepen anti-American sentiment by killing innocent civilians, but we have learned the hard way that Americans are not completely trustworthy. However, is this not to say that we should blame all our calamities on the Americans alone? Does our interim government bear no responsibility at all for certain cases of escalation, or for giving the Americans a free hand to decide who, where and when to bomb?"

The KDP leader Massoud Barzani and his politburo received yesterday their counterparts from Kurdistan Islamic Union for discussion on bilateral ties. Barzani proposed setting up a joint high committee at leadership level to enhance the relations and coordinate efforts for the common goals of the two parties. The two sides also discussed the elections in Iraq and Kurdistan and ways of Kurdistan political parties' participation in those elections. The Governor of Dahuk escaped an assassination attempt yesterday morning while he was going to his office. A remote-controlled TNT package was exploded on Mitterrand Street as the Governor's convoy was passing by and the incident went without human casualties, a spokesperson for the central security committee at the Governorate told the press. The Governor commented on the failed attempt saying Kurdistan enemies were upset at the accomplished reconstruction, development achieved in Kurdistan and the prevailing security. The Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITF) lashed at the Iraqi federal government very hard accusing it of collaboration wit the USA for eliminating the Turcomans in Iraq. During Monday's meeting of Kirkuk Governorate Municipal Council (KMC), a Turcoman member affiliated to the ITF requested the KMC to help halting the US attacks on Talaa'far (west of Mosul). She referred to a memorandum addressed to the Iraqi president, his PM and the UN Secretary-General to that effect. On Sunday, the ITF Kirkuk HQ hosted a meeting between a number of chauvinist Arabs and Turcoman parties affiliated to the ITF. The meeting participants set up a work plan for halting return of Kurdish IDPs to Kirkuk, sending back those who have already returned and camped in the city, decreasing the number of Kurdish policemen and directors of governmental departments and suspending the works of [KMC-established] IDPs committee.In Mosul, insurgents fired at a police patrol in an industrial area killing 4 policemen and wounding another 7 Monday evening. A mortar attack on another police station resulted in the death of one policeman and injury of 4 others. Local KDP and administrative officials in Haji Omeran and Wartae towns north of Erbil laid corner stones for the construction of internal roads The court in Erbil launched investigations into the suicide of two female students of a secondary school in the city. The court summoned the female headmaster of that school for her suspected insults to the two students, which might have educed their suicides.