Mortar/Rocket
31 March 2006
KUNA: Mortar Shell Falls on Multi-National Forces Headquarters in Kirkuk
A mortar shell fell on Friday on the headquarters of the multi-national forces in Kirkuk in northern Iraq. An Iraqi police source gave no details whether the shell caused damage to the building.
AP: Two Wounded in Rocket Attack
Army Pfc. Tristan Wyatt, of Washington, DC, was hit in the right leg by an armor-piercing rocket, requiring an amputation. It also took the right leg of Army Sgt. Michael Meinen, of Alexandria, Virginia. Wyatt required a field amputation above his knee.
AP: Mortar Round Slams Baghdad Street, Kills Three
A mortar round slammed into a street in northeastern Baghdad Friday, killing three bystanders and wounding three others, police said.
03 April 2006
KUNA: In Another Development Around Kirkuk
In another development, five Katyusha rockets slammed near an Iraqi army barracks north of Kirkuk. There were no damages reported. Unknown gunmen also attacked an Iraqi army vehicle in central Kirkuk, Gader said adding no further details.
04 April 2006
AP: British Consulate in Basra Mortared, No Casualties
Two mortar rounds exploded near the British consulate in Basra during a reception, causing no injuries but forcing the party to end early, an Associated Press reporter at the event said.
Kidnappings
01 April 2006
Xinhua: Gunmen Kidnap Iraqi Physician in Baghdad
Unknown gunmen stormed a private clinic on a main street in eastern Baghdad on Saturday, kidnapping a physician, a police source said. “Unidentified armed men rushed into the clinic of Doctor Fadhil al-Jarrah in Palestine Street …”
02 April 2006
AP: Brother of Sunni Lawmaker Presumed Kidnapped
A prominent Sunni lawmaker in Baghdad, meanwhile, reported that his brother disappeared last week in a possible kidnapping. Saleh al-Mutlaq said his brother, Taha, went missing while driving north out of Baghdad to Salahuddin province.
Surface-to-Air Attacks
01 April 2006
Reuters: US Helicopter Down Near Baghdad, No Word on Crew
A US military helicopter went down southwest of Baghdad on Saturday, the military said in a statement, saying it was unclear if there were casualties. A militant group said it shot down a helicopter in the same area …
Oil Pipeline Attacks
03 April 2006
Iraq Pipeline Watch #300
February 24 – An explosion set fire to an oil pipeline south of Samarra.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #303
March 1 – An oil pipeline was burning in Musayyib, following a RPG attack. Gunmen shot at firefighters as they rushed to the scene, wounding two of them. Arriving a short time later, police engaged the insurgents in an hour-long gunbattle.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #304
March 2 – Guards with Iraq’s oil protection service killed one man and detained three others as they were trying to plant bombs under a pipeline west of Kerbala, south of Baghdad.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #306
March 30 – Insurgents blew up a pipeline transporting oil from Kirkuk to the Bayji refinery, at a point near a village 30 miles southwest of Kirkuk.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #309
April 1 – Roadside bomb blast near oil pipeline 44 miles (70 km) south of Basra kills two members of Iraq’s Facility Protection Services (FPS); no damage to the pipeline.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #308
March 31 – Blast underneath oil pipeline that runs from Bayji to Daura.
Iraq Pipeline Watch #306
March 8 – 9:00 am explosion at the Basra headquarters of the Southern Oil Company damaged the fuel section’s building; unclear if caused by bomb or mortar.
Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world.
