Weekly Daily attack on Diwaniyah V/07

March madness continues unabated in Diwaniyah. First up, late news on the usual post Friday sermon Islamic rage attacks

March 23 Camp Echo is hit during the evening by several mortar bombs (Lv MoD)

March 24 Shots directed towards Camp Echo during the evening (Lv MoD)

DIWANIYA - The bullet-riddled body of a military intelligence officer was found in the centre of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. (Reuters),

but elsewhere in the former MND(CS) area :

Hilla- At least eleven civilians were killed and 45 were wounded on Saturday afternoon when a car bomb detonated near a Shiite mosque in north of Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, a police source said.(Iraqslogger)

March 25 Nothing reported from Diwaniyah but :

Hilla- Fierce clashes erupted on Sunday morning between armed groups and citizens mourning the victims of a suicide bombing at a (Shiite) mosque that killed 11 and wounded 45 on Saturday north of Hilla. (Iraqslogger)

March 26

DIWANIYA - The body of a man was found with gunshot wounds, bound and bearing signs of torture on Sunday in the southern city of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. (Reuters)

And its only Monday.

Update:

March 27  Several rockets are fired towards Camp Echo during th evening at about 20:20.
 (Lv MoD)

DIWANIYA - Six bodies were found in different parts of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said. The victims had been tortured, bound and shot. (Reuters)

March 28 Several rockets are fited towards Camp Echo in the evening.
 (Lv MoD)

The Latvian MoD provides few details on events in their posts other than noting that the Latvian contingent is unharmed. 

While on the subject of details, I understand the reports of bodies with "signs of torture" mean real horror like the liberal use of power drills on the victim.  Dreadfull stuff.

Last to Know

MND(CS) has posted the foto on their own website .

Now, given the flurry of police on gunman madness during the last week in Diwaniyah, MND(CS) commander Lamla has seen fit to comment on the hopeless state of the local police

The Age :

Polish general rates Iraqi police poorly

The commander of Polish forces in Iraq says Iraqi police are performing poorly in his sector and were collaborating with Shi'ite militiamen.

Like, no s**t Sherlock.

Major General Pawel Lamla, the commander of multinational forces based in Diwaniyah, 130 kilometres south of Baghdad, also accused the police of not taking firm action against Sunni insurgents in his area.

"Iraqi police do not do their duties as they should do because of some of their elements have connections with the militias with whom they collaborate," Lamla told Iraqi reporters.

He said the recent security deterioration was due "to police incompetence as well as the presence of the political parties who do not intervene to stop violence."

Lamla also confirmed that insurgents attack the multinational base in Diwaniyah on a daily basis but said his forces cannot return fire because the attacks come from residential areas. "We do not want to hurt residents," he said.

Doh! This problem is old, they seem to have lost control of central Diwaniyah last year. I would like to hear General Llama explain why is a military base is maintained a easy mortar/rocket attack from a insurgent save haven? Or if the base is immovable, why is the no-go area permitted? And what exactly does MND(CS) actually do in Diwaniyah anyway, since they have handed over responsiblity for the district to local forces last year?

Underscoring the threat, police said gunmen attacked an American patrol in Diwaniyah and two civilians were wounded in clashes.

Police, which police? The militia supporting ones? Who were the gunmen, maybe they were police?

In spite of his criticism to Iraqi police, Lamla praised the Iraqi army's 8th Division which is in charge of Kut and Diwaniyah.

"This division is the best formation in the Iraqi army, it is well-equipped and has the best commander and officers and are doing excellent job in a very wide and sprawling area ," he said.

"Excellent job" ... excellent? The excellent job does not include preventing nightly attacks on Camp Echo or constant IED attacks in the district. Nor is it so excellent that MND(CS) can claim "mission accomplished" and leave.

Shia militias battle openly corrupted cops in broad daylight

I am not impressed.

Weekly flurry of attacks on Diwaniyah IV/07

March 16 March Camp Echo took incoming fire on the evening (Lv MoD)

March 18 Reuters reports that

The body of a man, shot dead and tortured, was found on Saturday in the southern city of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

March 19 Fighting in Diwaniyah, reportedly between US forces and elements of the Mahdi Army, no word of casualties (IHT), while the body of a police captain is found in the city, and "gunmen" kill the head of the local passport office. (Reuters)

March 20 MND (CS) commander General Pawel Lamla criticises the local police (1)

March 20-21 During the night Camp Echo is fired apon, again (Lv MoD).

March 21 All manner of (preumably) Badrist/Sadrist trouble in Diwaniyah again, and the day ain't over yet (Reuters).

DIWANIYA - The bodies of two police commandos were found with gunshot wounds in the southern city of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

DIWANIYA - A policeman was killed and eight wounded, including four civilians, when clashes erupted between police and gunmen on Tuesday in several districts of Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

DIWANIYA - Police said they found the body of a man, shot in the head and bound, on Tuesday in Diwaniya.

Updated

March 21 Camp Echo again under fire during the 21st, time and type of attack unknown, nothing of import hit (Lv MoD)

Weekly attack on Diwaniyah III/07

At 1740 on March 12 a Latvian patrol from Diwaniyah was involved in some manner of action. Details are murky. The wording at the MoD website implies an ambush/ contact, though it may be an IED. No place is mentioned either. One of ours lightly wounded (shrapnel in the arm).

Update 1

At about 1825 on March 13th several rockets were fired at Camp Echo (Latvian MoD).

Weekly attack on Diwaniyah II/07

The weekly attack on Camp Echo in Diwaniyah. I have lost count.

The Latvian MoD reports more fire directed against Camp Echo on 03 March. Type unreported, damage nil.

MND(CS) reports only on their successfull EOD unit from Bosnia-Hercegovina, which is kind of trippy following the decade of peacekeeping there (which has not yet wrappd up).