Free Republic

BAGHDAD — Over the past three decades, Hadi al-Amiri has gone from being a guerrilla fighting on behalf of Iran against his home country, Iraq; to notorious militia leader accused of running "death squads"; to parliament member in Baghdad, where he has emerged as a key player in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). “The Iraqi people, they love bravery,” Amiri said, by way of explaining his newfound influence. -excerpt- Amiri is the leader of the Badr Organization, a Shiite militia infamous during Iraq's civil war for its brutal tactics, which has now transformed into a political party that...

A top deputy of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was killed Wednesday during a raid by U.S. and Iraqi troops in the southern holy city of Najaf, sparking protests from Sadr's followers and complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader. Hurling rocks and shouting expletives, thousands of angry Sadr loyalists marched through the streets of Najaf after Sahib al-Amiri was shot and killed by a U.S. soldier during an early morning raid. "Agents and stooges!" protesters shouted at Iraqi soldiers and local authorities. In a statement, the U.S. military said Iraqi and U.S. forces were trying to detain...

Iraq: a close relation of the radical leader Moqtada Sadr Shiite killed in Najaf NAJAF (Iraq) - the partisans of the radical leader Moqtada Sadr Shiite showed Wednesday the American army to have killed Tuesday evening in Najaf (southern of Iraq) important directing movement sadrist, which a spokesman of the American quota contradicted. “Of the American soldiers took by storm this night the residence of Saheb Al-Ameri in a southern district of Najaf (160 km in the south of Baghdad)”, declared in AFP the chief of the police force of the city, the general Abdul Karim Mustafa. “They killed...

Goli Ameri has been appointed by President George W. Bush as one of three public delegates to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The 2005 meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights will take place March 14 through April 22 in Geneva, Switzerland. The US delegation is headed by former Senator Rudy Boschwitz who has been nominated by the White House for the position of Ambassador to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). Senator Boschwitz served in the US Senate from 1978-1991. Former Ambassadors to the UNCHR include Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick who served in the Geneva post...

David Wu admits to 'inexcusable behavior' PORTLAND, Ore. - A Democratic congressman in a tight re-election race admitted Tuesday that while he was a college student 28 years ago, he was disciplined by school officials for "inexcusable behavior" toward an ex-girlfriend. The admission by Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., came immediately after a report published in The Oregonian newspaper saying a former girlfriend from college once claimed Wu tried to force her into having sex. The report said the woman, whom the newspaper did not identify, declined to comment, citing privacy concerns. In his statement, Wu said he had a "two-year...

Goli Ameri is an Iranian-American telecommunications consulting firm owner and Republican candidate for Congress (OR-01). Ameri’s highly organized team, backed by an extensive coalition of entrepreneurs who support her pro-growth economic positions, have a real opportunity to win the first district which has been dominated by Democrats for twenty-eight years. Previously, the Republicans held the seat for ninety-four years, but have lost every election since 1975. Ameri hopes to attract moderates in the district with her realistic positions on critical issues such as the economy, jobs, education, and healthcare. Ms. Ameri is the founder and President of eTinium, a consulting...