Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Thread Thirty-Three (Index)

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The Threat Matrix

The title refers to a daily report given to the president of the United States detailing the most serious terrorist threats against the country. To tackle those threats, the government has formed a top-notch task force to infiltrate the terror cells and cut off the danger.

"Every morning, the president receives a list of the top ten terrorist threats - this list is known as the threat matrix."

We here at FR are trying to be in conjunction with the daily reports around the world that involve threats. We try to provide a storehouse of information that takes hours of research.

YOU be the judge and get informed!

Video Comeback For Bin Laden?
Full Story

He hasn't been heard from in more than a year, but one news site reports that it has obtained a new tape of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

But U.S. officials are skeptical of the report, CBS News reports.

The story from Pajhwok Afghan News, dated Tuesday, describes a new 30-minute tape with a message from Taliban commander Mullah Dodallah and the al Qaeda leader, according to the IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor that does work for intelligence agencies.

"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat."

TM Terrorism Handbook

Link to Thread Thirty-Two

"Code Red Implications:
Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word."
From Tm'er and Freeper ~MamaDearest~

Tracking the Chatter with TM

TM 'Be on the Lookout'

Survival Preparedness Info.

Threat Matrix Book List

ExSoldier's Invaluable Tips

Arabic Links and Resources

Godzilla's Summaries

Threat Matrix HTML designed by: Ian Livingston

December 25, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

Three killed in Iraq unrest
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/December/focusoniraq_December173.xml&section=focusoniraq
A car bomb killed two Iraqi civilians on Sunday in the northern city of Kirkuk, while gunmen shot dead an interior ministry civil servant in Baghdad,
security officials said

(Russia) Blast 'could be terrorism'
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17659919-38197,00.html
A blast hit a regional administration building in Kyrgyzstan today, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act, local officials said.

Indonesia remains on alert for Christmas attacks
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1537832.htm
Police spokesman: "we will remain alert throughout New Year's festivities, particularly on January 1"

(Indonesia) Terror warnings prompt bomb sweeps at churches
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20051224-084556-7040r.htm

Iraq wants Dr Germ and Mrs Anthrax back in custody
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/December/focusoniraq_December172.xml&section=focusoniraq

(Iraq) Video shows Jordanian hostage
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/24/jordanian.hostage/index.html
Embassy driver was kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad

Jordanian's abductors want failed hotel bomber freed: report
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1537724.htm

(Afghanistan) 4 Suspected Taliban Insurgents Killed
http://interestalert.com/story/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/12240000aaa00bec.ap&Sys=siteia&Fid=WORLDNEW&Type=News&Filter=World%20News

(Al Arian Trial) 'I Can Sleep At Night,' Juror Says
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGB37K6TMHE.html

Sri Lanka pro-rebel MP shot dead at Christmas service
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/December/subcontinent_December862.xml&section=subcontinent

(Canada) Terrorist watch-lists still a thorny issue for government, records show
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b23b293d-2182-44e9-9da3-85b8210efc4c&k=59960

Rumsfeld serves up Christmas dinner in Iraq
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=93247

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1580393,000500020000.htm

Al-Qaeda now an ideology bigger than
Osama: Paper

Asian News International

Karachi, December 23, 2005|11:43 IST

While the US carries forwards its tirade of
capturing Osama bin Laden alive, there is
feeling that in case he is alive and caught
by the US, his ideology shall not be
curbed because he has followers across
the globe.

Also "bin Laden's removal from the scene
may well whip up more frenzy among
some sections of the Muslim population",
said an editorial in the Daily Times.

The editorial said that it seems Al-Qaeda
had become an ideology, and spawned
well beyond the person of Osama.

According to it, if Al-Qaeda's ideology is
not synonymous with Laden, then
capturing the fugitive cannot be expected to result in the eradication of
the threat from the globe.

The author of the editorial said: "We believe, on the basis of what has
happened since October 2001, when the US attacked Afghanistan and
sent Bin Laden scurrying for cover, that he may have increasingly
become ancillary to the problem."

Citing the examples of retribution the US forces are facing in Iraq, and
the 7/7 and 7/22 bombings in London, the paper said that it would be
difficult to curb the Al-Qaeda ideology.

It further said: "What is happening in Iraq is a good example of that;
another example is the July 7 and 22 bombings in London. There is an
Al-Qaeda hand behind insurgency in Iraq but there is no evidence that
the struggle is being planned or controlled directly by bin Laden. Much
the same is true of the London bombings."

"British intelligence reports say the bombers had no linkage with
Al-Qaeda. This means two things: Opposition to US policies may be
spreading out; and disgruntled elements may decide to operate on their
own regardless of any linkage with Al-Qaeda or any logistical or other
support from that group," it added.

It said when Iraq president Saddam Hussein was captured, the US
expressed self-satisfaction over the fact that the capture would reduce
the intensity of the insurgency, but that did not happen, and, in fact, the
insurgency has since then only become more intense.

"This is even truer of Al-Qaeda and how it operates," the editorial
concluded.

December 25, 2005
Jesus: A Gift from the Father
James 1:17
Who knows a child better than his parent? From the time a baby is delivered, its mother and father know more than anyone else what will make the child content, sad, frightened, or excited. They recognize not only the youngster's preferences but also his needs. And for that reason, parents usually know how to select the most appropriate gifts for their son or daughter.

How much more does our Heavenly Father understand us! He didn't have to learn about us the way earthly parents do. As our Creator, who "wove" each of us when we were still in the womb (Psalm 139:13), He knows us better than even our family.

That means He is perfectly aware, not just of our likes, dislikes, abilities, and struggles, but especially of our needs. So when it comes to gifts, doesn't it make sense that God is the best Giver?

God knew our greatest need would be a solution to our sin problem, because sin separates us from Him. So He designed the perfect plan, which is also the perfect gift: He determined to send His sinless Son Jesus as the payment for your sin-debt and mine. The One we see as a baby in the manger is fully God, who came to earth with a purpose--to die so that you and I could have forgiveness of our sins, and that by believing, we might have the greatest gift of all: eternal life.

Your best Christmas present is not wrapped up and placed under the tree; it is the One whose birthday we celebrate. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Charles Stanley

#1292--that was wonderful.

Property quarantined over bird flu fears

December 23, 2005 - 5:54PM

A property near the NSW and Victorian border has been quarantined after one of the birds recorded a weak reaction to an avian influenza test.

It is the first time Australian officials have isolated a property in response to concerns about avian flu, which has killed more than 70 people through Asia since 2003.

Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran said the quarantining of the property, near Wentworth, a town on the Murray-Darling River junction just north of Mildura, was a precautionary measure.

The chicken was originally tested by the state laboratory because it was suspected of having the common Marek's disease.

Mr McGauran said tests had excluded the highly pathogenic AI (HPAI) form of bird flu, of with the deadly H5N1 is a strain.

He said samples had been sent to the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) for further testing.

"While there is no evidence of any outbreak of avian influenza on the property, it has been placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure," he said.

"This is consistent with Australia's conservative approach to managing animal health and disease risks."

Investigators had visited the property and found no sick or dead birds in the flock.

"Of the range of tests concluded, all were clearly negative except for some molecular tests which gave some weak inconclusive results," Mr McGauran said.

Further tests were conducted. Initial results from those tests are expected within 24 hours but full results could take up to two weeks.

Mr McGauran said Australia's chief veterinary officer, Gardner Murray, had discussed the available information with his Victorian and NSW counterparts and AAHL scientists.

"Their judgment, based on both the initial laboratory and field situation, is that it is most unlikely that HPAI is present," he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr McGauran said it was 99.9 per cent likely that the chickens did not have avian influenza or any strain of the virus.

"It is the remotest of possibilities that this is a case of avian influenza," she said.

In October, Australian inspectors quarantined 102 pigeons imported from Canada which had been exposed to the virus. Three of the birds were later destroyed.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Property-quarantined-over-bird-flu-fears/2005/12/23/1135032180077.html

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-12-23T152553Z_01_MOR355365_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-CHRONOLOGY.xml&archived=False

CHRONOLOGY-Bird flu developments
Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:26 PM GMT

(Reuters) - Indonesia has confirmed two more human deaths from bird flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, taking the global death toll from the disease to 73, all in Asia.

Here is a chronology of major bird flu developments:

Dec 15, 2003 - South Korea confirms a highly contagious type of bird flu at a chicken farm near Seoul and begins a mass cull of poultry when the virus rapidly spreads across the country.

Jan 8, 2004 - Vietnam says bird flu found on poultry farms.

Sept 27 - Thailand says it has found a case where one human probably infected another with bird flu. It said this was an isolated incident posing little risk to the population.

Oct 10, 2005 - The European Commission announces a ban on imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey to the 25-nation EU. This was in response to Turkey reporting its first case of bird flu two days earlier. It was later confirmed as the type dangerous to humans, the H5N1 strain.

Oct 15 - British tests identify H5N1 in three ducks found dead in Ceamurlia de Jos in Romania, the first case in mainland Europe of H5N1.

Nov 9 - Three days of talks among health experts in Geneva agree a billion dollar strategy to minimise the virus threat at source in animals and humans.

Nov 11 - Kuwait reports the first known case of deadly bird flu in the Gulf Arab region, saying a culled flamingo was carrying the deadly strain of the H5N1 virus.

Nov 15 - Britain says 53 finch-like mesias imported from Taiwan died last month in a British quarantine center where they were believed to have introduced the H5N1 virus. In October, Britain had said a parrot imported from Suriname had been found to have the virus and a mesia may have caught it.

Dec 3 - Ukraine introduces tough steps to combat its first outbreak of bird flu, sending troops to patrol exclusion zones in the Crimea peninsula where the virus was detected.

Dec 23 - Indonesia confirms two further deaths from bird flu. That brings the death toll in Asia to 73, comprising 14 victims in Thailand, four in Cambodia, 11 in Indonesia, 42 in Vietnam and two in China.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/GL22Df01.html

Armed and dangerous: Taliban gear up

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - Any resistance movement is generally only as good as the
weapons it uses, and that is something that has bedeviled the poorly-
equipped Taliban-led anti-US forces in Afghanistan for a long time.

The resistance has steadily taken steps, though, to beef up its
arsenal to include modern automatic weapons and ground-to-air
missiles. This it has done in part by forging closer links with the
resistance in Iraq, as well as with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.

According to intelligence sources who spoke to Asia Times Online, al-
Qaeda concluded that its attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000 was
a failure, even though 17 American sailors were killed. As a result,
al-Qaeda sent a team to the LTTE to gain expertise in maritime combat
operations. The LTTE, as part of its longstanding battle against the
Sri Lankan government, has developed a relatively sophisticated
maritime wing.

The interaction was brief and inconclusive, and al-Qaeda subsequently
rejected the idea of maritime combat, deciding instead to fight the
United States on land. Nevertheless, the links established between
the two groups were to prove useful in another way.

Pakistani intelligence sources say that al-Qaeda now works with the
LTTE to get weapons, including automatic arms and ground-to-air
missiles. The weapons are paid for in cash, as well as in drugs
originating from Afghanistan, according to the sources. The drugs
primarily are sent to Scandinavian countries and Thailand, the latter
being a traditional base from which the LTTE has smuggled weapons.

"This is a perfect arrangement as resources are complemented - the
Tigers get ideological support, while regular arms supplies on the
other hand go to al-Qaeda, which ultimately feeds its fronts in Iraq
and Afghanistan," said the source.

"The smuggling channels are the same that the Tamil Tigers have
adopted for years [with international arms cartels]. The latest
weapons originate through arm dealers, as well as those stolen from
arms depots and shipped from South America and Lebanon. They are
transferred from ship to ship and sometimes offloaded at small ports,
and from there, using various channels, they reach the final
destination," the source said.

In the firing line

In the mountains and on the plains of Afghanistan, the resistance
operates in several ways, ranging from suicide bombings to attacking
convoys and brief pitched battles.

"But an air defense system [ground-to-air missiles] can break the
back [of the enemy] in low-intensity conflicts," a top Pakistani
security official told Asia Times Online.

"The resistance movement in Afghanistan has now acquired that system
in bulk. There are possibilities that some pieces will also have been
supplied to Iraq. As soon as this system comes into full action,
drastic results will come," he said.

After the Taliban retreated in the face of the US-led invasion of
Afghanistan in late 2001, the Afghan resistance was largely
scattered. The Taliban did preserve some heavy weapons, but these
could not be easily accessed due to the strong US military presence,
and many caches were seized.

Furthermore, some of the armory, especially missiles, required
special storage facilities to prevent exposure to harsh climatic
conditions, but this was not possible, and the weapons were damaged.

Slowly, as the resistance took firmer root and with the help of money
from foreign Arab fighters who had fled to the tribal areas of South
and North Waziristan in Pakistan, the resistance acquired missiles,
guns and ammunition from the indigenous home-made arms industry at
Dara Adam Khel near Peshawar.

However, these arms were of poor quality and simply not good enough
to take on the US-led forces in Afghanistan. For instance, the home-
made M16 rifles were only semi-automatic and the G-3 rifles lacked
the original specifications and accuracy which had made the original
version of the weapon popular. Locally-made rockets did not fly
properly and lacked sensors, which made them all but useless.

Authentic weapons are, of course, expensive. Now the Taliban has
solved this problem by tapping into Afghanistan's - and the world's -
richest cash crop, poppies. Using contacts among the warlords who
control the drug trade, the Taliban are able to divert some of the
money, which is then earmarked for weapons purchases.

With the drug money and the networks of the LTTE, the Afghan
resistance is now well positioned to sufficiently arm itself to take
its war with foreign forces in Afghanistan to a new level.

Syed Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

Note: kidnap westerners and worry for New Years, as well as Christmas.
granny

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20051225081131/Article/pp_index_html

‘Engagement’ to neutralise terror

By Amy Chew in Jakarta

HARDENED militants imbued with the jihadi ideology do not listen to ulama and only follow the words of their leaders,
said a top anti-terror official. As such, the Government needed to identify their leaders as they were the only ones
who could convince these people to stop their violent struggle, which has claimed hundreds of lives, said Ansyaad
Mbai, head of the anti- terror desk at the Co-ordinating Ministry of Security and Politics.

"In the case of their jihad, they don’t listen to the ulama. If we only engage the ulama to change their mindset, it
won’t be effective," Ansyaad told the New Sunday Times.

"The only man who can change their (jihadi) strategy is the real and actual leader.

"Who is the real leader? It is the Afghan alumni, those who share the jihad success stories in Ambon and Poso," he
added.

Hundreds of Indonesians went for training in military camps in Afghanistan in the late 1980s. After "graduating", they
helped the Afghan mujahidin fight the Russians occupying their land.

Many of the Afghan veterans later went on to the southern Philippines where they trained and fought alongside the
Moro fighters.

When sectarian violence erupted in Ambon on the Maluku islands and Poso in Central Sulawesi, the Af- ghan alumni
waged jihad in conflict areas, which have become a magnet for other militants.

Ansyaad’s warning comes as the American Embassy issued fresh warnings on Friday of possible terrorist attacks
against Americans and other Westerners in Indonesia over the Christmas and New Year period.

"The authorities have recently warned of the possibility that terrorists may be planning to kidnap foreigners over the
Christmas and New Year holidays," said the embassy.

"The possibility of terrorist attacks appears even higher this year in view of this new threat information," it added.

According to Ansyaad, at least 350 men are known to have trained in Afghanistan but exact numbers were difficult to
pinpoint as many travelled there undetected through unofficial channels.

When the men returned, they recruited new members and passed on their skills.

"They have succeeded in recruiting and training thousands. I don’t know how many but what is clear is that it reached
3,000 in the conflict areas."

He said the Government needed to approach the militant leaders, appeal to them to give up violence as part of their
struggle to establish an Islamic state based on Syariah in the country.

"They (militant leaders) have high respect from their ex-trainees. These people (militant leaders) are the ones we
should recruit as partners and ask to speak to their ex-trainees, ex-friends.

"In my opinion, talking to some of these key figures, they (will) agree to co-operate to neutralise their violent
strategy."

Ansyaad declined to name the leaders, but said they had been identified and there was a "bright spot" in the
Government’s efforts to engage them.

According to Ansyaad, the ulama play a crucial role in preventing vulnerable youth from falling under the influence of
militant teachings.

"The ulama can prevent young people studying in religious boarding schools from being affected by radical ideology
through their preaching and upgrading the curriculum with a modern general education."

© Copyright 2005 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

While the US military maintains that only eight figures from Saddam
Hussein's government have been released, an Iraqi official quoted by
the Associated Press news agency said some 24 prisoners had been set
free."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4558800.stm

Iraq weapons experts face arrest

A senior Iraqi official has called for the re-arrest of two of Saddam
Hussein's biological weapons experts, released by US forces earlier
this week.

National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubbaie said warrants had been
issued for the arrest of Rihab Taha and Huda Ammash.

The pair were among 22 high-ranking Iraqi detainees set free by the
US.

They had been accused of running Iraq's bioweapons programme. The US
concluded they had no useful information.

A lawyer for Dr Ammash dismissed the threat to re-arrest her, saying
the Iraqi government had agreed to the release of the detainees on
the condition that they left Iraq.

Mrs Ammash was nicknamed "Mrs Anthrax" by the US, and Mrs Taha was
known as "Dr Germ".

Reports have been circulating of a pre-election deal to free former
regime figures in order to appease Iraq's Sunni Arabs, correspondents
say.

Motive

The British-educated Mrs Taha and US-educated Mrs Ammash had both
been accused by the Bush administration of involvement in Saddam
Hussein's banned weapons programme.

Neutralising the threat posed by the former leader's chemical and
biological weapons was cited by the US as its prime motive for
invading Iraq in 2003.

No such weapons have been found since the invasion.

While the US military maintains that only eight figures from Saddam
Hussein's government have been released, an Iraqi official quoted by
the Associated Press news agency said some 24 prisoners had been set
free.

Aseel Tabra, an Iraqi Olympic Committee official and Hossam Mohammed
Amin, head of the weapons inspections directorate, are among those
who have been released, according to the official quoted by the
agency.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4558800.stm

Published: 2005/12/25 09:41:41 GMT

This is going to take a strange edit job, so imagine, what the missing part of it says.......
granny

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-12-25T155235Z_01_SPI550050_RTRUKOC_0_US-
IRAQ.xml

Bombs, protests as Iraq election mood sours

Sun Dec 25, 2005 10:52 AM ET

By Alastair Macdonald

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombs struck Iraqi police and army patrols and
destroyed an American tank in Baghdad on Sunday as fresh street
protests over election results kept up tension that has soured the
mood after a peaceful ballot 10 days ago.

In the violent northern city of Mosul, the killing of a Sunni Arab
student leader abducted after heading a demonstration against the
election results prompted accusations by mourners at his funeral
against militias loyal to the victorious Shi'ite Islamists and their
Kurdish allies in the interim government.

President Jalal Talabani, meeting the U.S. ambassador who is
mediating in efforts to transform the newly inclusive parliament into
a viable government, urged Sunni leaders to join a new, broader
coalition. Otherwise there would be no peace, he warned.

Disappointed Sunni and secular parties have demanded a rerun of the
December 15 election and threatened to boycott parliament, a move
that could damage U.S. hopes of forging a consensus that can keep
Iraq from breaking up in ethnic and sectarian warfare.

But despite militant rhetoric, seemingly aimed at increasing their
leverage, Sunnis are negotiating with others to build a governing
coalition on the basis of the existing poll results.

Meeting U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in his Kurdish power base of
Sulaimaniya, Talabani said: "Without the Sunni parties there will be
no consensus government ... without consensus government there will
be no unity, there will be no peace."

LULL OVER

secured partly by fierce security
measures and partly by an informal ceasefire by Sunni rebels hoping
for representation in parliament, deadly attacks have picked up. Ten
Iraqi soldiers were killed in one assault on Friday as were 10
worshippers at a Shi'ite mosque.

A U.S. soldier was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack near
Kirkuk on Saturday and troops marking Christmas had no respite on
Sunday; an Abrams tank, the giant bulwark of American armored might,
was left in flames after a dawn attack in eastern Baghdad -- witness
said a roadside bomb blasted it.

A U.S. military spokesman confirmed an attack on a tank

Two car bombs, parked by the roadside, went off around lunchtime,
wounding three Iraqi soldiers and a civilian in the city center and
three policemen in eastern Baghdad, police said.

Two soldiers were killed and six wounded in a mortar attack on an
Iraqi base at Mahmudiya, just south of the capital.

In Kirkuk, where Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen are vying for control of
the northern oilfields, a civilian was killed and seven wounded when
a car bomb went off close to a police patrol.

Further north, in Mosul, Iraq's third city where ethnic tensions
between Arabs and Kurds are also high, a roadside bomb killed a
policeman when it detonated close to his patrol.

Anger flared round Mosul's university campus, one of Iraq's most
distinguished, after the bullet-riddled body of the head of the
student union was found on Sunday.

The body, found with the victim's hands bound behind his back, also
bore marks of strangling, a hospital source said.

Gunmen had grabbed Qusay Salahaddin from his home on Thursday, two
days after he had led a demonstration against the election results,
and bundled him into the trunk of a car before driving off, said
Mohammed Jassim, a friend of the victim.

From there, Salahaddin used his mobile phone to call for help, Jassim
said, accusing Kurdish peshmerga militia: "Save me, the peshmerga
have kidnapped me," Jassim quoted Salahaddin, a Sunni Arab, as saying
before the line went dead.

Among some 2,000 fellow students gathered at a mosque where the body
was taken, accusations quickly flew against another favored target of
Sunni Arab complaint, militia forces loyal to one of the main
Islamist parties in the Shi'ite Alliance bloc.

No group claimed responsibility for the killing.

ELECTION ANGER

Mosul -- one of two cities named by U.S. President George W. Bush
before the election as a model of progress in Iraq -- has been at the
forefront of complaints of voter fraud this year.

Provisional national results of the December 15 election show the
Shi'ite Alliance bloc should come close to retaining its slim
majority in the new legislature, despite a big turnout by Sunni Arabs
who boycotted a poll in January.

protests in recent days in Baghdad and elsewhere by
Sunni and secular parties, assurances from U.N. and other
officials that irregularities under investigation affect only an
insignificant proportion of the ballot.

About 1,000 marched on Sunday in Baquba northeast of Baghdad and, in
the subdued former rebel stronghold of Falluja to the west, some
2,000 people joined a demonstration that also expressed anger at a
government fuel price hike last week.

City council leader Kamal al-Nazal complained of fraud in an election
the once dominant Sunni minority had taken part in for the first time
with high hopes, only to see them disappointed: "We went to a
wedding," he said. "And it turned into a funeral."

(Additional reporting by Nabil Nourredine in Mosul, Aref Mohammed in
Kirkuk, Fadil al-Badrani in Falluja, Cyrille Cartier in Sulaimaniya
and Aseel Kami in Baghdad)

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