Above: Riyadh al-Nouri assasinated Riyadh al-Nouri, director of al-Sadr's office in Najaf, was assassinated by yet an unknown number of gunmen near his home. Muqtada al-Sadr blamed the Americans and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government for the killing. In his statement Friday, al-Sadr blamed the killing on "the hands of the occupiers and their stooges reaching out traitorously and aggressively against our dear martyr.” But ironically, the Shiite leader called for calm. "I call upon Sadrist followers to be patient.” Even though we all know that there will be ... Read More

Above: Islam jihad attack Israel Two Israeli civilians were killed in a cross-border raid on the Israeli Gaza border by Palestinian militants. At least four gunmen stormed the fuel depot at Nahal Oz in broad daylight. The depot is the main depot from which all fuel supplies are piped into Gaza. Palestinians in Gaza, over the past few days, have complained about the shortage of gasoline in their area. Israeli officials said fuel supplies had been sent in through this depot every day, including ... Read More

Above: The Mahdi Army has taken control of Basra. Crude oil prices rose to $107.58 a barrel (up 1.68) in New York, after a pipeline explosion in Iraq cut one of the main supplies to the country's main oil export terminal. The Zubair-1 pipeline is one of two that transport oil to the Basra terminal. Although the Iraqi oil ministry is still not certain as to what caused the explosion, they pretty much have a concrete idea. The ongoing clashes in the area between ... Read More