Kurdish Autonomous Region, Iraq
Turks strike Kurds: Turkey this week conducted a large airstrike against Kurdish separatists based in Iraq and also sent about 300 soldiers into Iraqi territory. The Iraqi parliament called the move an “outrageous” violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. Turkey insisted its attack used U.S. intelligence and was carried out with tacit American approval. But during a surprise visit to Iraq this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the U.S. continues “to be concerned about anything that could lead to civilian casualties or anything that could destabilize the north.” Over the past several months, Turkey has massed 100,000 troops on the border and has launched occasional cross-border raids, trying to root out the PKK, which is fighting for a Kurdish homeland in Turkey.
Baghdad
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Troops needed in capital: U.S. commanders in Iraq said this week they plan to concentrate their forces in Baghdad next year, withdrawing troops from outlying areas as they draw down the “surge.” Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander in Baghdad, said that while the surge had greatly stabilized the provinces, progress toward securing the capital was “fledgling, fragile, and not guaranteed,” and that a U.S. presence was still vital. “Pulling out too quickly, before the Iraqis are truly able to take over these areas independently, would be very risky,” he said. Plans call for reducing U.S. troops, now numbering about 160,000, to pre-buildup levels of about 135,000 by next July.
Luanda, Angola
Killed while acting: Two Angolan actors filming a heist scene for an upcoming film were killed this week when police mistook the scene for an actual crime. Film director Radical Ribeiro said a police van sped toward his set in a Luanda suburb, and “without asking any questions, they started shooting at everybody at close range.” Ribeiro said the police kept firing until he was finally able to convince them that they were on a movie set and that the actors’ weapons were unloaded. At that point, he said, the police fled without assisting the wounded. Ribeiro said he had previously informed local authorities about his filming; the police who attacked appeared to be members of an elite federal unit.
Tehran
Nuke fuel from Russia: In a blow to U.S. diplomacy, Russia delivered enriched uranium to Iran this week for use in a nuclear power plant. The fuel rods will be kept under the control of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, so there’s little danger that Iran could use them to make nuclear weapons. But the U.S. had been pressing Russia to refrain from assisting Iran’s nuclear power industry until after U.N. concerns about a possible weapons program were allayed. President Bush said the Russian fuel delivery might be good news if it meant that “the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich” on their own. Iran, however, said it had no intention of suspending its uranium enrichment efforts.
Beijing
U.S. inspectors allowed in: China has agreed to let the U.S. station health inspectors to monitor Chinese production of food and drugs for export. U.S. officials, in Beijing last week for trade talks, said the agreement would help allay concerns raised in recent scandals over tainted Chinese products, including poisonous pet food and lead-laced toys. “This will provide great comfort to American consumers,” said Mike Leavitt, secretary of health and human services. The new system, he said, would let the U.S. trace a bottle of orange juice “all the way back to an orange sitting on a tree.”
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Rape victim pardoned: Saudi King Abdullah this week pardoned a gang-rape victim after an international outcry over her sentence. The 20-year-old woman, known as the “girl from Qatif,” was in a car with a male friend last year when the two were attacked and gang-raped by seven men. She was later sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes for being alone with a man not related to her. Human-rights groups said that despite the pardon, the case was still a disgrace. “What we need is not pardons,” said Saudi activist Fawzeyah al-Oyouni. “We need justice.” King Abdullah, who is seen as a modernizer, frequently pardons defendants sentenced to harsh sentences, but he has yet to overhaul the religious court system that imposes them.
