Juan Cole - 11/13/05

Sister of Tawhid's Anbar Cell Captured in Jordan Bombings

Jordanian authorities have captured Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, the wife of suicide bomber Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari, who detonated his belt bomb at the Radisson in Amman. She turns out to be the sister of the Anbar leader of the Monotheism and Holy War (al-Qaeda in Iraq), who was killed at some point in Fallujah. HIs name was Thamir al-Rishawi

5 Dead in Baghdad Blast
Sistani withdraws from Politics

The 77 refitted T-72 Soviet-era tanks offered to Iraq by Hungary have finally arrived, at Taji base. The tanks were due in September. But in a larger sense the tanks are years overdue. There can be no effective Iraqi military response to the guerrilla movement without a well-trained armor corps. That is how Saddam controlled Iraq. On the other hand, the specific Iraqi military unit that has the tanks will suddenly acquire enormous importance.