2011 Tikrit assault (29 March)[1]
Part of Islamic State of Iraq[1]
Cities where journalists were killed in 2011
Tikrit
Tikrit
2011 Tikrit assault (Iraq)
LocationTikrit, Iraq[1]
Coordinates34° 35' 48" North, 43° 40' 37" East
Date29 March 2011 (2011-03-29)-
29 March 2011 (2011-03-29)
1–6 p.m. (UTC+3; Arabia Standard Time (AST)[2])
TargetTikrit politicians[3]
Attack type
shootings, bombings, suicide bombings, siege
Weaponsguns, bombs, grenades, suicide belts
Deaths65[4]
Injured100[4]
Victimpoliticians, citizens, journalists
Perpetrators6–8 insurgents from Islamic State of Iraq

The 2011 Tikrit assault was an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) organization that took place in the city of Tikrit, Iraq, on 29 March 2011, while the war was still ongoing. Reuters news agency included the attack in its list of deadliest attacks in 2011.[5] ISI, which was then allied to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility[1] for killing 65 people and wounding over 100.[4] At the time the United States Armed Forces were withdrawing. Tikrit was Saddam Hussein's birthplace.

Description of incident

On 29 March 2011, gunmen from the Islamic State of Iraq wearing suicide belts[1] hidden under military uniforms entered Tikrit, Iraq. The men presented themselves as Iraqi soldiers when they arrived at the security checkpoint. After being told they needed to be searched, they opened fire on the guards. Around 1 p.m., attackers blew up a car to create a diversion by the council headquarters.[4] Following the car bombing, the gunmen proceeded to take control over the second floor of the Saladin provincial council's headquarters.[6] The provincial council meets every Tuesday, but according to Ali Abdul Rihman, a spokesperson for the governor, the local politicians had ended the meeting early because there was little to cover on their agenda. Therefore, many had already left the building.[6] The gunmen did execute three councilmen, including Abdullah Jebara who was an outspoken critic of Al-Qaeda and terrorists, with shots to their heads and set fire to their bodies in front of the hostages.[3][7] Insurgents were still carrying out attacks during the U.S. withdrawal and the transfer of powers to the Iraqis.[3] As security reinforcements were arriving, another car bomb went off at the entrance of the council building.[4] A five-hour standoff ensued.[3] Ahmed Abdullah, Saladin's governor, explained a fierce shootout between what he believed to be at least eight gunmen that had taken over the council building, hurling grenades at the Iraqi security forces that surrounded the building.[6] Fifteen hostages were killed execution style during the captivity.[8] The attack also killed two journalists, who were Sabah al-Bazi and Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad. Both journalists were covering a provincial council meeting.

Iraqi Army forces together with US troops stormed the building, at which point the attackers blew up their explosives, which brought an end to the standoff.[6][9] The bodies of six attackers were taken to the hospital where sources say the cause of death for two of the bodies had occurred from detonating their vest, while the other four deaths were the result of gunshot wounds.[10] Several U.S. troops were said to have been wounded by a military spokespersonn.[7] This incident killed 65 people and wounded 100.[4]

Several days later the Islamic State of Iraq officially claimed credit for the attack.[11]

Casualties in journalism

Sabah Al-Bazi

Sabah Al-Bazi (22 March 1981 in Samarra – 29 March 2011)[12] (also Romanized as al-Bazee),[13] 30, died as a result of shrapnel from the bombing. He was assigned to cover a weapons cache discovery but was diverted by assault and killed by fire while covering operation.[12] He worked for Al-Arabiya, CNN, Reuters and other international media as a freelance journalist. He had worked for Reuters since 2004 and CNN since 2006.[13][14] Among his notable reporting assignments was the 2006 al-Askari Mosque bombing. Al-Bazi was from Saladin Governorate, married, and had three children.[13][15]

Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad

Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad, 39, also died during the incident, but the cause of death is uncertain. He was a reporter for Al-Ayn news agency.[16] According to the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, Ayn stated he was in contact with the agency while in the building and then was quoted saying, "We lost contact at the moment of the assault by the security forces. We later learned that he was dead."[15]

Impact

The 29 March terrorist attack in Tikrit, Iraq was listed as one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq in 2011.[5] The attack resulted in 65 fatalities and 100 wounded.[4] Among the many that lost their lives were government workers, security forces, and journalists Sabah al-Bazil and Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad.[3][4] This event highlighted the fragility of the Iraqi security forces while U.S. forces were withdrawing [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Al-Qaeda claims credit for Tikrit siege". Al-Shorfa.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Current Time in Tikrit, Iraq". worldtimeengine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Iraq hostage siege kills 56 at gov't center". CBS News. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Two journalists among scores killed in insurgent operation in Tikrit". IFEX. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 Cutler, David (23 February 2012). "Timeline: Deadliest attacks in Iraq in last year". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Dozens killed in attack on Tikrit council". The Guardian. London. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  7. 1 2 "U.S. troops wounded during Tikrit assault". AP. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  8. ↑ Jakes, Lara; Yacoub, Sameer N. "UPDATE: Hostages killed execution-style in Iraq siege; 45 dead". Orange County Review. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, March 29". AP. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "Iraq: Death toll of Tikrit attack rises to nearly 60". Al Bawaba News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "Al-Qaeda claims credit for Tikrit siege". AP. 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Memorial Book (Reuters): Sabah Al-Bazee". The Baron (Reuters). Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 el-Gamal, Rania; Nichols, Michelle (29 March 2011). "Journalist for Reuters killed in Iraq attack". Reuters.
  14. ↑ "Remembering a Fallen Colleague". CNN. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Two journalists among scores killed in insurgent operation in Tikrit". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad". The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
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