CPTnet
6 December 2005

IRAQ UPDATE: 11-14 November 2005

[Note: The Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq put out this update on 26
November, prior to the time that CPTers Jim Loney, Norman Kember, Harmeet
Sooden and Tom Fox went missing.]

Friday 11 November

Sheila Provencher and a friend went to the book market in one of Baghdad's
oldest sections. Fifteen minutes after they left, they heard an explosion
within a half-mile of the market.

Provencher dined with friends at a popular restaurant. For security's sake,
they told her that her name was "Zayneb," that she was from the north of
Iraq and so could not speak much Arabic.

Saturday 12 November

Rollins, Nash and a translator went to the U.S. military base at Taji to
schedule a delegation meeting. At the first gate, U.S. soldiers told CPTers
to go to the next gate (this first gate is for Iraqis.) The CPTers went to
the next gate, guarded by a tank. A soldier on the tank told them to stop at
a distance of 200 meters. When CPT's driver did not stop, the soldier jumped
off the tank and pointed his gun at them. The driver put the car in reverse
and drove up the highway looking for another entrance. CPTers could not
find one so they returned to the first gate. U.S. soldiers there said they
could not help them.

CPTers then went to Scania, another U.S. base, to schedule a delegation
meeting. After waiting thirty minutes and talking to soldiers at the front
desk, they met a public relations person who took their phone number and
said he would call CPT on Monday.

Sunday 13 November

A family friend and her children walked Nash home after an overnight stay.
On the way they pointed out the home of one of the victims of the bomb blast
the previous week. They were visibly saddened by the current situation in
Baghdad. At 1:15 p.m., a contingent of Iraqi Army soldiers began a foot
patrol in CPT's neighborhood.

At 1:25 p.m., Fox, Provencher and Rollins heard the siren from the Green
Zone across the river. Five minutes later, they heard a very loud explosion
and breaking glass. A few minutes later they discovered a mortar had
landed on the roof of CPT's apartment building.

The mortar destroyed four metal water tanks and four satellite dishes. It
sprayed shrapnel that tore through the metal railing of the roof and into a
neighbor's metal water tank twenty yards away. The force of the blast broke
about half of the windows on the top floor, and more windows on the lower
floors. No one was on the roof at the time. No one was injured.

Iraqi soldiers inspected the damage. Iraqi Police arrived a half-hour
later. CPTers spent the afternoon sweeping up glass. At church later that
evening, parishioners expressed relief that no one was hurt, and many
neighbors said "Thanks be to God!" when they saw the CPTers.

Monday, 14 November

Three members of the Iraqi NGO (nongovernmental organization) Mercy Hands
met with CPT to talk about their project proposal regarding a conflict
resolution program between Palestinians and Iraqis in Baghdad.

Fox and a translator visited the Residency Office to obtain entry visas for
the delegation. A Residency employee told Fox the documents were not ready.
A Residency official asked what CPT's work involved. The translator handed
the official a description of CPT Iraq's work and explained the nature of
CPT's work. The official said, "We need more groups working for human
rights in Iraq and I will do everything possible to assist you." He told
the head of the department to have the documents ready for CPT by Wednesday
morning.

CPT learned that police determined the mortar that hit the building was
Iranian-made, and this type of mortar has a firing range up to 27
kilometers. Police believe the mortar was aimed at the Green Zone given the
evidence they saw on the roof.