Iraqiya wins by two-seat margin as Maliki courts Moqtada al-Sadr in Iran

A Reuters article of March 27 as found at Asharq Alawsat Daily reported former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc the winner of the March 7th elections by a two-seat margin in preliminary results released on Friday.

In the meantime, current PM Nouri al-Maliki declared Friday night that he was on his way to forming the biggest bloc in parliment. Allawi countered, "The Iraqi people chose the Iraqiya to be the base to start talks with the other parties according to the constitution."

Representatives of Maliki's State of Law party traveled to Iran on Friday to meet with anti-American Shi'ite Moqtada al-Sadr, a leader in the Iraqi National Alliance, a bloc with close ties to Iran.

Reuters claims that any attempt by the major Shi'ite blocs to sideline Allawi could lead to resentment among Sunnis pushed to the side when the majority Shi'ites rose to power following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Iraqis fear violence with final election results

AFP's reporter Mehdi Lebouachera wrote today that "the tension was palpable in Baghdad on Thursday" as Iraqis waited for the final election results, amid fears of a return to violence in the event of a political standoff.

"We think that the forces involved are in the process of assembling their rank and file for a confrontation, that there will be more violence," said Baghdad resident Abdul Jalili.

"People are scared that the losers will refuse to accept defeat and provoke violence," said Kamel Mutlak, a 25-year-old traffic policeman.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's party and former PM Ayad Allawi's bloc are in a neck-and-neck race after 95 percent of the votes had been tallied. Final results are expected Friday.

Betsy Hiel writing for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote today that "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's warning that election results could trigger nationwide violence has unsettled many Iraqis and foreign observers."

"I think Maliki won't easily give up power," predicts provincial Vice Gov. Abdullah Jabarah, a former Republican Guard general. The PM refused to allow the Salahaddin provincial council to seat a replacement for Governor, sending soldiers to surround the council building with orders to arrest its chairman.

Col. Hank Arnold, commander of the 1st Infantry Division's 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, said al-Maliki is "circumventing the rule of law and imposing his personal will because he didn't like the outcome (of the council vote). That is very dangerous. It is not democracy. It is dictatorship."

Ironically, on election day, March 7th, according to a Reuters report, Maliki had urged all parties to accept the election results, then added cryptically, "He who wins today may lose tomorrow, and he who loses today may win tomorrow," after casting his ballot in the fortified Green Zone.

The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah wrote that the cities of the land of Chaldea would burn, and because of the fires the occupiers would abandon the nation to her judgment. Could the election results be the cause of the conflagration?

Maliki's supporters demand poll recount as Iraqiya fears assassinations

The AFP reports today that hundreds of supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki held street demonstrations Wednesday demanding a recount of votes from the country's March 7 election.

Maliki had called for a manual recount of the around 12 million ballots cast, which he has said was necessary to maintain stability and ward off violence. His demand was denied by the national election commission.

According to results released by the election commission based on 95 percent of votes cast, Maliki's State of Law Alliance is in a dead heat with the Iraqiya coalition of former prime minister Iyad Allawi, whose leaders said Tuesday they feared its members would be targets of assassination attempts after the final vote count, according to a UPI report published March 23.

"There is a fear that some competitors could resort to assassination against (Iraqiya's) leaders after the preliminary results, which show the advancement of Iraqiya," said Jamal al-Batiekh, a member of Iraqiya.

Will these fears and anger at the election results cause the fires that consume the cities of the land of Chaldea, fulfilling Jeremiah's 4th judgment on Babylon?

Or are we not seeing the 2,600 year-old prophecy coming true in our time at all? The next few months will prove one or the other.

Personally, at this point, I'd love to stamp this blog closed, prophecy unfulfilled. I'm tired of being on pins and needles all the time. Let the cities burn, or let our troops come home in success at nation building, mission accomplished.

Al-Qaida leader in Iraq calls for continued jihad

The Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef reports today that "the self-described leader of an al-Qaida front group has called for continued jihad against Iraq's American 'occupiers' in the wake of the March 7 election that he claimed was boycotted by most Sunni Arabs."

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is the head of the Islamic State of Iraq who vowed in an audio tape to violently disrupt the vote. Despite his threats, the election saw a turnout of 62 percent of eligible voters. He is quoted as saying, "the elections outcome means nothing to us... we will continue chasing the occupier and his agents until we purify the land from their filth."

Jeremiah the ancient Hebrew prophet declared the cities of the land of Chaldea -- today the nation of Iraq -- would be consumed by fire, after which the occupiers would leave out of frustration at the failure of their reconstruction efforts.

The cities of Iraq have not yet burned, and the timetable for withdrawal is nearing. If the troops leave before the cities burn, today's events in Iraq will have been proven to have no relation to the ancient prophecy.

Maliki regains lead in tight national elections race

With 89 percent of ballots now counted, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is leading his primary challenger, former PM Ayad Allawi, by almost 40,000 votes, according to an Associated Press release published today at the Washington Post online.

"The vote counting has been protracted, with results released piecemeal and marred by fraud accusations," says the AP report.

Could the final outcome of the vote, or the machinations of the political negotiations towards forming a majority parlimentary coalition, be the cause of the conflagration of the cities, as prophesied by Jeremiah the ancient Hebrew prophet?

Will the cities burn on March 23rd, 1,179 days from Saddam's execution? We wait and watch.

Maliki calls for recount of all ballots as Allawi pulls ahead in the count

With Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's early lead in election returns came accusations of voter fraud from his main challenger, the former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. But Allawi has now pulled ahead in the count, and in the turnabout, Maliki's spokesman, Ali al-Adeeb, took his turn at criticizing the election process, saying Wednesday that election officials had manipulated tallies in some of the country's 50,000 polling stations before ballots were sent to Baghdad, according to an article posted at Aljazeera.net today.

80 percent of the ballots have been counted, according to results released Tuesday, which showed the Iraqiya political bloc, led by Allawi, had a slim lead in the votes cast nationwide.

Maliki had made an ominous pronouncement, quoted by the BBC in a March 15th article but since excised -- "I urge all politicians to accept the results; he who wins today may lose tomorrow and he who loses today may win tomorrow." The quote can still be found at AlertNet.org, a web site of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and at Reuters.com Factbox site. It also appears in an article at WorldBulletin.net.

Jeremiah prophesied that the cities of Babylon would be set on fire, so that the nations would become exhausted because of the fire, and the occupiers then declare:

" 'We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to his own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the clouds,' " Jer 51:9 (New International Version - NIV).

I like that version of that verse. I think that is the version Obama will quote as he gives what will become the infamous Speech of Abandonment. After the fires. Judgments 4 and 5.

More bombings as elections race tightens

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's lead over former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi narrowed Tuesday, as reported by Reuters today at the New York Times online, and twin bomb attacks killed eight people in Mussayab, 40 miles south of Baghdad. Seven people were killed by a car bomb in western Anbar province yesterday.

According to Reuters, the blasts raise doubts about how Iraq's fragile security will stand up during what will likely be long and divisive talks among leading politicians to form a government:

One of the main drivers for the bloody insurgency since 2003 has been political marginalisation of a long-dominant Sunni minority. If Allawi, a secular Shi'ite who has galvanized Sunnis' desire to reclaim influence, is shut out of power, it could spell trouble just as Washington halves its troop force and looks towards an end-2011 deadline for withdrawing.

For the current events in Iraq to be the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy of doom on Babylon, the feared violence would need to take the form of burning cities, followed by a withdrawal of all occupying forces in an admission that reconstruction has failed. If, on the other hand, the elections result in a stable government, the cities do not burn, and the U.S. troops withdraw according to the agreed to timetable in a show of success at reconstruction, we can know with certainty that the current Iraq is not the Babylon of Jeremiah's prophecy, and that none of the remaining judgments of civil war, plundering, flood and drought are coming.

PM Maliki's main opponent alleges widespread fraud in Iraqi national elections

Andrew North, a BBC News correspondent in Baghdad, writes that there are fears violence in Iraq could surge again, as Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's main opponent, former PM Iyad Allawi, has alleged widespread vote fraud in that country's recent national elections.

Allawi believes he did better than the preliminary results show, and says the elections were not fair. Maliki was quoted following elections as saying, "I urge all politicians to accept the results; he who wins today may lose tomorrow and he who loses today may win tomorrow."

Many candidates of Mr. Allawi's party were disqualified just prior to the election.

As for the threat of a resurgence of violence, North writes, "The Americans are watching closely, knowing that things could still unravel with so many months of tortuous negotiations ahead. But at the moment, they are sticking to plans to reduce their forces to 50,000 by the end of August."

Jeremiah, writing almost 2,600 years ago about the coming violence, prophesied words as if from God himself: "I shall set fire to (the) cities, and it will devour all (the) environs," (Jer 50:32). And because of the fire, "the peoples will (have) toil(ed) for nothing, and the nations (will) become exhausted (because of the) fire," (Jer 51:58).

And because of the nations' frustration that their efforts were "for nothing," their leader shall say, "We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven," (Jer 51:9).

Now if no fires consume the Iraqi cities, and the U.S. withdraws its troops in success at reconstruction, according to an agreed to timetable, we can know with certainty that Jeremiah's prophecy has nothing to do with today's events in Iraq, but are of some future Babylon not yet revealed.

But if the cities burn, and the U.S. and all other occupying multi-national forces then withdraw out of failure at reconstruction, the next two judgments on Babylon will have occurred literally, and we can then expect the final four to occur just as surely -- civil war with and defeat by the Kurds, their plundering of Iraq's "treasures", a catastrophic flood event and subsequent drought, so that Babylon is rendered a complete desolation, where neither man nor beast may dwell, forever.

Despite violence, Obama hails election as "milestone" in history of Iraq

A BBC News report from yesterday reports on the praise U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama directed towards voters who turned out for national elections in Iraq despite bomb and mortar attacks that killed at least 35 people.

"Today, in the face of violence from those who would only destroy, Iraqis took a step forward in the hard work of building up their country," Mr. Obama is quoted as saying. He repeated his vow to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of August, and all the remaining U.S. forces by the end of next year, according to the report.

The first wave of attacks came early on election day. Dozens of mortar shells rained down in several neighborhoods in Baghdad. Other cities also came under mortar and grenade attack. The worst damage was caused by bomb attacks that destroyed two blocks of flats in the capital. Twenty-five people were killed in one of the blasts in the northern section of the city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, looking to retain his power as head of his Shia-led coalition, gave a cryptic (perhaps prophetic?) message: "I urge all politicians to accept the results; he who wins today may lose tomorrow and he who loses today may win tomorrow."

Jeremiah the Hebrew prophet had this to say about the coalition forces' rebuilding efforts in Babylon: "Her high gates will be set on fire, so the peoples will toil for nothing, and the nations become exhausted (because of the) fire," (Jer 51:58). Then they will say to each other, "We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven and towers to the very skies," (Jer 51:9). No success at reconstruction, but a wholesale abandonment out of frustration at its failure.

Despite the bombings, the cities did not burn on election day, March 7th, 1,163 days from Saddam's execution, the third judgment. When will the fires begin? Perhaps in 1,169 days, on Saturday, March 13th? The message of that day count would be this: "(1) I the Lord, (1) God, (6) have not completed (9) (my) judgments."

And that would be true, for the burning of the cities is only the fourth judgment out of the nine. Still to come -- abandonment, civil war, plundering, flood and drought. Nine judgments in all, leading to complete desolation; for "(God's) purpose is against Babylon to destroy it, for it is the vengeance of the LORD," (Jer 51:11).

Invasion (Jer 50:41-44), occupation (51:14), execution (50:31-32), burning (51:58), abandonment (51:9), civil war (51:27-30), plundering (50:10), flood (50:42) and drought (51:43). So spoke Jeremiah in his prophecy "concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans," (Jer 50:1).

Kurdistan Freedom Falcons threaten to end peace initiatives

Writing a global terrorism analysis in Terrorism Monitor Volume 8 Issue 7, published February 19, 2010 at The Jamestown Foundation website, Emrullah Uslu warns that an offshoot of the PKK -- a rebel Kurdish organization in Turkey led by the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan -- has threatened to resume a campaign of terror targeting Turkish metropolises and major Turkish political parties.

The group, calling themselves the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), accuses the PKK of being passive in its fight with the Turkish state, but is "leaving the door open to cooperate with the PKK if it agrees to intensify its struggle," according to the report.

The threat to resume violence is in reaction to the outcome of the two-year long Constitutional Court case against the Kurdish nationalist political party, the DTP, by which its party members were removed from parliament and the party shut down because of its ties with the PKK, and the collapse of the "Kurdish Initiative" following negative Turkish public reaction to reconciliation efforts, such as the amnesty given to 36 Kurdish dissidents.

Meanwhile, the PKK's acting leader, Murat Karayilan, has issued a statement towards ending the violence that includes a mutual ceasefire, the release of local Kurdish politicians arrested in a raid against the People's Confederation of Kurdistan (KCK), a Kurdish urban youth mobilization organization accused of street violence, a release of Abdullah Ocalan, and the initiation of direct negotiations between Kurdish political leaders and the Ankara government. The statement also demands recognition of the PKK as a legitimate representative of the Kurdish people in Turkey.

The significance of these events relative to Jeremiah's prophecy of doom on Babylon is that three factions of "Medes" are predicted to rise up and join in battle against the army of the Chaldeans -- the "kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz... the kings of the Medes" (Jer 51:27-28). These three designations align with the three factions of modern-day Kurds: the Turkish, Iranian and Iraqi Kurds. While the Iranian and Iraqi Kurds have joined together to form a semi-autonomous government in Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Turkish Kurds remain separate from them, locked in a struggle with the Turkish government over long-standing grievances.

Once the burning of the Iraqi cities has occurred, followed by the abandonment of Iraq by the occupying forces led by the U.S., the 4th and 5th judgments of doom on Babylon, the way is prepared for the 6th judgment to begin -- the war between the kings of the Medes and the "mighty men of Babylon" (Jer 51:27-30).

But first, the Median kingdom of "Ararat" -- the Urartu or Turkish Kurds -- must join in some fashion with their Mannaean and Adiabene brethren. What form that cooperation or outright union takes will be very interesting to observe.

VOA: Obama administration adamant that, barring some calamity, withdrawal will proceed as planned

Voice of America's Gary Thomas wrote on VOANews.com online today that the Obama administration is adamant that, barring some calamity, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will proceed as planned.

Thomas quoted former National Security Council Iraq director Charles Dunne as saying this Iraqi election cycle will be the most dangerous period for Iraq, and the United States: "What happens after the elections... is going to be the period of maximum tension, and that is where the United States is going to have to make a lot of decisions... about what their force levels are going to be and what their withdrawal schedule is going to be."

U.S. combat forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq by the end of August.

Unfortunately, Jeremiah predicted that the occupying forces in Babylon -- modern-day Iraq -- will leave, not because of successful elections and meeting a pre-set timetable, but out of utter frustration and exhaustion at the failure of reconstruction: "We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven and towers to the very skies," (Jer 51:9).

And what precipitates this abandonment? A calamity of flames engulfing Babylon's cities: "I shall set fire to his cities, and it will devour all his environs... Her high gates will be set on fire, so the peoples will toil for nothing, and the nations become exhausted (because of the) fire," (Jer 50:32, 51:58).

Election timed bombings widely anticipated

"In an apparent attempt to disrupt Sunday's vote, bombers in Baqubah target two police stations, then a hospital..." read the subtitle to an LA Times article by Liz Sly and Usama Redha published today. 31 people were killed in the bombings "just days before Iraqis vote in crucial national elections."

The article states that "bombings had widely been anticipated in the run-up to the election, and this attack... seemed deliberately designed to disrupt the vote."

According to the report, "the vote is pivotal because it is taking place only months before the August deadline set by the Obama administration for the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops. U.S. officials hope that an inclusive vote will finally stabilize the country, but there are fears that a poll tainted by allegations of fraud, or a skewed result, could trigger renewed conflict and perhaps delay the pullout."

On the contrary -- the coming violence as manifested by the cities of Iraq going up in flames will actually motivate a deliberate and sudden abandonment of Iraq by all occupying forces out of frustration for the fire, as prophesied by Jeremiah 2,600 years ago:

"Declares the Lord God...:'I shall set fire to (the) cities, and it will devour all (the) environs...' Her high gates will be set on fire, so the peoples will have toiled for nothing, and the nations become exhausted (because of the) fire... 'We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven (itself)..." (Jer 50:32, 51:58, 51:9).