Killer's sentence reduced after victim revealed as possible hit man
By Larry Keller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 08, 2006
WEST PALM BEACH — Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis was killed gangland-style nearly six years ago, but he may have been instrumental this week in helping a man get a reduction in his prison sentence in a high-profile slaying at a suburban Boca Raton deli.
Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp reduced the sentence of Ralph Liotta from 15 to 12 years this week after hearing testimony that the man Liotta killed, John "J.J." Gurino, may have been Boulis' hit man. That was further proof of how dangerous Gurino was, and why Liotta was justifiably afraid of him, Liotto's attorney, Doug Duncan, argued.
Liotta was convicted of manslaughter with a firearm, which carried a sentence of 12 1/2 to 30 years in prison.
Rapp didn't specifically mention the possible Gurino-Boulis connection in his sentence reduction order, but he said that "additional support has come to light which supports the fact that the victim was, in fact, a violent person."
Liotta shot Gurino four times inside Liotta's Corner Deli in October 2003. Gurino had boasted of being connected to the late Mafia boss John Gotti, claimed he beat a murder rap in New York by threatening a witness and continually threatened Liotta, even vowing to have him raped in front of his family, according to trial testimony. Liotta borrowed $26,000 from Gurino to open his deli, and hadn't repaid the debt.
The 4th District Court of Appeal rejected Duncan's appeal of Liotta's conviction, so on Monday he was back in court asking for the sentence reduction. He called Fort Lauderdale Police Det. Mark Shotwell as a witness. He's one of the lead detectives working the Boulis murder.
Boulis, 51, was ambushed by a gunman in Fort Lauderdale in February 2001 as he sat in his BMW. In 2000 he sold SunCruz to Washington, D.C. attorney Adam Kidan and imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Boulis then sued Kidan and his partners in a dispute over the sale.
Three men have been charged with Boulis' murder. Shotwell testified Monday that Kidan told investigators in May that one of those three men, Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello, claimed that Boulis' hit man was already dead — killed by his business partner at a Boca Raton deli. Kadan then did some research and learned about Liotta's shooting of Gurino.
Shotwell said his own probe confirmed that Gurino knew Moscatiello. "They were at least friendly," he said. And he said he confirmed Gurino's claim about being acquitted of a murder in New York.
Duncan said that Gurino was represented in that case by Bruce Cutler, who was John Gotti's longtime defense attorney.
Prosecutor Bunnie Lenhardt argued against shortening Liotta's sentence, calling the assertion that Gurino killed Boulis "hearsay, over and over." Gurino's dead and can't refute the claim, she noted.
Lenhardt also pointed out that Liotta fired two shots into Gurino's back, and never reported the purported threats from Gurino to police.
"You don't call the police on those guys," Duncan replied. "You try and work it out."
Judge Rapp said in his order that Liotta most likely poses no threat to society when he gets out of prison. "This was an isolated incident unlikely to repeat itself."
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Abbas Decides to Call Early Elections
Saturday December 9, 2006 2:31 PM
By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH
Associated Press Writer
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said he would dismiss the parliament and call early elections to end a political impasse with Hamas, but left open the possibility of a compromise with the Islamic militant group, PLO officials said.
Abbas announced his decision at a meeting of the PLO's powerful executive committee, and plans to deliver a formal nationwide speech in the coming week, participants said.
``At the end of the speech, he is going to announce that he will resort to early presidential and legislative elections but will keep the door open'' for forming a unity government with Hamas, said committee member Khalida Jarar. Months of unity talks between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement broke down last week.
Hamas trounced Fatah in parliamentary elections last January, taking control of the Palestinian legislature and Cabinet. The formation of the Hamas-led government immediately triggered economic sanctions by Israel and the West, which demand the militant group renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist. The sanctions have caused widespread hardship throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
On Friday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said his government will never recognize Israel and will fight for Jerusalem, telling a crowd at an Iranian mosque on Friday that he will resist U.S. pressure. Iran has given $120 million to the Hamas-led government.
On Saturday, about 2,500 Palestinian police - some firing in the air - pushed onto the grounds of Gaza City's parliament while dozens of parents carrying infants broke into a West Bank clinic in protests against the Hamas government.
Parliament guards, most of them from Hamas, tried to block the crowd, but were pushed aside as protesters fired in the air in the building's courtyard. At one point, Hamas guards fired from a window, and protesters in the yard returned fire, but there were no reports of injuries.
Hamas, squeezed by the international aid boycott, has only paid partial salaries to 165,000 civil servants, including about 80,000 members of the security forces, 40,000 teachers and some 15,000 health care workers.
In the West Bank town of Jenin, some 4,000 members of the security forces staged a march to press for their salaries. Muntassar Abul Wafa, 37, a father of eight, said he received only five payments in the past 10 months for a total of $1,400, and that he had run out of cash. ``Every morning, I leave early, before my children wake up for school, so as not to look at them and see the need in their eyes,'' he said.
In the West Bank town of Hebron, dozens of parents carrying infants broke into a mother-and-child clinic, which has been closed because of the health workers' strike.
With Hamas refusing to accept the international conditions, Abbas has urged the group to join Fatah in a unity coalition. The two sides have been negotiating over a more moderate platform that Abbas hopes will lead to a lifting of the sanctions. But the talks deadlocked over the division of Cabinet portfolios and the issue of recognizing Israel.
Participants in Saturday's meeting said Abbas has not set a deadline for holding the new election. ``We had an intense discussion on various options, and from what we heard, he is leaning toward going back to the people with a call for early presidential and legislative elections,'' said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Another official close to Abbas said the election would likely be held in four or five months. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because a formal decision has not been made.
Calling a new election would be risky for Abbas. First, Abbas, a moderate elected in a separate presidential vote in 2005, would be putting his own job on the line. And there are no guarantees that Fatah would improve its standing in a new vote. The party, which dominated Palestinian politics for four decades, remains divided and tarnished by corruption.
Abbas also risks setting off a new round of tensions with Hamas. In recent months, Hamas and Fatah's differences have frequently erupted into violence.
---
Associated Press writer Ibrahim Barzak contributed to this report from Gaza City.
McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush
- By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer
Friday, December 8, 2006
(12-08) 22:06 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --
In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney introduced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.
The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.
McKinney, a Democrat who drew national headlines in March when she struck a Capitol police officer, has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws.
In the bill, she accused Bush of misleading Congress on the war in Iraq and violating privacy laws with his domestic spying program.
McKinney has made no secret of her frustration with Democratic leaders since voters ousted her from office in the Democratic primary this summer. In a speech Monday at George Washington University, she accused party leaders of kowtowing to Republicans on the war in Iraq and on military mistreatment of prisoners.
McKinney, who has not discussed her future plans, has increasingly embraced her image as a controversial figure.
She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath. She introduced legislation calling for disclosure of any government records concerning the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
But it was her scuffle with a Capitol police officer that drew the most attention. McKinney struck the officer when he tried to stop her from entering a congressional office building. The officer did not recognize McKinney, who was not wearing her member lapel pin.
A grand jury in Washington declined to indict McKinney over the clash, but she eventually apologized before the House.
URL
Friday, December 8, 2006
(12-08) 22:06 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --
In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney introduced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.
The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.
McKinney, a Democrat who drew national headlines in March when she struck a Capitol police officer, has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws.
In the bill, she accused Bush of misleading Congress on the war in Iraq and violating privacy laws with his domestic spying program.
McKinney has made no secret of her frustration with Democratic leaders since voters ousted her from office in the Democratic primary this summer. In a speech Monday at George Washington University, she accused party leaders of kowtowing to Republicans on the war in Iraq and on military mistreatment of prisoners.
McKinney, who has not discussed her future plans, has increasingly embraced her image as a controversial figure.
She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath. She introduced legislation calling for disclosure of any government records concerning the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
But it was her scuffle with a Capitol police officer that drew the most attention. McKinney struck the officer when he tried to stop her from entering a congressional office building. The officer did not recognize McKinney, who was not wearing her member lapel pin.
A grand jury in Washington declined to indict McKinney over the clash, but she eventually apologized before the House.
URL
Bush Reaction to Report Worries Father's Aides
US NEWS
By Kenneth T. WalshFri Dec 8, 9:42 AM ET
Former White House advisers to George H.W. Bush are keenly disappointed and concerned about the current President Bush's initial reaction to the report by the Iraq Study Group.
They consider him rather dismissive of the group's conclusions, issued yesterday, which include the view that current Iraq policy is failing. The group recommends a variety of important changes, such as assigning U.S. troops to play more of an advisory and training role and less of a combat role. The ISG also recommends that the United States withdraw most of its combat brigades by early 2008 and that the administration increase diplomatic efforts, including starting talks with Iran and Syria and energetically working toward an Israeli-Palestinian solution.
Adding to the unease were President Bush's comments at his Thursday news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which he avoided commenting on specifics in the ISG report.
"We have a classic case of circling the wagons," says a former adviser to Bush the elder. "If President Bush changes his policy in Iraq in a fundamental way, it undermines the whole premise of his presidency. I just don't believe he will ever do that."
White House advisers say Bush won't react in detail to the ISG report for several weeks, while he assesses it and awaits various internal government reports on the situation from his own advisers. Bush tells aides he doesn't want to "outsource" his role as commander in chief. Some Bush allies say this is a way to buy some time as the president tries to decide how to deal with rising pressure to alter his strategy in Iraq and hopes the critical media focus on the Iraq war will soften.
By Kenneth T. WalshFri Dec 8, 9:42 AM ET
Former White House advisers to George H.W. Bush are keenly disappointed and concerned about the current President Bush's initial reaction to the report by the Iraq Study Group.
They consider him rather dismissive of the group's conclusions, issued yesterday, which include the view that current Iraq policy is failing. The group recommends a variety of important changes, such as assigning U.S. troops to play more of an advisory and training role and less of a combat role. The ISG also recommends that the United States withdraw most of its combat brigades by early 2008 and that the administration increase diplomatic efforts, including starting talks with Iran and Syria and energetically working toward an Israeli-Palestinian solution.
Adding to the unease were President Bush's comments at his Thursday news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which he avoided commenting on specifics in the ISG report.
"We have a classic case of circling the wagons," says a former adviser to Bush the elder. "If President Bush changes his policy in Iraq in a fundamental way, it undermines the whole premise of his presidency. I just don't believe he will ever do that."
White House advisers say Bush won't react in detail to the ISG report for several weeks, while he assesses it and awaits various internal government reports on the situation from his own advisers. Bush tells aides he doesn't want to "outsource" his role as commander in chief. Some Bush allies say this is a way to buy some time as the president tries to decide how to deal with rising pressure to alter his strategy in Iraq and hopes the critical media focus on the Iraq war will soften.
White House "Barney Christmas Extravaganza" Video Featuring Bush, Rove, Snow And The Gang
Barney Cam V: "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza"
  |
Barney Cam V Soundtrack (MP3) |
(Opening scene: Barney and Miss Beazley come downstairs onto red carpet in the Cross Hall. The title "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza," appears in gold script as Barney and Miss Beazley run by. Many are busy at work preparing ornaments, garland, ribbons and wreaths to decorate the White House. View of the Oval Office from South Lawn outside the Rose Garden. Transition inside the Oval Office where President Bush, seated at his desk, talks with Barney who is sitting on a chair across from him.)
President Bush: Barney, it’s time for BarneyCam. Are you ready for it this year? Say, what’s the plot about? (Close-up of Barney, blank look.) I can see from the look on your face, Barney, that you haven’t even thought about the plot. Hey Barney, you better get started and you better run along right now!
(Barney jumps off the chair and walks down a couple hallways, passing Christmas trees with white lights. He enters the library and noses through various books on filmmaking and theatre production. After completing his research, he has an idea to plan a holiday show called "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza" which pops up in lights on a marquee over his head in a thought bubble. Transition to Barney meeting in the Office of Management and Budget with OMB Director Rob Portman and Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson. Director Portman and Secretary Paulson are seated at a table with budget proposals in hand, Barney is seated between them.)
Director Portman: Barney, we've reviewed your budget request for the Extravaganza and I’ve got some bad news. Mr. Secretary?
(Barney looks up, awaiting their answer.)
Secretary Paulson: Barney, there’s no easy way to say this, but we’re out of money.
Portman: Barney, you’re going to have to get creative.
(Close-up of a door with two signs, one reads "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza," the other reads "Auditions." Door opens and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings walks out dejected.
Secretary Spellings: (Sigh!) I did my best, but Barney said I can’t dance!
(Barney shakes his head.)
Spellings: (Dials cell phone) I just don’t get it. I didn’t make it. I did everything you said.
Emmitt Smith: (On cell phone) You did your best, Margaret. Continue to follow your dreams and do not get discouraged. Look what happened to me! Look, I gotta go now. I gotta go dance. I’ll talk to you later. Bye bye.
Karl Rove: (Exiting audition room with yellow 'Congratulations!' paper in hand) I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!
Spellings: You’ve got to be kidding me.
Rove: Well, maybe better luck next year, Margaret. Look, I gotta rehearse, can you help me out here?
(Close-up of Barney’s paw swatting at blueprints of the new Press Briefing room. Barney scopes out the space - currently under construction - in hopes of using it for the Extravaganza. He leaves the work zone and heads to the office of White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. Barney sits at Tony's desk reviewing new blueprints for his show. Snow enters.)
Tony Snow: Barney, good to see you, man! Happy Christmas. Ready for the Holidays? Got everything all bought? (Tony hangs his coat on the back of the door.) Hey look, just one little piece of business. I know you’re doing a show. (Barney reading blueprints.) Show’s a good thing, it’s great. I’m really happy you’re doing it, but I’ve got one little bone to pick. Don’t mind if I say that, do you? You can’t have the press room, OK? It will really tick them off!
(Barney growls. In the East Room, Chief Usher Gary Walters and Dale Haney, White House Horticulturist, discuss the chaos Barney is creating in the midst of holiday decorating.)
Gary Walters: Dale, can you believe in the middle of this, Barney just came to me and said that he wants to turn the Red Room green, the Green Room red and then the Blue Room, of all things, into black and white polka dots?
Dale Haney: That’s unbelievable!
(In lower Cross Hall, members of the "President's Own" United States Marine Band auditions for the show. Barney leaves the audition early.)
MSgt John Abbracciamento: I thought we sounded really good. I asked Barney if he wanted us to play anything else, but he said “We’ll call you.” Gosh, I hope we end up in the show.
(Mrs. Laura Bush, holding Miss Beazley and Kitty, finds an exhausted Barney in the Cross Hall of the White House.)
Mrs. Bush: Barney, are you OK? I know you’re trying to put a show on around here, right in the middle of the decorating. In fact, you’ve created sort of a stir. I wonder if you need some help. I think Kitty or Beazley would be glad to help you. Wouldn’t you, Beazley?
(Seeking inspiration for the Holiday Extravaganza, Barney, Miss Beazley and Kitty run around the White House playing with ornaments and showcasing all the different rooms and decorations as they go. On the night of the premiere, guests begin to arrive for the big show. One celebrity attendee stops for a brief interview along the red carpet.)
Dolly Parton: Oh, I wouldn't have missed this for nothing in the world. I'm intendin' to have a doggone good time with Barney!
(White House Chief Usher Gary Walters, Barney and Miss Beazley peek out from behind the show curtain to catch a glimpse of the audience.)
Walters: Well, Barney, after a lot of hard work, it’s almost show time. Wow! There’s a big crowd out there! Can you see? (Miss Beazley looks, too.) Alright, shhh, we’re getting ready to start.
Announcer: Ladies and gentleman, welcome to "Barney’s Holiday Extravaganza!"
(The Holiday Extravaganza features dancers with red ribbons dressed in vibrant colors, sing-along caroling, leaping ballerinas and marching soldiers. The show ends and the audience applauds as Barney takes a bow on stage joined by Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Transition to Mrs. Bush sitting with Barney, Miss Beazley and Kitty in front of the White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room.)
Mrs. Bush: Barney, Miss Beazley and Kitty, you put on a wonderful Holiday Extravaganza. I know you’re tired now. I’m so proud of you. President Bush and I wish everyone a very happy holiday.
(Credits)
CAST: (in alphabetical order)
Barney
Miss Beazley
President George W. Bush
Mrs. Laura Bush
MSgt John Abbracciamento
Dolly Parton
Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury
Rob Portman, OMB Director
Karl Rove
Emmitt Smith
Tony Snow, Press Secretary
Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education
Willie (AKA “Kitty”)
Special Thanks to:
Dale Haney, White House Horticulturist
Gary Walters, White House Chief Usher
Music by:
"The President’s Own" United States Marine Band, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Colburn, Director. Composed and arranged by MSgt Stephen Bulla.
Track info:
01 Christmas Cheer
- O Christmas Tree
- Joy to the World
- Up on the Housetop
- I Saw Three Ships
- Greensleeves
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
02 Carol of the Bells
03 Away in a Manger
04 Miniature Overture from The Nutcracker
05 Coventry Carol
06 O Come Emanuel
The Oval Intervention: MAUREEN DOWD
THE COMPLETE ARTICLE
The New York Times
The Oval Intervention
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: December 9, 2006
The Council of Elders tries to deprogram the defiant decider.
t is not a happy mood in the Oval Office.
Poppy is sobbing, his face in his hands, slumped in one of the yellow-and-blue striped chairs. Laura is screaming the words “Oscar de la Renta” and “rendition” into her cellphone, still seeing red after showing up at a White House gala in the same $8,400 red gown as three other women who did not happen to be first lady.
Bob Gates is grim-faced, but not as grim-faced as Barbara, whose look could freeze not only the Potomac but the Tigris and the Euphrates. Scowcroft is over on the couch, trying to nap while Kissinger drones softly in his ear.
And, of course, there is the Deprogrammer for the Decider, James Baker, perfectly suited in bright green tie and suited perfectly for his spot behind the president’s desk.
--MORE--
The New York Times
The Oval Intervention
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: December 9, 2006
The Council of Elders tries to deprogram the defiant decider.
t is not a happy mood in the Oval Office.
Poppy is sobbing, his face in his hands, slumped in one of the yellow-and-blue striped chairs. Laura is screaming the words “Oscar de la Renta” and “rendition” into her cellphone, still seeing red after showing up at a White House gala in the same $8,400 red gown as three other women who did not happen to be first lady.
Bob Gates is grim-faced, but not as grim-faced as Barbara, whose look could freeze not only the Potomac but the Tigris and the Euphrates. Scowcroft is over on the couch, trying to nap while Kissinger drones softly in his ear.
And, of course, there is the Deprogrammer for the Decider, James Baker, perfectly suited in bright green tie and suited perfectly for his spot behind the president’s desk.
--MORE--
Sunnis condemn U.S. military attack
By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 48 minutes ago
Iraq's influential Association of Muslim Scholars and the country's largest Sunni Arab political party on Saturday condemned a deadly U.S. military attack they say killed civilians. Separately, a suicide car bomb struck near a Shiite shrine, killing eight people.
The U.S. command said Friday's raid and airstrike killed 20 insurgents, but the association and the Iraqi Islamic Party joined a village mayor who alleged that the attack killed at least 19 civilians, including women and children.
On Saturday, about 1,000 residents of al-Ishaqi village in the volatile province of Salahuddin held a funeral for the 19 dead, shouting slogans such as "Down with the occupiers," "Long live the resistance," and "There is no God but Allah."
Also Saturday, a suicide car bomb exploded outside of the Al-Abbas shrine in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, killing eight, said Rahman Meshawi, the city's police spokesman.
A main goal of Sunni Arab insurgent groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq has been to spark sectarian violence by attacking sites considered holy by the country's Shiite majority. Attacks by Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, and revenge killings in mixed Sunni-Shiite areas of cities such as Baghdad, often kill scores of Iraqis a day.
Karbala is considered Iraq's second holiest Shiite city after Najaf, which is 45 miles to the southeast. Shiites make pilgrimages to both locations and bury their dead in large cemeteries there.
The shrine's golden dome and minarets didn't appear to be damaged in video footage shown on Iraqi state TV, but the powerful blast set many parked cars on fire in a nearby street, and two Iraqi men with bloody faces could be seen running through heavy black smoke past the body of another victim of the attack.
At least 47 other Iraqis were killed or found dead on Friday, including 25 who were struck in a mortar attack that night on a poor Shiite neighborhood on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The U.S. military also announced that roadside bombs killed three American soldiers and wounded two in and around Baghdad. On Saturday, officials said a Marine was killed in Anbar province, raising the war's U.S. death toll above 2,920.
Friday's coalition attack targeted al-Qaida-linked militants in a predominantly Sunni area near Lake Tharthar in Salahuddin province northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. command said.
Ground forces returned fire when they were attacked while searching buildings, killing two insurgents, the U.S. military said. Under continuing fire, the troops called in air support, killing 18 insurgents, the command said, adding that two women were among those killed. "Al-Qaida in Iraq has both men and women supporting and facilitating their operations unfortunately," it said.
Searching the area, the coalition forces found and destroyed several weapons caches, including AK-47s, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-personnel mines, explosives, blasting caps and suicide vests, the command said.
Amir Fayadh, the mayor of the al-Ishaqi village, and local police disputed the claim that the strike only killed insurgents, alleging that 19 civilians were among the dead. Fayadh said seven of those were women and eight were children.
On Saturday, Fayadh acknowledged that initial casualty reports from the scene had been too high, but he and Capt. Mahmoud al-Daraji confirmed the final death toll of eight children, seven women and four men.
The residents holding Saturday's emotional funeral carried 19 coffins to a local cemetery on the rooftops of vehicles taking part in a procession.
On Friday, AP Television News video showed more than a dozen charred and bloody bodies, some of which appeared almost mummified with their faces unrecognizable. Angry villagers gathered around several of the bodies, which were covered in colorful wool blankets and laid out on the ground near the concrete rubble left by the devastated houses in the remote desert area.
An AP photo showed an Iraqi man who had pulled back one of the blankets and uncovered the face of one of the victims, who appeared to be a boy about 10 years old killed in the attack, lifting his head for the camera.
This spring, a U.S. military investigation cleared American soldiers of misconduct in a March 15 raid in al-Ishaqi in which Air Force planes destroyed a building believed to be hiding al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents. Villagers claimed the soldiers killed 11 Iraqi civilians before calling for the airstrike.
The Association of Muslim Scholars issued a statement condemning the attack that occurred on Friday, the day of worship in mostly Muslim Iraq.
The group of hard-line Sunnis, which has routinely opposed the "U.S. occupation" of Iraq, alleged that American soldiers entered two Iraqi homes, shot their large families to death, then planted bombs that blew up the buildings to make it look as if the Iraqis had died in a U.S. air strike targeting insurgents.
The association said 32 civilians died in the attack, including four women and six children.
"The association condemns the massacre and urges international organizations and the media to show the world the reality of the fake slogans about human rights and freedom used by the Americans," the statement read.
The Iraqi Islamic Party is part of a Sunni bloc in Parliament that controls 44 of its 275 seats.
In a statement Saturday on its Web site, the party called Friday's attack "a new massacre by the American occupiers" and said it happened when U.S. soldiers shot 32 civilians, including women and children, in two houses, then destroyed them in an air strike and claimed the victims were insurgents.
___
AP Writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Qais Al-Bashir contributed to this report from Baghdad.
Iraq's influential Association of Muslim Scholars and the country's largest Sunni Arab political party on Saturday condemned a deadly U.S. military attack they say killed civilians. Separately, a suicide car bomb struck near a Shiite shrine, killing eight people.
The U.S. command said Friday's raid and airstrike killed 20 insurgents, but the association and the Iraqi Islamic Party joined a village mayor who alleged that the attack killed at least 19 civilians, including women and children.
On Saturday, about 1,000 residents of al-Ishaqi village in the volatile province of Salahuddin held a funeral for the 19 dead, shouting slogans such as "Down with the occupiers," "Long live the resistance," and "There is no God but Allah."
Also Saturday, a suicide car bomb exploded outside of the Al-Abbas shrine in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, killing eight, said Rahman Meshawi, the city's police spokesman.
A main goal of Sunni Arab insurgent groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq has been to spark sectarian violence by attacking sites considered holy by the country's Shiite majority. Attacks by Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, and revenge killings in mixed Sunni-Shiite areas of cities such as Baghdad, often kill scores of Iraqis a day.
Karbala is considered Iraq's second holiest Shiite city after Najaf, which is 45 miles to the southeast. Shiites make pilgrimages to both locations and bury their dead in large cemeteries there.
The shrine's golden dome and minarets didn't appear to be damaged in video footage shown on Iraqi state TV, but the powerful blast set many parked cars on fire in a nearby street, and two Iraqi men with bloody faces could be seen running through heavy black smoke past the body of another victim of the attack.
At least 47 other Iraqis were killed or found dead on Friday, including 25 who were struck in a mortar attack that night on a poor Shiite neighborhood on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The U.S. military also announced that roadside bombs killed three American soldiers and wounded two in and around Baghdad. On Saturday, officials said a Marine was killed in Anbar province, raising the war's U.S. death toll above 2,920.
Friday's coalition attack targeted al-Qaida-linked militants in a predominantly Sunni area near Lake Tharthar in Salahuddin province northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. command said.
Ground forces returned fire when they were attacked while searching buildings, killing two insurgents, the U.S. military said. Under continuing fire, the troops called in air support, killing 18 insurgents, the command said, adding that two women were among those killed. "Al-Qaida in Iraq has both men and women supporting and facilitating their operations unfortunately," it said.
Searching the area, the coalition forces found and destroyed several weapons caches, including AK-47s, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-personnel mines, explosives, blasting caps and suicide vests, the command said.
Amir Fayadh, the mayor of the al-Ishaqi village, and local police disputed the claim that the strike only killed insurgents, alleging that 19 civilians were among the dead. Fayadh said seven of those were women and eight were children.
On Saturday, Fayadh acknowledged that initial casualty reports from the scene had been too high, but he and Capt. Mahmoud al-Daraji confirmed the final death toll of eight children, seven women and four men.
The residents holding Saturday's emotional funeral carried 19 coffins to a local cemetery on the rooftops of vehicles taking part in a procession.
On Friday, AP Television News video showed more than a dozen charred and bloody bodies, some of which appeared almost mummified with their faces unrecognizable. Angry villagers gathered around several of the bodies, which were covered in colorful wool blankets and laid out on the ground near the concrete rubble left by the devastated houses in the remote desert area.
An AP photo showed an Iraqi man who had pulled back one of the blankets and uncovered the face of one of the victims, who appeared to be a boy about 10 years old killed in the attack, lifting his head for the camera.
This spring, a U.S. military investigation cleared American soldiers of misconduct in a March 15 raid in al-Ishaqi in which Air Force planes destroyed a building believed to be hiding al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents. Villagers claimed the soldiers killed 11 Iraqi civilians before calling for the airstrike.
The Association of Muslim Scholars issued a statement condemning the attack that occurred on Friday, the day of worship in mostly Muslim Iraq.
The group of hard-line Sunnis, which has routinely opposed the "U.S. occupation" of Iraq, alleged that American soldiers entered two Iraqi homes, shot their large families to death, then planted bombs that blew up the buildings to make it look as if the Iraqis had died in a U.S. air strike targeting insurgents.
The association said 32 civilians died in the attack, including four women and six children.
"The association condemns the massacre and urges international organizations and the media to show the world the reality of the fake slogans about human rights and freedom used by the Americans," the statement read.
The Iraqi Islamic Party is part of a Sunni bloc in Parliament that controls 44 of its 275 seats.
In a statement Saturday on its Web site, the party called Friday's attack "a new massacre by the American occupiers" and said it happened when U.S. soldiers shot 32 civilians, including women and children, in two houses, then destroyed them in an air strike and claimed the victims were insurgents.
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AP Writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Qais Al-Bashir contributed to this report from Baghdad.
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