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U.S. forces detain 60 at Iraq funeral
U.S. forces raided a funeral gathering and detained 60 men suspected of links with an al-Qaida cell blamed for a spate of car bomb attacks in Baghdad, the U.S. command said Saturday.If only we would learn to cluster bomb al-Qaida funerals and cut out the need for jailers and undertakers. The arrests in Baghdad were the first major roundup of suspected insurgents since U.S. reinforcements started streaming into the capital last week as part of a new crackdown on violence. A statement by the U.S. military said the arrests were made Friday in Arab Jabour, a southern neighborhood of Baghdad and a stronghold of Sunni insurgents. The 60 detained men are believed to be associated with a senior Iraqi al-Qaida leader in a cell that "specializes in bomb making," the statement said. "The group has been reported to be planning and conducting training for future attacks," it said. "Multiple forms of credible intelligence led the assault force to the location, later determined to be a funeral gathering, where the suspects were detained." Women and children were separated from the men and the arrests were made without incident, the statement said without giving any details. In an interview with the New York Times published Saturday, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Iran was instigating Shiite militias to step up attacks on U.S. forces in retaliation for the Israeli assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Shiite Hezbollah is backed by Iran. Iran's prodding has led to a surge in mortar and rocket attacks on the fortified Green Zone, the compound that houses the main components of the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy, Khalilzad was quoted as saying. The Shiite guerrillas behind the attacks are members of splinter groups of the Mahdi Army, he said. The newspaper quoted unnamed officials of the Sadr Organization as saying that rogue elements of the Mahdi Army are not under their control and carry out attacks without guidance from al-Sadr. That excuse got buried with Arafat. "Iran is seeking to put more pressure, encourage more pressure on the coalition from the forces that they are allied with here," Khalilzad was quoted as saying. U.S. Embassy officials were not immediately available to confirm Khalilzad's comments. The extent of Iranian involvement here has long been the subject of debate within the U.S. military and civilian establishment. Privately, some senior U.S. officials are skeptical that the Iranian government is doing more than providing money to select Shiite groups. Others insist the Iranians are providing weapons and training to some Shiite factions. The increase in attacks on the Green Zone also followed a coalition crackdown on Mahdi Army elements in Basra, Mahmoudiya, Musayyib and Baghdad. Posted by: ed 2006-08-12 |
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