| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| Zarqawi was the pivot man for the Ashura Massacre |
| 2004-03-04 |
| The commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region yesterday blamed Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian with ties to al Qaeda, for the suicide attacks Tuesday that blasted crowds of Shiite Muslim worshipers at two shrines in Iraq. Army Gen. John Abizaid, who heads the U.S. Central Command, said terrorist plans for "even greater carnage" were thwarted as a result of raids Monday by U.S. Special Operations forces against "Zarqawi network operatives." The operatives, Abizaid said, had been plotting to set off car bombs in Baghdad and Karbala. He also said that before Tuesday’s attacks, U.S. authorities had obtained other intelligence warnings of terrorist strikes and had passed the information to Iraqi security forces. But the information, some of which pointed to possible assaults against prominent Shiites, lacked specifics about when, where or how the attacks would occur, Abizaid added. Nonetheless, he said, Iraqi authorities were able on the day of the attacks in Baghdad and Karbala to block another strike intended for a holy site in the southern city of Basra. Abizaid declined to provide details of the evidence linking Zarqawi to the suicide bombings but said it was convincing. "I personally believe that there is no doubt that Zarqawi is behind this," the four-star general told reporters after an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee. "The people that planned this outrage also planned to blame it on the United States," Abizaid said in testimony. "And there is some indication that they planted leaflets very shortly after the explosions in Baghdad that claimed that the United States had mortared the worshipers." One development that Abizaid described as particularly disturbing was evidence of cooperation between Zarqawi’s network and remnants of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s intelligence force. The two groups, he said, were uniting behind the common aim of attempting to prevent the formation of a moderate Iraqi government. Zarqawi has worked with al Qaeda in the past, intelligence officials have said, but has a network that operates independently of Osama bin Laden’s organization. Abizaid predicted that sectarian violence in Iraq will escalate as a June 30 deadline approaches for the handover of authority to a transitional Iraqi government. He said "civil war is possible" as a result of missteps by Iraqi political leaders or violence by militants. But he doubted that such a war was probable. "I think there is a much greater chance that Iraq will emerge through this political process as a stable and modern state," he said. He acknowledged that Iraq’s fledging security services remain among the "weak spots," warning that terrorists are likely to continue to target them. Many policemen, army soldiers and civil defense corps members still suffer from equipment shortages and inadequate training, and efforts to build a chain of command from field units to the ministries of defense and interior are just beginning. Abizaid said addressing these shortcomings remains a high U.S. priority. Asked about the role Iran is playing in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Abizaid said it had "not actively tried to disrupt" U.S. operations in either country. But he said Iran has "probably turned a blind eye on terrorist groups moving through" its territory and, in so doing, has put its own people at risk. "After all, Zarqawi’s attack on the Shia minority, or the Shia Ashura holiday in Karbala and Baghdad yesterday, should indicate to the Iranians that these people do not share a common cause with them," Abizaid said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |