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| Iraq |
| Hunt for Zarqawi escalates, now broader effort than hunt for Osama |
| 2006-05-03 |
| As the search for terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi intensifies, U.S. troops raided a suspected al Qaeda hideout Tuesday, killing 10 insurgents, and CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that investigators have learned that in another raid, forces were within 1,000 yards of al-Zarqawi. More than 200 members of al-Zarqawi's network have been killed or captured, including many of his top lieutenants, Martin reports. In an effort to build momentum, Lt. Gen. Stan McChrystal, who is leading the effort, is asking for several hundred paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne to be thrown into the hunt. One insurgent was wounded in the pre-dawn raid at a safehouse as American troops searched for "an al Qaeda terrorist leader" about 25 miles southwest of the U.S. air base in Balad, north of Baghdad, the military said. Troops surprised a guard and shot him before he could fire his pistol, the statement said. As the insurgent fell, he detonated a suicide vest, the statement added. Two more insurgents were killed inside the hideout and the others outside as they tried to escape, the statement said. Two of the dead were also found wearing explosive vests, the statement said. The statement did not say whether al-Zarqawi was the target of the raid or whether anyone escaped. It was the fourth raid reported by the U.S. command against al-Zarqawi's network since April 16, when American troops stormed a house in Youssifiyah just south of the capital, killing six people, including a woman, and arresting five people, among them an unidentified al Qaeda official. However, CNN reported that the captives said al-Zarqawi had been in a nearby house. Martin reports under the command of McChrystal, the hunt for al-Zarqawi has now eclipsed in size the hunt for Osama bin Laden, which has been hampered by a lack of good intelligence and Pakistan's refusal to allow U.S. troops to operate in their border area. The assault on al-Zarqawi's network is being conducted by a secret unit known as Task Force 145, which is divided into four teams — three American and one British — which conduct raids virtually every night. In other developments: • Since the drop in U.S. deaths in March, American casualties have been rising. April was the deadliest month of the year for American forces with more than 70 deaths. A U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad, the U.S. command said. • In the latest violence, a bomb exploded inside a bus in central Baghdad, killing two people and injuring five, police said. Gunmen killed four students in an ambush in southwestern Baghdad, police said. • Four Iraqi soldiers were slain the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi two days after they graduated from basic training as part of the first all-Sunni class, according to police. • The German Foreign Ministry said two German men taken hostage in January had been released and are safe. Thomas Nitzschke and Rene Braeunlich were with Germans officials in Iraq, said a ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. A militant Iraqi group that identified itself in a video as the Brigade of Supporters of the Sunna and Tawhid kidnapped the pair Jan. 24. • On Monday, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee proposed that Iraq be divided into three separate regions — Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni — with a central government in Baghdad. In a column in The New York Times, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., wrote that the idea "is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group ... room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests." CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey reports Biden's statement is a reflection of what is happening in Iraqi neighborhoods, where people who feel they are in the minority are coalescing along ethnic lines and turning to ethnic militias rather than the state for protection. Stepped up operations against al-Zarqawi's network are occurring as U.S. and Iraqi officials are making overtures to other Sunni Arab groups, hoping to convince them to abandon the insurgency and join the political process under a new government of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Last weekend, President Jalal Talabani said officials from his office had met with insurgent representatives and he was hopeful they might agree to a deal. Talabani also said American officials had met with insurgents. U.S. officials have confirmed meeting Iraqis linked to the Sunni Arab insurgency but have avoided identifying them. Last month, however, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad attributed a sharp drop in U.S. deaths in March to an ongoing dialogue with disaffected Sunnis. On Tuesday, a leading Arabic language newspaper said Khalilzad had met with insurgent representatives in Amman, Jordan, on Jan. 16 and later in Baghdad on seven occasions. The newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat, attributed the information to an unidentified insurgent official. The official was quoted as saying the insurgents presented several demands, including halt to military operations, an end to arrests of "innocent Iraqis" and the release of prisoners "who were arrested unjustly." According to the newspaper, the official said his group presented a memorandum to Khalilzad, who expressed interest and promised to respond. However, no response was received and the insurgents decided to break off the dialogue after the new government was announced April 22. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy on the report. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said "we have made it clear that we are interested in talking to people who know somebody who might be involved in insurgent activities in an effort to bring these people into the political process." Khalilzad has spoken in several interviews about reaching out to the Sunnis, however U.S. officials have avoided saying publicly that they had met with representatives of insurgent groups. In an interview with the BBC in April, the ambassador also cautioned that the dialogue was "a long way" from a deal to end the fighting. U.S. overtures to the Sunnis appear to have slowed in recent weeks as American diplomats and Iraqi politicians focused on speeding up formation of the new government, which had been deadlocked until the Shiites agreed to replace Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari with another Shiite, Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki was officially appointed as prime minister-designate on April 22 and has pledged to complete his Cabinet this month. That is the final stage in establishing the new government. U.S. officials believe a unity government can over time calm sectarian tensions and lure many Sunnis away from the insurgency. On Tuesday, Shiite officials reported a new snag emerged in the negotiations when Sunni politicians insisted on key posts, including deputy prime minister and a major ministry such as finance or education. Shiites, who hold 130 of the 275 seats in parliament, offered a lesser ministry but the Sunnis refused, according to Shiite politician Bassem Sharif. Talks were to continue Wednesday, he said. Sunni politicians are also anxious for parliament to consider amendments to the new constitution. Sunnis oppose several provisions, including one allowing formation of regional governments. Many Sunnis fear that would lead to Iraq's breakup and deprive them of a fair share of the country's vast oil wealth. Shiites and Kurds agreed to study changes in the constitution during the first four months of the new parliament. However, Shiite officials said Tuesday they want to delay formation of the committee to study changes until the new Cabinet has been chosen. The issue is due for discussion during a parliament session Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Troops surprised a guard and shot him before he could fire his pistol, the statement said. As the insurgent fell, he detonated a suicide vest, the statement added. Two more insurgents were killed inside the hideout and the others outside as they tried to escape, the statement said. Two of the dead were also found wearing explosive vests, the statement said. Just love that colateral damage. |
| Posted by: john 2006-05-03 21:27 |
| #1 Osama Has-Been Laden. |
| Posted by: Perfessor 2006-05-03 08:16 |