Coalition forces positively identified a terrorist killed in an operation Friday in Baghdad as a key leader in the cityÂ’s car-bombing network. Rafid Latif Jasim Muhammed Sabah, also known as Abu Taghrid or Abu Azar, was a key leader in the organization of al-Qaeda in IraqÂ’s Baghdad military and car-bombing operations. After being banished to Tikrit for extorting $200,000 in terroristsÂ’ funds, al-Qaeda in Iraq recalled Taghrid to assume a key appointment within the organization focused on reenergizing the car-bombing network in the east Baghdad area, after it suffered attrition from Iraqi and Coalition forces operations.
In other words, he was a crook but beggers can't be choosers.
| Turns out not to be an easy thing to do, rig bombs. One of the dumber things we did, based on dubious 'legal' advice, was to not take out (kill) the bomb-riggers when we could. |
Coalition forces targeted Taghrid and other al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders associated with the car-bombing network in Baghdad during a raid Sept. 21. When the ground forces entered the target building, Taghrid reached for a weapon and Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, engaged and killed him.
Intelligence reports indicate Taghrid was involved in the kidnapping of foreign diplomats in May 2006, and was associated with a former al-Qaeda in Iraq military emir of Baghdad, captured Dec. 19, 2006. Before joining al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2005, Taghrid was a member of Ansar al Sunna. |