U.S. and Iraqi troops raided a town on Saturday to rescue 150 Shi'ite hostages whom Sunni rebels have threatened to kill in a standoff that raised fears sectarian violence in Iraq could spiral out of control. Interim National Security Minister of State Kassim Daoud said Madaen, near Baghdad and in an area dubbed the "Triangle of Death" because of the frequency of guerrilla attacks, was now under the control of Iraqi and U.S.-led multinational forces. "They are raiding areas where it is suspected that hostages may be," he told Dubai-based al Arabiya television. Iraq's state-run al Iraqiya television said the guerrillas had threatened to kill the hostages within 24 hours, and a senior Shi'ite official in Baghdad said Iraqi and U.S.-led forces were expected to launch a major overnight rescue bid. "The number of hostages is 150. They include women and children, according to police intelligence officials I have spoken with," said the official, asking not to be named. "Iraqi and Americans forces surrounding the town plan a big raid to rescue them tonight," he said.
| "But don't tell nobody. It's a secret!" |