Friday, October 06, 2006
Ansar al-Sunnah kill Mahdi militia member
Insurgency
Following up a previous communication providing evidence of an Iranian connection to Shi’ite militias in Iraq, specifically Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s al-Mahdi Army, Ansar al-Sunnah distributed on Thursday, October 5, 2006, a six and a half minute video confession of an al-Mahdi Army member who was captured by the group during an attack in Khan Bani Sa’ad in Diyala. The man, identified in the clip as “Rashid,” answers a battery of questions concerning the functions of al-Mahdi Army, where the weapons and bombs originated, and what Iran’s purpose is in Iraq. He is later shown dead in a still-image at the end of the video, a Mujahid walking away with a gun in hand, and words on-screen announce his sentencing by the group’s Shari’a Court to death.
On Thursday, September 28, 2006, Ansar al-Sunnah in Iraq issued a communique describing a confrontation between its Mujahideen and members of al-Mahdi Army in Khan Bani Sa’ad in Diyala governorate, following an attack by the Shi’ite militia on the Sunni villagers. At that time, the group claimed to have captured one of the al-Mahdi Army members, and delayed his execution when they found a communication device on his person. This device, a box, and Katyusha rockets bearing the name of the Iranian Department of Defense were photographed and distributed with the communiqué.
On Thursday, September 28, 2006, Ansar al-Sunnah in Iraq issued a communique describing a confrontation between its Mujahideen and members of al-Mahdi Army in Khan Bani Sa’ad in Diyala governorate, following an attack by the Shi’ite militia on the Sunni villagers. At that time, the group claimed to have captured one of the al-Mahdi Army members, and delayed his execution when they found a communication device on his person. This device, a box, and Katyusha rockets bearing the name of the Iranian Department of Defense were photographed and distributed with the communiqué.
