Friday, December 29, 2006
Kurds crack down on Islamists
Security
Kurdish authorities have arrested 30 suspected members of Islamist groups active in the semi-independent Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Many of the suspects were said to be members of Ansar al-Islam, a group whose members are sworn enemies of the Kurdish regional governments in the area. Ansar had their bases in the Province of Sulaimaniya and for long were the Kurds biggest headache. Kurdish leaders had even sought help from former President Saddam Hussein to check their advance on the city.
The U.S. bombed their bases during the 2003 war that toppled Saddam Hussein. But Ansar are reported to have remobilized and are said to be now a force to reckon with not only in the north but also in central Iraq. The U.S. says they are linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda, a charge the group’s leaders are ostensibly proud of. The Kurdish crackdown has also touched other Islamic parties namely in Halabja and Shahrazour, south of Sulaimaniya.
The U.S. bombed their bases during the 2003 war that toppled Saddam Hussein. But Ansar are reported to have remobilized and are said to be now a force to reckon with not only in the north but also in central Iraq. The U.S. says they are linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda, a charge the group’s leaders are ostensibly proud of. The Kurdish crackdown has also touched other Islamic parties namely in Halabja and Shahrazour, south of Sulaimaniya.
