Thursday, March 15, 2007
Top Sadr City official seriously wounded
Security, Politics
(AP) The top official in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City was seriously wounded Thursday when gunmen ambushed his convoy in eastern Baghdad, killing two of his bodyguards, according to police and a local official. Rahim al-Darraji has been involved in negotiations with U.S. and Iraqi government officials seeking to persuade the Shiite militias that dominate the sprawling slum to pull their fighters off the streets ahead of a security crackdown to stop the sectarian warfare in Baghdad.
His convoy was attacked in a drive-by shooting in the mostly Shiite area of Habibiyah. The efforts by Shiite political parties to avoid a showdown with U.S. troops have seen some success, with a decline in execution-style killings, random shootings and rocket attacks. U.S. and Iraqi troops have been carrying raids in the neighborhood against commanders and members of the Mahdi Army militia that is loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but they have met with little resistance.
Sadr City has been targeted by a large number of explosions that killed hundreds of people in the past months, including Nov. 23 bombings in which 215 people died. The Mahdi Army had been almost in full charge of security in the area, checking cars and suspicious people, and some have blamed the drop in their presence for car bombings that have continued despite the crackdown.
His convoy was attacked in a drive-by shooting in the mostly Shiite area of Habibiyah. The efforts by Shiite political parties to avoid a showdown with U.S. troops have seen some success, with a decline in execution-style killings, random shootings and rocket attacks. U.S. and Iraqi troops have been carrying raids in the neighborhood against commanders and members of the Mahdi Army militia that is loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but they have met with little resistance.
Sadr City has been targeted by a large number of explosions that killed hundreds of people in the past months, including Nov. 23 bombings in which 215 people died. The Mahdi Army had been almost in full charge of security in the area, checking cars and suspicious people, and some have blamed the drop in their presence for car bombings that have continued despite the crackdown.
Labels: Rahim al-Darraji, Sadr City, U.S.
