Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Women and children prisoners freed
Security
(AFP) Dozens of women and children related to fighters of a Shiite cult group were freed Monday, almost two months after a bloody battle near the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, a local official said. January 28, a fierce battle between Shiite fighters and security forces north of Najaf killed 263 militant followers of a cult leader claiming to be a descendant of Prophet Mohammed. More than 500 people were arrested after the battle, many of them women and children - family members of the slain Shiite fighters from the group called "Soldiers of Heaven."
"Many of the detainees, mainly women and children, arrested after the fight were released by the judiciary committee which is looking into this case," said Ahmed Al Fatlawi, a member of Najaf provincial council. The battle in central Iraq that pitted the militants against Iraqi and US forces was one of the deadliest in recent months. The leader of the militia was among those killed, while a US helicopter providing air support to security forces crashed during the battle, killing its two crew members.
COMMENT: Accounts of this incident have varied wildly. Most of the international press pursued the Soldiers of Heaven angle, while elements of the Iraqi press claimed it was the Mahdi Army fighting the BADR Corps (Shia militia wing of the SCIRI), and the Sunni press said that a tribe from Diwaniyah, the Hawatimah, was caught in the cross fire. The NYT reported that the 'leader' was in fact not killed - However, a Shiite cleric who has had contact with the group said the real leader was Ahmad bin al-Hassan al-Basri. The cleric said he believed that Mr. Basri was alive and probably hiding near Karbala. Mr. Basri, while unknown to the average Iraqi, is relatively well known among the clerical hierarchy in Najaf, according to several clerics interviewed for this article. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Hawatimah, Najaf, Soldiers of Heaven
