Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunni MP - weapons cache was 'planted' by Shia government
Politics, Security
(Associated Press) - An Iraqi Sunni lawmaker denied Monday that he had stashed weapons in his Baghdad home and accused the Iraqi government and Iran of trying to discredit him because of his criticism of state policies. Khalaf al-Ilyan spoke to The Associated Press one day after an Iraqi military spokesman said U.S. and Iraqi troops had found a huge stash of weapons in his home and arrested more than a dozen men.
Al-Ilyan, who is recovering from knee surgery in Jordan, accused the Shiite-led government of a smear campaign against him. He said if there were weapons at his home, the Shiite-led security forces must have planted them. "Government authorities search my house twice a week. How can I stash away weapons there? How can I hide weapons there? Am I that foolish to do that when there are so many areas in Iraq where weapons could be concealed?" al-Ilyan said.
He called the government's allegations against him "unfounded, baseless and unjust." Al-Ilyan, one of three leaders of the main Sunni Arab bloc in parliament, said the government was out to get him because he has spoken out against its policies. "The government stands against anyone who speaks the truth or dares to speak out against its policies and actions," al-Ilyan said. "I always talk loudly. I say that the government harbors terrorism and terrorists. They don't like that. So, they accuse us of being terrorists."
He said he planned to write a letter to parliament and to contact U.S. officials "to make them understand the reality behind all this."
Al-Ilyan, who is recovering from knee surgery in Jordan, accused the Shiite-led government of a smear campaign against him. He said if there were weapons at his home, the Shiite-led security forces must have planted them. "Government authorities search my house twice a week. How can I stash away weapons there? How can I hide weapons there? Am I that foolish to do that when there are so many areas in Iraq where weapons could be concealed?" al-Ilyan said.
He called the government's allegations against him "unfounded, baseless and unjust." Al-Ilyan, one of three leaders of the main Sunni Arab bloc in parliament, said the government was out to get him because he has spoken out against its policies. "The government stands against anyone who speaks the truth or dares to speak out against its policies and actions," al-Ilyan said. "I always talk loudly. I say that the government harbors terrorism and terrorists. They don't like that. So, they accuse us of being terrorists."
He said he planned to write a letter to parliament and to contact U.S. officials "to make them understand the reality behind all this."
Labels: Khalaf al-Ilyan, weapons stash
