Saturday, May 05, 2007
Tribesmen attacked by suicide bomber
Security
(AFP) - At least 16 Iraqi army recruits were killed Saturday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at their recruitment centre west of Baghdad one day after police found the murdered bodies of seven anti-terrorism officers. Another 21 recruits were wounded in the blast, which took place at an army base in the predominantly Sunni rural tribal area around Abu Ghraib, said a defense ministry official.
Sunni tribesmen that once fought with the insurgency have been increasingly joining the security services at the urging of their elders to restore stability to their strife-ridden lands. Interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf told reporters Saturday that thanks to the efforts of the tribes, specifically in the western Al-Anbar province, security forces are now on the offensive.
"For the first time in four years the government is giving an offer to the armed groups to lay down their weapons and give themselves up to the government," he said. "Those that have not shed Iraqi blood will be given a general amnesty. We intend to raise the people of the province in the army and police to 21,000 fighters to ensure security there," he said, adding that at the end of 2006, there were 9,000.
Tribes in Iraq's western province of Al-Anbar have banded together and are working with US and Iraqi forces to combat Al-Qaeda and sending people to join the security services to restore stability and hasten the departure of US troops. The fiercely independent Sunni tribesmen also see the advantage of not being patrolled by security forces largely made up of Shiites from elsewhere in the country. Attempts are being made by the US military and Iraqi government to build such tribal alliances elsewhere in the country where the predominantly Sunni insurgency is raging with limited success.
Insurgents, particularly those linked with Al-Qaeda, have struck back hard against the tribes looking to ally with the government. The seven plain clothes police found murdered north of Baghdad in the oil refining town of Baiji on Friday were tribal recruits to Anbar province's special anti-terrorism police unit, a police intelligence captain told AFP on condition of anonymity. The bodies of the policemen, which were riddled with bullets, had been dumped on the roadside.
Sunni tribesmen that once fought with the insurgency have been increasingly joining the security services at the urging of their elders to restore stability to their strife-ridden lands. Interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf told reporters Saturday that thanks to the efforts of the tribes, specifically in the western Al-Anbar province, security forces are now on the offensive.
"For the first time in four years the government is giving an offer to the armed groups to lay down their weapons and give themselves up to the government," he said. "Those that have not shed Iraqi blood will be given a general amnesty. We intend to raise the people of the province in the army and police to 21,000 fighters to ensure security there," he said, adding that at the end of 2006, there were 9,000.
Tribes in Iraq's western province of Al-Anbar have banded together and are working with US and Iraqi forces to combat Al-Qaeda and sending people to join the security services to restore stability and hasten the departure of US troops. The fiercely independent Sunni tribesmen also see the advantage of not being patrolled by security forces largely made up of Shiites from elsewhere in the country. Attempts are being made by the US military and Iraqi government to build such tribal alliances elsewhere in the country where the predominantly Sunni insurgency is raging with limited success.
Insurgents, particularly those linked with Al-Qaeda, have struck back hard against the tribes looking to ally with the government. The seven plain clothes police found murdered north of Baghdad in the oil refining town of Baiji on Friday were tribal recruits to Anbar province's special anti-terrorism police unit, a police intelligence captain told AFP on condition of anonymity. The bodies of the policemen, which were riddled with bullets, had been dumped on the roadside.
Labels: Abu Ghraib, army recruits, Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, suicide bomber, Sunni tribesmen
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Interior Ministry - leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq killed by own people
Insurgency
(Al Jazeera) - Iraqi authorities are investigating reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the alleged leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, has been killed in a battle within his own group. Iraq’s interior ministry said on Tuesday it had received intelligence information on al-Masri's apparent death, and that Iraqi security forces were not involved.
"Some information... needs confirmation, but this information is very strong," said Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, interior ministry operations director. "The clashes took place among themselves. There were clashes within the groups of al-Qaeda. He was liquidated by them." Khalaf said al-Masri was apparently killed in a battle near a bridge in the town of al-Nibayi, north of Baghdad. He said that Iraqi authorities did not have al-Masri's body. Another interior ministry source said Masri had been killed.
A US military spokesman could not confirm the report, and said that several previous reports of Masri's death were found to be false. "I hope it's true, we're checking, but we're going to be doubly sure before we can confirm anything," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver. In March, Iraqi media reported that Masri had been wounded in a shootout with Iraqi soldiers, but the information proved unfounded.
US officials say Masri, who is allegedly also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, is an Egyptian who specialises in car bombings. He has allegedly headed al-Qaeda’s operations in Iraq since the death of then-leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a US air-raid in June 2006.
"Some information... needs confirmation, but this information is very strong," said Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, interior ministry operations director. "The clashes took place among themselves. There were clashes within the groups of al-Qaeda. He was liquidated by them." Khalaf said al-Masri was apparently killed in a battle near a bridge in the town of al-Nibayi, north of Baghdad. He said that Iraqi authorities did not have al-Masri's body. Another interior ministry source said Masri had been killed.
A US military spokesman could not confirm the report, and said that several previous reports of Masri's death were found to be false. "I hope it's true, we're checking, but we're going to be doubly sure before we can confirm anything," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver. In March, Iraqi media reported that Masri had been wounded in a shootout with Iraqi soldiers, but the information proved unfounded.
US officials say Masri, who is allegedly also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, is an Egyptian who specialises in car bombings. He has allegedly headed al-Qaeda’s operations in Iraq since the death of then-leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a US air-raid in June 2006.
Labels: Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Nibayi, Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver, Ministry of Interior
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Iraqi security forces, tribes kill terrorists in Al-Anbar
Security, Tribes, Insurgency
(AFP) - Iraqi security forces killed 39 "terrorists" in a fierce battle in the western Sunni province of Al-Anbar on Tuesday, a top Iraqi official told AFP. Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, director of the operations centre in the interior ministry, said seven other militants were arrested, including some Arab nationals. The clashes broke out early Tuesday in Ameriyah, southwest of the former rebel town of Fallujah and the site of a recent chlorine gas attack.
Khalaf said security forces supported by paramilitary units formed by Sunni tribes fought the militants in a battle that lasted several hours. Two top militants, Shakir Hadi Jassim and Mohammed Khamis, were among the dead. About 25 Sunni tribes from Anbar have formed an coalition -- Anbar Awakening -- to take on the militants, largely from the Al-Qaeda network, who are operating in the western province.
These tribes have been sending thousands of young men to join the government security forces or their paramilitary units to cooperate with US and Iraqi commanders to fight insurgents. In response, the insurgents have launched attacks on them and modified their tactics to add gas bombs to their arsenal. On Friday, bombers detonated three dirty bombs in Anbar province poisoning 350 civilians, six American soldiers and killing two policemen.
Khalaf said security forces supported by paramilitary units formed by Sunni tribes fought the militants in a battle that lasted several hours. Two top militants, Shakir Hadi Jassim and Mohammed Khamis, were among the dead. About 25 Sunni tribes from Anbar have formed an coalition -- Anbar Awakening -- to take on the militants, largely from the Al-Qaeda network, who are operating in the western province.
These tribes have been sending thousands of young men to join the government security forces or their paramilitary units to cooperate with US and Iraqi commanders to fight insurgents. In response, the insurgents have launched attacks on them and modified their tactics to add gas bombs to their arsenal. On Friday, bombers detonated three dirty bombs in Anbar province poisoning 350 civilians, six American soldiers and killing two policemen.
COMMENT: One of the bombs was detonated near the house of the leader of Anbar Awakening which would have resulted in retaliation on the insurgents by the tribes. As long as the insurgents continue to carry out mass casualty attacks, more tribes will turn againts them and help the security forces. This unites the tribes against the insurgency instead of assisting it, and decreases inter-tribal fighting as the focus is shifted onto the insurgents. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Al Anbar, Al Qaeda, Ameriyah, Anbar Awakening, Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, Sunni tribes
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Security forces expect more chemical bomb attacks
Security, Insurgency
(AFP) - Insurgents in Iraq killed seven more US troops as security forces on Sunday said they expected more chemical bomb attacks after three dirty bombs left two policemen dead and 350 civilians sick. Iraq government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh claimed on Sunday that Friday’s chlorine attacks in the restive Anbar province west of Baghdad were sparked by the fact that public opinion is turning against militant groups.
Insurgents detonated three trucks filled with toxic chlorine gas, putting at least 350 Iraqi civilians in hospital and killing two policemen, the US military reported, adding that six American soldiers also fell sick. Two of the attacks came just south of the town of Fallujah and one was northeast of the nearby city of Ramadi, both hotbeds of Al Qaeda militants in Anbar province. 'This is the doing of terrorist organisations in Ramadi and Fallujah,’ Dabbagh told a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday. ‘Public opinion in Ramadi is going against these groups, and so they threaten the people of Anbar. We were expecting such chlorine attacks. It is not easy to stop them.’
Iraqi interior ministry operations director Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf had on Saturday suggested the bombings may have been launched in revenge for recent government successes against insurgents in Ramadi. Sunni tribes from Anbar have united in a coalition to oppose Al Qaeda in Iraq, sending thousands of young men to join the government security forces and cooperating with US and Iraqi commanders.
Insurgents continue to carry out assaults in Baghdad despite the presence of 90,000 US and Iraqi troops on the streets as part of Operation Fardh Al Qanoon (Imposing Law), which was launched on February 14 in a bid to quell sectarian violence. US military spokesman Rear Admiral Mark Fox acknowledged at the joint news conference with Dabbagh that as general violence in the capital has been reduced, the number of car bombings has risen. ‘We are taking down the networks that produce these car bombs; we are taking down car bomb factories,’ he added.Insurgents detonated three trucks filled with toxic chlorine gas, putting at least 350 Iraqi civilians in hospital and killing two policemen, the US military reported, adding that six American soldiers also fell sick. Two of the attacks came just south of the town of Fallujah and one was northeast of the nearby city of Ramadi, both hotbeds of Al Qaeda militants in Anbar province. 'This is the doing of terrorist organisations in Ramadi and Fallujah,’ Dabbagh told a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday. ‘Public opinion in Ramadi is going against these groups, and so they threaten the people of Anbar. We were expecting such chlorine attacks. It is not easy to stop them.’
Iraqi interior ministry operations director Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf had on Saturday suggested the bombings may have been launched in revenge for recent government successes against insurgents in Ramadi. Sunni tribes from Anbar have united in a coalition to oppose Al Qaeda in Iraq, sending thousands of young men to join the government security forces and cooperating with US and Iraqi commanders.
Labels: Al Anbar, Ali Al Dabbagh, Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf, chlorine bombs, tribes
