Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Mass arrests of Sunni Arabs

"Iraqi security forces have launched a wide campaign in Sunni Muslim-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad and towns and cities to the north and west of the capital.

The campaign is said to be the widest by the government in years and has led to an exodus of people to the Kurdish north.

The campaign comes as the country gears for national elections in March.

The summary arrests have fuelled anger in these areas and raised fears of popular unrest at a time the government finds it extremely hard to reinstate law and order.

In Baghdad most of the arrests have taken place in the restive township of Abu Ghraib, home to the notorious Iraqi prison bearing the same name.

Parents and relatives said they have no idea where the security forces are keeping their beloved ones. They said officials told them all those arrested will remain behind bars until after the elections.

Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said hundreds of young people have been taken away from Tikrit, Anbar and Mosul.

They said popular discontent was apparent in the restive city of Mosul where rebels fighting U.S. and government troops are quite active."

3 comments :

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Do they have any evidence they can use in court to charge these people with? If so, fine, if not, then they should be freed.

We're not even out the door and already the Iraqi government is shooting themselves in the foot. Nothing like encouraging people to take up arms against them.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Hmmm...and then we have this:

United States Forces - Iraq PAO

BAGHDAD – Joint security teams killed two and arrested 21 suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorists today during a series of coordinated security operations conducted in Mosul to weaken the terrorist network and prevent future attacks.

Throughout the northern Iraqi city, ISF from Nineveh Province and U.S. advisors searched several buildings in order to locate and arrest suspected AQI members believed to be working within the top echelons of the terrorist group. Accurate intelligence collected prior to the operation led the security teams to the buildings.

Initial reports indicate that the AQI wali of northern Iraq was killed, while those arrested included the terrorist group’s administration emir for northern Iraq, an advisor to the sharia emir of northern Iraq and the detainee affairs emir of northern Iraq.

Suspected terrorist activities conducted by AQI range from extorting and kidnapping Iraqis to conducting assassinations and improvised explosive device attacks throughout the country.

During one security operation conducted in northeastern Mosul, a suspected AQI leader was killed after he refused to exit a building and opened fire on a security team of ISF and U.S. advisors. Prior to the exchange of gunfire, the security team instructed those inside the building to exit. Except for one suspect, all individuals within the building exited and were led to a safe area for questioning.

The suspect, Abu Na’im al-Afri, refused to exit the building and began shooting at the security team. In self-defense, the security team fired back and killed al-Afri, who is an alleged AQI wali of northern Iraq and is responsible for overseeing the movement of explosives and suicide bombers traveling into Iraq.

At a different location in northeastern Mosul, intelligence reports led ISF and U.S. advisors searched a residential building where a suspected AQI leader lived. As the security team entered the building, an individual armed with a pistol raised his weapon as if to shoot the security team members. Perceiving a direct threat to the safety of the team, a security team member shot and killed the gunman. The identity of the gunman has not yet been confirmed. Based on evidence found on the premises, two suspected criminal accomplices of the alleged AQI leader were arrested without incident.

Today’s security operations targeting AQI leadership in northern Iraq will likely disrupt the planning of future terrorist operations, ultimately enhancing the safety of all citizens in the country.


So, are these stories telling different versions of the same mass arrests? At least in the Mosul area? Is there evidence of criminal activity by those arrested?

Habis said...

Hey stupid tell us about the mass arrests of Americans. I hear US jails are full of non-white, non-protestant, non-european, african-american baptists and brown Latin American Roman catholics. Tell me stupid how come you do not go to Iraq and help the jarab-trained puppet police? You can go to Jordan first, get some police training by the hashemite puppets, learn to be a good puppet police, learn some arabic and then go to Iraq and serve. Why not stupid? Even if you do not learn Arabic because it is too hard maybe you can get by anyway with pigeon arabic.