U.S. and Iraqi Forces Raid Ramadi Mosques They Say Were Used by Insurgents

Associated Press ^ | Oct 12, 2004 | Alexandra Zavis

[Jet Jaguar]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi forces backed by U.S. soldiers and Marines raided mosques Tuesday in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi and detained a prominent cleric following fierce clashes that hospital officials said killed at least four people.

U.S. aircraft also rocketed a mosque northwest of Ramadi on Monday after insurgents opened fire from there on U.S. Marines, the command said.

The seven mosques targeted in Ramadi are suspected of supporting insurgents through a range of activities, including harboring terrorists, storing illegal ueapons caches, promoting violence and encouraging insurgent recruitment, the U.S. command said.

Sheikh Abdul-Aleim Saadi, the provincial leader of the influential Association of Muslim Scholars, was detained at Mohammed Aref Mosque, his relatives and followers said.

Angry residents accused Americans of disrespecting the sanctity of city mosques.

"This cowboy behavior cannot be accepted," said cleric Abdullah Abu Omar of the Ramadi Mosque. "The Americans seem to have lost their senses and have gone out of control."

The 1st Marine Division said the raids followed a pattern of insurgent activity in and around Ramadi mosques in recent weeks.

"The 1st Marine Division respects the religious and cultural significance represented by mosques," it said in a statement. "However, when insurgents violate the sanctity of the mosque by using the structure for military purposes, the site loses its protective status."

The participation of American Marines and soldiers in the raids was limited to supporting Iraqi security forces, said Brig. Gen. Joseph Dunford, assistant division commander of the 1st Marine Division.

The raids followed two days of clashes in the city, a Sunni militant stronghold 70 miles west of Baghdad. Insurgents fired two mortars at the city hall and neighboring police directorate Monday night, sparking gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade exchanges, residents said.

Three policemen and a civilian were killed, said Dr. Dhia Abdul-Karim, at the city hospital.

U.S. forces have also clashes with insurgents holed up in mosques in other areas.

On Monday, U.S. aircraft attacked a mosque in the nearby town of Hit and set it on fire after insurgents hiding in the shrine opened fire on American Marines, the U.S. military said.

In Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, insurgents opened fire from a mosque after a car bomb exploded in front of a U.S. convoy, the military said. One U.S. soldier was killed and nine were wounded, the U.S.'command said. City hospitals reported at least two Iraqis killed and 18 wounded.

U.S. and Iraqi forces are trying to clamp down on rebel enclaves in time to hold nationwide elections in January.

On Tuesday, Turkey's foreign minister confirmed that 10 Turks abducted last month in Iraq had been freed. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said 10 employees of the Turkish construction company VINSAN were released and that their families were notified of their release.

"They are in good health, they were not treated badly, they're very happy to be released," Ali Haydar Veziroglu, VINSAN chairman of the board, told private NTV television by telephone from Baghdad.

Al-Jazeera television had reported the release of the 10 hostages on Sunday but Gul's announcement was the first confirmation that they were free. The Ankara-based construction company announced in late September that it was halting operations in Iraq.

In insurgent-held Fallujah, U.S. warplanes struck twice early Tuesday, destroying a popular restaurant and a house which the U.S. command said were used by members of Iraq's most feared terrorist organization. At least five people were killed and two wounded, the city hospital said.

A 12:01 a.m. blast destroyed the Haj Hussein restaurant as well as nearby shops, residents said. The restaurant was closed at the time, but two night guards were killed said Dr. Ahmed Thaer from Fallujah General Hospital.

The U.S. military command in Baghdad made no mention of the restaurant but said the target was used as a meeting place for the Tawhid and Jihad terror network, led by Jordanian-born extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"Following the engagement, secondary explosions were reported, indicating the strong likelihood of weapons caches and explosive devices," the statement said. "Terrorists frequently planned operations from this location."

The second blast occurred at 4:02 a.m. and flattened a building in northeastern Fallujah which the U.S. command said was a known terrorist safehouse. Intelligence sources confirmed that al-Zarqawi associates were using the building at the time of the strike, a military statement said.

At least three people were killed and two wounded in the blast, Thaer said.

Al-Zarqawi's network has claimed responsibility for numerous car bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of foreign hostages, including American businessman Nicholas Berg, South Korean translator Kim Sung-il, British civil engineer Kenneth Bigley and U.S. engineers Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley.

U.S. commanders say weeks of air and ground strikes in Fallujah have inflicted serious damage to al-Zarqawi's network.

Tuesday's strikes were the first since Oct. 6. The Iraqi government has reported progress in negotiations to restore control over the city 40 miles west of Baghdad.

The latest violence came a day after Shiite fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City slum unloaded cars full of machine guns, mortars and land mines as a five-day, weapons-for-cash disarmament program got started.

A lasting peace in the sprawling slum would allow U.S. and Iraqi forces to focus on the mounting Sunni insurgency in Fallujah, Ramadi and elsewhere. Underscoring the threat, two American soldiers were killed in a rocket attack in another part of the capital Monday.

In Sadr City, followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr promised the government last weekend they would hand over medium and heavy weapons for cash in a deal considered an important step toward ending weeks of fighting with U.S. and Iraqi forces. Iraqi police and National Guardsmen will then assume security responsibility for the district.

AP-ES-10-12-04 0522EDT

[maryz]

Angry residents accused Americans of disrespecting the sanctity of city mosques.
"This cowboy behavior cannot be accepted," said cleric Abdullah Abu Omar of the Ramadi Mosque. "The Americans seem to have lost their senses and have gone out of control."

Out of how many "angry residents" did they finally select one in charge of a raided mosque?

[Jet Jaguar]

Cowboy behavior! They got that right.

[highlander_UW]

How can people refer to Islam as a "religion of peace" and at the same time observe that muslims worship in ammo dumps?

[FreedomPoster]

Here, let's correct that:

How can people refer to Islam as a "religion of peace" and at the same time observe that muslims worship in bunkers/ammo dumps?

[Anti-Bubba182]

Counter attacking fire from Mosques is overdue. The insurgents have abuse the sanctuary of these institutions
from the start.

[Badomun]

Its about time we started taking out the Mosques!

[EaglesUpForever]

> Angry residents accused Americans of disrespecting
> the sanctity of city mosques.

When they stop preaching about how great it is to behead civilians, they can begin to talk about "sanctity."

[Happy2BMe]

Clarification on our armed forces right to return fire when it is coming from a mosque comes directly from our Military Field Manual - FM27-10, cHPTR 2 - Hostilites:

45. Buildings and Areas To Be Protected

a. Buildings To Be Spared.

In sieges and bombardments all necessary measures must be taken to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes.

It is the duty of the besieged to indicate the presence of such buildings or places by distinctive and visible signs, which shall be notified to the enemy beforehand. (HR, art. 27.) (See also GC, arts. 18 and 19; pars. 257 and 258 herein, dealing with the identification and protection of civilian hospitals.)

b. Areas To Be Protected. In order to protect buildings used for medical purposes from being accidentally hit, it is desirable that the wounded and sick should, if possible, be concentrated in an area remote from military objectives or in an area neutralized by arrangement with the enemy. See GC, arts. 14, 18, and 19; pars. 253, 257, and 258 herein, concerning the establishment of hospital and safety zones and localities.)

* *

"Retired CIA official Paul Wilson (IIRC), cautioned/warned that al-Qaeda already had as many as 5,000 operatives inside the US in various cells throughout the country."

_______________________

Find a Mosque Near You

It's Just Down The Street

* * *

MOST TERRORIST FRIENDLY CITIES IN AMERICA - SEATTLE #1

[MinuteGal]

"Cowboy" is right!

Those terror supporters in the ungrateful populace should have been ordered to get out of Dodge by sundown and never come back.

Leni

[Coop]

Intelligence sources confirmed that al-Zarqawi associates were using the building at the time of the strike, a military statement said.

[Coop]

Our forces have counterattacked mosques on many occasions.

[Coop]

Every time I read an article about coalition forces returning fire against a mosque, I also know there will be a few "It's about time!" comments. It always amazes me that such a misperception continues to proliferate.

[Walkingfeather]

Its been policy since the beginning of the war that the use of a mosque to hide troops makes it a viable target.

[Coop]

The restaurant was closed at the time, but two night guards were killed said Dr. Ahmed Thaer from Fallujah General Hospital.

How many restaurants employ one night guard, much less two?

[madameguinot]

Thank you, US Forces!!

Thank you, Marines!!

[Flint]

Bout Damn Time.

[Theo]

The Americans seem to have lost their senses

It's either "lose your senses" or "lose your head." We'll "up the ante" as much as it takes....

[sarasota]

Pleae, please, more Cowboy behavior!