Replies

Baghdad bomb kills or wounds at least 50, police say

Mon May 23, 2005 12:28 PM BST

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb at a restaurant in northern Baghdad caused more than 50 casualties on Monday, Iraqi police said.

They did not know how many people had been killed and how many wounded, but said 52 people had been caught up in the blast, which struck the restaurant at lunch time.

Iraqi forces capture Izzet Al-Douri''s nephew

BAGHDAD, May 23 (KUNA) -- Iraqi authorities arrested the nephew of the wanted terrorist Izzet Al-Douri who was Saddam's deputy during the era of the ousted government, said a statement released by the Iraqi Ministerial Council on Monday.

Iraqi security forces captured Mathna Shihab Ahmed Al-Douri, who is the nephew of Izzet Al-Douri in an area near Tikrit, the statement said.

"Mathna Al-Douri is the nephew of the terrorist Izzet Al-Douri who was the deputy president of the ousted Saddam Hussein. Mathna was a lieutenant during Saddam's government," the statement added.

Mathna Al-Douri has been providing protection to Izzet Al-Douri and expected to be the mastermind of roadside bombs in Al-Dour region.

In the meantime and according to intelligence information, security forces found a hiding place in a Baghdad house with weapons and ammunition. The five residents of the house were arrested.

A statement by the Iraqi government said the hiding place relates to Al-Zarqawi's terrorist network. Several mortars and 14 rifles along with loaded sniper-shoot guns were found in the place.

Eight explosive mines, six grenades, three missiles and a large quantity of explosives were found, in addition to propitiatory statements by the terrorist network.

U.S. soldiers survey the scene following a car bomb attack at a restaurant in Baghdad. The bomb killed at least three people and injured more than 70 according to eyewitnesses and hospital officials. (REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz)

A holy Quran which, according to members of the National Guard, survived the explosion of a car bomb at lunchtime outside the popular Habayibna restaurant, where police officers often meet for lunch, in the Talibia area of northern Baghdad, Iraq Monday, May 23, 2005, killing at least three people and injuring more than 70 according to eyewitnesses and hospital officials. (AP Photo / Mohammed Uraibi)

Joint Iraqi-US sweep west of Baghdad nets 285 suspects

BAGHDAD, May 23 (AFP) - Iraqi and US forces captured 285 suspected insurgents in a single day during a massive sweep of Baghdad's western outskirts aimed at stopping a wave of car bombings in the capital, the military said Monday.

"Coalition forces, in conjunction with the Iraqi army and ministry of interior forces, have detained 285 suspected terrorists in the western Baghdad district of Abu Ghraib in less than 24 hours," a statement said.

The military did not specify the number of troops involved in "Operation Squeeze Play" but said the raid was being carried out by four Iraqi army and three police commando battalions, backed by US soldiers.

Battalions generally consist of 300 to 400 troops.

"This is the largest combined operation with Iraqi security forces to date," said Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Kent. "The Iraqi security forces have the lead in this operation while we perform shaping and supporting roles."

The sweep, which was still continuing Monday, was launched on Sunday and jointly prepared during a special briefing the previous day.

One of the main objectives was to "reduce the amount of vehicle bombs in the city", the military said.

"By the end of the summer, the terrorists will be captured, dead or, in the least, severely disrupted, because of Iraqi security forces' efforts in this operation," said Colonel Joseph DiSalvo, a coalition commander in Baghdad.

The area swept by US and Iraqi forces since Sunday includes neighbourhoods where many of the attacks carried out daily on the airport road are thought to originate.

Convoys carrying US troops, private security guards, foreign contractors and journalists are frequently hit on the airport road, a 12-kilometre (seven-mile) stretch nicknamed the "Death Strip".

The month of May has been one of the bloodiest since the 2003 invasion, with relentless car bombings and other attacks that have killed more than 500 people.

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=3812