Posted on 05/29/2005 11:10:27 PM PDT by HAL9000
BAGHDAD, May 30 (Reuters) - U.S. troops arrested the leader of one of Iraq's main Sunni Arab political parties at his house in Baghdad on Monday, party officials said.The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the arrest of Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, head of the Iraqi Islamic Party.
The party officials said it was not clear why he was arrested.
The party boycotted Iraq's Jan. 30 elections but was among several Sunni Arab groups that signalled this month that they were ready to take a greater role in the country's politics.
Iraq's parliament, dominated by Shi'ites and Kurds, has been trying to involve more Sunni Arabs in politics and the drafting of a new constitution, in an effort to defuse sectarian tensions and undermine the insurgency.
The chief of the principal party sunnite of Iraq stopped by American soldiers
BAGHDAD - the principal formation sunnite of Iraq, the Islamic Party, announced that its chief, Mohsen Abdel Hamid, and three of his sons had been stopped at dawn Monday by American soldiers in Baghdad.
"Mohsen Abdel Hamid was stopped with 04H00 of the morning (00H00 GMT) in its house of district Al-Khadra, the west of Baghdad, like its sons Yasser, Mokdad and Assyad", declared with AFP Alaa Makki, of the political office of the Islamic Party, affirming that no explanation was provided on the reasons for this arrest.
Questioned by AFP, the American army did not confirm this arrest but it indicated that it tried to check the veracity of information.
"No explanation was given to these arrests but of the interpreters of the American army present with the soldiers reproached the Islamic Party for not taking part in the political process", added Mr. Makki.
This arrest intervenes at the time when the authorities of Baghdad and the Americans invite the sunnites to take part in the political process.
The Islamic Party had been withdrawn from the race for the general elections of January 30 after having asked in vain for their carryforward by estimating that they could not be held in a climate of violence.
According to Mr. Makki, the soldiers who carried out the arrests broke windows of the residence of the political leader and maltreated Mr. Abdel Hamid and her sons, whose Assyad last "is reached of a serious illness".
"They did not hesitate to cover the head of Mr. Abdel Hamid of a bag before taking it along", still affirmed Mr. Makki qualifying these arrests of "black spot in the history of America in Iraq".
The leader of the Islamic Party affirmed that "more than 200 members" of his formation were in the American centers of detention without no charge being carried against them.
He was astonished by these arrests which intervene at the following day of a declaration of the spokesman of the government Leith Koubba in which he was pleased with the standpoint of the Islamic Party against violence.
"the government must be explained there above", has it says.
Reacting to a call of the government with the formations sunnites to clarify their position on political violence, in particular that aiming at the police force, the Islamic Party had condemned in an official statement "all the forms of terrorism which they emanate individuals, groups or governments".
It had at the same time warned against the transformation of the police force into instrument of repression at the hands of the Shiites.
I like to know what cause the US troops busted this dude was he was Zarhari buddy
Who is Zarhari ?
OOPS I mean Zarhaqri the infamous terror bad boy know US Troop second terrorist on dead pool LOL!
"...the head of Mr. Abdel Hamid of a bag before taking it along","
If he is a perp, hope the head came along in the bag, and the body was dumped elsewhere
Ok.. thanks
Ping
Zarqawi
Now, that should "win friends and influence people".
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