Posted on 09/04/2006 3:01:30 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Sep. 4, 2006 – The capture of a top-tier terrorist has left al Qaeda in Iraq in a "serious leadership crisis," an Iraqi government official said here yesterday. Iraqi forces, with coalition support, captured Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, who is thought to be responsible for the Feb. 22 bombing of a Samarra shrine sacred to Shiia Muslims, said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, national security adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in a nationally televised address.
The mosque bombing helped fan the flames of sectarian violence in Iraq. Saeedi – also known as Abu Humam and Abu Rana – was reportedly captured as he hid in a residential building southwest of Baquba.
"(Saeedi) is the direct supervisor of the criminal Haitham al-Badri, who planned and executed the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra," Rubaie said.
The Iraqi national security adviser said Saeedi carried out the policy of the al Qaeda in Iraq organization to ignite sectarian riots. According to Rubaie, Saeedi also is accused of supervising the creation of death squads and ordering assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on Iraqi police and army checkpoints.
(Adapted from an article posted on the Multinational Force Iraq Web site.)
What are the odds that this guy's gonads are being squeezed just a bit... And maybe he wishes the US was still in charge of Abu Graib.
Where are the Demos demanding that he be given Constitutional Rights and treatment under the Geneva Convention? When is Ramsey Clark going to come to his rescue... Just wondering.
I don't know why they don't just get all the information they can out of these guys then hang them in a public place
"Our troops have dealt fatal and painful blows to this organization," Dr. Rubaie said of the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist network.
During a nationally-televised statement, Dr. Rubaie said Iraqi forces, with Coalition support, captured Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, a top-tier al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist thought to be responsible for the Feb. 22 bombing of a Samarra shrine sacred to Shia Muslims - an incident that helped fan the flames of sectarian violence in Iraq.
"[Saeedi] is the direct supervisor of the criminal Haitham al-Badri, who planned and executed the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra," Mr. Rubaie said.
The Iraqi national security advisor said that Saeedi carried out the policy of the al-Qaida in Iraq organization to ignite sectarian riots. According to Rubaie, Saeedi is also accused of supervising the creation of death squads and ordering assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on Iraqi Police and Army checkpoints.
Rubaie said Saeedi’s arrest has left al-Qaida in Iraq suffering a "serious leadership crisis."
On the same day Saeedi’s capture was announced, Iraqi and Coalition leaders in Adhamiyah, an area of northeastern Baghdad, told reporters they are now focusing on phase two of operations in that neighborhood.
Taming Adhamiyah was part of Operation Together Forward, also known as Amaliya Ma’an ila Al-Amam. With the area secure, leaders are now focusing on restoring civil services electricity, water, sewer and fuel to the neighborhood.
“The first part of the operation is not successful unless the second part is successful,” said Maj. Gen. Mahmood Ayoub Bashar, 9th Iraqi Army Division commander.
His unit’s soldiers, along with the Iraqi Police, 6th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers and U.S. Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, moved together to secure the area.
The combined troops were successful, according to Col. Michael Shields, 172nd SBCT commander.
Iraqi troops cleared 23 mosques, combined troops found four caches, and most significantly, they found a factory where improvised explosive devices were made, said Shields.
He was not self-congratulatory, however.
“I do gauge success in the security of Adhamiyah, and the relationship between the people of Adhamiyah and Iraqi and Coalition forces,” Shields said.
According to Brig. Gen. Emad Ismail Ali, Adhamiyah Police chief, the troops are gaining local citizens’ respect.
“We met a lot of people on the ground, and the people are pleased,” he said.
His Police officers worked with Military Police of Iraqi and Coalition forces.
“We are starting to see people stand up to the militias,” said Shields.
The colonel said Iraqi citizens there are turning more and more to Iraqi forces rather than the militias.
The 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division commander saw this as an important aspect of Operation Together Forward.
“Our goal was to regain the trust of the people and to overcome terrorists,” said Brig. Gen. Jabar Mujhed Msad.
With that goal seemingly achieved, the commanders agreed the second phase restoring civil services must now find success.
“Our number one concern has been security, but right behind that it is electricity, also water, sewer and fuel availability,” said Shields.
The colonel said 1,700 humanitarian assistance meals were distributed, as well as about 50 power generators.
“None of us in this room would want to live without electricity,” added Bashar. However, he said Adhamiyah citizens went 45 days without it.
Shields praised the citizens for what they endured.
“I commend the Iraqis for their patience,” he said. “Patience in supporting security searches, patience with traffic, [and] patience with lack of services.”
With Coalition and Iraqi support, Adhamiyah is on the road to recovery.
“People are shopping, small businesses are opening back up, but there is a lot of work to do,” said Shields.
For these commanders, complete recovery means a secure Iraq with the necessities of modern life.
“The Iraqi people look to us for security, and now we need to coordinate the ministries for civil services,” said Bashar. “We need to start a new page to live in peace. The Iraqi people have suffered a lot.”
In other developments throughout Iraq:
(Compiled from official DoD sources)
Oh, please oh, please you can't torture him. BULL!!!!!
Get whatever information you can from this evil thing. Then turn him over to the families that survived his butchery.
According to a coworker of mine who did a tour in Iraq with Army Intelligence, torture wasn't needed. Just threaten to turn the terrorist over to the Iraqi forces and very quickly, the prisoner would sing like a bird.
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