Iraq Foils Plot to Put {421 al-Qaida} Terrorists at Posts {around Green Zone}

Yahoo/AP ^ | 03/14/06 | BASSEM MROUE

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi interior minister said Tuesday that authorities had foiled an al-Qaida plot that would have put hundreds of its men at critical guard posts around Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies as well as the Iraqi government.

A senior Defense Ministry official said the 421 al-Qaida fighters were actually recruited to storm the U.S. and British embassies and take hostages. Several ranking Defense Ministry officials have been jailed in the plot, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the 421 al-Qaida recruits were one bureaucrat's signature away from acceptance into an Iraqi army battalion whose job is to control the gates and main squares in the Green Zone. The plot was discovered three weeks ago.

"You can imagine what could happen to a minister or an ambassador while passing through these gates when those terrorists are there," Jabr said in the interview conducted at his office inside the Green Zone — a 2-square-mile hunk of prime real estate on the west bank of the Tigris River. The area is a maze of concrete blast walls, concertina wire and checkpoints.

The Defense Ministry official said the plot was uncovered by the military intelligence and the General Intelligence department that works under the government.

The Green Zone has been attacked in the past with mortar rounds and rockets. A number of car bombs driven by suicide attackers have been detonated in the past two years at the entrances, killing scores of people.

On Oct. 14, 2004, two al-Qaida members carried out a suicide attack inside the zone, hitting a market and a cafe. Six people were killed, including four Americans, and 20 people were

[r9etb]

Wow. Time to clean house!

Discovered three weeks ago, announced today ... I think it's fair to say that a house-cleaning is already underway.

[Dog]

Sleep with the M-16 close by.

[Chena]

Thank you!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

ROFL!

Sleep well!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the MSNBC story linked at post#59 we have this:

****************************************

The Defense Ministry was carrying out operations to capture the would-be recruits, both men said.

“Most of them were members of the same tribe and came from the same area,” Jabr said but refused to give specifics because of the ongoing operation. Neither Jabr nor the Defense Ministry official would give details on any arrests.

“The 421 were supposed to be in control of the entrances to the Green Zone and internal squares. I mean they were going to be in charge of security in the Green Zone in the future,” Jabr told AP.  “They were going to carry out operations. Most of them are wanted terrorists” using false identification.

[TexKat]

May God be with our men and women who serve!

[stylin19a]

Thanks for that link.
Interesting bit here:

But some believe the Americans also made a critical mistake by installing gas-turbine generators rather than building or overhauling more of the oil-fueled, steam-run plants.

Iraq doesn't have pipelines to deliver natural gas from its oil fields, so plant operators resort to low-grade oil to run the gas-combustion engines, reducing power output by up to 50 percent and potentially damaging the machinery.

"Turbines don't run well on that, and that forces us into a maintenance cycle," said Tom Waters, deputy director for electricity in the U.S. reconstruction office.

There had to be some intention sometime to build pipelines for natural gas. I wonder what went south ?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Looks authentic, see the MSNBC story...linked above....

[bnelson44]

Yep probably is

[Marine_Uncle]

Let us hope millions of Iraqi have the same insite as Omar has, and realize they must demand through their elected/and otherwise representatives, holler to the high heavens to the current leadership to put this crap to an end.
I do hope Talabani and other strong Kurds and secularist will keep the pressure on, to convince the shia groups they have failed miserably and have shown Iraqis in general they are not fit to lead. Guess in the next few weeks we shall see what trend shall be established. I hesitate to make any predictions. To many variables can change or new ones surface. As stated elsewhere. Fatso must go.

[DTogo]

Reid and Pelosi are deeply saddened that the plot was uncovered...

[Marine_Uncle]

"I wonder what the operational activities of US forces are like in this environment."
Don't hold me to it. But I believe I had read (within the past 30 days) that US units have been reguarly moving out of the main Baghdad area, e.g. giving over the FOB's to Iraqi army units.
As we saw after the golden dump blast, the Iraqi army where responsible for flooding the capital with their units in preperation to put down any uprisings of significance.
And as we have read, the US commanders have praise the IA's performance thus far. So I am staying neutral to mildly optimistic on the IA at this point. They continue to prove themselves in independent AOR (areas of responsibility).

[OPS4]

I wonder how many they will have in ports, if Dubai gets the management contract?

[Marine_Uncle]

I do hope the occasional goon getting through does not prevent you from at least enjoying an occasional stroll outside as the weather warms up.

[Marine_Uncle]

Good response. For all we know zman and his remaining lieutenants may already be out of country. We could be witnessing the desperate acts of those that remain that want a last chance at martydom. I really think Al Qaeda Iraq is in far worse condition then some portrait.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the MSNBC story, this looks to me like like one particular tribe trying for working an angle for massive Ransom Monies....now I ask...where is Al-Queda?

[johnny7]

Mort Kondracke says he's been waiting for a Tet-like moment to occur in Iraq. TOUGH TETTIE MORT!

[Ditto]

"Several ranking Defense Ministry officials have been jailed in the plot,"

Time to get out the sadistic Victoria's Secret tourture devices and find out if there are any more moles in the Ministry.

[bnelson44]

From the article: The Defense Ministry official said the plot was uncovered by the military intelligence and the government’s General Intelligence Service, which said the al-Qaida recruits planned to take U.S. and British diplomats hostage then demand withdrawal of U.S. and British troops.

[TexKat]

Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr gestures during an interview with the Associated Press, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 14, 2006. Iraq's interior minister on Tuesday said authorities had foiled an al-Qaida plot that would have put hundreds of its men at critical guard posts around Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies as well as the Iraqi government. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)