BAGHDAD, Dec. 27, 2007
U.S. Launches Deadly Raid On Iraqi Militia
Mahdi Army Group Members Killed, Military Says; Retaliation By Muqtada Al-Sadr Uncertain
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(CBS/AP)
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The military also said Thursday that it captured two suspected extremists they think are linked to the capture of three U.S. soldiers earlier this year.
It was not immediately clear if the U.S. raid on the splinter militia members would impact a six-month freeze on activities that the Mahdi Army leader - radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr - called in August and has signaled in the past week he might extend.
In the past, al-Sadr has said that any Mahdi Army members who do not abide by his freeze would no longer be considered members of the militia. But he has also indicated that his fighters have the right to defend themselves if attacked by U.S. forces.
Al-Sadr's order to halt activities has been credited by American commanders as one reason why violence in Iraq has fallen dramatically in the past six months. However, it is unclear how much control al-Sadr maintains over his fighters as groups have splintered from the main movement.
Thursday's fighting took place in the early morning hours in Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, a local police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The officer said eight militia members were killed; the U.S. military said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that it killed an "estimated" 11 fighters. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.
In a later statement, the U.S. military said the operation was targeting a suspect who was "reportedly responsible for attacks against Coalition forces."
Troops approaching the target were fired at with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades, the military said. They then called in support aircraft. The local police official said at least two U.S. helicopters were used in the attack, along with an unknown number of fighter jets.
The military said no suspects were detained during the raid and that no U.S. troops were killed or wounded.
An official in al-Sadr's office in Kut described the U.S. action as "a criminal and cowardly attack by the Americans. They are trying to provoke people and ruin a stable security situation." He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Despite the its freeze on activities, U.S. commanders have in the past said they would not stop targeting splinter elements of the Mahdi Army that they said continue to operate, despite al-Sadr's order.
In early October, U.S. forces killed 25 Shiite militia fighters in Khalis, north of Baghdad, who were believed to be part of a Mahdi Army splinter group.
In other developments:
Meanwhile, the military said it captured on Monday and Tuesday in Ramadi two suspects linked to the capture of three American soldiers taken during a May ambush near Youssifiyah, about 12 miles south of Baghdad.
The military said one of the suspects is thought to have "facilitated" the kidnapping and to have used his house to hide the soldiers. A weapon belonging to one of the U.S. soldiers was found at the residence of the other suspect.
Spc. Alex R. Jimenez and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty were seized May 12 when insurgents attacked and overran a checkpoint in the volatile area south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death."
A third soldier, Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., was also captured during the raid, but his body was found May 23 floating in the Euphrates River. Four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi soldier were killed during the ambush.
The Islamic State of Iraq, a front group for al Qaeda, claimed in an Internet video earlier this year that the three missing soldiers were killed and buried. The militants showed images of the military IDs of Jimenez and Fouty but offered no proof that they were dead.
Also Thursday, Sunni and Shiite lawmakers criticized a draft amnesty bill to release Iraqi detainees, saying it does not go far enough to release the innocent and is likely to be shelved when it goes before parliament. The measure was approved by Iraq's Cabinet the day before.
The measure will not be brought to parliament for debate until March at the earliest, said Sami al-Askari a key adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Many key draft laws - including measures to share oil revenue and to allow some members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to hold government jobs - have remained mired for months in Iraq's gridlocked parliament.
Both the Iraqi government and the U.S. military each hold more than 20,000 prisoners detained since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
Al-Askari, who is a parliament member, said the amnesty would not cover those convicted of terrorism, corruption, crimes against humanity and kidnapping.
The draft will also not involve prisoners being held by American forces, said Sadiq al-Rikabi, another al-Maliki adviser.
It was not clear how many prisoners might be affected by the proposed ban. Al-Askari estimated that "80 percent of those held in Iraqi prisons are there for terrorist crimes, therefore the amnesty would be for a limited number."
Falah Shanshal, a Shiite lawmaker allied to al-Sadr, said the bill was "useless" if it did not include prisoners in U.S. jails in Iraq. "It's not a general amnesty, and it will be useless," he said.
Sunni lawmaker Asmaa Adnan al-Dulaimi of the Iraq Accordance Front, the three-party alliance that has 44 parliamentary seats, told The Associated Press that the law "will hinder the release of many innocents" as it will encounter endless debate in parliament.
"The best thing is to leave this issue to the judicial system because it is the only side who can decide who is innocent and who is not," she said. "The judicial system should review the inmates' files carefully and immediately in order to have them freed and not stranded by the long political discussions."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 88 CommentsIn a later statement, the U.S. military said the operation was targeting a suspect who was "reportedly responsible for attacks against Coalition forces.""
The reason for the regular discrepencies and vague assertions in US military reports is because the US military consistently crafts its reports to deceive the US public and it is harder to lie consistently than it is to tell the truth.
There is good reason to believe that Mahdi groups are targeted in part because Sadr''s group is a competitor with US favored elements for influence in Iraq.
Sadr actually seems more moderate and constructive than our leadership - which is not saying much. He is nationalistic too. I guess those things make him a prime target.
I love how the surge''s resounding success has barely been covered by the media. Liberal media? Na, could''t be.
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Posted by mocaleo at 09:36 AM : Dec 27, 2007
Brave volunteers who fought and died so that we may live in peace and freedom. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Posted by yankeerebel7 at 09:25 AM : Dec 27, 2007
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I love how they forget the reason for the surge in the first place. How many of those goals have been completed ? Was it 5 out of 18 ?
[Posted by yankeerebel7 at 09:25 AM : Dec 27, 2007]
has that babbling idiot learned the english language yet? he''s an embarassment to this great country and all who live here ... whenever and wherever he opens his mouth.
Posted by mbcsmith at 09:25 AM : Dec 27, 2007
The surge has not worked until a day goes by when there is NO killing in Iraq. And when they have established a democratic government where every man, WOMAN, and child is equal, and safe in their homes and on the streets.
And since this is NEVER going to happen because these people want a sectarian government, it makes this cause DOA!
FOOLS!
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Posted by mocaleo at 10:05 AM : Dec 27, 2007
Aparently, I have more respect for the sacrifice of these brave young men and women than you since all you do is USE THEIR DEATHS to promote your politics.
Thanks to all the brave young men and women and their families who have volunteered to sacrifice so that we may all live in peace and freedom.
Let''s apply that same standard to Houston or Dallas, OK? By that measure, these two cities are at war!
I know you really hate it when progress is made in Iraq, but GET OVER IT! Try supporting the efforts of our fine soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines. They will succeed despite you.
Koran ( 9:11 ) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle.. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah;
And there was peace.
(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!
Let''''s apply that same standard to Houston or Dallas, OK? By that measure, these two cities are at war!
Posted by mbcsmith at 10:22 AM : Dec 27, 2007
Wow - have you been in mom and dad''s medicine cabinet again ??
So you are a military strategist? A political science professional perhaps? A diplomat? OOOOOHH a LIB with a hard on for U.S. failure, now I get it.
They have no idea who they are shooting or bombing and because of this the terrorists have already won.
We should all thank the christians because it was the mindless christian vote bought with the faith based bribe that got the criminal gw bush into the white house
looks nice to the MSM but its all smoke and mirrors
Too bad it wasn''t 11 thousand.
Isalamists are like vermin,like ants. You kill a hundred and a thousand more pop up to take their place.
Time to pull out the nukes.
www.jihadwatch.org
Posted by joyous88 at 11:34 AM : Dec 27, 2007
You''re liar, an idiot and a bigot; and a Progressive.
I am pretty sure that you say the same things about
anybody that does not agree with you,
jesus for example, read the ''whole'' bible next time.
"This is nothing more than another bush propaganda piece, these american troops hide in their bunkers and when they do come out they kill anything that moves"
YOU"VE SEEN THIS AND CAN DISPUTE THE HUNDREDS OF OTHER REPORTERS THAT HAVE GONE ON MISSIONS?
"They have no idea who they are shooting or bombing and because of this the terrorists have already won."
YOU KNOW THIS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOUR ISLAMIC LEADER HAS TOLD YOU? WE''D ALL LIKE TO SEE THIS PROCLIMATION, WHAT WEB SITE CAN WE READ THIS ON AND IS THERE AN ENGLISH VERSION?
the missions are a joke this is an occupation not a war
Posted by mbcsmith at 02:10 PM : Dec 27, 2007
We already live in peace and freedom.
Maybe you should ask Bush why our military isn''t actively hunting down bin Laden.
Posted by joyous88 at 01:35 PM : Dec 27, 2007
You cannot fight an enemy on his land without ''occupying'' it, you cannot leave without making the country stable, (not democratic, not Islamic) simply ''stable and self-sustaining and you cannot leave while fighting is still going on.
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What does this have to do with Iraq?
Re: "But (Sadr) has also indicated that his fighters have the right to defend themselves if attacked by U.S. forces."
Obviously.
Re: "The U.S. military said in a statement that troops killed 12 suspected al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists and detained 37 others during a four-day operation near Muqdadiyah..."
Yet even more Iraqis murdered and imprisoned, in persuit of the notorious and imaginary group known as "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq".
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