Sadr City raid sought kidnappers of US soldier

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Media: AFP
Byline: n/a
Date: 26 October 2006

BAGHDAD - A controversial raid by Iraqi and US forces on a Baghdad militia
bastion, which angered Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, aimed to
rescue a kidnapped American soldier, the US military said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Iraqi special forces and US advisers stormed addresses in
Sadr City, a Shiite suburb of east Baghdad which is a stronghold of the
Mahdi Army militia, triggering a fierce gunbattle with local fighters.

The assault angered Maliki, who said he had not been consulted beforehand,
and Iraqi officials complained that at least four civilians had been
killed.

The US military said on Thursday that the assault team had arrested 13
"suspected death squad members", killed 10 and wounded two, while "possible
civilian casualties could not be assessed due to the hostile conditions".

The statement also linked the raid to the search for a US soldier, an
American of Iraqi descent who was abducted by gunmen on Monday after he
left his post without permission and went to visit relatives in the city.

"Iraqi forces and coalition forces had credible intelligence indicating the
location of an insurgent leader personally involved in and directing
widespread death squad activity for numerous murder cells in eastern
Baghdad," it said.

"The ground assault force also planned to act on credible intelligence
indicating that criminals involved in the kidnapping of a US soldier were
located in a Sadr City mosque," the statement continued.

As the raiding party arrived at the main suspect's house, it was ambushed
by militia fighters firing assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades and
called in support from a helicopter gunship.

The clash left 10 attackers dead and 10 suspects captured.

"The ground assault force departed the first objective and moved through
Sadr City to the mosque, where the kidnapping suspects were believed to be
located," the statement said.

Iraq forces entered the mosque and detained three more suspects.

There were no US or Iraqi army casualties in the operation and no report
that the team had found the missing American soldier.

Sadr City is an impovershed suburb of more than 2.5 million Shiites and a
stronghold of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

Maliki, while often reiterating a promise that he will eventually seek to
disarm Iraq's illegal armed groups, has ruled out a large-scale US-led
operation in the district and was bitterly critical of Wednedsday's raid.
 
Back
Top