Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Chicago Tribune
October 22, 2007 Chieftain had been negotiating with American officials
By James Janega, Tribune staff reporter
BAGHDAD - American forces have arrested Abu Ali al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Ramadi-based Army of Truth, and a voice of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq.
Few of the shadowy forces that have fought against U.S. forces have maintained public personas, but al-Baghdadi was a periodic call-in guest on Arabic-language television. His image was never shown.
Earlier this month, he told the Chicago Tribune that the Sunni insurgency had rebelled against Al Qaeda in Iraq and frozen operations against American troops. In an interview published Oct. 9, he said insurgent groups were closely watching U.S. and Iraqi political moves to decide whether to resume fighting.
Three days later, Iraqi and American forces arrested him in a raid at a relative's house 15 miles northwest of Ramadi, said Marine Maj. Jeff Pool, spokesman for U.S. forces in Anbar province, the vast desert realm west of Baghdad where Sunni tribesmen have begun cooperating with U.S. forces.
Al-Baghdadi was detained with his brother, a nephew and an unidentified individual, Pool said.
Like many others who had led insurgents, al-Baghdadi had been working during the calm to negotiate with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces, according to a senior U.S. intelligence officer in Anbar province speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
American officials elsewhere in the country say they had been talking to al-Baghdadi and confirmed he had helped to bring former insurgent leaders in Baghdad into talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials.
But tribal leaders in Anbar province told the Americans al-Baghdadi also represented Baathists seeking a return to power, the intelligence official in Anbar said, adding that those tribal leaders provided the information that led to his arrest. The intelligence official also said the Americans had received 40 independent accounts linking al-Baghdadi to insurgent activities in Anbar.
The Army of Truth, a Sunni resistance group largely based in Anbar province, carried out attacks against U.S. forces until a freeze on operations ordered this year, al-Baghdadi had told the Tribune.
Before it was shut down last year, the Web site for the Army of Truth showed videos of attacks on the U.S. military, including roadside bombs and rocket barrages. Al-Baghdadi said his group never attacked Iraqis.
Although al-Baghdadi claimed a wide following, American intelligence officials in Anbar province believe he was a minor player seeking to elevate his position amid negotiations between former Sunni insurgents and Sunni tribesmen by interacting with U.S. and Iraqi authorities. Others said he may have had a higher profile in the Sunni resistance movement outside of Anbar province.
But unlike many of the tribal leaders in Anbar, he refused to lay down arms and join common cause with Iraqi government forces.
Al-Baghdadi was a nom de guerre; he never publicly revealed his identity, and U.S. officials did not disclose it. But in his interview with the Tribune, al-Baghdadi said he was a father of four from Ramadi, a former military lawyer, a member of one of Anbar province's larger sub-tribes, and someone who has worked to open dialogue between insurgents and the government.
In his testimony to Congress in September, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the Iraqi government had been reaching out to former members of Iraq's armed forces, including members of insurgent groups. A U.S. Embassy official earlier said the Americans, too, had been "meeting with a wide variety of people in Iraqi life," but did not offer specifics.
October 22, 2007 Chieftain had been negotiating with American officials
By James Janega, Tribune staff reporter
BAGHDAD - American forces have arrested Abu Ali al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Ramadi-based Army of Truth, and a voice of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq.
Few of the shadowy forces that have fought against U.S. forces have maintained public personas, but al-Baghdadi was a periodic call-in guest on Arabic-language television. His image was never shown.
Earlier this month, he told the Chicago Tribune that the Sunni insurgency had rebelled against Al Qaeda in Iraq and frozen operations against American troops. In an interview published Oct. 9, he said insurgent groups were closely watching U.S. and Iraqi political moves to decide whether to resume fighting.
Three days later, Iraqi and American forces arrested him in a raid at a relative's house 15 miles northwest of Ramadi, said Marine Maj. Jeff Pool, spokesman for U.S. forces in Anbar province, the vast desert realm west of Baghdad where Sunni tribesmen have begun cooperating with U.S. forces.
Al-Baghdadi was detained with his brother, a nephew and an unidentified individual, Pool said.
Like many others who had led insurgents, al-Baghdadi had been working during the calm to negotiate with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces, according to a senior U.S. intelligence officer in Anbar province speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
American officials elsewhere in the country say they had been talking to al-Baghdadi and confirmed he had helped to bring former insurgent leaders in Baghdad into talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials.
But tribal leaders in Anbar province told the Americans al-Baghdadi also represented Baathists seeking a return to power, the intelligence official in Anbar said, adding that those tribal leaders provided the information that led to his arrest. The intelligence official also said the Americans had received 40 independent accounts linking al-Baghdadi to insurgent activities in Anbar.
The Army of Truth, a Sunni resistance group largely based in Anbar province, carried out attacks against U.S. forces until a freeze on operations ordered this year, al-Baghdadi had told the Tribune.
Before it was shut down last year, the Web site for the Army of Truth showed videos of attacks on the U.S. military, including roadside bombs and rocket barrages. Al-Baghdadi said his group never attacked Iraqis.
Although al-Baghdadi claimed a wide following, American intelligence officials in Anbar province believe he was a minor player seeking to elevate his position amid negotiations between former Sunni insurgents and Sunni tribesmen by interacting with U.S. and Iraqi authorities. Others said he may have had a higher profile in the Sunni resistance movement outside of Anbar province.
But unlike many of the tribal leaders in Anbar, he refused to lay down arms and join common cause with Iraqi government forces.
Al-Baghdadi was a nom de guerre; he never publicly revealed his identity, and U.S. officials did not disclose it. But in his interview with the Tribune, al-Baghdadi said he was a father of four from Ramadi, a former military lawyer, a member of one of Anbar province's larger sub-tribes, and someone who has worked to open dialogue between insurgents and the government.
In his testimony to Congress in September, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the Iraqi government had been reaching out to former members of Iraq's armed forces, including members of insurgent groups. A U.S. Embassy official earlier said the Americans, too, had been "meeting with a wide variety of people in Iraqi life," but did not offer specifics.