|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
November 22nd,
2006 - Raid in Baghdad's Sadr City Kills 5, Nabs 7 |
|
Raid in Baghdad's Sadr City Kills
5, Nabs 7 CNN November 22nd, 2006 Baghdad, Iraq - Backed by
U.S.-led coalition advisers, Iraqi security forces battled insurgents early
Tuesday in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, the U.S. military said. At least five people were
killed in the fighting, including a mother and her 8-month-old child, and 18
others were wounded, an Iraqi Health Ministry official said. A Shiite legislator, holding
the dead child's body, told reporters outside a hospital morgue that the
Iraqi government should be denounced for allowing such attacks, The
Associated Press reported. "I am suspending my
membership in parliament since it remains silent about crimes such as this
against the Iraqi people," said Saleh Al-Ukailli, according to AP.
"I will not return to parliament until the occupation troops leave the
country." Al-Ukailli is one of 30
lawmakers in Iraq's 275-member parliament who are followers of Muqtada
al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric with offices based in Sadr City, the
AP reported. During Tuesday's operation,
Iraqi forces and coalition aircraft came under small-arms and
rocket-propelled grenade fire, the military said, but added, "Coalition
aircraft neutralized the threat." No casualties were reported
among Iraqi and coalition forces. Also, seven members of a
cell were detained, including its leader, believed to have firsthand
knowledge about an American soldier's abduction, the U.S. military said. Ahmed Altaie, 42, a U.S.
Army Reserve specialist, was abducted October 23 when he left Baghdad's Green
Zone, where the United States maintains headquarters, to visit his Iraqi wife
and family. Iraq, Syria resume diplomatic ties Iraq and Syria
re-established diplomatic relations Tuesday, nearly a quarter century after
they were first severed. The agreement was signed by
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
Moallem during a ceremony in Baghdad. Syria cut diplomatic ties
with Iraq in 1982. Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani planned to travel this weekend to Tehran, Iran, to meet with Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a spokesman said. Wire services reported that
Syrian President Bashar Assad will be in Tehran at the same time, but a
Talabani spokesman said Monday the Iraqi president does not plan to meet with
anyone from the Syrian government during his trip. U.S. and Iraqi officials
have said insurgents and terrorists have infiltrated Iraq through Syria and
brought in weapons across the Syrian border. U.S. officials also have accused
Syria of interfering in Lebanon. Moallem, the highest-ranking
Syrian official to visit Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, has urged
the establishment of a timetable for a American pullout. "We believe that a
timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq will help in
reducing violence and preserving security," he said Sunday. Explosion damages lawmaker's decoy vehicle A decoy vehicle used in a
convoy of the Iraqi parliament speaker exploded Tuesday inside the heavily
fortified Green Zone while parliament was in session, a parliament
information officer said. The vehicle, part of Speaker
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's convoy, was damaged when explosives placed under the
rear right side of it exploded in a parking lot, the officer said. One of the
drivers was slightly wounded. U.S. military explosive
ordnance disposal teams later remotely detonated the vehicle. CNN's Ingrid Formanek, Erin
McLaughlin and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All
rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. External link: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/21/iraq.main/index.html |