Middle East News
Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq detained
Mar 9, 2007, 21:35 GMT
Baghdad - Iraqi security forces Friday arrested the leader of al-Qaeda linked Islamic-State-of-Iraq group in the Abu Ghraib area, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, according to a local media report.
The arrest took place 20 kilometres west of Baghdad, but further details were not available in the report by the local Voices of Iraq news agency that cited state al-Iraqiya TV.
The Islamic State of Iraq was established in 2006 with the aim of protecting 'the Sunni Iraqi people and defend Islam' under a special pact called the 'Pact of the Scented People.'
The group includes a variety of insurgency groups claiming to be represented across Iraq and headed by al-Baghdadi, who calls himself 'Emir of the Believers'.
The group aims to establish a caliphate in the Sunni-Arab- dominated regions of Iraq.
The Islamic State of Iraq and its allies are strongest in the Anbar and Diyala provinces.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Middle East
- 1. Jerusalem prelate tells Arab Spring youth to have confidence
- 2. More than 100 killed in Syria ahead of ceasefire deadline
- 3. At least 43 killed in Syria, despite UN criticism
- 4. 19 killed in Syria as ceasefire deadline approaches
- 5. Pilgrims flock to Jerusalem for Easter, Passover
Older Talkback
page: 1
Each time a leader has been captured or killed, we have been told it will make a difference, that at last we are making progress, that we have turned a corner. Perhaps this time it is true, but experience indicates otherwise.
Yeah right! Clap your hands and sing a song of joy! We won!
..Nevermind that there are probably 100 people in line, even more brutal than him, waiting to get his place.
Unlike autonomous terror cells, the Sunni insurgency does exhibit signs of definitive top-down organization. The leaders, unlike the brainwashed walking bombs they use as tools, see a political future for themselves, whether it's dreaming of being an 'emir' or hoping to force their way into the political framework of the new Iraq. There's potential vulnerability either way, either for bargaining/negotiations or for the threat of arrest and having one's future ambitions neutralized.
There is a fine line to be crossed when the peaceful population of Iraq knows that the rule of law and order will prevail and have the upper hand. Then believe you me the Qaeda, alien as it is in Iraq, will decapitate into thin air.
page: 1
Happy IraqiMar 9th, 2007 - 22:27:31
Great news ... The Surge is working. Maliki must augment such acheivements with concrete steps of political reconciliation.
Report this comment