WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Iraqi police: Bomber kills US-allied Sunni leader
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-18 11:29 Such attacks have become rare in the center of Azamiyah since the US military built a concrete wall around the heart of the north Baghdad neighborhood, where Saddam Hussein took refuge when the city fell to US forces in April 2003. Although Azamiyah was once a center of resistance to the US and its Shiite allies, many local Sunnis later abandoned the insurgency and joined the awakening council, which provides security there alongside Iraqi soldiers and police. The attack occurred about 7:30 p.m. in an area where families often stroll on outings during hot summer nights. "I rushed to the scene of the explosion to see terrified people running everywhere, and women calling for their missing children," said Abu Mohammed, 54, who was shopping at a nearby grocery when the blast occurred. "The situation was chaotic and horrible. I saw dead bodies, wounded people and blood stains on the ground. Later ambulances arrived and picked both the wounded and the dead, he said. Al-Qaida in Iraq has often targeted leaders of awakening councils. But Khalil Ibrahim, an aide to al-Obeidi, said the attack could have been carried out by rivals within the council itself. "We had received information that we would be targeted by groups within Azamiyah and within the awakening movement itself," he said, refusing to elaborate. A senior police official also said it was unlikely that explosives could have been smuggled into the area because of security checks around the wall and said he suspected the attack could have been part of a power struggle within the council. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation had only just begun. Also Sunday, insurgents raided a police checkpoint in the northern city of Mosul, killing one policeman and wounding another, the provincial police command reported. US-backed Iraqi soldiers have been conducting a months-long operation in Mosul trying to clear the city of Sunni extremists including al-Qaida in Iraq. Gunmen also assassinated a Sunni preacher, Loai Saad al-Din Othman, in a drive-by shooting in Mosul, police reported. |
