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U.S. Kills 25 Shiite Militia in Gunfight
Friday, October 5, 2007
BAGHDAD -- U.S. forces backed by attack aircraft killed at least 25 Shiite
militia fighters north of Baghdad Friday in an operation targeting a cell
accused of smuggling weapons from Iran, the military said.
The troops were seeking the commander of a rogue militia group believed to
be associated with the Quds Force, an elite branch of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards, the U.S. military said.
Gunmen opened fire on the soldiers with assault rifles and rocket-propelled
grenades, and at least one man was carrying what appeared to be an
anti-aircraft weapon, the military said. Ground forces called for air
support when the fighters kept coming toward them, the military said. Two
buildings were destroyed in airstrikes, it said.
The U.S. military said separately that it was investigating the deaths of
three civilians who were shot by American troops near a checkpoint set up by
Iraqis who have joined forces against extremists.
In Friday's pre-dawn raid on the Shiite militia members, U.S. aircraft
repeatedly bombed the neighborhood in Khalis, a Shiite enclave about 50
miles north of Baghdad, according to an Iraqi army official who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the
information. At least 24 were killed, 28 were injured, most of whom were in
critical condition, and several others were missing, he said.
He said civilians were killed when they rushed out to help those hurt in the
initial bombing.
The U.S. military said it had no reports that any Iraqi civilians were
killed.
"Coalition forces only engage hostile threats and take every precaution to
protect innocent civilians," it said.
The town's mayor said U.S. forces targeted areas built up by locals to
protect their Shiite neighborhood against attacks by al-Qaida gunmen.
"These places came under attack by American airstrikes," said Khalis Mayor
Odai al-Khadran.
Since launching a Baghdad security crackdown more than seven months ago,
U.S. troops have increasingly battled splinter groups from the country's
most powerful Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army. The Mahdi Army is nominally
loyal to al-Sadr, the radical cleric, who in August ordered a temporary
freeze on his followers' activities _ including attacks on U.S. troops.
The U.S. military describes the splinter factions as "extremist" or
"criminal" militiamen.
"We continue to support the government of Iraq in welcoming the commitment
by Muqtada al-Sadr to stop attacks and we will continue to show restraint in
dealing with those who honor his pledge," Maj. Anton Alston, a U.S. military
spokesman, said Friday. "We will not show the same restraint against those
criminals who dishonor this pledge by attacking security forces and Iraqi
citizens."
Last month, the U.S. military arrested a man suspected of being a ranking
officer of the Quds Force, the paramilitary branch of the Revolutionary
Guards, which has been accused of arming Shiite militants in Iraq. Iran
denies the charges. The arrest has added to the already strained relations
between Washington and Tehran.
The U.S. said the arrested Quds officer, Mahmudi Farhadi, was posing as a
businessman with an Iranian trade delegation at the time of his arrest in a
U.S. raid at a Sulaimaniyah hotel.
In January, five other Iranians accused of being members of the Quds Force
were arrested in a U.S. military raid in Irbil. They remain in U.S.
detention. Iran says the men were in Iraq on official business.
The investigation into the civilian deaths focused on a shooting Thursday in
Abu Lukah, a village just north of Musayyib, about 40 miles south of
Baghdad, the military said. The brief announcement did not identify the
civilians by sect or provide other details.
The U.S. military is relying heavily on the growing number of Sunni tribes
that have turned against al-Qaida, saying their support is key to a secure
Iraq. It also has been trying to extend the movement to Shiites opposed to
growing lawlessness among militia factions.
The Americans point to successes in Anbar province, which is now largely
peaceful after Sunnis joined the Iraqi military and police force as a way to
both protect themselves from extremists and to empower them in the face of
the Shiite-led central government in Baghdad.
The U.S. military also reported the death of a U.S. soldier, killed by
small-arms fire during operations Thursday in a southern section of the
Iraqi capital used by al-Qaida cells.
U.S. Kills 25 Shiite Militia in Gunfight
Friday, October 5, 2007
BAGHDAD -- U.S. forces backed by attack aircraft killed at least 25 Shiite
militia fighters north of Baghdad Friday in an operation targeting a cell
accused of smuggling weapons from Iran, the military said.
The troops were seeking the commander of a rogue militia group believed to
be associated with the Quds Force, an elite branch of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards, the U.S. military said.
Gunmen opened fire on the soldiers with assault rifles and rocket-propelled
grenades, and at least one man was carrying what appeared to be an
anti-aircraft weapon, the military said. Ground forces called for air
support when the fighters kept coming toward them, the military said. Two
buildings were destroyed in airstrikes, it said.
The U.S. military said separately that it was investigating the deaths of
three civilians who were shot by American troops near a checkpoint set up by
Iraqis who have joined forces against extremists.
In Friday's pre-dawn raid on the Shiite militia members, U.S. aircraft
repeatedly bombed the neighborhood in Khalis, a Shiite enclave about 50
miles north of Baghdad, according to an Iraqi army official who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the
information. At least 24 were killed, 28 were injured, most of whom were in
critical condition, and several others were missing, he said.
He said civilians were killed when they rushed out to help those hurt in the
initial bombing.
The U.S. military said it had no reports that any Iraqi civilians were
killed.
"Coalition forces only engage hostile threats and take every precaution to
protect innocent civilians," it said.
The town's mayor said U.S. forces targeted areas built up by locals to
protect their Shiite neighborhood against attacks by al-Qaida gunmen.
"These places came under attack by American airstrikes," said Khalis Mayor
Odai al-Khadran.
Since launching a Baghdad security crackdown more than seven months ago,
U.S. troops have increasingly battled splinter groups from the country's
most powerful Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army. The Mahdi Army is nominally
loyal to al-Sadr, the radical cleric, who in August ordered a temporary
freeze on his followers' activities _ including attacks on U.S. troops.
The U.S. military describes the splinter factions as "extremist" or
"criminal" militiamen.
"We continue to support the government of Iraq in welcoming the commitment
by Muqtada al-Sadr to stop attacks and we will continue to show restraint in
dealing with those who honor his pledge," Maj. Anton Alston, a U.S. military
spokesman, said Friday. "We will not show the same restraint against those
criminals who dishonor this pledge by attacking security forces and Iraqi
citizens."
Last month, the U.S. military arrested a man suspected of being a ranking
officer of the Quds Force, the paramilitary branch of the Revolutionary
Guards, which has been accused of arming Shiite militants in Iraq. Iran
denies the charges. The arrest has added to the already strained relations
between Washington and Tehran.
The U.S. said the arrested Quds officer, Mahmudi Farhadi, was posing as a
businessman with an Iranian trade delegation at the time of his arrest in a
U.S. raid at a Sulaimaniyah hotel.
In January, five other Iranians accused of being members of the Quds Force
were arrested in a U.S. military raid in Irbil. They remain in U.S.
detention. Iran says the men were in Iraq on official business.
The investigation into the civilian deaths focused on a shooting Thursday in
Abu Lukah, a village just north of Musayyib, about 40 miles south of
Baghdad, the military said. The brief announcement did not identify the
civilians by sect or provide other details.
The U.S. military is relying heavily on the growing number of Sunni tribes
that have turned against al-Qaida, saying their support is key to a secure
Iraq. It also has been trying to extend the movement to Shiites opposed to
growing lawlessness among militia factions.
The Americans point to successes in Anbar province, which is now largely
peaceful after Sunnis joined the Iraqi military and police force as a way to
both protect themselves from extremists and to empower them in the face of
the Shiite-led central government in Baghdad.
The U.S. military also reported the death of a U.S. soldier, killed by
small-arms fire during operations Thursday in a southern section of the
Iraqi capital used by al-Qaida cells.
