Source: TIMES
January 19, 2007 Author: Devika Bhat and agencies
US and Iraqi forces have arrested a key aide of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, as the Iraqi government prepares to launch a crackdown on militias accused of enflaming the sectarian violence which has plagued the country.
The raid came as Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, began his second trip to Iraq in less than a month, arriving in the southern city of Basra to consult with British and other allied commanders.
Sheikh Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji, al-SadrÂ’s media director in Baghdad, was captured in the early hours in a mosque in the eastern neighbourhood of Baladiyat, according to the clericÂ’s aides, who said that a guard was killed in the raid and denounced it as a "cowardly act."
The US military did not name the detained man but said special Iraqi army forces operating with coalition advisers had captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader in Baladiyat. It added that two other suspects were detained by Iraqi forces for further questioning.
The raid came after Nouri al-Maliki made a fresh pledge to crack down on the Shia militias whom, along with Sunni insurgents, have caused mass bloodshed in Iraq.
Dealing with al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia remains a key concern for the Prime Minister, whose latest promise is being seen by many as a last-ditch attempt to end the sectarian violence plaguing the capital. Mr Maliki has been previously criticised for his apparent reluctance to confront the Mehdi Army.
US forces accused the arrested suspect of having ties with the commanders of so-called death squads, which have been blamed for many of the killings that have left dozens of bodies, often showing signs of torture, on the streets of Baghdad. One of the commanders in question is said to be Abu Diraa, a Shia militia leader who has gained a reputation for his brutality and is accused of killing many Iraqi and US soldiers as well as several Sunnis.
The suspect was detained "based on credible intelligence that he is the leader of illegal armed group punishment committee activity, involving the organised kidnapping, torture and murder of Iraqi civilians," according to the military statement, which added that he was reportedly involved in the assassination of numerous Iraqi security forces and government officials.
"The suspect allegedly leads various illegal armed group operations and is affiliated with illegal armed group cells targeting Iraqi civilians for sectarian attacks and violence," it said.
Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, an al-Sadr aide in the Shia holy city of Najaf, demanded that al-Darraji and other detainees be released and called for demonstrations after the weekly Friday prayer services.
"America is playing with fire and our patience is beginning to fade," he said. "This savage barbarian act will not pass peacefully."
Mr Maliki today came under further from Washington, as Mr Gates, who met earlier with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, said they had expressed concern about whether the Prime Minister could deliver on his promises to rein in the violence.
"Quite frankly, these are reservations that have been expressed in Washington, and we will be watching," he warned.
