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| Iraq |
| Kurdish Party Says It Captures Ansar Thugs |
| 2003-08-12 |
| An Iraqi Kurdish group said on Tuesday its Peshmerga fighters had captured several members of Ansar al-Islam, a shadowy group reported to have links with al Qaeda, near the border with Iran. "We captured a number of them yesterday (Monday) and we shall do our investigations to know who are those people and what is their plan," Adel Murad, a spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told Reuters in Baghdad. Kurdish truncheon alert! Murad said Kurdish fighters rounded up 50 people who had entered north of Iraq through borders with Iran coming from Afghanistan. "I do not know if all of them are from Ansar al-Islam or the majority of them or some of them. Our security forces captured them on the borders with Iran," Murad said. Gee, what a suprise. Well, not really. Ansar al-Islam has been identified as one of several groups suspected of carrying out a car bomb attack against the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad last week which killed 17 people. Car bombs are one of their trademarks, but there are plenty of other suspects. Murad said that before the U.S.-led war to topple Saddam Hussein the PUK raided headquarters of the group and killed and captured a number of militants. "Now we think the group returned to the area to resume their terrorist acts in Kurdistan and to participate in terrorist operations inside Iraq," he said. "We will capture them and send them to trial." Please do, call if you need help. The PUK has clashed repeatedly in recent years with Ansar al-Islam and says its members have trained in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. Independent observers have not confirmed the Ansar’s link with al Qaeda and bin Laden. Independent observers have also not confirmed the earth is round. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 Yeah, they even seem more trustworthy than the Turks. |
| Posted by: Bill 2003-8-12 5:45:53 PM |
| #5 The Kurds certainly seem to have their shit together across the board. And Lucky's dead right: they've been shit on by just about everyone and have a hell of a lot of reasons to be pissed at just about everyone. Yet here they are pulling their weight and cleaning up their own back yard. AND you will notice they didn't ask for anything. Fucking unique people. Me like. |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-12 2:39:40 PM |
| #4 I'm not a well read historian but it seems to me that the Kurds have been shit on as bad as any populi on this planet and have still survived. Compared to Paleo's of dubiuous decent! Might be a great place to build the next major Airbase. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-8-12 12:06:23 PM |
| #3 These guys are probably on their way to meet Allah already. Ansar al-Islam did not exactly treat the Kurds very nice. |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2003-8-12 10:56:02 AM |
| #2 The Kurds appear to be the only realistic and damned competent natives in the area. Gawd, I hope we don't sell them up the river like we did the Hmong. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-8-12 10:52:31 AM |
| #1 Gee, I like the sound of these Kurds. They are not sitting on their behinds bitching about things (water, electricity, heat, humidity) like it seems the rest of Iraq is doing, but are seizing the initiative and solving their own problems. And ours as well. I know the Turks have problems with them, but I can't help liking this apparent 'Can Do' attitude. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2003-8-12 9:46:36 AM |