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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Soldiers detain suspected militia based on threats against Concerned Local Citizens (Baghdad) |
| 2008-01-15 |
| Iraqi soldiers detained two suspected members of an illegal armed group in a raid Jan. 10 in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district after receiving information that the suspects were planning an attack on members of the area’s Concerned Local Citizens group. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division conducted the operation to capture the two suspects shortly after midnight in the Qahira neighborhood of Adhamiyah. U.S. Soldiers from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment supported the operation by providing security to the raid site. During the past week, the Baghdad neighborhoods of Qahira and Adhamiyah have seen an increase in intimidation attacks on members of the local volunteer security forces, known by U.S. military forces as Concerned Local Citizens. The leader of the Sunni-dominated Adhamiyah CLC was assassinated by a suspected al Qaeda suicide bomber Jan. 7 and a prominent Shi’a CLC leader was assassinated by Shi’a extremist special groups Jan. 6. Additionally, members of the CLC have been threatened with death if they don’t quit their jobs. Numerous sources reported an impending attack on a checkpoint to kill CLC members who had not given in to their intimidation. The 3rd Bn., 1st Bde. 11th Iraqi Army Div., which has begun working closely with the CLC group, responded quickly to prevent the attack from taking place. In remarks last week, Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, chief American military spokesman in Iraq, said the increased number of attacks against CLC members was “perhaps one of the clearest indications of the importance that these Concerned Local Citizens are having on improving the security situation in Iraq.” The alliance between the Iraqi Army and the Concerned Local Citizens is forcing the foreign influenced terrorist groups to show their true colors, said Lt. Col. David Oclander, executive officer for the 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, the U.S. unit responsible for security in Adhamiyah. “The people who want a free and a safe Iraq are standing up, and that is a scary thought to these terrorists, because what they thrive on is chaos, disorder and intimidation of the populace. It is clear the Iraqi people are rejecting these conditions” Oclander said. The events are part of MND-B’s offensive operations in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix. The operation’s intent is to kill or capture al Qaeda and other extremists in order to deny them rest and sanctuary in the city of Baghdad and the surrounding rural areas. |
| Posted by:Fred |