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| Iraq |
| Jamaat Islami party temporarily shifts positions |
| 2003-03-24 |
| Iraqi Kurdistan's Jamaat Islami party has shifted its positions in Khormal north of Iraq temporarily, said sources close to Iraqi Kurish dissident groups. The source said Mullah Ali Rabi, leader of Iraqi Kurdistan Jamaat Islami party, Mohammad Hadj Mahmoud, leader of Iraqi Kurdistan Socialist party, and Salaheddin Bahaoddin, leader of Iraqi Kurdistan Islamic Unity party, are in talks in Suleymanieh. The talks follow strong bombardments of Iraqi Jamaat Islami positions by the US planes and cruise missile raids on Iraq Saturday. Some 55 Jamaat Islami forces were either killed or wounded in the wake of the bombings. Iraqi Kurdistan Jamaat Islam said Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was responsible for the bombings because it has given the green light to Americans to take the move. Northern parts of Iraq are dominated by PUK and Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with Arbil serving as a buffer zone. Iraqi Kurdistan's Jamaat Islami has deployed its forces in the areas controlled by PUK leader Jalal Talabani. Experts believe that Jamaat Islami is to station its forces temporarily in Qale Dizeh. That would seem a nice place to send a few Tomahawks. Gulf News described the JI as a "mainstream" party in its account, but allowed that it was running interference for Ansar al-Islam... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |