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| Iraq-Jordan |
| US tried to prevent Ashura Massacre |
| 2004-03-04 |
| The U.S. military had advance warning and launched raids by Special Forces teams to head off Tuesday’s deadly bombing spree against Shiite Muslim worshipers in Iraq, the top U.S. general for the region revealed Wednesday. But the intelligence was too vague to enable U.S. troops to stop the terrorists from carrying out their synchronized suicide bombings and mortar attacks on mosques in Baghdad and Karbala that left more than 100 dead and hundreds injured. "The terrorists have gotten themselves established," said Gen. John Abizaid, commander of the U.S. Central Command. "They must be defeated." Abizaid assessed the situation in Iraq in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Though he expressed optimism that a stable and peaceful society could emerge from the U.S. occupation, he said it was not a sure thing. He warned that unless the United States, its allies and Iraqi moderates prevail, Iraq could fall to radicals who could launch "the Talibanization of the Middle East." Violence has been the main reason civilians have avoided Iraqi duty. Abizaid predicted the violence in Iraq will get worse leading up to the scheduled U.S. handover of political power to the Iraqis June 30. The radicals’ goal is to prevent the installation of a moderate Iraqi government, he said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair offered a similar assessment Wednesday. "Terrorists literally from every extremist group round the Middle East are pouring into Iraq" to target innocents, Blair said. Abizaid said Tuesday’s bombings, the deadliest since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured in December, would have been worse without the pre-emptive raids. The Shiite city of Basra in southern Iraq was also a target, he said, but those attacks did not happen. The general declined to describe the source of the intelligence but said it was not specific about the attacks’ time, place and method. He said the terrorists’ plan was to create even greater carnage and blame the United States. Pamphlets prepared by the terrorists claimed the blasts were U.S. mortars. Several additional planned car bombings were thwarted, Abizaid said. Even with perfect intelligence, a skilled terrorist in an Iraqi city can get "through any type of security cordon," he said. Abizaid said intelligence established that Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was behind Tuesday’s bombings. Zarqawi heads a terrorist group that cooperates with al-Qaeda. Abizaid said Zarqawi is also working with former members of Saddam’s intelligence service. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 these people need to get their s..tuff together faster. |
| Posted by: B 2004-3-4 8:04:20 AM |