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| Iraq-Jordan |
| British troops will not escape, says Zarqawi |
| 2005-04-21 |
| Reg required; posted in full Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist, has ordered his followers to target British soldiers in the south of the country and warned Britain it "will not escape Iraq without punishment". His threat came as the continued potency of the insurgency was confirmed by a series of brutal attacks against targets including Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim prime minister. A statement on an Islamist website attributed to al-Qa'eda in Iraq, the organisation headed by Zarqawi, called for the "Triangle of Death'' - the centre of the insurgency located in the predominantly Sunni area around Baghdad - to spread south. The lives of informers and collaborators will also be taken, it warned. Security experts have predicted insurgents may try to stage a "spectacular" - a headline-dominating terrorist act - against Britons in Iraq ahead of the general election. The British military said it was aware of the new threat. It would be difficult for Zarqawi to mount a large-scale operation in the region as local Shias, who predominate in Iraq's southern districts, watch for any unknown Sunni visitors and report them to the authorities. But the threat comes as the insurgency in Iraq appears to be reaching new levels of sophistication and brutality in its tactics. Yesterday more than 70 corpses were discovered across the country. South of Baghdad at least 50 bodies, including women and children, were found in the Tigris. Jalal Talabani, the newly installed Iraqi president, said he believed they were the Shia hostages reportedly taken in Madain last week. However government reports over the weekend of a bloody sectarian war being waged in Madain later proved to be inflated, and a local Sunni cleric last night said there was still no evidence any hostages had ever been taken. In a football stadium in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, 19 bodies of kidnapped Iraqi soldiers were discovered. The men had been lined up against a wall and shot. American military officials now privately admit growing concern that the momentum gained after the election risks being lost. In a daring attack in Baghdad last night, a suicide car bomber targeted Mr Allawi who was making his way home from his party headquarters. A policeman was killed and four injured when his convoy was rammed, but the interim premier was unhurt. Insurgents have adopted more complex military tactics, moving away from conventional terrorist attacks - involving small cells committing acts intended to frighten the population - towards a campaign of guerrilla warfare. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #2 whatever happened to walking that border artillery barrage westerly to Damascus? Bet the Zarq's influence, supplies, and money would wane dramatically. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-04-21 7:19:55 PM |
| #1 I'd advise letting the Brits escape. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-04-21 7:10:15 PM |