Guardian : US kills 32 'militants' in Iraq raid

US kills 32 'militants' in Iraq raid

Guardian Unlimited | Wednesday August 8, 2007

US-led forces killed 32 suspected militants in a raid on the Sadr City district of eastern Baghdad, the US military said today.

It said the raid was part of an operation targeting fighters allegedly smuggling arms from Iran. Tehran has repeatedly denied providing lethal assistance to Iraqi groups.

"The individuals detained and the terrorists killed during the raid are believed to be members of a cell of a special groups terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for terrorist training," the US military said in a statement.

The statement was issued after Iraqi police and witnesses in Sadr City said a bombardment by US helicopters and armoured vehicles killed nine civilians, including two women, and wounded six others.

Men and young boys wept over wooden coffins covered with blankets, while women shrouded in black accused the Americans of attacking civilians.

Today's raid was the latest in a series of strikes against Shia militias, which US commanders have said are responsible for an increasing number of attacks against American forces.

Attacks on US-led forces using EFPs reached a new high in July, according to the American military. The devices were used to carry out 99 attacks last month and accounted for a third of the combat deaths suffered by the American-led forces, US military officials said.

"July was an all-time high," Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, the US second-in-command, told the New York Times.

While the US president, George Bush, prefers to single out the threat from al-Qaida in Iraq, Shia militias represent the main danger to American soldiers in Baghdad. According to Gen Odierno, Shia militants carried out 73% of the attacks that killed or wounded US troops in Baghdad last month.

Iraq today called on its neighbours to stop fighters crossing their borders to join insurgents in Iraq or risk the spread of militancy in the region.

"Terrorism is going to spread to your territories because you are not helping enough," the head of Iraqi military intelligence, Hussein Kamal, told an international security meeting on Iraq in Damascus. "We want more help from our neighbours, especially Saudi Arabia and Syria, who have suffered from crimes linked to insecurity in Iraq," he said, in reference to attacks in the two neighbouring Arab states.

"The border agreements with our neighbours must be activated. Wanted people must be handed in."

Syria is hosting the two-day meeting that opened today at a government complex on the outskirts of the capital. The US, Britain, Iran and Jordan are taking part. Saudi Arabia, whose relations with Syria have been tense because of a political crisis in Lebanon, chose to stay away.

On a visit to Iran, the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, sought Tehran's help in curbing violence in his country. It was Mr Maliki's second visit to Tehran in less than a year, coming days after US and Iranian experts held talks in Baghdad on improving Iraq's security.

"We want to promote economic ties and other ties that contribute to combating terrorism and its challenges," Mr Maliki told the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, a British soldier killed in Iraq was named today as news of another UK death in the country emerged. Private Craig Barber, 20, from Ogmore Vale in Wales, was killed by small arms fire on Monday during an operation in Basra City.

The soldier, who was the first British loss in Iraq this month, was named as the Ministry of Defence confirmed another British serviceman was killed in the country last night. The second soldier, of 1 Squadron, RAF Regiment, was on a separate operation in Basra City and was also killed by small arms fire. His next of kin have been informed.

At the UN, the security council was set to pass a draft resolution giving the organisation an expanded role in Iraq when its mandate runs out this month. But the organisation's staff union said the UN should withdraw all of its workers from the country until the security situation improves.

The UN has kept a small presence in Iraq since a truck bomb destroyed its Baghdad headquarters in August 2003, killing its envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 others. The UN allows a maximum of 65 overseas workers to reside in the country. The draft resolution, backed by the US and UK, would raise the limit to 95.