| Americans engage in arbitrariness with Sunnis A double terrorist attack occurred yesterday in the predominantly Shiite town of Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad - with an interval of 20 seconds, suicide bombers activated their suicide belts. At least 27 people were killed and about 120 were injured. The first explosion occurred in a crowd of five thousand police officers protesting against the disbandment of their unit. The second is in line to undergo a medical examination for entry into the army and civil service. On Sunday, suicide bombers killed 16 more people in Baghdad.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, including the latest atrocities. Reports of the injury of its leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have not yet been confirmed. During joint operations Matador and Lightning, Americans and Iraqis have neutralized up to a thousand militants in recent weeks. But this May still set a record for the number of suicide attacks - 145 versus 134 in April, killing up to 700 Iraqis and about 70 Americans.
Yesterday, the Americans arrested the chairman of the Sunni Islamic Party of Iraq (IPI), Muhsen Abdel Hamid, without explanation. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani intervened in the matter and stated that “arbitrariness against a figure of such rank is unacceptable.” After this, the Americans released Hamid and explained that his arrest was a “mistake.”
Founded in 1960, the IPI operated underground under Saddam Hussein, although Sunnis were then a privileged minority. In the fall of 2003, after the overthrow of Saddam's regime, Mr. Hamid was a member of the Iraqi Interim Governing Council created by the Americans. IPI Secretary General Ayad al-Samarai condemned the arrest of Hamid, the leader of “the only Sunni party advocating an end to foreign occupation through political means.” Alexander SAMOKHOTKIN |
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