Iraq Arrest Warrant for 2 UK SAS Soldiers :: J’Accuse Iran of IED Bomb Terror

Iraqi judge seeks arrest of British soldiers

  «« click on pic to enlarge

Judge al-Mudhafa renewed arrest warrants for two British soldiers who were rescued from jail early this week by troops using armor to crash through the prison walls. 
AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) Sept. 24, 2005 — Judge Raghib Hassan has issued arrest warrants for two British soldiers accused of killing a policeman in Basra. The two UK soldiers, believed to be SAS undercover agents, are accused of wounding a second Iraqi policeman, carrying unlicensed weapons and holding false identification, Kassim al-Sabti, head of the lawyers’ syndicate in Basra, told Reuters.

British Defense Secretary John Reid said the Ministry of Defense had not received any arrest warrant for British soldiers in Iraq, adding that in any case the warrants would have no legal basis. “Under Iraqi law it is quite clear that British forces remain subject to British jurisdiction,” he said in a statement.

Two previous diaries —
● Stand-off Basra :: Iraqi vs UK Forces – Riots After UK Soldiers Arrested
● TIMELINE :: Basra Police Station – Jail Break – MoD Lies  IRAN Crusade

Iraqi police had briefly detained the two UK soldiers in Basra, before British troops freed them. Their current whereabouts is not known. In a bid to set them free, British forces were initially repelled as a crowd of angry Iraqis petrol-bombed an armored vehicle.

British armored vehicles later broke down the walls of the police station, and the men were rescued. Basra authorities said British troops killed two Iraqi police during the raid.

Basra’s governing council has suspended all cooperation with the British until they apologize, guarantee that similar actions do not recur and provide compensation for damage inflicted.

Two investigations into the events leading up to the rescue are under way by Iraqi authorities and the British military.

Iraqi police said U.S. troops killed a family of four in Kerbala, south of Baghdad, reflecting military nerves on edge across the country. Police said the family’s passenger car apparently got too close to a U.S. convoy, which opened fire, killing a father and mother, their 13-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter.

RALLY IN SUPPORT OF A NEW CONSTITUTION

Basra is the largest city in majority-Shi’ite southern Iraq, and thousands of citizens rallied today in support of a proposed new Iraqi constitution which many Shi’ites hope will boost their status in the fragmented country.

The rally followed calls last week by Iraq’s most senior Shi’ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to vote in favor of the charter, which will be put to a referendum on October 15.

Shi’ites were suppressed under Saddam Hussein, who banned major religious ceremonies at the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala and crushed a Shi’ite revolt in 1991. Such ceremonies have drawn crowds of a million or more since he was ousted.

Iraq exit strategy still elusive

The Basra Incident and a New Threat

The British fear was that the two soldiers would be held as hostages for al-Fartusi. Hence the rapid operation to free them.

But another more shadowy threat has been reported recently.

This is said to come from a fighter named Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani. The Americans and British claim he is backed by Iran, which wants to exert its influence in southern Iraq.  Little is known about him beyond a report in Time Magazine based on intelligence briefings in Baghdad.

Al-Sheibani is suspected of being responsible for roadside bombs which killed three British soldiers in July and possibly more recent attacks which have seen three other soldiers killed this month. The bombs used by his group are said to be similar to those of Hezbollah, the Lebanese group supported by Iran.

Infra Red Activated IEDs in Basra

It is not clear if al-Sheibani’s small force (put at fewer than 300) is a one-off threat which can be contained or the start of a more general movement.

[…]

See my earlier note on new fabrication to accuse Iran for incidents in Southern Iraq. Infra Red Activated IEDs in Basra

Hmm … interesting, the story creeps up after the exchange of visits between Iraq and Iranian diplomats!

Teheran, July 15 (DPA) Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari’s visit to Iran will be an opportunity for both countries “to come to terms with the past”, an Iraqi official said Friday.

“Jafari will arrive in Teheran on Saturday for a three to four day visit which will be a unique opportunity to come to terms with the past and settle problems of the last 1,200 years,” Mohsen Hakim, a spokesman of the Iraqi Shiite party SCIRI, told ISNA news agency.

Iran promised Iraq one $1 bn financial aid for reconstruction in the war-torn country after al-Dalimi apologised to Iran for war crimes committed under the Saddam regime.