Sunni Arab parties in Iraq Tuesday condemned overnight raids on provincial government offices in the volatile province of Diyala which killed the governor's secretary and detained some Sunni leaders.
The Iraqi Islamic Party, headed by Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, denounced the "irresponsible actions" by the Iraqi troops, and warned of negative consequences of such acts.
A statement issued by the key Sunni party demanded immediate release by the Iraqi government of Hussein al-Zubaidi, head of the security committee of the provincial council, and official apology to him and other council members.
The statement accused the assaulting force of brutally beating members of the provincial council and chanting sectarian words during the raid.
For his part, spokesman of the Iraqi Accordance Front, a major Sunni bloc in the parliament, condemned the raids in Diyala by a force which claimed that it is linked directly to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite.
"If it is true that this force is linked to prime minister, then we are astonished that he relies on special groups to carry out orders that has nothing to do with national interest," Saleem al-Jubouri told reporters.
Jubouri held Maliki responsibility for the irresponsible actions that occurred before dawn in Diyala.
Earlier in the day, a local police source said U.S. and Iraqi troops air-dropped troops at about 2:00 a.m. (2300 GMT on Monday) on the buildings of the provincial government offices with the aim of detaining Diyala Governor Raad Rasheed Mullah Jawad, a Shiite.
The governor was not present at the scene during the raid in the provincial capital of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad. Last week, Jawad survived unhurt an assassination attempt when a suicide bomber struck his convoy in central Baquba.
The troops also clashed with the guards of the offices, killing Abbas Ali Hmoud, the governor's secretary and wounding three policemen, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Hussein al-Zubaidi, head of the security committee of the provincial council, a Sunni, was also detained during the raid, the source added.
According to the source, another force raided Diyala University and detained its chancellor, Nezar al-Khafaji, after clashes with the guards which resulted in the wounding of four security members.
However, the U.S. military denied involvement of its troops in the overnight raids on the government offices in Diyala.
"Our operational data has no coalition forces being part of this operation," the military said in a statement.
In addition, a local source from the Iraqi Islamic party confirmed to Xinhua that the raid was conducted by the Iraqi 36th Brigade, which came from Baghdad.
The source, who also declined to be named, said the assaulting force was affiliated to the interior ministry, adding that its soldiers killed the governor's secretary, beat members of the provincial council and confiscated computers and mobile phones.
The attacks came as U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces are conducting major offensive against extremist Shiite and Sunni militiamen in Diyala which stretches from the eastern edges of Baghdad to the Iranian border.
On June 20, Iraqi forces detained Rafie Abdul Jabbar, deputy governor of Maysan province south of Baghdad on charges of aiding militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article