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Al-Jazeera Reports 40 Iraqis Killed in 23 Mar Attacks, Western Hostages Freed

Posted on: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 21:00 CST

Text of report by Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 23 March

Forty Iraqis, mostly policemen, were killed and around 55 others were wounded in four car-bomb explosions in Baghdad, in addition to other scattered incidents in Al-Latifiyah, Al-Iskandariyah and Bayji.

[Mudar Jum'ah] With politicians still absent from the Iraqi arena and with the continuing deterioration in the security situation amid fears of civil war, a number of Iraqis have been killed in different attacks. The convoy of Maj-Gen Ali al-Yasiri, director of the Baghdad police, was attacked by a booby-trapped car in Uqbah Bin- Nafi Square. Two of his bodyguards were wounded. However, Al-Yasiri was not with the convoy during the attack.

Another attack by a booby-trapped car targeted the Major Crimes Directorate in Al-Karradah in the centre of Baghdad. The attack led to the killing and wounding of a number of Iraqis, including some policemen. It also caused material damage to the directorate. In Al- Kasrah area in the centre of Baghdad, a booby-trapped car targeted a police patrol, killing two policemen and wounding a third seriously, according to a police statement. Also, an explosive charge placed at a transport station in Al-Mashtal area east of the capital went off, causing material damage but no casualties.

Four Iraqi women were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded at a market on the Ishrin Street in the popular Al-Bayya quarter in southern Baghdad. In the Babil Governorate south of Baghdad, a police source said that one policeman was killed and three others were wounded, including an officer, when an explosive charge went off targeting their patrol in Al-Qarya al-Asriyah.

Residents of Al-Kazimiyah area, northern Baghdad, held a funeral for 17 inhabitants of the area who were killed yesterday by gunmen who opened fire on a car in which they were riding on their return from Karbala. One of the wounded described what happened:

[Wounded man speaking from his hospital bed] There were four cars and they opened fire on us for one whole hour. No-one came to our rescue. We called the National Guard, but they did not show up. The police came and they were killed.

[Jum'ah] This was confirmed by one of the members of Martyr Al- Sadr Office in Al-Kazimiyah.

[Hazim al-A'raji, from the Martyr al-Sadr Office] There is a big security vacuum in these areas. The security forces failed to protect the visitors. Also, the occupation had a role in this crime since it blocked roads and prevented reinforcements of the National Guard and the Iraqi police from getting to the place.

[Jum'ah] In another development, the 1920 Revolution Brigades claimed responsibility, in two video recordings, for two attacks on what it said were two American vehicles. One of the attacks was carried out by a booby-trapped car, while the other was by an explosive charge. The recordings could not be verified from an independent source.

[Presenter] Furthermore, a US official today announced the release of three Western hostages who had been kidnapped in Iraq in November 2005. The three hostages include a Briton and two Canadians who work for a charity organization known as Christian Peacemaker Teams. A group calling itself Swords of Righteousness kidnapped the three hostages and another American hostage, who was found dead almost two weeks ago.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that the release happened during a planned military operation carried out by the multinational forces in Iraq. Straw added that the health condition of the British hostage Kember is satisfactory and that he is currently in the Green Zone in Baghdad. [Video shows aftermath of bombings, Hazim al-A'raji speaking, video of the 1920 Revolution Brigades, old footage of hostages, and Jack Straw speaking]

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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