The Long War Journal: Baghdad High Value Targets Nabbed

Written by Bill Roggio on March 26, 2007 11:16 PM to The Long War Journal

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/03/baghdad_high_value_t.php

Three mass murderers have been arrested in Baghdad over the past week

Al Qaeda in Iraq and their network of suicide and car bomb cells have been the greatest threat to security in Baghdad, particularly since the implementation of the Baghdad Security Plan. Suicide attacks are aimed at Shia neighborhoods and markets in an attempt to reignite the sectarian murders, as well as at security forces in an attempt to break the will of the Iraqi police and soldiers. Over the past five days, Iraqi and U.S. forces have put a big dent in the leadership of a suicide and car bomb cell in Adhamiyah, as well as an al Qaeda leader in Abu Ghraib.

The two leaders of the Adhamiyah cell were captured by U.S. forces in separate incidents on March 21. Haytham Kazim Abdallah Al-Shimari, the 'emir' or leader of the cell, was arrested after elements of A Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division "noticed his vehicle weaving in-and –out of traffic," according to the Multinational Forces Iraq press release. "The driver initially ignored signals to stop the vehicle," and the soldiers fired at the car, disabling it." His driver was also captured.

Haydar Rashid Nasir Al-Shammari Al-Jafar, Haytham's deputy, and two associates were captured later after the same unit "received actionable intelligence" that he was in the area. U.S. forces stopped his car and detained the three terrorists. A car bomb was found and disabled near where the terrorists were captured.

The Adhamiyah cell was particularly active and deadly in Baghdad. "It is estimated that since Nov. the car bombs from this cell have killed approximately 900 innocent Iraqi citizens; another 1,950 have been wounded," according Multinational Forces Iraq. The Adhamiyah cell is believed to be behind ""the majority of car bombs which have killed hundreds of Iraqi citizens in Sadr City."

The Iraqi Security Forces announced the capture of Ahmad Farhan, an emir of al Qaeda in Iraq. Farhan and two aides were captured in Abu Ghraib, which is on the outskirts of western Baghdad. Abu Ghraib is the gateway to Anbar province.

Brigadier General Qassem Atta, an Iraqi Army spokesman, "played a videotape showing Farhan confessing to his ties with a wanted man called Abu Omar al-Baghdadi." Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is the leader of al Qaeda's political front, the Islamic State of Iraq. "I receive support from Syria and Jordan and have got four groups with an emir and 25 members for each," said Farhan. He is believed have murdered over 300 Iraqis and kidnapped another 200.