Baghdad High Value Targets Nabbed

The Baghdad Order Of Battle as of March 26, 2007. Click map to view.

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.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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11 Comments

  • Tony says:

    al-Baghdadi states openly here that he received support from Jordan.
    I only hope those leads are pursued to the fullest.

  • Rubin says:

    more big stinking fish, rotten to the core.
    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.
    This is a good thing, no matter what all the drooling anti-Americans say. It will save men, women and children’s lives maybe thousands more of them.
    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.
    Dittos on that group of stinking murderers,
    and thank you guys and gals who are serving. We can never thank you enough. God Bless You, you are doing the Lords work.
    😉

  • serurier says:

    I said behead those big stinking fish .

  • section9 says:

    No, my friend. For in those heads are lots of names.
    Dead men tell no tales.

  • Gil Brooks says:

    I just wish this message was getting out to more people in the general public, but the mainstream press is not interested in the truth. Thank God there are sites like this for the people who care about what is truly going on in the War Against Terror, in particular the Iraq conflict.

  • Huan says:

    it always fascinate me that the leaders of the “insurgents” would allow themselves to be captured alive rather than going out with a “bang” like the suicide/martyr attacks they’ve ordered of others.

  • RJ says:

    The energies that our new American leadership team are expending pleases those who follow such efforts. If I were an Iraqi who used a market often, I most certainly would want to know that if I send one of my kids to pick up a few tomatoes that the odds were in our favor that the child would return alive, in one piece, and with fresh tomatoes. This is a good thing. And yet, in the back of my mind I wonder how the Iraqi parliament is doing realtive to sharing the potential wealth within Iraq, stablizing both the internal and external defense departments, and most importantly, convincing the average Iraqi citizen that their government intends to protect them and allow access to political power. I sense the American public leaving this Administation’s side of support in droves, which will undermine much of our foreign policy. Our soldiers might be able to win any battle if given the freedoms to do such; and yet, in my opinion, our American governing body is fast becoming its own worst enemy on this war against terror. I am very dismayed, and sad. And I don’t feel alone in this opinion. I still want to win!

  • Neo-andertal says:

    The bombing campaign on Sadr city is so central to AQ’s strategy that they will very soon have another cell up to do the job. If they already don’t have another backup in place they will shift another cell in from somewhere else. My guess is that even if they do have a backup they will shift another cell in from somewhere else anyway to add depth.
    If AQ can’t get another cell into place and there is a corresponding letup in bombing than that indicates they are having serious problems moving people and resources around. If they can move someone into place, I think we will hear from them soon as they like to let everyone know they are still around.

  • Feocito says:

    It actually looks as if Iraq is becoming ripe for a Phoenix-type operation. There may be just enough local support to go after the cancer. There have already been some Chieu Hoi in Anbar.
    What think?

  • RJ says:

    VN Phoenix ops makes good sense, however, just imagine if this were a reality and our major media types discovered it. Holy hell would break loose with claims: “This is not my America, etc.” I would rather see orders given without such a formal structure in place. Just people showing up dead or no longer in the hood! What makes you think the present Iraqi government would even go with this kind of op, given their history? Perhaps just changing the ROEs would do the trick.

  • David M says:

    Trackbacked by The Thunder Run – Web Reconnaissance for 03/27/2007
    A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

Iraq

Islamic state

Syria

Aqap

Al shabaab

Boko Haram

Isis