Iraqi leader tells Fallujah: Give up al-Zarqawi, or else

By Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post

MOHAMMED IBRAHIM / AP Iraqis watch a U.S. military vehicle burn yesterday in Mosul after a car bombing killed two soldiers and injured five.

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As anxiety mounted over a feared wave of insurgent violence during the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan, which begins tomorrow, two roadside bombs in Baghdad killed four U.S. soldiers and a car-bomb attack on a convoy in Mosul killed two and injured five, the military said yesterday.

In all, 1,081 U.S. troops have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, according to the Defense Department.

Fearing an upsurge in violence, U.S. troops and the interim Iraqi government boosted efforts to establish control over insurgent strongholds before Ramadan. Last year, the month was marred by bloody attacks.

A combined force of 800 U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces launched simultaneous raids yesterday near Baqouba, about 35 miles northeast of the capital.

"We're expecting a bit of an increase in activity in Ramadan. So we're just trying to clean the area out as a preventive measure," said Capt. Marshall Jackson, spokesman for the Army's 1st Infantry Division, responsible for the Baqouba region.

Elsewhere, U.S. troops sealed off key streets and searched buildings in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, after days of clashes, residents reported. The U.S. command had no comment.

Some extremists believe they earn a special place in paradise if they die in a jihad, or holy war, during Ramadan. The monthlong holiday of fasting celebrates the time Muslims believe God revealed their holy book — the Quran — to the prophet Muhammad.

In a speech yesterday before the Iraqi National Council, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi threatened a large-scale military attack unless residents of Fallujah hand over al-Zarqawi, who has claimed responsibility for a series of beheadings and has long been suspected of operating from the city.

"We have asked Fallujah residents to turn over al-Zarqawi and his group. If they don't do it, we are ready for major operations," Allawi said.

Fallujah remains outside government control, with U.S. troops remaining on its outskirts while launching regular airstrikes on suspected insurgent safe houses. Allawi's ultimatum came as negotiations continued between the government and Fallujah representatives.

Al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group has claimed responsibility for beheading several hostages and for car bombings throughout the country. A videotape posted yesterday on an Islamic Web site showed militants linked to al-Zarqawi beheading two Iraqis the terrorist group accused as spies.

Allawi did not set a deadline to turn over al-Zarqawi, but the long-anticipated offensive against the city may be delayed until after Ramadan. In recent days, Bush administration officials have said they plan to delay major assaults on rebel-held cities until after the Nov. 2 U.S. presidential election, which will occur during Ramadan.

Hisham Abdel Fatah, a police officer who lives in Fallujah, predicted insurgents "will see any operations in Ramadan as blessed" and will escalate their campaign to destabilize the interim government.

The military and political push for control comes as residents brace for another violent Ramadan. Last year, Ramadan brought a bloody escalation in Iraq's insurgency, as a series of coordinated car bombings rattled Baghdad.

Ramadan, one of the centerpieces of the Muslim calendar, is typically marked by public celebration and religious introspection. Observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations from dawn until sunset each day of the month. Many read the entire Quran or attend lengthy evening prayers at mosques.

In Iraq, Ramadan nights are marked by lavish meals among families at home or in restaurants that stay open all night. But this year, fears of insurgent and criminal violence are creating conditions for a de facto curfew that is likely to leave the streets of the capital empty after dark. "Me and my friends every year would gather at a video-game parlor and spend the whole night there until dawn prayers," said Amir Sabah, 26, a car-parts dealer. "This year, we can't stay away from our homes long, because of the security situation."

Background on Ramadan from The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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