IRAQ: U.S. FORCES CONFIRM ARREST OF AN ARMS DEALER IN TIKRIT BUT CANNOT CONFIRM REPORTS THAT A GROUP HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECENT TWIN SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN ARBIL

Record ID: 647732

  • Title: IRAQ: U.S. FORCES CONFIRM ARREST OF AN ARMS DEALER IN TIKRIT BUT CANNOT CONFIRM REPORTS THAT A GROUP HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECENT TWIN SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN ARBIL
  • Date: 5th February 2004
  • Summary: (EU) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 5, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 0.06 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY BRIGADIER GENERAL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COALITION OPERATIONS, SAYING: "On Tuesday, Coalition forces conducted a raid near Tikrit, targeting a weapons dealer suspected of possessing Saddam Hussein's personal collection of firearms. Six individuals were captured, one, the brother of a suspected fedayeen member, and another individual, Nasser Shehab, reported to be the nephew of Ibrahim Al-Duri, a member of a local fedayeen cell." 0.30 3. REPORTERS LISTENING 0.35 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID SENOR, COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY (CPA) SPOKESMAN SAYING: "There are good days in Iraq like today and there are some really bad days, like Sunday (when twin bomb attacks on two Kurdish party headquarters in Arbil killed more than 100 and wounded 250) and we believe the bad days occur precisely because there are so many good days, precisely because -- as we move closer and closer to June 30th and get prepared to hand over sovereignty, hand over more and more authority each day -- that those enemies of freedom, whether they are the domestic insurgents, the members of the former regime or the foreign fighters, the foreign terrorists that come into this country. That group collectively has an enormous stake in the failure of the new Iraq, has an enormous stake in our failure here". 1.10 5. REPORTERS LISTENING 1.14 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIMMITT (asked to comment on group reportedly claiming responsibility for Sunday's Arbil attack) SAYING: "That translates as the Ansar Al-Sunna army in Iraq and we also have information, it was reported that they had taken claim for the Al-Fakwa police station in Mosul that was attacked on the 31st of January. We believe that to be one of the splinter groups of the Ansar Al-Islam movement but I don't have any more information on that." 1.36 7. SCU: REPORTER TAKING NOTES IN ARABIC 1.42 8. CLOSE-UP OF NOTES 1.49 9. LV: SENOR AND KIMMITT WALKING OFF 1.55 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 20th February 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA5K11SE4TKZNPD5TIL52A9HMM4
  • Story Text: U.S. forces in Iraq say they have arrested an arms
    dealer near Tikrit; cannot confirm reports that a group has
    claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings in Arbil
    on Sunday.


    The U.S. army in Iraq said on Thursday (February 5)
    that it recently captured six people suspected of
    possessing toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's private
    weapons collection.

    "On Tuesday, Coalition forces conducted a raid near
    Tikrit", Saddam Hussein's hometown, targeting a weapons
    dealer suspected of possessing Saddam Hussein's personal
    collection of fire arms", U.S. army Brigadier General Mark
    Kimmitt told a news conference in Baghdad.

    "Six individuals were captured, one the brother of a
    suspected fedayeen member, and another individual, Nasser
    Shehab, reported to be the nephew of Ibrahim Al-Duri, a
    member of a local fedayeen cell," he said.

    Asked to comment on reports that a group called the
    Army of Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility on an Islamic
    website for Sunday's twin bomb attacks in the northern
    Iraqi city of Arbil which killed more than 100 and wounded
    another 200, Kimmitt said "that translates as the Ansar
    Al-Sunna army in Iraq and... it was reported that they had
    taken claim for the Al-Fakwa police station in Mosul that
    was attacked on the 31st of January".

    "We believe that to be one of the splinter groups of
    the Ansar Al-Islam movement but I don't have any more
    information", Kimmitt added.

    The spokesman for the U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq, David
    Senor, said, "we believe the bad days occur precisely
    because there are so many good days, precisely because as
    we move closer and closer to June 30th and get prepared to
    hand over sovereignty, hand over more and more authority
    each day."

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