BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has captured a senior Al Qaida operative
linked to a major Sunni politician in Iraq.
The military said the Al Qaida cell chief used his contacts with the
Sunni political leader to attack the so-called Green Zone, which contains
the U.S. military, embassy and the Iraqi government. The Al Qaida operative,
identified as Khudhir Farhan, was the bodyguard of Sunni political leader
Adnan Al Dulaimi who has admitted that he failed to perform an adequate background check.
Farhan was arrested on late Sept. 29 at the home of Al Dulaimi, the
military said. Al Dulaimi has been a member of the Iraqi Accordance Front,
the largest Sunni coalition in the 275-member parliament, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Credible intelligence indicates the individual, a member of Dr. Al
Dulaimi's personal security detachment, and seven members of the detained
individual's cell were in the final stages of launching a series of VBIED
[vehicle-borne improvised explosive device] attacks inside the International
Zone, possibly involving suicide vests," the military said in a statement on
Saturday.
The U.S. military stressed that Al Dulaimi was not a target of the U.S.
raid. Farhan was found in a security trailer at Al Dulaimi's home.
"This operation in no way implies that Dr. Al Dulaimi was associated
with any illegal activity," the military said. "Coalition force personnel
detained the individual without incident, securing the area without
physically entering the residence of Dr. Al Dulaimi at any point. They did
search the security trailer and the suspect's vehicle."
Al Dulaimi has acknowledged that Farhan was an employee. The Sunni
parliamentarian said Farhan was hired in September without a full background
check.
Officials said Farhan organized a team of at least seven Al Qaida
operatives to infiltrate Baghdad's Green Zone, where they were to have
detonated car bombs. They said the U.S. military urged Iraqi Prime Minister
Nouri Al Maliki to order a curfew to capture the rest of Farhan's cell. The
curfew began on Saturday and was scheduled to expire on Sunday 6 a.m.,
Baghdad time.
"The detained individual is suspected of involvement in the planning of
a multi-vehicle suicide operation inside Baghdad's International Zone," the
military said.
The military said Farhan was believed to have been connected to a car
bomb network that operated in southern Baghdad. As Al Dulaimi's bodyguard,
Farhan had access to the Iraqi government and parliament in the Green Zone.
"The detained individual has links to the VBIED network operating in the
southern area of Baghdad," the military said. "He is believed to be a member
of the Al Qaida in Iraq group."
