BAGHDAD — The U.S. military, intensifying the search for Abu Mussib
Al Zarqawi, has reported the capture and killing of additional senior Al
Qaida operatives.
The U.S. military said American and Iraqi troops captured five Al Qaida
operatives near Samara. A military statement on Monday said one of the
operatives was a commander who led attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces
north of Baghdad.
But the search for Al Zarqawi has not placed a significant dent in the high
casualty toll in the insurgency war throughout Iraq. About 40 people a day
have been reported killed, mostly in suicide strikes attributed to Al Qaida
bombers, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said three of the Al Qaida insurgents were captured during a
search operation. They said they were driving near Samara when they were
stopped by a U.S. Army patrol. The troops came under attack from a nearby
house and helicopters returned fire.
The military statement said two other Al Qaida operatives were killed on
May 6 in Baghdad. One of them was an Al Qaida-aligned commander identified
as Ali Wali, whose full name was reported to be Abbas Bin Farnas Bin Qafqas.
Qafqas, a 37-year-old Kurd trained in Afghanistan, was said to have been
a chemical and artillery expert for Ansar Al Islam, aligned to Al Zarqawi.
Officials said Qafqas was responsible for training and operations, including
suicide operations, for Ansar.
Officials said the military has increased the search for Al Zarqawi,
believed to be north of Baghdad. On May 4, the military released an unedited
video and announced the capture of documents during the search for the Al
Qaida network chief.
In Washington, the Defense Department said it has suspended plans to
send a U.S. Army brigade to Iraq. On Monday, officials said the 2nd Brigade,
1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, would not be deployed
in May as scheduled.
"The adjustment to the unit's deployment was made as commanders assess
the security situation on the ground in Iraq," a Pentagon statement said.
"Decisions about troop levels are conditions-based. In consultation with the
Iraqi government, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure
sufficient force levels to best support the Iraqi government."
The U.S. military has about 133,000 troops in Iraq, officials said. The
Iraqi military and security forces have expanded to more than 254,000
trained and equipped troops.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
approved the decision not to deploy the army brigade. Whitman said the
suspension was recommended by Gen. George Casey, commander of Multinational
Force Iraq.
"This is a very narrow decision to hold one brigade from deploying and
to give the commanders on the ground additional time to continue their
assessments," Whitman said.
