Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070929-03
September 29, 2007

Extremist brigade commander detained by Iraqi, U.S. Special Forces
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained a suspected extremist brigade commander Sept. 27 in New Baghdad.

The targeted extremist leads ten brigades of suspected terrorist cells to conduct kidnapping, extrajudicial killings and displacements of Sunni citizens.  He commands his cells to attack Iraqi and Coalition Forces with improvised explosive devices and mortars. 

As the sector commander for the Al Jadidah in Baghdad, Al Rustamiyah and Al Amin Al Thania, he allegedly uses his criminal connections to command the Al Koufa mosque in Najaf. 

Since January, he and his group members are suspected of having executed more than 90 Sunnis, and since October 2006, evicted more than 135 Sunni families from their homes.  It is believed they then used the residences of the evicted families as torture sites and weapon-cache safe houses. 

One of his companies was linked to the March 2007 kidnapping and murder of the Imam from the Mam of Hay Al-Amin mosque. 

In April, his group was suspected of kidnapping a local citizen and stealing the man’s vehicle. The group collected a $10,000 ransom before killing the victim and keeping the vehicle.  Additionally, he and his group are suspected of launching four mortars into the Sunni populated are of Al-Dora resulting in several civilians deaths.

Further,his group allegedly emplaced several IEDs and detonated them against U.S. military convoys causing damage to several tactical vehicles.  

During the raid, three of his suspected followers were also detained. 

No Iraqi or U.S. forces were injured during this raid.

-30-

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR FOR HIGH-RES PHOTOS, CONTACT MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS – IRAQ, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY E-MAIL AT This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it