Heroic Sheiks Beaten With Tire Irons, Humiliated: “We Will Stay The Course”
BAGHDAD - It had to be done quickly. Rogue Shiite militiamen were holding hostage a group of Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks who had joined a revolt against al-Qaida. For the Iraqi government and its U.S. backers, the seven men represented an inspiring symbol of national unity.
A daring rescue operation secured their freedom.
A meeting Tuesday between most of the former captives and military officials—including the Iraqi commander of the rescue operation—offered the first detailed picture of the tense and fast-moving events: the kidnapping, the slaying of one captive and the seven-hour rescue mission Monday converging on an area that was “not fit for rats.”
The sheiks, recounting their 30-hour ordeal to a small group of reporters including The Associated Press, said they were tortured, beaten with tire irons and humiliated. Two were executed in front of the ohters. At least three of the sheiks were visibly bruised. One man’s left eye was red and swollen. The two others had bruises on their backs, arms and legs.
But they insisted that they emerged from captivity more determined than ever to continue their fight.
“We already forgot the pain and the wounds from our ordeal,” said Haroon al-Mohammedawi, the bearded leader of the group from Khalis, a region in Diyala province where the terror organization has a heavy presence. “We pledge to you, the people and leadership of Iraq, that we will stay the course.”
Al-Qaida militants, the sheiks told Iraqi and U.S. commanders, had prevented food rations from reaching them for a year, cut off power supply to their villages and ruined their orchards.
“Al-Qaida has condemned us to death,” said al-Mohammedawi, a Shiite. “But we have a strong uprising and we have volunteers from the age of 14 to 75.”
The kidnapping came shortly after the sheiks attended a meeting Sunday with government officials in Baghdad about battling al-Qaida and fostering peace between Shiites and Sunnis.
They were traveling back to their homes in Diyala when the attackers intercepted their minibus in the capital’s Shiite Shaab neighborhood. One of the seven sheiks resisted the kidnappers. He was shot and killed.
The swift action to rescue the sheiks, launched by about 200 Iraqi soldiers and backed by the U.S. military, reflected the strategic importance of local reconciliation initiatives and the forging of alliances with Sunni tribes in areas where the terror network remains active.
The strategy was stunningly effective in several Baghdad neighborhoods, areas south of the capital known as the “triangle of death” and in the vast western province of Anbar, forcing al-Qaida militants to flee and reducing the levels of violence.
Failure to free the hostages would have dealt a blow to efforts to rally the residents of Diyala, a mix of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, behind the U.S. and Iraqi forces in the fight against al-Qaida.
Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, the overall Iraqi commander of Baghdad, said the kidnappers belonged to “criminal gangs.”
The U.S. military, however, said the culprits were rogue members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al- Sadr, who in August ordered his fighters to lay down their arms for six months. The military has claimed that such splinter Shiite groups are doing everything possible to stop Iraqis from joining U.S. forces—even in the fight against the Sunni al-Qaida in Iraq.
Monday’s seven-hour rescue mission began Monday afternoon and ended well into the night.
Maj. Gen. Riyadh al-Qusaibi said he and his men had only “foggy” intelligence to work with when they set out to search for the sheiks.
They combed orchards and raided homes in a wide area to the northeast of Baghdad before they finally located the house where the sheiks were held prisoner, he said.
“The area where the house was is not fit for rats to live in,” al- Qusaibi said. “The kidnappers’ response to our arrival was slow, and the gunfight lasted only minutes.”
Four of the kidnappers were killed in the gunfight and six were detained, according to the Iraqi Defense Ministry. U.S. military officials, however, said the number of suspected kidnappers detained was much larger.
Al-Qusaibi said several of his men were superficially wounded, but none was killed.
The U.S. military has sought to play down the role it played in the rescue operation, touting the success as evidence of the growing capabilities of the Iraqi forces.
“The sheiks’ rescue mission is one that required advanced coordination and execution that couldn’t have been accomplished without significant coalition support just a few months ago,” said Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, who was closely involved in the rescue mission.
“We had U.S. advisers on the ground that assisted with aerial support and we also had some additional ground forces that could have supported if required,” he told the AP.
Five of the surviving six sheiks attended Tuesday’s meeting with Iraqi and U.S. commanders at an Iraqi army camp on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The meeting’s atmosphere was jovial.
“They had removed our head dress, and you put it back on our heads,” al-Mohammedawi said, addressing the Iraqi commanders and alluding to the insult a traditional Arab feels when his head dress, known in Arabic as “uqal,” is forcefully removed by a rival.
Al-Qusaibi basked in the limelight and accepted lavish praise from U.S. commanders for leading his men from the front.
“I had to be at the front to save the lives of my men,” al-Qusaibi, in green camouflage, said to a U.S. commander in a husky voice. “I lost my voice shouting orders during a gunbattle with the kidnappers,” he proudly recounted.
(AP)
MNF-I:
BAGHDAD – Soldiers with the 9th Iraqi Army Division, led by Maj. Gen. Riyahd, conducted a mission to rescue abducted sheiks Oct. 29.
The mission was conducted to free sheiks from Diyala that were kidnapped in the Shaab area of northern Baghdad the day prior. The mission was supported by U.S. military advisors to the Iraqi Army and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.
The mission resulted in the rescue of seven sheiks, the capture of four abductors and the killing of at least three extremists at the location where the sheiks were being held. The body of an eighth sheik was recovered at the scene.
The rescued sheiks were taken to a nearby Iraqi Army facility where they received medical attention. Several stated they had been beaten with a tire iron. The sheiks also stated that they have no doubt that their abductors were Shi’a extremists.
“The execution of this mission shows how far Iraqi Security Forces have come,” said Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy commanding general for maneuver for Multi National Division – Baghdad. “The 9th Iraqi Army, led by General Riyadh, reacted very quickly to intelligence they received; they planned and then organized their forces, and executed a tough and precise mission with support from the Coalition. They are well on their way to being the pre-eminent security force for the people of Iraq.”
Iraqi and Coalition Forces continue to hunt all those responsible for the abductions.
B.Z. Iraqis. I’ll just bet that the hajis that did this got an equal opportunity can of whoop-ass opened up on them when they got to jail. Payback is a motherfucker.
October 30th, 2007 at 3:10 pmIt pays to have balls in this life, regardless of gender. Glad to see them so prominently displayed in the events recounted in this story.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:16 pmAbsolutely terrific outcome. I thought for sure they would appear on some fucked up video. Bless them and all those fighting for freedom over there.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:22 pmI don’t think the term “stay the course” was used by coincidence. It looks to me that we are starting to see Iraqi Washingtons and Jeffersons …. I hope so!!!
October 30th, 2007 at 5:45 pmThose are some tough-ass men. Props and good luck to them!
October 30th, 2007 at 7:28 pmThese guys are learning the hard way that freedom isn’t free. They’re also able to learn first hand from American troops, what bravery and dedication, duty and honor are all about. American troops lead by example…and the Iraqis seem to be feeding off of that fine example.
We’ve managed to turn many Iraqis into real leaders instead of victims or haj. Nebakanezer would be pround. God bless them all.
October 30th, 2007 at 7:36 pm“We already forgot the pain and the wounds from our ordeal,” said Haroon al-Mohammedawi, the bearded leader of the group from Khalis, a region in Diyala province where the terror organization has a heavy presence. “We pledge to you, the people and leadership of Iraq, that we will stay the course.”
Stay the course. It really is good to see how far the people of Iraq have come and how strong they are in the face of the barbarians. They know the cost of folding to terror. I have a great deal of respect for all the people in Iraq standing and fighting against the terrorists.
I am so relieved that the sheiks were rescued.
October 30th, 2007 at 7:59 pmIt’d be just as cool if the whole thing was staged, as a magnificent PR move.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:00 pmHaha jk.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:00 pmDEVASTATING and VIVID evidence of
–the depravity of our enemy;
–the WORTHINESS of our ally;
–the hard-earned SUCCESS of our mission…
Do ya think there is any “good tv news value” in this dramatic hostage-rescue story?
Result:
“KEEP THIS GODDAM STORY OFF THE NETWORKS!”
October 30th, 2007 at 8:07 pmThe Iraqi Army is learning from the best!
I’m glad the sheiks were rescued and that they’re planning to stay the course. I’m also glad the Iraqi soldiers were able to carry out their mission with little help from the troops. This is just another sign that the troops are winning in Iraq- and it’s really amazing when you think about it because, at first, winning over the hearts and minds of Iraqis seemed IMPOSSIBLE. Well they’ve done more than that, in fact, they’ve won over the hearts and minds of FORMER INSURGENTS too!
No other military force in the world can do that!!
October 30th, 2007 at 9:48 pmRanger, I would say “KR” move as in Karl Rove, ha ha ha…
October 31st, 2007 at 6:43 am