Iraqi security forces have captured an al-Qaeda militant that they believe was involved in the February 22 bombing of the Askariya mosque. That attack set off a wave of sectarian violence in the country that has not yet abated.
The suspect has been identified as Yousri Fakher Mohammed Ali, a Tunisian who also uses the name Abu Qudama. He was captured last week after being wounded in a battle with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad. Iraqi intelligence believes the suspect participated in the bombing of the Shi'ite shrine but was not the ringleader of the attack.
Abu Qudama identified the ringleader of the bombers as Haitham Sabah Shaker Mohammed al-Badri, an Iraqi insurgent. The group that carried out the bombing also included two other Iraqis and four Saudis according to Abu Qudama's confession.
Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie told reporters that the mosque attack was carried out 'in order to ignite sectarian strife among the Iraqi people.'
It has been very successful in that regard. The newly formed Iraqi government is trying to offer amnesty to insurgent leaders who are willing to pledge loyalty to the government in an attempt to weaken the insurgency.
Meanwhile, violence continued throughout the country. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a car near a Sunni mosque just south of the northeastern city of Baqouba. One person was killed and two were wounded in the attack.
An Iraqi civilian was also killed in western Baghdad Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded. The bomb was likely set to attack a nearby U.S. military convoy.
The U.S. military also announced that it was disappointed with the results of the recent crackdown in Baghdad. Major General William Caldwell, the chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, said the security crackdown has reduced violence slightly but not to 'the degree we would like to see. It's going to take some time. We do not see an upward trend. We ... see a slight decrease but not of the degree we would like to see at this point.'
American and Iraqi forces continue their attempts to bring calm to the capital.
