An Iraqi army officer interrogates suspects arrested during a raid operation in Baghdad. [Saad Shalash/Reuters]
Nine al-Qaeda members wanted by the Iraqi judiciary turned themselves in to Anbar police Tuesday (August 7th) as part of a security agreement between the local government and Iraqi tribes, officials said.
"Tribal leaders from the border city of Qaim facilitated the gunmen's surrender to the Anbar police command after being assured [the gunmen] will receive a fair and honest trial," Col. Rahim Zaban, the Anbar police spokesperson, told Mawtani.
Among those who surrendered were "three prominent elements involved in many rocket attacks on Anbar and Ninawa, most notably Sheikh Ghazi al-Deraa", he said.
The gunmen also handed over a number of weapons and explosives they had in their possession, Zaban said.
While in police custody, "the gunmen expressed regret for working with al-Qaeda and stressed they were also victims of a set-up and fake slogans," he said.
Maj. Gen. Hadi Kassar, the Anbar police chief, said the gunmen's "surrender proceeded legally", adding that they "came to the police headquarters accompanied by the Iraqi tribesmen out of their own total will".
"The gunmen [will] be subjected to a fair trial on the basis of article four of Iraq's anti-terrorism law," he said. "They have the right to have lawyers represent them, or the court will appoint lawyers for them in case they are unable to do so."
He said the gunmen's decision to surrender "will be taken into consideration" and may mitigate their sentences.
"The gunmen co-operated with the police by providing information about other gunmen and weapons depots, and it will help a great deal in easing the sentences that will be issued by the Iraqi judiciary," he said.
The gunmen's surrender follows an August 1st announcement by officials in Anbar province that a new security agreement was signed with six Iraqi tribes found along the Syrian border.
Tribal leaders pledged to hand over wanted al-Qaeda fugitives if found inside their areas of influence, including Qaim, Haswa, Rumana, al-Dhib, al-Wadi, al-Hud, al-Shareet, and al-Sahal, said Anbar provincial council chairman Sadoun al-Shaalan.
The security deal, forged by the council's defence and security committee as well as the police command, came after a joint army and police operation to clear the western desert area of al-Qaeda gunmen, al-Shaalan said.
"The agreement calls for total [co-operation] with those tribes to hand over the wanted persons, and to refrain from sheltering them, in accordance with Iraqi law," he said.
Officials praised the Iraqi tribes' work in helping security forces maintain peace and order.
"Tribal leaders and religious figures played a major role during the three days that followed the signing of the agreement to convince the gunmen to turn themselves in," said Lt. Col. Nejim al-Dulaimi, the Anbar operations command spokesperson.
He praised residents in Qaim who refused "to provide new shelters for [the fugitives] after their photos were posted at checkpoints".
"The security forces are now making contacts with tribal and religious figures to persuade a number of terrorists to turn themselves in before they are killed or detained," he said.
Leader of Iraq's Sahwa Council Sheikh Ahmed Abu Reesha said, "The gunmen's surrender is evidence that Iraq's security forces have the upper hand, not al-Qaeda."
"We advise others to surrender before it is too late because those who may not be captured will be killed," he said.
"We will seek a better life by seeing those charged with killing people without any reason sent to prison," said Sheikh Nawaf Reehan, chief of the Albu Bali tribe in Qaim.
"Our co-operation with the police will achieve this because as citizens we want peace and security to prevail in Iraq," he said.
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READER COMMENTS
ابو خليفة
2012-8-22
We congratulate the heroic brave Iraq forces for succeeding in eliminating the dangerous terrorist attacks which Iraq has been facing lately. We congratulate them for defeating the terrorist groups and radical organizations in the state of Iraq. We praise their great role in these victories and thank them for major sacrifices to destroy these radical terrorist movements.
سلمان راشد
2012-8-13
I condemn this organization and condemn terrorism in general. Its crimes have been numberless over the past years. We see our innocent children dying due to the brutal attacks and we see the innocent civilians living the worst situations and conditions due to the criminal operations carried out by terrorists. The crimes of terrorism are so many. We witness the operations of sending booby-trapped cars which target the safe residential areas, roadside bombs, planned killings, kidnapping, stealing and the recurrent attacks on jewelry shops and traders. All such attacks prove the extent of brutality and barbarism followed by terrorism. The latter is like a blind man or even worse to carry out all these types of crimes. In fact, this organization is a group of criminal gangs which works on looting, killing, bombing and targeting scientists and competencies. It also works on sowing the seeds of discord and division among Muslims and the other religions. It also works on sowing discord among Muslims themselves.
سعد الطائي من الحلة
2012-8-13
God bless the genuine Iraqi tribes!
ادم صالح
2012-8-12
The terrorist organizations created much havoc and committed many massacres on the Iraqi lands. Hence, I think that the time has come to stop and even eliminate them from the existence through achieving the most frightening step to our enemies, I mean uniting the front of the Arabs with all of their groups and classes as well as the rulers and subjects. This unity would allow us to confront any foreign enemy who may think about imposing siege on any state of the great Arab states. Thus, we would become as glorious as we were in the past.
بشير
2012-8-11
I would like to start by wondering what pushes terrorists to carry out their terrorist acts. I also wonder what benefits they get out of these terrorist acts. However, if we examine these events carefully, we could find the answer which can explain all the terrorist acts. In addition, if we have a look at Iraq, we will notice that it enjoys a lot of natural resources as well as many mining and oil resources. As a matter of fact, the terrorist forces are doing their utmost in order to be able to seize all such resources or let’s say to exhaust them. In fact, the fact that terrorist forces are trying to prevent Iraqis from enjoying this wealth which has been granted by Allah the Almighty to Iraq and Iraqis increases our sorrow. In so doing, we managed to provide an explanation to the motives that pushed terrorist forces to carry out their terrorist acts. In addition to that, there are a lot of answers which we miss. Yet, although we ignore them, we have to examine them and not cross our hands watching what is happening to our brothers in Iraq. In fact, we must do our best to rid them of the suffering and injustice which they are going through because of terrorists. Then, I should sensitize all the concerned authorities to the necessity and importance of arresting the terrorist forces so that we will be able to rid Iraqis of all the injustice which they have witnessed all along the previous years. We will also be able to prevent the injustice which may occur because of their strength, brutality and criminality from extending to the Arab world.
سعدون اسماعيل
2012-8-11
The harsh conditions in Iraq, its people, as well as the exploitation of the presence of terrorism and the attempts of security forces to control it collectively polarizes the life in Iraq. The Iraqis suffer terribly especially the youth and the fresh graduates, or the unemployed ones. The government must find solution for those youth before the possibility that they might be exploited by the terrorism or be tempted with money. If this happened, they might fall under the full control of the terrorist movements because of their leisure time and joblessness. This crisis provides a chance for the terrorist groups to hunt more youth who seek to make money. Hence, this problem must be solved before it is too late. It is better to prevent the youth from losing their minds because of the government’s neglect towards them.
سهيل محمد
2012-8-11
The terrorist groups aim nothing but the destruction and intimidation as well as spreading fear among the Iraqis at any time and everywhere. They do not differentiate between the young or old and the men or women. They know nothing but the bloodshed and spilling blood on the streets and scattering the bodies and chaos everywhere. They only seek to deprive the Iraqis from any chance of living honorably and away from these brutal crimes. They do not know the meaning of mercy. Most Iraqis don’t know the taste of happiness because of those corrupt people who only seek to kill and destroy. O God! Disgrace them and save us from their evils. O God! Destroy them completely.
كمال حميد
2012-8-11
The Iraqis suffered from many unstable and bad situations, which represented the worst period of insecurity that they have ever witnessed. The Iraqi security forces cannot eliminate the terrorist movements easily or decisively, and we notice this from the bombings all over Iraq. The citizens suffer from the presence of the terrorist movements that destroy their sense of stability and make them unable to work properly and be insecure in their own homelands. The terrorists also make the people feel that they are being targeted all the time. People assume that a bombing may happen any moment and it can kill them or wound them badly or make them suffer from severe wounds or financial losses. There are many Iraqi citizens who suffered from many financial losses and their homes were badly damaged to the extent that they became homeless and displaced. The Iraqis also suffered from many crimes because of the terrorism.
محمد محمد رضا
2012-8-11
May God have mercy on them! We will never abandon their rights! We will catch the dogs and sons of dogs! They are martyrs at the Lord! For the families of the martyrs, do not be sad. By the Will of God, we will get your rights back! We will never let them! May God have mercy on them!
فؤاد
2012-8-11
This article might be true and might be false, this just possible, just talks! I hope the article is correct and true so the great Iraq becomes lofty anew.
فهد
2012-8-10
May God support Iraq!
مصطفى محمد
2012-8-10
Keeping silent for what is happening in Iraq is not possible. What Iraqis witnessed no one could bear it or accept it for anyone of his family. Iraqis suffered a lot from terrorism. We, as Arabs or Muslims, do not accept what is happening to our brothers in Iraq from bombing to killing and kidnapping. These movements are present in order to turn Iraq into a land of hell, work on getting rid of all the Iraqis and make it without a future. There are many people who are ready to eliminate all of the Iraqis in order to get the goodness of Iraq especially the oil that is heavily present in Iraq. In Iraq, there are the largest oil reserves in the world and there are many people who want to get it. The events that took place in Iraq are fabricated events in order to deliver a message to the Iraqi Government which is they will work a lot in order to destroy the future of Iraq and to get everything in Iraq. However, I do not think that the security forces will permit them to be there more than that and they will get them away from their countries for the sake of the new future in Iraq. Also, the Iraqis will be able to prove that for the whole world. All of the Iraqis should stick with each other for the sake of the better generations.
يونس طه
2012-8-10
We must make use of the occasion of the month of Ramadan to renounce extremism, and to educate people in the importance of charity, love and affection. These days must be used to do good deeds, and stay away from violence and extremism!
Ibrahim al iraqi
2012-8-9
May god bestow you with both of the good things.