Sunni Leader Held in Error

By Jeffrey Fleishman and Louise Roug

May 31, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writers

BAGHDAD — U.S. forces aggravated sectarian tensions in Iraq on Monday by mistakenly arresting a prominent Sunni Muslim leader as suicide bombers killed at least 25 people in a Shiite town and soldiers continued their offensive against insurgent networks in Baghdad.

Mohsen Abdel Hamid, head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was detained when U.S. troops raided his home shortly before dawn. He was released after Iraqi government officials, including Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, criticized the action. Hamid has been a voice of reconciliation, urging Sunnis to work with the Shiite-dominated government and condemning a surge in sectarian killings.

A statement released by U.S.-led forces said the raid, which left Hamid’s house with battered doors and smashed windows, was a case of mistaken identity. “Mr. Hamid is being returned to his home,” the statement said. “Coalition forces regret any inconvenience and acknowledge Mr. Hamid’s cooperation in resolving this matter.”

Speaking on Iraqi television, Jafari called Hamid a well-respected politician and noted that the detained leader had once served as president of the former Iraqi Governing Council. The Iraqi government worried that the embarrassing incident would deepen Sunni suspicions about the new government and its American backers.

“I will demand a clear accounting....” said Jafari, a Shiite Muslim whose administration has been negotiating with Sunni leaders to avert further sectarian violence. “No civilian should be arrested without just cause.”

The arrest came as another bloody day unfolded across Iraq. In eastern Diyala province, four Americans and an Iraqi were killed when an Iraqi Air Force aircraft crashed Monday, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Fred Wellman told Associated Press.

In the predominantly Shiite town of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, two men detonated explosives strapped to their bodies, killing at least 25 people and wounding 100. The bombers walked into a crowd near City Hall where police commandos were rallying in demand of their salaries after their unit had been disbanded.

“The first explosion was in the front of the governorate building,” Police Capt. Ahmed Muthana said. “After that, people, including the injured, hurried to a side street and a second suicide attacker exploded himself near the ones who escaped the first attack.”

Islamic extremist websites indicated that the double bombings were orchestrated by Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian who heads Al Qaeda in Iraq.

In the greater Baghdad area, 40,000 Iraqi soldiers and police cordoned streets and swept through neighborhoods on the third day of Operation Lightning. The sweeps, which have led to the arrests of more than 500 suspects, are targeting insurgents in neighborhoods such as Abu Ghraib, where U.S. and Iraqi military officials say car bombs are manufactured and rebels find cover amid a sympathetic public.

Traffic was heavy around an estimated 675 checkpoints and gunfire echoed through the capital, but Iraqi forces did not encounter the fierce resistance of Sunday when about 50 insurgents attacked a roadblock in a gunfight that left nine soldiers and 14 guerrillas dead. So far, more than 745 Iraqis have been killed in sectarian and insurgent violence since the new government was named April 28.

“Getting control of a city of 5 million is not an easy proposition,” a senior U.S. official who asked not to be named said of Operation Lightning. “They’re making some progress, but things tend to seesaw.”

The brief detention of Hamid by U.S. forces occurred as Shiite and Sunni leaders were attempting to ease mistrust between the religious sects. A minority population, Sunnis controlled the country under Saddam Hussein’s government. Today, they make up the core of the insurgency.

Although Hamid had been a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, the now-dissolved U.S.-backed government formed after Hussein was ousted, he had grown disenchanted by what he viewed as discrimination and violence against Sunnis. His moderate Iraqi Islamic Party refused to take part in the national election in January that created a government controlled by Shiites and Kurds.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times shortly before the election, Hamid promised that Sunnis would “not recognize the legitimacy of this election, and they will not follow its decisions or laws.”

But as sectarian tensions worsened in recent weeks, Hamid called for Sunnis to join the political process to avoid a civil war. His tone was more conciliatory than the radical message of the Muslim Scholars Assn. and clearly defined the divergence within the Sunni political spectrum. Jafari’s office has praised Hamid’s Iraqi Islamic Party for condemning terrorism and political assassinations.

After his release, a tired-looking Hamid returned to his disheveled home and described the morning’s events.

“At 4 a.m. today, American soldiers attacked my house from all directions,” said Hamid, wearing a clean, white dishdasha robe. “They blew up doors and took me and my three sons. They blindfolded me and put me in a helicopter and took me someplace. They interrogated me all day. Then they let me go.”

Hamid said he was not questioned about sectarian matters. He added that he believed his sons also had been released. Eight guards were detained, including one who suffered a minor gunshot wound, said Nazar Hamdan Tokan, a member of the Iraqi Islamic Party.

“This is a provocative and foolish act,” said Iyad Samarrai, a party official. “At a time when Americans say they are keen on real Sunni participation, they are now arresting the head of the only Sunni party that calls for a peaceful solution and has participated in the political process.”

Some Sunnis said they believed Hamid’s arrest was an attempt by Shiites to keep Sunnis out of the government by disrupting the next national election, scheduled late this year.

Staff writers Shamil Aziz, Saif Rasheed, Caesar Ahmed and Suhail Ahmad and special correspondents in Fallouja and Najaf contributed to this report.