Baghdad: Recent remarks by Iraqi and US officials about Al Qaida activities in Iraq and the confiscation of documents belonging to the group have strengthened the belief that Al Qaida's collapse is imminent, military officers and experts have said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki talked about a victory over Al Qaida, on the first anniversary of Operation Imposing Law in Baghdad, and his statements corroborated the idea of the death of Al Qaida in Iraq. Some of the confiscated documents found in southern Baghdad a few days ago included letters between Al Qaida leaders and contained confessions that Al Qaida, which was the main power some months ago, is dying.
"Al Qaida is not eliminated yet, it is broken because of many reasons specifically the confessions we obtained from detainees affiliated to Al Qaida," Nasser Al Abadi, deputy of the Iraqi chief army staff, told Gulf News.
"Yet we have to be cautious and not be over-optimistic because Iraqi borders are not controlled and therefore there is a possible infiltration of Al Qaida fighters," Al Abadi said.
Security analysts believe using mentally challenged women means Al Qaida is still in combat mode against the Iraqi government and the US army.
Major General Anwar Mohammad Ameen, General Inspector of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence and former army commander of Kirkuk, told Gulf News: "I think its field of influence has considerably weakened because of military reasons, mainly the presence of 30,000 US troops, and the growing number of volunteers in the Iraqi army."
Commander of Nineveh in Mosul, General Riyad Jalal Tawfiq, who served in Baghdad and Mosul, told Gulf News there are indications that Al Qaida has weakened but warned against early prediction of the group's complete collapse.
Yet we have to be cautious because Al Qaida's collapse maybe a tactic used by the organisation.
Blackwater: Scene revisited
US authorities investigating Blackwater Worldwide security contractors are returning to Baghdad this week to revisit the scene of a September shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.
The two-week trip, by eight prosecutors and FBI agents, marks the latest phase in an inquiry that was limited from the start by the government's promise of immunity for Blackwater bodyguards who provided sworn statements about the incident in which Blackwater employees shot Iraqis in a Baghdad square.
The shootings in a crowded Baghdad intersection have strained diplomatic relations and raised questions over whether some contractors can operate without legal consequences.
The Justice Department team left Tuesday night for Iraq, where they planned to interview witnesses and gather evidence from the September 16 shooting. The trip was confirmed by several people close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.
Since opening a grand jury investigation in November, prosecutors have questioned about 30 US witnesses, including Blackwater security guards and managers, during secret grand jury sessions in a Washington courthouse. To accommodate the crush of witnesses, prosecutors took the unusual step of requesting a third day of grand jury time each week.
- AP
