BAGHDAD, 20 November 2004 — Iraqi forces, backed by US soldiers, stormed one of the main Sunni mosques in Baghdad after Friday prayers, opening fire and killing at least three people, witnesses said.
In the battle for control of Mosul, Iraqi forces raided several areas overnight, killing 15 insurgents, Iraqi and US military officials said.
At least 13 other insurgents were captured in Mosul, authorities said.
About 40 people were arrested at the Abu Hanifa Mosque in the capital’s northwestern Azamiyah neighborhood, said the witnesses, who were members of the congregation. Another five people were wounded.
It appeared the raid at Abu Hanifa Mosque was part of the crackdown on Sunni clerics launched in parallel with military operations against the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.
US troops were seen securing the mosque’s outer perimeter and sealing it off. Some American soldiers also were seen inside the compound.
Witnesses heard explosions coming from inside the mosque, apparently from stun grenades. Inside the office of the imam, books, including a Qur’an, and a computer were found scattered on the floor, and the furniture was turned upside down.
At least 10 US armored vehicles were parked at the mosque, along with two vehicles carrying about 40 Iraqi National Guards, witnesses said.
On Thursday, the Iraqi government warned that Islamic clerics who incite violence will be considered as “participating in terrorism.” A number of them already have been arrested, including several members of the Sunni clerical Association of Muslim Scholars, which spoke out against the US-led offensive against Fallujah.
“The government is determined to pursue those who incite acts of violence. A number of mosques’ clerics who have publicly called for taking the path of violence have been arrested and will be legally tried,” said Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s spokesman, Thair Al-Naqeeb.
US troops also raided a Sunni mosque in Qaim, near the Syrian border, a cleric said, calling it retaliation for opposing the Fallujah offensive. Imam Maudafar Abdul Wahab said his mosque was gathering food and supplies to send to Fallujah, and US troops took about $2,000 meant for repair of his mosque.
Elsewhere in Baghdad, a suicide car bomber rammed into a police patrol, killing one policeman and injuring as many as 10 other people, including policemen, authorities said.
In western Mosul, Iraqi National Guard and a special police force raided several areas Thursday night, killing 15 insurgents and capturing 10 others, Deputy Gov. Khasro Gouran said. Three police officers also were killed Thursday when masked gunmen set up a checkpoint in eastern Mosul and shot them when they displayed identification, Gouran said.
A car bomb attack on a US patrol in the northeastern Sukar neighborhood of Mosul injured one US soldier, the military said. — Additional input from agencies
