BAGHDAD, 26 May 2005 — US and Iraqi troops, about 1,000 in number, raided insurgents’ strongholds yesterday, killing 10 suspects including a Muslim cleric, as reports of Iraq’s most wanted man, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, being wounded still circulated around the globe.
An Islamic website statement claimed yesterday that Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda’s point man in Iraq, has fled to a “neighboring country” with two doctors treating him for gunshot wounds to his lung. The claim’s authenticity could not be confirmed.
Clashes erupted in Haditha after 1,000 US and Iraqi troops moved into the Euphrates River city to track down insurgents.
As the sweep for militants loyal to Zarqawi continued in the northwest, Iraqi and US forces said they had arrested two of his top aides, the day after an Internet statement said Zarqawi had been wounded.
The US military said it had arrested “one of the most wanted people” in northern Iraq, Mullah Kamel Al-Assawadi, and one of the regional secretaries of Al-Qaeda’s frontman in Iraq. US officials have reacted with caution to the reports of Zarqawi’s wounding.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari meanwhile said he was calling on the United Nations to extend the mandate of the US-led foreign troops stationed in the country, with local forces unable to cope with the onslaught of violence.
— With input from agencies
