Lteif assumes the leadership of al-Falluja contingent, Saleh commends Marines' cooperation
Iraq-USA, Politics, 5/5/2004

The so-called Al-Mahdi Army yesterday threatened every and each American military barrier between al-Najaf and al-Koufa at a time when lt. Gen Muhammad Lteif assumed the leadership of al-Falluja contingent where many of his soldiers were deployed, while Lt. Gen. Muhammad Jasem Saleh commended cooperation of the Marines forces in implementing the cease fire agreement in the city.

The spokesman for al-Mahdi Army, Sheikh Ahmad al-Sheibani, said that " any inspection point for the American forces is an aggression and there is no separation between the cities of al-Koufa and al-Najaf." He added that the American soldiers were behind the violent confrontations on Monday which resulted in killing five persons and wounding 20 among the lines of the Iraqis by opening fire at a truck carrying members of al-Mahdi army heading from al-Najaf to al-Koufa. He added that members of al-Mahdi Army were obliged to retaliate against the base and an inspection point at its entrance on the main road linking the two cities.

The Amercan forces had installed the barrier on Monday and inspected cars and prevented young men from entering al-Koufa. The American forces explained the barrier aims at preventing the deployment of weapons to al-Najaf. Yesterday, the American soldiers installed another inspection point on the road between al-Koufa and al-Najaf for the same purpose.

Al-Sheibani statements coincided with a bombardment operation carried out by al-Sader supporters to the American base in al-Najaf yesterday. The Bulgarian ministry of defense announced that the municipality headquarters and leaderships of the police centers in Karbala, guarded by Bulgarian soldiers, were attacked by mortars shelling for 10 minutes but this resulted in no casualties.

Meantime, the former Iraqi lt. gen Muhammad Lteif who was born in al-Azameyah, in Baghdad, assumed the leadership of al-Falluja contingent and announced his condemnation for the killing of 4 American contractors in the city one month ago.

However, Lteif who met yesterday with former army officer in Saddam Hussein army in the premises of the Iraqi security forces in al-Falluja stressed that not all people of the city can be blamed for this crime. He explained " the people of Falluja can be proud that the incident of mutilation of the bodies of the four contractors was condemned by all Imams."

However, for the first time, Iraqi soldiers joined the American marines forces in two positions in al-Golan district which witnessed the most violent fighting in the city.

Officers in the marines said that Lteif has just a short time to define the resistance men and kill foreign fighters in the city. They added that the Marines units will continue its tightened siege on most of the city's quarters until the Iraqi forces will be able to impose security in.

Meantime, medical officials in Alexandria public hospital in al-Hella city said that three Iraqis were killed and other four injured yesterday when the American soldiers opened their machine gun fire at a wedding procession on the highway between al-Hella and Baghdad, on their conception that the celebrating people are "resistance men," who were firing bullets in the air joyfully.

The Iraqi police in Musil announced that one Iraqi translator working with the American forces was killed in Musil yesterday by the bullets of unidentified side.

In a statement, the American army said that four American soldiers were killed when their armored vehicle collided near al-Khales city.

Previous Stories:
  Marines start today withdrawal from al-Falluja, 12 American soldiers killed   (4/30/2004)
  One American was killed in Iraq, Bremer brings back thousands of Baathists to their posts   (4/24/2004)
  Occupation warns Faluja: handing over weapons within days, otherwise the attack   (4/23/2004)

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