Raids on Falluja, threats to hand over Margaret Hassan to al-Zarqawi
Iraq, Military, 11/3/2004

The American army and Sameraa police yesterday denied that one American soldier was kidnapped at the hands of Iraqi fighters in the city.

News reports said that the American army denied an earlier report by the Iraqi police on kidnapping the soldier and a similar denial was issued by one official in Samera police.

The city police indicated that gunmen on Tuesday evening riding a car kidnapped the soldier and the deployment of American forces in the city's streets followed the incident.

Samera which is situated to the north of Baghdad is considered one of the main hot beds between the gunmen on the one hand and the American forces and the Iraqi national guards on the other, especially after the the military operation carried out by the two sides in October in the city, which led to their control of large parts of it and the killing of 150 persons, most of them are gunmen.

Meantime, seven Iraqis were killed and other 12 injured in a booby trapped car explosion before al-Rasafa education directorate in al-Azameyah quarters in Baghdad.

In a similar attack, four Iraqis were killed and other 12 injured in a booby trapped car explosion targeted the procession of the Iraqi national guards near Abu Ghreib prison today morning.

Two members of the Iraqi national guards were killed and other four injured in a booby trapped car explosion targeted a procession for the national guard in al-Wahda quarters to the south of al-Musil.

Concerning the file of hostages, the group which holds the British hostage Margaret Hassan, who was born in Ireland and married to an Iraqi threatened to hand her over to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi group during 48 hours if its demands are not met, especially the withdrawal of the British forces from Iraq.

The threat of the unidentified group came in a video tape to al-Jazeera TV which abstained from broadcasting it for humanitarian reasons pertaining to the situation of the hostage.

Hassan relatives held yesterday a press conference in Dublin in which they urged Britain to respond to the demands of the Kidnappers. The sister of the kidnapped Dear Simons said that Hassan's relatives met with the Irish prime minister for working to release her.

Meantime, news reports in Falluja said that the city was exposed to air attack yesterday night but no casualties were reported.

Hundreds of people from Falluja evacuated from their houses yesterday after a night of air raids launched by the American planes. The evacuation was of fears of the deteriorated security conditions in the city with the arrival of signals of a nearby attack.

A spokesman for the American troops said that several cars left the city, noting that 400 besieged cars are trying to get out.

Moreover, the operations of exporting the Iraqi crude oil to Turkey was blocked after the three oil pipelines were blown up in Karkouk area. A source in the Iraqi northern oil company said that the maintenance teams need 10 days to repair damages resulting from the explosions.

Previous Stories:
  Elyawer in Manama after Kuwait, no for attacking Falujja, Iran plays a negative role   (11/2/2004)
  Baghdad's deputy governor assassinated   (11/2/2004)
  More American reinforcement to attack al-Ramadi   (11/2/2004)
  Elyawer in Kuwait carrying the two files of compensations, debts   (11/1/2004)
  Iraqi vice president looms of imposing the emergency law, Falluja negotiations   (11/1/2004)

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