Days before the British military’s operation in Iraq ends, Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of four suspected leaders of the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network
According to a report filed by the Aswat News Agency, the military sting was executed by security forces connected to the Samarra Operations Command. The four suspects were detained in the early hours of Wednesday during an operation in Samarra city, Salahal-Din Province. One of the detainees, Mikhlif Mohammed Hussein al-Azzawi, also known as “Abu Radhwan,” is the alleged military leader of the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq.
The others arrested were Mohammed Saad Muzzaham al-Daraji, the suspected head of al-Qaeda branch’s assassinations unit, Fawzi Abbas Ali al-Badri, who is also known as Abu Abdulrahman, who is primarily charged with kidnapping soldiers to kill them and torch their bodies.
Recently, Operation Command had reported that external parties were still funding sleeper cells in the region. It was alleged that the al Qaeda planned to incinerate the local pharmaceutical plant – an industry hub in operation since 1970.
That the arrests come less than three weeks after the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid by US special forces in Pakistan, may speak to the intelligence milled from his Abbottabad hideout.
Meanwhile, the core leadership of al-Qaeda named a “caretaker” leader to replace bin Laden. Saif al-Adel, once an Egyptian special forces officer, has been chosen by a council, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the group’s inner workings
It is unclear whether AQI has, or will, swear loyalty to the interim leadership – currently, the Yemeni wing, al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula (AQAP), is angling for greater influence, and their pushback may indicate an evolving power struggle within the decapitated syndicate.
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