US troops arrest Baghdad mourners
US troops in Baghdad arrested 60 mourners
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Saturday, 12, Aug 2006 07:20
US troops arrested around 60 mourners at a funeral in Baghdad earlier today in what they described as a pre-emptive coup against a group planning major bomb attacks.
The arrests, which took place in a southern Baghdad suburb, are notable for being one of the first pre-emptive rather than reactive operations conducted by coalition forces in the Baghdad region.
"Multiple forms of credible intelligence led the assault force to the location, later determined to be a funeral gathering, where the suspects were detained," a statement issued by the US military said.
"The group has been reported to be planning and conducting training for future attacks, like the attack in Mahmudiya [on] July 17th that killed 42," the statement added.
Elsewhere, coalition forces killed 26 'insurgents' in a Sunni region to the west of Baghdad, while two separate bombs killed six people.
Concerns are growing that if coalition forces do not prevail over insurgents resisting the presence of international forces, widely perceived as an occupation which has outstayed its welcome, the entire country will descend into civil war.