Iraqis kill 15 during raid on infamous Baghdad street: Defence Minister

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi security forces killed 15 terror suspects and arrested nine in a raid on Haifa street in central Baghdad, Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan told reporters.

"You have all heard about the notorious Haifa street, where there are criminal cells of salafists (Islamists) and those loyal to the previous regime," said Shaalan, flanked by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib.

"A joint operation by the national guard and elements of the defence ministry led to the killing of 15 people and the arrest of nine."

He said those arrested provided information and intelligence which "led to the chief of the Haifa street cells who in turn confessed and gave information that has in turn led to other criminal elements in Baghdad."

Shaalan did not say when the raid and arrests took place.

(slightly more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/iraq_unrest_baghdad_toll

[daleo]

1. Someone shot up a bunch of poor people

Maybe "Iraqi National Guard" did it, maybe U.S. forces. So now they will be called terrorists.

[mike_c]

2. the dead are always terrorists....

Even the children pulled from the rubble.

[Barrett808]

3. And, of course, "provided information" is a euphemism for "were tortured"

[tnlefty]

4. Does this mean that Death Squad, um, Mr. Negroponte is doing his job?

maybe?

[Old and In the Way]

5. Remind you of another time and another country?

Me, too. Meet the new boss...same as the old boss.

[TexasProgresive]

7. My thoughts exactly,

Negroponte hardly has his bags unpacked and the death squads are out in force. This guy has one way to do things and that is to terrorize the populace with his paramilitary death heads. He will have his own subcircle of Hell when that time comes.

[Jacobin]

6. Are the 11,500 (est) civilians we killed in "mass graves"?

And if so, why isn't the media talking about our mass graves, only Saddam's mass graves?

(rhetorical question)