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Gunmen kill four Sunni fighters near Baghdad

by Reuters
Tuesday, 16 August 2011 11:46 GMT

BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen dressed in Iraqi army uniforms killed four members of the government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia after dragging them out of a mosque following Monday night prayers near the capital Baghdad, security sources said.

The killings followed bombings and attacks across the country on Monday that killed at least 60 people in apparently coordinated assaults authorities blamed on Sunni Islamist al Qaeda affiliates intent on a show of force before the withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of year.

"Individuals from the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) wearing army uniforms entered al-Tawab mosque and called names of people from a list. They took seven worshippers and shot them," Qasim al-Hamdani, a former Sahwa member from Yusufiya told Reuters.

An Interior Ministry source said the gunmen left a note near the bodies claiming it was from ISI, al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate. The killing happened in the town of Sayafiya, 20 km (12 miles) south of Baghdad. Evening prayers are particularly associated with the holy month of Ramadan, which began two weeks ago.

"The army brought us four bodies of Sahwa members and three wounded. At the beginning we thought the three wounded were also killed because they were badly injured," said a policeman who works in a hospital in a nearby town.

The Sahwa militia, or Awakening Council, is made up of former insurgents from the Sunni minority who turned against al Qaeda. It was formed in late 2006, mostly by Sunni tribal sheikhs with the help of the U.S military during the sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands of people.

Al Qaeda managed to regroup forces in the southern parts of Baghdad, forcing many Sahwa fighters to quit for fear of reprisal, Hamdani said.

"We sacrifice our lives and put our families in danger, but we've got nothing in return from the government," he added. "Leaving Sahwa was my best choice to spare myself a bullet in the head."

The Sahwa militia members now work together with Iraqi forces in manning security checkpoints in the mainly Sunni areas across the country.

The integration of the former Sahwa fighters into the government is widely considered a key to stabilizing Iraq. The Sahwa are increasingly concerned that the new Shi'ite-led government is not carrying out a promise to hire them.

Jobless Sahwa could return to a weakened but still lethal insurgency that carries out dozens of attacks each month.

Last week, ISI warned members of Sahwa they rejoin insurgent ranks or face consequences.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has suffered severe blows to its leadership but Monday's string of attacks across the country showed it is still resilient more than eight years after the U.S. invasion that ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

While overall violence has plunged since the 2006-07 bloodshed, bombings and other attacks occur every day, and occasional major attacks kill dozens of people. Sahwa militia members are frequent targets. (Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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