On a day when the Iraqi government appears to be agreeing that all U.S. troops should leave the country, al Qaeda in Iraq has sent a reminder to everyone that they haven't left the lawless western province of Anbar when they donned fake police uniforms, entered a police station, and then began firing their weapons and one of the insurgents even blew himself up. Numerous hostages have been taken including the town's mayor.
From the report at Breitbart:
Insurgents disguised as police officers burst into a police station in western Iraq Monday, opened fire and blew up an explosives vest before taking a number of people hostage, including the town's mayor, Iraqi officials said.
The Iraqi Army was surrounding the police station in the town of al-Baghdadi, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Baghdad in Anbar province, said the deputy provincial governor, Dhari Arkan. It was not immediately clear how many people were being held inside the station, or whether the attackers had made any demands.
The ongoing standoff in western Iraq's Anbar province demonstrates the vulnerability of the Iraqi security forces at a time when American troops are swiftly drawing down their presence after more than eight years of war.
The attackers broke into the police station wearing police uniforms to disguise themselves and immediately opened fire upon entering, provincial police officials said. Then one of the insurgents blew himself up, the officials said.
Among the hostages is the mayor of al-Baghdadi, whose office is on the second floor of the police station, according to the officials.
Every time I see one of these stories I wince ...when it pertains to Anbar province...when I think of the price that our American troops paid to retake Anbar back from al Qaeda in Iraq it truly bothers me when the Iraqi government seems way too confident that they can control this western province. Believe me, al Qaeda in Iraq believes they have a right to the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi and I am simply not comfortable that they have been sufficiently cleared from those areas.
Insurgents take police hostage in western Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) - Insurgents disguised as police officers burst into a police station in western Iraq Monday, opened fire and blew up an explosives vest before taking a number of people hostage, including the town's mayor, Iraqi officials said.
The Iraqi Army was surrounding the police station in the town of al-Baghdadi, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Baghdad in Anbar province, said the deputy provincial governor, Dhari Arkan. It was not immediately clear how many people were being held inside the station, or whether the attackers had made any demands.
The ongoing standoff in western Iraq's Anbar province demonstrates the vulnerability of the Iraqi security forces at a time when American troops are swiftly drawing down their presence after more than eight years of war.
The attackers broke into the police station wearing police uniforms to disguise themselves and immediately opened fire upon entering, provincial police officials said. Then one of the insurgents blew himself up, the officials said.
Among the hostages is the mayor of al-Baghdadi, whose office is on the second floor of the police station, according to the officials.
This mayor of the nearby town of Hit, Hikmat Juber, confirmed the attack and hostage standoff. He said a number of officials working on the second floor of the building where some provincial offices were located were also taken hostage.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Anbar province has been a hotbed of Iraq's insurgency for years. Sunni militants aligned with terror groups such as al-Qaida often attack the local police and military who they see as traitors and supporters of the Shiite-led government.
Under a 2008 agreement, all American forces must leave Iraq by the end of this year, although U.S. and Iraqi officials have been discussing whether to have a small U.S. military presence in Iraq into next year.
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