Capture of Terrorists in Iraq: Big Fish Captured or Another False Alarm? (updated Mar. 5)

By Andrew Cochran

Multinational Forces Iraq has announced the capture of over 50 terrorists in Salah ad Din province in northern Iraq: "Soldiers from Task Force 1-319 and the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division detained more than 50 insurgents during three days of operations focused on terrorist cells in Abu Ajeel, Wynot, and Owja near Tikrit in Salah ad Din." Forty of the terrorists were part of an IED cell, while ten others were "involved with financing and executing attacks on coalition forces."

The local Iraqi administration promptly announced that among those captured was the head of the "Islamic State of Iraq," Muharib Mohammed Abdullah, also known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (Bill Roggio has more on him here). But U.S. officials have not confirmed that as of this post, hours after the Iraqi announcement, so we should be increasingly skeptical until our forces issue a confirmation or denial. It shouldn't take long since our forces were on the raid.

We've seen numerous false claims by the Iraqis of a major kill, capture, or injury of important insurgents, especially with respect to al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, a.k.a. Abu Ayyub al-Masri. As recently as February 15, Iraqi officials claimed to have killed or wounded him, which was later proven false. I posted about the episode and linked to other episodes of false Iraqi claims. Evan Kohlmann posted on the official statement by the "Islamic State in Iraq" denying the claim of al-Muhajir's death, which stated, "Allah's enemies know that Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir... fights under the flag of the Amir al-Mumineen Abu Omar al-Baghdadi..."

Don't pop the bubbly yet.

UPDATE, March 5, 0735 ET: MNF-Iraq issued two press releases on Monday announcing captures of terrorists (here and here) but did not confirm or deny the Baghdadi capture. But the Iraqi interior ministry, which has issued most of the false al-Muhajir claims, now claims that one of the raids netted Abdullah Latif al-Jaburi, also known as Abu Abdullah, the #2 in the "Islamic State of Iraq." Again, no word for US officials in Iraq on this new claim. Keep the bubbly corked.

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