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U.S. forces mistakenly arrest top Sunni politician

Workers sweep away the debris after suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing at least 25 people and wounding 100 in Hillah, Iraq, on Monday. The bombers attacked a government building where Iraqi police were protesting. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Jeffrey Fleishman and Louise Roug Los Angeles Times
Workers sweep away the debris after suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing at least 25 people and wounding 100 in Hillah, Iraq, on Monday. The bombers attacked a government building where Iraqi police were protesting. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. forces aggravated sectarian tensions in Iraq on Monday by mistakenly arresting a prominent Sunni Muslim leader as suicide bombers killed at least 25 people in a southern town and soldiers continued their offensive against insurgent networks in Baghdad.

Also Monday, four U.S. Air Force personnel and one Iraqi were killed in the crash of an Iraqi air force aircraft, the U.S. military said.

Mohsen Abdel Hamid, head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was detained when U.S. troops raided his home shortly before dawn. He was released after Iraqi government officials, including Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, criticized the action. Hamid had been a voice of reconciliation, urging Sunnis to work with the Shiite-dominated government and condemning a surge in sectarian killings.

A statement released by U.S.-led forces said the raid, which left Hamid’s house with battered doors and smashed windows, was a case of mistaken identity. “Mr. Hamid is being returned to his home,” according to the statement. “Coalition forces regret any inconvenience and acknowledge Mr. Hamid’s cooperation in resolving this matter.”

Speaking on Iraqi television, al-Jaafari called Hamid a well-respected politician and noted that the detained leader had once served as president of the former Iraqi Governing Council. The Iraqi government worried that the embarrassing incident would deepen Sunni suspicions about the new government and its American backers.

The arrest came as another bloody day unfolded across Iraq. Two men with explosives strapped to their bodies killed at least 25 people and wounded 100 when they detonated in the predominantly Shiite town of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. The bombers walked into a crowd near city hall where police commandos were protesting.

“The first explosion was in the front of the governorate building,” said police Capt. Ahmed Muthana. “After that, people … hurried to a side street and a second suicide attacker exploded himself near the ones who escaped the first attack.”

In eastern Diyala province, an Iraqi Air Force airfcraft crashed about noon Monday near the village of Jalula, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Fred Wellman.

“All the personnel onboard are confirmed to have been killed in action, but there is still an investigation ongoing,” Wellman said.

In the greater Baghdad area, 40,000 Iraqi soldiers and police cordoned streets and swept through neighborhoods in the third day of Operation Lightning. The sweeps, which have resulted in more than 500 arrests, are targeting insurgents in neighborhoods such as Abu Ghraib, where U.S. and Iraqi military officials say rebels find cover amid a sympathetic public.