Zarqawi forms bombing unit
2005-06-22 14:16
Dubai - The al-Qaeda linked group headed by Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said on Wednesday it had created a unit of would-be suicide bombers made-up exclusively of Iraqis.
"A unit of martyrs named al-Ansar, belonging to the martyr brigades of al-Baraa bin Malek, had been formed.
An internet statement said: All its members were Iraqis." Its authenticity could not be confirmed.
The statement said the decision to form the unit came "due to strong demand from martyrdom seekers among Iraqis".
The group had announced early June that it formed the brigades of al-Baraa bin Malek, naming its leader as Abu Dujana al-Ansari.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Tuesday that hundreds of foreigners were in detention in Baghdad and that he believed most of the suicide bombers behind attacks in Iraq were foreign nationals.
He said: "They are from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, north Africa, Egypt, Jordan and Syria... We are catching them. We are trying to stop them."
- AFP