Al-Zarqawi loyalists claim suicide attacks ‘spoiled Iraqi elections party’

MILITANTS loyal to Islamic extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who vowed an all-out war against Iraq’s election, claimed more than a dozen suicide attacks against voting stations on polling day.

“We have spoiled their party. We have struck them with grievous attacks,” said a statement posted on the internet, whose authenticity could not be independently confirmed.

“Before this statement was published, 13 lions from the martyrs brigade of the al-Qaida Group of Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers attacked centres of the infidel in various regions of Iraq.

“Other brigades of the organisation launched at least 50 rockets into the interior of the Green Zone (which houses the US embassy and Iraqi government) and against polling stations,” it said

An earlier internet statement claimed that the same group had attacked “more than one polling centre... killing policemen, members of the national guard and Americans, the enemies of God”.

At least 36 people were killed and 96 others wounded in attacks, many of them strikes against polling stations, in addition to a US military serviceman.

In the run-up to the vote, two audiotapes attributed to Zarqawi were released in which a voice declared “all-out war” on the election, which was described as a “wicked trap” aimed at installing the majority Shi’ites in power in Iraq.

The tapes were the first such broadcasts linked to the shadowy terror chief, who, unlike al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden, has never appeared in a video message. The only images of him are old grainy identity-style photographs.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born fugitive with a $25 million price on his head, had threatened to attack anyone involved in yesterday’s polls.

Through his group, which last year changed its name from Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), he has brought the horror of slow, grisly, video-taped beheadings to Iraq.

Aside from the frequent threats against voters, supporters of the one-legged Zarqawi posted a video on the Internet of their murder of a candidate in Iraq’s elections from the party of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

Another threat made by the group of Iraq’s most wanted man was that “trained snipers” would try and kill any Iraqis attempting to vote.

But the US military and Iraqi leaders said that few suicide bombers had managed to reach the interior of polling stations, while a ban on driving during election day robbed insurgents of one of their favourite tactics - car bombs.

Despite the dozens of people killed and wounded, officials were able to claim that election day had passed relatively smoothly due to an absence of spectacular attacks and a better-than-expected turnout.

Iraqi officials have said the recent arrests of three top lieutenants of Zarqawi put Iraqi security forces closer to capturing the Jordanian militant and eradicating his Al-Qaida-affiliated group.