Sunnis demand ‘sister’s’ release

THE largest Sunni Arab bloc in Iraq’s parliament said yesterday it was suspending its participation in the legislature until a kidnapped colleague was released, dealing a blow to efforts to involve the disaffected minority in the political process.

Iraq also released a most-wanted list that included Saddam Hussein’s wife and eldest daughter, one of his closest allies and the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. The government offered rewards of up to $10 million (€7.8m) for many on the list.

Adnan al-Dulaimi, head of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, called on other lawmakers to join the boycott, saying security officials bore responsibility for Saturday’s abduction of legislator Tayseer al-Mashhadani and seven bodyguards.

“We in the Iraqi Accordance Front have decided to suspend our participation in parliament meetings until our sister is released,” Mr al-Dulaimi said.

The Iraqi Accordance Front holds 44 seats in the 275-member assembly and is part of the national unity government.

Ms al-Mashhadani was seized after her convoy was stopped by gunmen at a checkpoint in a Shi’ite area of eastern Baghdad, just a few miles from where a huge car bomb struck an outdoor market, killing at least 66 people and wounding about 100.

That was the deadliest attack since the national unity government took office six weeks ago, and it was one of the biggest this year.

At least 11 female parliament members from different blocs also held a news conference to denounce the kidnapping and demand the government take action.

“We call on the government and the security agencies to take responsibility and work to release Tayseer today rather than tomorrow otherwise we will have another stance in front of the media,” Safiyah al-Suhail said.

Moderate Shiite legislator Iyad Jamal al-Din escaped an assassination attempt after a roadside bomb missed his convoy, but wounded three people in Baghdad’s Karradah neighborhood.

The most-wanted list issued yesterday included 41 names. The largest reward was $10 million for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a former top official in the Saddam regime who has eluded capture since the US-led invasion. Al-Douri was believed to have played a major role in launching the insurgency.

“We are releasing this list so that our people can know their enemies,” National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said, adding that countries hosting the fugitives and Interpol had been informed.

The government also offered a $50,000 reward for Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who replaced al-Zarqawi as leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. The announcement came just two days after the US administration approved up to $5m (€3.9m) in exchange for al-Masri, whose real name is Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.

The ousted president’s wife, Sajida Khairallah Tulfah, who is believed to be in Qatar, and his eldest daughter, Raghad, who has been living in Jordan, also were named, but no reward was offered for their capture.

The national security adviser also said authorities were closing in on the Egyptian-born al-Masri.

“We were able to infiltrate his network,” he said.