THE TENSION: Coalition Condemns Suicide Attacks; Detain Seven in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (AFPS) -- Coalition forces condemned today’s nearly simultaneous suicide attacks in two Baghdad markets that left dozens dead or injured in the Iraqi capital.

“We share the outrage of the Iraqi people, and we condemn the brutal enemy responsible for these attacks,” Multinational Force Iraq officials said in a news release. “This indiscriminate violence, targeting families enjoying themselves on the holy day, again shows the nature of this barbaric enemy.”

Multinational Division Baghdad forces are working closely with authorities to ensure they have sufficient medical supplies and humanitarian assistance for the victims and their families.

“We stand ready to provide additional support and will work closely with Iraqi authorities to find the perpetrators of this attack and help bring them to justice,” military officials said.

In other operations today, coalition forces detained seven suspected terrorists during operations to disrupt al Qaeda networks in Mosul.

During a series of operations in the western part of the city, forces captured three wanted individuals allegedly associated with the former senior leader of the al Qaeda network in the city. The three suspects are reportedly brothers, one of whom allegedly works directly for the former terrorist leader. Also, intelligence reports indicate the brothers have ties to other al Qaeda leadership in the region.

On the other side of the city, coalition forces conducted an operation targeting an alleged judge of an illegal terrorist court system. An individual believed to be the previous terrorist judge involved in the interrogation of al Qaeda kidnapping victims was detained during an operation Jan. 17. Four suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.

“These operations represent further progress in the campaign to disrupt al Qaeda in northern Iraq,” said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “As terrorists shift their operations to new locations, Iraqi and coalition forces will follow, aggressively attacking their networks, and capturing or killing their members.”