Iraqi authorities have captured a senior leader of a militant group linked to al-Qaida in Iraq who oversaw the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad and other attacks, the military said.
The announcement of the arrest — which took place in June — comes as Iraq's government looks to reassure voters it can keep the country safe before a parliamentary election in March. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has made improved security one of the centerpieces of his re-election bid.
Baghdad's top military spokesman announced the capture of Ali Hussein Alwan Hamid al-Azzawi in a televised news conference that included videotaped statements by a man who identified himself as the insurgent leader as well as lower-level accomplices.
I assume the time lage between arrest and announcement means questioning the man is no longer likely to result in further leads. Or it means the government would like to highlight a counter-terrorism success before the March national elections.
The latter may seem like a poor motive, but I like to think that it is a good sign that the government feels pressure by the public to protect them and knows that the voters could punish them by kicking them out of office in favor of someone else who will catch the bombers still around.
He eluded capture a very long time, indeed. The story of the Iraq War is still being written and uncovered.
