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Iraqi police linked to killing of Sunnis

Michael Howard

Maliki orders probe into Tal Afar massacre

Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered an urgent investigation into the behaviour of security forces in the north-western city of Tal Afar on Wednesday, after reports that a gang of Shia gunmen who killed scores of Sunni residents in revenge for two huge truck bombs in a Shia area had included a number of off-duty police officers.

Rampage by gunmen

Local officials said 60 persons were killed after the gunmen rampaged through the Sunni district of Al-Wihda, shooting at pedestrians and dragging people from their homes. Hospital officials put the toll at 45 and said many of the victims appeared to have been shot execution style, with bullet wounds in the back of the head.

Terrified residents said the shooting continued for two hours before troops from the Iraqi army's 3rd division intervened and imposed a curfew. Unconfirmed reports said the army had arrested scores of men, including at least 18 off-duty police officers. The other gunmen were said to be members of Muqtada al-Sadr's al Mahdi militia, known to be active in Tal Afar.

Major-General Khorshid Saleem of the Iraqi army said: ``Militias conducted these acts and, if it had not been for the army interference, the people killed in the carnage would be in the thousands.''

He said the incident had been sparked by a double suicide truck bombing in a Shia neighbourhood on Tuesday night. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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