November 11, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 29, 1428

BAGHDAD, Nov 10: At least 18 people were killed in clashes between Al Qaeda fighters and former insurgents who turned against the terror network, Iraqi police and a former insurgent leader said on Saturday.

Most members of the Islamic Army, a major Sunni Arab insurgent group that includes former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party, joined US forces battling Al Qaeda in Iraq earlier this year, though some of the group’s leaders deny any contact with American troops.

A top Islamic Army leader, known as Abu Ibrahim, told The Associated Press that his fighters ambushed Al Qaeda members near Samarra on Friday, killing 18 people and seizing 16 prisoners.

An Iraqi police officer in the area corroborated Abu Ibrahim’s account, and said the hostages would not be transferred to Iraqi police. Instead, he said he believed the Islamic Army would offer a prisoner swap for some of its members held by Al Qaeda. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because of the situation’s sensitivity.

Many Sunni tribesmen and former insurgents – some of whom once attacked US and Iraqi forces themselves – have turned against Al Qaeda, repelled by the terror group’s sheer brutality and austere religious extremism. The uprising originated in Iraq’s western Anbar province, and has spread to the capital and beyond.

So-called “Awakening councils” have sprouted up in communities across Iraq, where members swear allegiance to Iraq’s US-backed government and disavow militants. US officials say the movement, along with a 30,000-strong American troop build-up, has been key in tamping violence in recent months.

At the Abu Hanifa mosque, Baghdad’s most revered Sunni shrine, voices blasted from loudspeakers Saturday urging residents to turn against Al Qaeda as well: “We are your sons, the sons of the awakening, and we want to end the operations of Al Qaeda...We call upon you not to be frightened, and to cooperate with us.”

Friday’s clashes raged for nearly four hours about 15 kilometres southeast of Samarra, Abu Ibrahim said. Police said they knew about the battle, but were unable to reach the site because it was too violent. It is an area known to have a heavy Al Qaeda in Iraq presence.

“We found out that Al Qaeda intended to attack us, so we ambushed them at 3pm on Friday,” Abu Ibrahim said. “We have killed 18 people, including some Arab foreigners, and we have detained 16 others. We also seized weapons and eight vehicles,” he said.

Abu Ibrahim would not say how many, if any, Islamic Army members were killed.

The insurgent commander contacted Iraqi police in Samarra and told them his plans to attack Al Qaeda, according to the officer and Abu Ibrahim himself.—AP