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16 April 2003

U.S. Forces Capture Terrorist Abu Abbas in Baghdad

(Central Command Report, April 16: Iraq Operational Update) (460)
By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- U.S. Army Special Forces troops, supported by elements
of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, captured Palestinian terrorist
Muhammad Abbas, who is also known as Abu Abbas, the secretary general
of the terrorist group Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), a U.S.
Central Command spokesman says.
At a CENTCOM briefing April 16, Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks
said Abbas, captured in southern Baghdad April 14, was the key planner
in the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in October
1985. American Leon Klinghoffer was murdered in the hijacking, Brooks
said. An Italian court later tried Abbas in absentia and sentenced him
to life in prison.
"Abu Abbas is a terrorist," Brooks said. "He was a terrorist. He
remains a terrorist. And he will be viewed as such. Notwithstanding
any declarations that have been made in recent years, his role in
terrorism, his links to terrorist organizations, are abundantly
clear."
Brooks said another aspect of the Abbas capture is that he was found
in Baghdad, supporting the U.S. position that the former regime of
Saddam Hussein harbored terrorists.
A CENTCOM announcement about the capture stated that "as the secretary
of defense said when he outlined the military objectives of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, one of our key objectives is to search for, capture and
drive out terrorists who have found safe haven in Iraq. This mission
success highlights the U.S. and our coalition partners' commitment to
defeating terrorism worldwide. The capture of Abu Abbas in Iraq
removes a portion of the terror network supported by Iraq and
represents yet another victory in the global war on terrorism."
Brooks also advised that elements of the 3rd Infantry Division April
15 accepted the surrender of the Iraqi 12th Armored Brigade that was
stationed in Ramadi and had been defending the main road that leads
from Jordan into Iraq.
"This capitulation reflected compliance with the coalition
instructions of moving into some sort of formation that would indicate
a clear signal that capitulation was the desire of the command," he
said. "This had been facilitated already by special operations forces
that had been in contact with the commander of the formation."
Brooks also said there was a brief firefight in Mosul on April 15 when
demonstrators fired upon coalition forces. The coalition troops were
trying to secure a building to serve as a regional coordination center
when the demonstration began, he said, adding that shots were fired
and eventually the coalition troops were fired upon. Coalition forces
responded, killing an estimated seven Iraqis and wounding an
unspecified number of people, Brooks said, noting the incident is
under further investigation.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)