Insurgent Group Says It Rejected U.S. Negotiations

AP

Iraq A man claiming to speak for a major Iraqi insurgent group said Sunday that the United States had tried unsuccessfully to establish contact with his group. Speaking on Al-Jazeera television, the purported spokesman for the 1920 Revolution Brigades said the U.S. bid to contact his group failed because "intermediaries" used by the Americans were deemed unworthy. "We don't believe the Americans are serious," added the spokesman, identified as Sheik Abdullah Suleiman al-Amri, who appeared in traditional Arab dress but with his face concealed...

continua / continued IRAQ: Rights group says gov't protecting death squad members

The Iraqi government must move quickly to prosecute all Ministry of Interior personnel responsible for "death squad" killings in Baghdad and elsewhere, the New-York based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday. "Evidence suggests that Iraqi security forces are involved in these horrific crimes, and thus far the government has not held them accountable," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of HRW’s Middle East division. "The Iraqi government must stop giving protection to security forces responsible for abduction, torture and murder."...

continua / continued