Iraqi forces deployed in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad under a truce deal have seized a large haul of weapons and bombs in search operations, the US military said yesterday.
Two caches containing 360 assault rifles, 12 sniper rifles, anti-tank mines, flak vests, 100 rocket-propelled grenades and multiple grenade launchers were seized from a mosque and from nearby the building, the military said.
Most of the guns were found in the mosque, it said in a statement.
“Iraqi Army soldiers discovered the third weapons cache in a local hospital in Sadr City,” the statement said. “To date, Operation Peace in Sadr City has seized 38 caches.”
Iraqi troops deployed in the area last week and fanned deep inside the 27km² rectangular-shaped Shiite bastion on the northeast edge of Baghdad without meeting resistance from militants.
The Mehdi Army movement of anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had fought running street battles with US troops for seven weeks since the end of March before the truce halted the violence and cleared the way for the Iraqi army deployment.
Elsewhere in Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, weekend searches saw the army detain more than 400 people for questioning.
Sadrists have accused the Iraqi army of violating the truce agreement, but said the Shiite militia will honor the deal, which halted fighting that killed hundreds of people and wounded many more.
The Iraqi deployment dubbed “Operation Peace” took place with the approval of the Sadrists in areas previously regarded as Mehdi Army territory.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was