IAF calls for detainees’ release

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Sunni Iraqi Accord Front (IAF) on Saturday urged the government to release those detained during the raids that have recently been conducted in some provinces, saying the arrests target a “particular political group.” “Security and military forces have recently stepped up their raids and arrests in particular areas,” the chairman of the IAF’s parliamentary bloc, Dhafir al-Aani, said during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Iraqi Parliament and attended by IraqiNews.com news agency. “These campaigns target a particular political group and have sectarian dimensions…,” Aani indicated. “Thirty persons, including a man aged more than 80, were arrested during a security campaign in al-Rashidiya and Abu Ghraib areas,” the spokesperson noted. Describing the arrest campaign as a “desperate attempt to restore sectarian congestion” before the upcoming elections in the country, Aani said that his front would do its best to release the detainees. SS (P)SR 1