Tight security in Talafar following al-Qaeda threats

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Tight security measures have been put in place in Ninewa in light of al-Qaeda threats of terrorist attacks, a local police chief said on Sunday. “The security apparatus in Talafar (60 km northwest of Mosul City) has received intelligence tips that al-Qaeda is attempting to assassinate a number of government and tribal figures in the district,” Col. Ali Hadi Obeid told IraqiNews.com news agency. Security has been stepped up around government buildings and houses of local officials, the colonel explained. On Saturday (Jan. 16), a security source revealed alleged plans by al-Qaeda-in-Iraq (AQI) to step up their activities in the coming period. According to the source, several prominent figures- including the director of the Sunni Waqf (Endowment) in Talafar, the head of the Talafar Support Council, his spokesperson, the head of the Talafar council, and the mayor, are on the assassination list of al-Qaeda. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. SS (P) 1