Iraq’s former Baath Party elements, al-Qaeda, behind attacks in Karbala, MPs say:

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: A group of Legislatures, representing the Shiite holy city of Karbala, have charged what they termed as remnants of Iraq‘s former ruling Baath Party and al-Qaeda Organization with having been behind the explosions that took place in Karbala over the past few days, killing and wounding dozens of people, demanding the security bodies to arrest and try the elements behind the attacks. “The remnants of Baath and al-Qaeda elments, who carried out the Karbala attacks, have always been behind attacks against innocent people in crowded areas, in order to cause the largest number of victims,” Legislature, Ali Kurdy told IraqiNews.com news agency. He said both Baath remnants and al-Qaeda elements “have got used to kill Iraqis with cold blood, because they still dremand to return Iraq back to the time of dictatorship,” Kurdy said, calling on the security bodies to “boost their efforts to achieve enough protection for visitors to the (Shiite) shrines and to chase the criminal gangs, arrest them and present them for justice.” Karbala had witnessed two explosions on 20/1/2011, the first close to a checkpoint and the other near a checkpoint south of the city, killing at least 28 people and wounding 203 others, according to security sources in the province. On his part, Legislature Abdul-Mahdi al-Khafaji, also burdened “the Baathists and al-Qaeda elements with responsibility for the bloody explosions in Karbala, saying that “there are sleeping cells, implementing such acts through cooperation, coordination and training by al-Qaeda elements.” Karbala, 108 kms to the south of Baghdad, is witnessing hundreds of thousands of visitors from differerent Iraqi provinces, to commemorate the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein Bin-Ali, in the 61st year of the Muslim Hijri calender, reaching its climax next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Legislature Habib al-Turfy told IraqiNews.com that “such operations can’t be committed by anybody but Baath remnants and al-Qaeda, because they insist to commit such anti-human crimes,” asking: “Who dares to kill innocent Iraqis, who are serving their religious duties, but al-Qaeda that considers all sectarian principles as athiets and remnants of Baath Party, dreaming to restore power in Iraq, even by killing thousands of Iraqis?” Deputy Chairman of Karbala Province’s Council, Nuseif Jassem al-Khitaby, had stated to IraqiNews.com on Friday that the security forces have arrested a group of elements, belonging to Baath Party and al-Qaeda, quoting the detained persons as having confessed to be planning to carry out other “terrorist operations.” (I/T) / SKH 594