Officials Announce Capture of Doctor Who Aided al Qaeda

[darrels joy]

Officials Announce Capture of Doctor Who Aided al Qaeda
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, July 3, 2005 ? An Iraqi doctor who helped plan and carry out terrorist attacks and cared for al Qaeda members wounded in fighting has been captured, military officials in Baghdad announced today.

Safa Ali Chiad Mashul, also known as Dr. Mushin or Abu Sayf, was arrested June 21 during a raid in the Baghdad area, officials said.

He worked for the recently captured Abu Aqil and helped plan, coordinate and conduct terrorist attacks and operations, including kidnappings in Baghdad, the military said. The doctor, who speaks fluent English, also treated kidnapped hostages and acted as an interrogator.

The military said Mashul also is responsible for receiving and disbursing ransom funds collected from the kidnappings.

In other news, an Iraqi citizen's tip helped Task Force Baghdad soldiers find and disarm a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad on July 2. The civilian told soldiers that a five-gallon gas can was lying in the median of a major highway. There, soldiers found a 122-millimeter mortar round wired to a radio. The bomb was safely destroyed.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers detained five terror suspects during operations over the weekend. Two of the detainees are believed to be part of an attack on coalition forces in the southwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Jihad. The military said one of the detainees was seen running from a vehicle into a nearby house. The soldiers cordoned off the house and detained the suspect. Inside the vehicle, soldiers found a sniper rifle, pistols, a video camera and cell phones.

The military is investigating a fire that destroyed a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Camp Ramadi July 2. All crew and passengers exited the aircraft safely, officials said. One crewman suffered minor injuries and was treated. The aircraft was assigned to Multinational Force Iraq and was used for resupply operations.

Baghdad Water Supply Authority crews have made temporary repairs to a damaged Karkh Water Treatment Plant north of Baghdad, and residents there should expect to have limited supplies of water flowing again today, officials said. The water flow to area residents was shut down after an explosion and fire at the facility July 1 damaged the plant's electrical distribution building and destroyed the electrical control mechanisms.

(Compiled for Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)