Iraqi forces arrest Sunni MP, kill brother and guards

December 29, 2013

Iraqi security forces yesterday raided the home of a Sunni MP who backs anti-government protesters, arresting him and sparking clashes that killed his brother and five guards, police said.

The raid threatens to inflame widespread discontent among Iraq's Sunni Arab minority and could compound rampant violence plaguing the country.

Police said automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the clashes that erupted during the raid on MP Ahmed al-Alwani's home in Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

Alwani's brother and five guards were killed, while 18 people, including 10 members of the security forces, were wounded, police and a doctor at Ramadi hospital said.

The defence ministry said Alwani's brother Ali, who was wanted on terrorism charges, was the target of the early morning raid.

When security forces arrived, the two brothers and their guards opened fire, killing one security forces member and wounding five, a ministry statement said.

Iraqi ground forces commander Staff General Ali Ghaidan Majeed said Ali al-Alwani was wounded and died later in hospital, while two guards were also wounded and Ahmed was arrested.

A blurred image of Ahmed al-Alwani, his head down and face apparently bruised, was posted on the Iraqi special forces' Facebook page, with a caption indicating he had been arrested by counter-terrorism forces.

Hundreds of people armed with automatic weapons protested at Alwani's home after the raid, an AFP journalist said.

Read more here:
Iraqi forces arrest Sunni MP, kill brother and guards