Iraq again rocked with bombings; Zardari, Karzai invited to Washington

Bombings strike Iraq for second day

Iraq descended into chaos Friday as bombings again rocked the capital Baghdad and claims that a top al-Qaida leader was captured remained uncorroborated.

Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta told al-Arabiya television that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, was captured earlier in the week by Iraqi forces.

Those reports remained unsubstantiated Friday as U.S. military officials came forward with denials of the Iraqi accounts.

"We have no operational reporting on this incident," U.S. Army 1st. Lt. John Brimley told The Long War Journal.

Claims of the capture of Baghdadi are nothing new, however. Various reports of his arrest have surfaced since 2007, and U.S. military officials raised questions over his actual existence, saying he may be a fictitious character.

Meanwhile, the Voices of Iraq news agency reports at least 60 people were killed and 100 others wounded in a dual suicide bombing targeting Iranian pilgrims at the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of the Twelve Imams.

The attacks come a day after bombers attacked Iranian pilgrims in Diyala province amid a growing anti-Iranian sentiment in the region.

In other developments, rumors circulated Friday that Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie left his post as Baghdad eliminates the position.

KRG delegation briefs Washington officials

A high-ranking delegation of politicians from the Kurdish government in Iraq met with top U.S. officials to discuss regional disputes with Baghdad.

Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff to Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, led the delegation to Washington on the heels of a surprise visit to Baghdad by U.S. President Barack Obama, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq said in a statement.

"We are grateful to our friends in the Obama administration for their determination to keep our friendship alive and strong, as well as for their continued dialogue with us on how we can work together to build a federal and democratic Iraq that abides by, and respects its democratically ratified constitution," Hussein said.

Discussions focused on ways to resolve political tensions between the KRG and the central government in Baghdad over the so-called disputed territories.

Disputes linger over the administrative details in several northern provinces in Iraq and parts of Diyala province. Constitutional considerations also deal with Kirkuk, which sits on some of Iraq's largest oil reserves.

The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq submitted a report Wednesday to Baghdad on the administrative details, suggesting Kirkuk continue as a unified province. Lawmakers in Iraq, however, have raised concerns over the U.N. report.

KRG officials also briefed Washington on the upcoming provincial elections in the Kurdish provinces, scheduled for May.

KRG commits to rule of law

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq is a supporter of human rights and pledges its commitment to the rule of law, officials told Amnesty International.

Amnesty last week issued a scathing report on the Asayish security force in the Kurdish region of Iraq, saying the force operates with impunity and continually abuses its authority.

KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told officials with Amnesty in Erbil that his government had reviewed the report and was moving on new legislation to enact stronger accountability over the Asayish.

Amnesty said Friday, however, it was unclear when that legislation would go into force.

Meanwhile, Barzani pledged to take efforts to curb the prevalence of so-called honor crimes against women, saying women's rights deserved the highest attention.

"We emphasized the need to ensure that women's human rights defenders are fully involved in all stages of developing and implementing policies to end violence, discrimination and to increase life opportunities for women and girls," he said.

During a visit to Washington, meanwhile, Kurdish officials said the May provincial elections in the Kurdish provinces of Iraq would bring a record number of female lawmakers to power.

Karzai, Zardari invited to Washington

U.S. President Barack Obama invited his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts to Washington to take part in a trilateral meeting on regional security issues.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are expected in Washington May 6-7 to discuss regional security as Washington pushes forward with its latest strategy to turn the tide in the volatile Central Asian region, the Daily Times of Pakistan reports.

Obama coupled non-military aid to Pakistan with the broader effort to control the declining security situation in the region.

Washington, however, has raised concerns that a decision by Zardari to enforce Islamic law in parts of Pakistan as part of a cease-fire arrangement with the Taliban would have a destabilizing effect.

Meanwhile, U.S. military forces are preparing to transfer from Iraq to Afghanistan as part of an international effort to strengthen the fight against al-Qaida and other insurgents operating in Afghanistan.

Several NATO allies have come forward with pledges of support for that mission, though most have stated their commitment was intended to provide security during the run-up to the August presidential contest in Afghanistan.

Military analysts have stated the number of U.S. troops slated for Afghanistan -- 60,000 U.S. and NATO troops to supplement the 140,000-strong Afghan army -- is insufficient as the spring fighting season in the region begins.

Gates addresses Afghan mission

Success in Afghanistan will look very much like the military progress in Iraq, though setting a timeline for the Afghan mission is premature, officials said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on the military and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, noting those efforts were still in the early stages.

Washington unveiled its latest strategy for Afghanistan recently, drawing on the counterinsurgency methods employed in Iraq.

When asked how success in Afghanistan will be defined, Gates referenced the Iraqi model as providing many of the benchmarks for victory.

"That will be the Afghan national security forces increasingly taking responsibility for the security of their own people," he said.

Part of the Washington strategy calls for a civilian surge to complement the increased troop strength in Afghanistan. Gates said part of the new face of counterinsurgency operations called for a humanitarian component to military efforts, though he recognized U.S. troops had a complicated mission as plans unfold.

"I am concerned that we will not get the civilian surge into Afghanistan as quickly as we are getting troops into Afghanistan," he said, adding that reserve components may fill that gap.

Asked if military strategists felt it was premature to forecast any time horizon for success in Afghanistan, Gates responded, "Absolutely."

U.S. military rises to Afghan challenge

Geographical complications and a general lack of infrastructure are indicative of the challenges for the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, officials said.

U.S. military officials at a command post in the eastern province of Paktia speak of a "geographically challenging" mission where roads and access points are presenting logistical obstacles.

The lack of infrastructure along much of the Afghan border with Pakistan not only complicates military efforts but also leaves many of the residents without access to medical care or food supplies.

Meanwhile, Taliban insurgents operating in the area are intimidating reconstruction workers in an attempt to gain influence in the region.

"They will not be successful," promised Army Brig. Gen. Mark Milley.

U.S. military officials estimate there are as many as 11,000 insurgents operating in the area, but Milley said the Afghan people are growing frustrated with the rampant lawlessness in the region, the American Forces Press Service reports.

"They have no vision for the future, and the Afghan people understand this," he said.

Washington has incorporated reconciliation into its counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan, much as it had done in Iraq. Milley said this strategy, despite the complications of operating in a region such as Afghanistan, leaves insurgents with very few options.

"They can fight and die, they can surrender, they can throw their weapons away and run or they can reconcile," he said.

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(dgraeber@upi.com)