Iraqi Shias divided over amnesty to insurgents
2 GIs, 9 Iraqis killed in attacks, bombing
Afp, ap, Baghdad
Iraq's dominant Shia leaders appeared divided yesterday over Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's much-touted national reconciliation plan that aims to curb violence by offering amnesty to rebels. Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, the powerful head of parliament's largest bloc, told AFP he favoured extending an amnesty to insurgents who may have killed US troops -- an idea strongly opposed by Maliki. "Yes they should be covered regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations," Hakim said when asked if he would support extending the reconciliation and amnesty plan to those who may have attacked or killed US-led troops. On the ground, the US military reported that two of its servicemen had been killed in attacks, while nine Iraqis lost their lives in bomb and mortar attacks. In violence on the ground, nine Iraqis were killed in two separate attacks in the northern city of Mosul and in Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad. The US military also reported the death of two of its troops, bring the death toll since the 2003 invasion to 2,529, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures. Hakim's comments came a day after the Iraqi government issued a new list of 41 "most wanted" including exiled members of the family of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. His position contradicts the stance of Maliki, who said Wednesday there would be no amnesty for those who killed US troops, foreigners and journalists. Hakim, head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, told AFP however he would oppose any dialogue with "Saddamists and takfeeris," terms used to refer to Saddam loyalists and extremist Sunni Arab militants who regard the country's majority Shias as apostates. A wide debate is currently raging in Iraq as to who would be eligible for the amnesty especially as Maliki, also a Shia, has also said that those who have killed Iraqis were not eligible for pardon. A number of MPs have hit out at the reconciliation proposal unveiled by Maliki on June 25, saying it was ambiguous and did not provide enough incentive for rebels to give up arms. The reconciliation plan is aimed at ending the insurgency and sectarian violence that has killed thousands of Iraqis, as well as US and British troops, following the US-led invasion of March 2003 that toppled Saddam. Meanwhile, Maliki headed to United Arab Emirates on Monday after a two-day visit to Riyadh to gain support from Gulf Arab states for his peace plan. On Sunday he met with Saudi King Abdullah and businessmen in the oil-rich kingdom to encourage them to invest in his violence-torn country. He assured them that "the major security concerns are centred on Baghdad but there are plenty of other opportunities elsewhere," Iraqi state television quoted him as saying.
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