Bush's Baghdad security plan is in full swing and death and violence loom as large as ever in the lives of Iraqis, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti Even after thousands of US and Iraqi forces were deployed to curb violence in Baghdad, the carnage continues. On Monday, two car bombs exploded in Al-Shorja Market in central Baghdad, killing 60 civilians and wounding many others. An average of 30 bodies are found in Baghdad and other areas every single day. Over 1,500 lost their lives in December in Baghdad alone, many to sectarian violence. The new security plan for Baghdad aims, among other things, to eradicate much-feared death squads. The arrest of Hakem Al-Zamli, deputy minister of health and a close associate of Moqtada Al-Sadr, is a sign that the government is determined to curb the activities of death squads, said commentator Raad Al-Hadithi. General George Casey, former commander of the multinational forces, said that the arrest of Al-Zamli had been conducted with the consent of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. According to US reports, Al-Zamli may have been involved in the abduction and killing of Ali Al-Mahdawi, director-general of the health department in Diyali. Al-Zamli is also suspected of hiring many of the militiamen of Al-Mahdi Army. The Sunnis have regained control of Halima Al-Saadiya Mosque in Al-Sadr City, which had been seized by Al-Mahdi army a year ago. "This too is an indication that Al-Maliki's government has given in to US pressure and is no longer protecting Al-Sadr supporters," said Al-Hadithi. Al-Zamli is the second senior official from Al-Sadr's group to be arrested this month. Two weeks ago, Abdul-Hadi Al-Diraji, the man in charge of Al-Sadr's media office in Baghdad, was detained. According to US and Iraqi official reports, police have compiled a list naming 61 leaders of death squads it is currently trying to apprehend. One of the wanted men is Walid Al-Zamli, a close associate of Moqtada Al-Sadr. The arrest of the deputy minister of health is perhaps prelude to the arrest of other senior Iraqi officials believed to be responsible for sectarian killings and abductions. So far, Al-Sadr's group is downplaying the development. Nasser Al-Rabiyi, head of Al-Sadr's parliamentarian bloc, said that Al-Sadr group had no intention of obstructing Baghdad's security plan. The new US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is said to have a list containing the names of Iraqi officials suspected of collaborating with Iran in attacks against US forces. Speaking at the handover ceremony held Saturday in one of President Saddam Hussein's former palaces, Petraeus said the Americans and Iraqis were fully cooperating in the new security plan, warning that failure would mean civil war. The US is convinced that Iran has a hand in the escalating violence. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Madrid that the US has evidence that Iran has been sending weapons to Iraqi militia. Iranian serial numbers and insignia were found on confiscated weapons, he added. According to US sources, Jamal Jaafar, a deputy from the Alliance List -- one of the largest Shia blocs in parliament -- was involved in the attack on US and French embassies in Kuwait in 1983. Kuwait said at the time that the attack was organised by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Sources say that Jaafar has attended only two sessions of parliament since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, in the past three weeks alone, seven US helicopters were shot down in Iraq. A military expert speaking on condition on anonymity said the Apache helicopters fly at low altitude, which makes them easy targets for shoulder-held missiles. But Chinooks, one of which was recently downed, fly at higher altitudes and have sophisticated electronic devices to protect them against incoming missiles. The fact that a Chinook was downed by the Iraqi resistance suggests that the resistance is using a new generation of anti-aircraft missiles, perhaps from a depot dating to Saddam's time. The US army said it killed 13 gunmen in Al-Zeidan, a village near Abu Gharib, last week. The Associated Press questioned the official story, however, saying that hospital photos showed children among the victims. Indeed, hospital officials and local police had a different story to tell. They said an aerial strike against Al-Zeidan totally destroyed four homes, killing up to 45 civilians, including women and children. This is surely not the only air strike to go terribly wrong. Another US raid killed nine Kurdish peshmergas -- pro-US militia -- and wounded 12 in Mosul. Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has requested an immediate investigation into the case. In another development, the website of the Thawrat Al-Ishrin Brigades issued a statement offering to negotiate with the Americans if the latter were to set a date for withdrawal.
