05-01-2006, 12:25 PM
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he has been meeting with seven armed insurgent groups in hopes of reaching a deal to include them in Iraq's political process.
None of these groups include people loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a statement issued Sunday from Talabani's office.
"These groups who are holding talks with the president are those who believe in a prosperous Iraq. Their will to fight America has waned," said a spokesman in the president's office.
A source close to Talabani said the meetings have been under way for some time.
The groups are realizing that Americans are not their true enemy, the source said, and that they have been "fighting the wrong enemy."
"[These groups] are coming to the realization that one day the Americans will leave -- and that the most important thing is an Iraq that is free from Iranian influence," the source added.
The presidential statement said Talabani also has supported recent talks between U.S. officials in Iraq and armed groups.
Talabani said al-Zarqawi "has "announced genocide against the Iraqi people," according to the statement.
Blast wounds 8 police
Eight police commandos were wounded Monday in Samarra when their patrol passed by a roadside blast, Iraqi police said. Samarra is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
In Baghdad, four roadside bombs exploded in as many neighborhoods Monday, but injuries were limited to one, the city's police said. An Iraqi civilian was wounded when a roadside bomb detonated in the upscale Mansour area, police said.
Earlier Monday, an Iraqi was killed when a car bomb exploded in Iskandariyah, a town about 24 miles (40 kilometers) south of Baghdad, police in Hilla said.
Other developments
Three years after President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, Americans have strong doubts that the United States will fulfill the promise of his "Mission Accomplished" backdrop, a poll released Monday found. The CNN poll, conducted April 21-23 by Opinion Research Corp., found 44 percent said the United States would never accomplish its goals in Iraq, while 9 percent thought the U.S. mission in Iraq had been reached. Forty percent believed the mission would be complete someday. (Full story)
A rocket-propelled grenade, fired by insurgents, killed two Iraqi children Sunday in Ramadi, west of the capital, the U.S. military said. No other details were immediately available.
Three private security contractors were killed and two others wounded Sunday when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in a convoy south of Baghdad, the British Foreign Office said. The nationalities of those killed and wounded were not immediately known.
A bomb inside a minibus killed two civilians and wounded six others Sunday in Baghdad's Sadr City area, police said.
An Iraqi police officer was killed and three others wounded Sunday when they were lured into an explosive trap in Musayyib, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraqi police said. The officers were sent to investigate a report that a body was inside a parked car. The vehicle contained a bomb that exploded as officers approached, police said.
Two bodies were found Sunday in Baghdad's Amil neighborhood, an Iraqi police official said. The victims had been shot in the head, and they appeared to have been tortured, the official said. The bodies could not be immediately identified.
None of these groups include people loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a statement issued Sunday from Talabani's office.
"These groups who are holding talks with the president are those who believe in a prosperous Iraq. Their will to fight America has waned," said a spokesman in the president's office.
A source close to Talabani said the meetings have been under way for some time.
The groups are realizing that Americans are not their true enemy, the source said, and that they have been "fighting the wrong enemy."
"[These groups] are coming to the realization that one day the Americans will leave -- and that the most important thing is an Iraq that is free from Iranian influence," the source added.
The presidential statement said Talabani also has supported recent talks between U.S. officials in Iraq and armed groups.
Talabani said al-Zarqawi "has "announced genocide against the Iraqi people," according to the statement.
Blast wounds 8 police
Eight police commandos were wounded Monday in Samarra when their patrol passed by a roadside blast, Iraqi police said. Samarra is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
In Baghdad, four roadside bombs exploded in as many neighborhoods Monday, but injuries were limited to one, the city's police said. An Iraqi civilian was wounded when a roadside bomb detonated in the upscale Mansour area, police said.
Earlier Monday, an Iraqi was killed when a car bomb exploded in Iskandariyah, a town about 24 miles (40 kilometers) south of Baghdad, police in Hilla said.
Other developments
Three years after President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, Americans have strong doubts that the United States will fulfill the promise of his "Mission Accomplished" backdrop, a poll released Monday found. The CNN poll, conducted April 21-23 by Opinion Research Corp., found 44 percent said the United States would never accomplish its goals in Iraq, while 9 percent thought the U.S. mission in Iraq had been reached. Forty percent believed the mission would be complete someday. (Full story)
A rocket-propelled grenade, fired by insurgents, killed two Iraqi children Sunday in Ramadi, west of the capital, the U.S. military said. No other details were immediately available.
Three private security contractors were killed and two others wounded Sunday when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in a convoy south of Baghdad, the British Foreign Office said. The nationalities of those killed and wounded were not immediately known.
A bomb inside a minibus killed two civilians and wounded six others Sunday in Baghdad's Sadr City area, police said.
An Iraqi police officer was killed and three others wounded Sunday when they were lured into an explosive trap in Musayyib, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraqi police said. The officers were sent to investigate a report that a body was inside a parked car. The vehicle contained a bomb that exploded as officers approached, police said.
Two bodies were found Sunday in Baghdad's Amil neighborhood, an Iraqi police official said. The victims had been shot in the head, and they appeared to have been tortured, the official said. The bodies could not be immediately identified.
"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass." - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.
-Thomas Jefferson
Spread my work ethic not my wealth.
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.
-Thomas Jefferson
Spread my work ethic not my wealth.