Demonstrations in Thi Qar protest U.S. detentions

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: Dozens of citizens, belonging to al-Jubeir Tribes in southern Iraq’s city of Nassiriya have demonstrated in protest for the detention of three of their men by the U.S. troops, who carried out an air-landing in the city on Tuesday. “Dozens of our Tribesmen have demonstrated on Wednesday in front of Thi-Qar Province’s Council building in Nassiriya city, condemning the detention of three of our men, through air-landings,” the Aaal-Jubeir Sheikh, Abul-Heil Hussein told IraqiNews.com news agency. The Tribal Chieftain said the demonstrators have demanded meeting Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to ask for his position towards such detentions that were taking place without the knowledge of the Iraqi security forces in the Province. Sheikh Hussein described the detention operations as being “hostile and unjustified, because the said three detained persons belonged to the Iraqi Army, and their detention should have been carried out by their military units, instead of a U.S. air-landing that terrified children and women.” IraqiNews.com news agency’s correspondent in Thi-Qar reported that the demonstrators “have handed over their demands to the Chairman of the Municipal committee in the Province’s Council, Hussein al-Waely, who promised to raise them to the Central Government in Baghdad.” The American troops have detained three Iraqi Army elements in air-landings at Souq al-Shiyoukh area, 30 km to the east of Nassiriya and al-Tar area, 60 km east of Nassiriya. Nassirya, the center of Thi-Qar Province, is 60 km to the south of Baghdad. SKH (TI)/SR 828