Iraqi al-Qaida man kills own father

Son murders father for working as translator for US forces.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
311_iraq violence victim (photo credit: Associated Press)
311_iraq violence victim
(photo credit: Associated Press)
BAGHDAD — A man linked with the Al-Qaida insurgency in Iraq shot and killed his own father while he slept in his bed Friday for his refusal to quit his work as an interpreter for the US military, police said. The deadly attack was unusual in that it targeted an immediate family member for murder because of collaborating with the enemy.
Hameed al-Daraji, 50, worked as a contractor and translator for the US military for seven years since shortly after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
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He was shot in the chest about 3 a.m. while sleeping in his house in Samarra, a former insurgent stronghold 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, police Lt. Emad Muhsin said.
Authorities arrested the son and his cousin, saying the young men apparently were trying to prove their loyalty after rejoining the insurgency. Police were also looking for another son who allegedly took part in the attack.
Citing confessions, police said the son whom they arrested, Abdul-Halim Hameed, 30, was a former member of al-Qaida in Iraq who quit the terror network in mid-2007 under pressure from U.S.-Iraqi security operations that have led to a sharp drop in violence in the area.
With US troops withdrawing from the country, Ansar al-Sunnah, an insurgent group with ties to al-Qaida, recently lured the men into their ranks with offers of hard cash, Ali said.
The Samarra assault brought into focus the fears of Iraqis who have worked with the Americans and are worried they'll face renewed violence as their employers prepare to leave the country by the end of next year.