Iraq's 'silence killings'...

 

"Militants in Iraq are resorting increasingly to guns with silencers to attack security forces and government officials, as successes against insurgents have made it harder for them to carry out trademark bombings. Analysts say the new, more evasive method of targeting enemies has coincided with the political limbo that has gripped Iraq since an inconclusive March election, giving insurgents some space and time to explore new methods of attacks. Monitor of Constitutional Freedom and Bill of Rights, an Iraqi non-governmental organization (NGO), said 686 people had been killed with silenced weapons so far this year in Iraq, citing Iraqi police and military figures.....

Iraq is flooded with weapons and many ordinary Iraqis own small arms to protect themselves. But Askari said that muffled weapons were the hallmark of gunmen specifically bent on murder. "The intention of those who carry these kinds of weapons are different from those who carry normal weapons," he said. "Those who carry silenced weapons have intention to kill." Baghdad has had the highest number of silenced-weapon killings this year, 230, followed by the troubled northern province of Nineveh with 209,..."

Origin of these weapons?

"Aqeel al SAffar, Deputy Secretary of National Security, renewed his accusations that Saudi Arabia (and other unamed countries) are providing financial & logistical support to terrorists operating in Iraq. Al Saffar added that Iraqi authorities have ample evidence that the weapons equipped with silencers & C4 explosives are oroginating primarily from Saudi Arabia ..."