Sheik's detention sparks protests; bomb kills two

The raid came amid attempts to draw the Muslim sect into government.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- American troops detained a top Sunni religious leader for a few hours after a raid seeking terror suspects Saturday, while a bomb killed two U.S. soldiers patrolling south of Baghdad during a mammoth military operation trying to secure the capital region.
The slayings, along with the announcement of the deaths of two U.S. soldiers Friday, raised the week's toll to 16 Americans killed and underscored the dangers of the security campaign in Baghdad.
About arrest
The arrest of Sheik Jamal al-Din Abdul Karim al-Dabban drew sharp protests from Sunni Arabs and was an embarrassment for Iraq's Shiite prime minister on the eve of his presentation of a reconciliation plan aimed at drawing the disaffected Sunni minority into the political process.
The influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars said al-Dabban was arrested with three of his sons at 5 a.m. in Tikrit, hometown of former leader Saddam Hussein. The cleric was released about seven hours later after protests, Tikrit Gov. Hamad Humoud al-Qaisi said.
The U.S. military said it detained five people during a raid in the Tikrit area, 80 miles north of Baghdad, and later realized one was a senior religious leader, who was released.
"The security forces did not know it was a senior sheik's house when they conducted the assault," the statement said.
The military said the raid was based on intelligence that arose from the June 7 killing of al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It said one of the suspects "was directly associated with several senior-level al-Qaida members and reportedly plays an important role in the network between Baqouba and Tikrit."
Rallying effort
Hundreds of people responded to calls broadcast over mosque loudspeakers to gather in front of the Tikrit governor's office to protest the detention, said Sheik Yahya Ibrahim al-Atwani, deputy head of the local chapter of the scholars' association.
The Iraqi Islamic party, the largest Sunni political group, condemned the arrest and warned it could provoke the Sunni-dominated insurgency. "The sheik represents an Islamic and national symbol, and these violations could cause the security situation to deteriorate," it said.
Since losing the dominance they enjoyed before the ouster of Saddam Hussein, Sunni Arabs have been the driving force behind the insurgency, and Iraqi and American leaders are trying to draw them into politics in hopes of weakening support for the uprising.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is to present a 28-point national reconciliation plan to parliament today setting out steps for preparing Iraqi forces to take control of Iraq's security and outlining an amnesty program for insurgents not involved in major bloodshed, a key politician said.