The Washington Post, Baghdad, 20 Jan 2012 – Iraqi special forces units raided the homes of two Sunni politicians north of Baghdad on Friday, according to security officials, heightening fears among Sunni leaders that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is targeting them along sectarian lines.
The raids, which followed the arrest two days earlier of a Sunni official in Baghdad, were carried out against the backdrop of a larger investigation of the country’s Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi. All the cases involve allegations of terrorism, officials said.