Sunnis Threatened by Arrest Warrant

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Source: Associated Press

An arrest warrant against a Sunni Cabinet minister is another step by the Shiite-led government to marginalize the country's Sunni minority, the official's political organization said Wednesday.

The comments were made one day after Iraqi commandos raided the Baghdad home of Culture Minister Asad Kamal al-Hashimi and detained about 40 of his guards. The minister was not at home at the time, but officials said a warrant had been issued for his arrest in a 2005 assassination attempt on another politician.

Those moves have angered Sunni groups and politicians, who warn they could jeopardize U.S.-backed reconciliation efforts. The United States has been pushing for a greater role for Sunnis, who dominated Iraq's politics for decades until the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

Also Wednesday, roadside bombs killed five policemen north of Baghdad and another five civilians in the capital, police said. Drive-by shootings killed one man and injured six others in Baghdad, and at least three rockets or mortars targeted the heavily guarded Green Zone there.

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