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Shiite militia leader, al-Qaeda leader captured in Iraq
dpa German Press Agency
Published:
Friday January 19, 2007
Baghdad- A prominent follower of the Shiite leader Moqtada
al-Sadr was detained Friday in a joint operation between the US-led
collation forces and the Iraqi Army.
The US Army did not name him but said he was linked to the Mahdi
Army commander who goes under the name of Abu Dura.
Pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV news channel quoted Abdul-Mahdi al-Martini,
a senior official in al-Sadr's office, as saying the man detained was
Abdul-Hadi al-Daraji, the movement's media spokesman.
The Mahdi Army is a feared militia loyal to the powerful cleric
al-Sadr, who controls a political bloc in the Iraqi parliament on
which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is dependent.
He is suspected of being the leader of a punishment squad,
involved in the organized kidnapping, torture and murder of Iraqi
civilians.
The suspect is also reportedly involved in the assassination of
numerous Iraqi security force and government officials.
Two additional suspects were detained by Iraqi forces for further
questioning.
There has been increasing US pressure on al-Maliki's government to
crack down on Shiite militias.
In a separate incident, Iraqi police captured a Sunni extremist,
said to be the leader of several al-Qaeda terrorist cells, during
joint operations with coalition advisers, the US military announced
Friday.
The suspect was detained Thursday in Samarra, 125 kilometres north
of Baghdad, on suspicion of directing several bombings and small-arms
attacks against Iraqi security and coalition forces.
The insurgent and his followers are reportedly involved in the
continuing indiscriminate violence against civilians, and resulting
economic and security instability, in the area, the statement added.
Iraqi forces also detained an additional suspect for questioning
and confiscated numerous assault rifles, ammunition and explosive
device components during the operation.
Three Iraqi policemen were killed and one was wounded Friday in
Iskandariya, 40 kilometres south of Baghdad, an Iraqi police source
said.
Gunmen attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint in the city in a drive-
by attack.
Gunmen also opened fire on a minibus carrying civilians on the
main road to Mahawil, 80 kilometres south of Baghdad.
Two Iraqis were seriously wounded.
In another development, the Iraqi police killed an insurgent after
his suicide vest failed to detonate near a checkpoint in the Jazeera
suburb of Ramadi Wednesday, the US military said Friday.
The US military also announced Friday that a coalition soldier was
killed when a bomb went off near an army patrol in north-west Baghdad
Thursday.
The patrol was conducting a convoy escort mission when the
roadside bomb detonated, killing one soldier and wounding three
others.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived Friday in the
southern Iraqi city of Basra, al-Iraqiya TV reported.
He is scheduled to confer with British and US commanders as well
as Iraqi senior government officials.
Earlier Tuesday, units of the Iraqi Army with coalition advisors
detained two members of the Wasit Provincial Council during
operations in Kut, 170 kilometres south-east of Baghdad, the US
military reported Friday.
The two detainees are suspected of facilitating the smuggling of
homemade bombs and weapons used in attacks against Iraqi security and
coalition forces.
© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency
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