Raids net 2 al-Qaida suspects, Shiite leader

[unhappycamper]

Raids net 2 al-Qaida suspects, Shiite leader
By Lauren Frayer - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 4, 2008 8:07:55 EDT

BAGHDAD — American troops grabbed two al-Qaida in Iraq bombing suspects and a Shiite militia leader Tuesday in separate raids north and south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

The command also said U.S. soldiers killed four other suspects a day earlier after coming under fire from machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in Shiite sections of the capital. The troops seized dozens of rifles and several rounds of ammunition, the statement said.

One of the two al-Qaida suspects, who was captured with four aides in Mosul, is believed to have overseen security for the group’s branch in that northern city, the military said. Mosul is one of the terror network’s last urban strongholds and the target of a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation.

The man, who was not identified by name, is also suspected of masterminding bombings against Iraqi police in the area, the U.S. military said.

The other al-Qaida in Iraq suspect was apprehended along with an assistant in Tikrit, a Sunni Arab city south of Mosul. He allegedly helped organize suicide bombings and the movement of foreign fighters into the country, a U.S. statement said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_iraq_raids_060308/