Top al-Qaida aide captured in Iraq
The Iraqi Interior Ministry’s counter-insurgency Wolf Brigade captured what it called a top aide to al-Qaida in the country, state television reported today.
Iraqiya TV identified the key al-Qaida figure as Abu al-Farouq, a Syrian, who was previously unknown. It said he was captured with five other al-Qaida operatives in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad.
Forces of the Interior Ministry, under the control of the country’s majority Shiite Muslims, are routinely accused by minority Sunnis of targeting civilians within their community.
Also today, the Defence Ministry reported Iraqi security forces had killed 35 insurgents and arrested 487 in raids throughout the country since Wednesday, when bombers blew up a major Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.
“All of them are Iraqis and affiliated to different terrorist groups and specially al-Qaida in Iraq,” Major General Jassim Mohamed said. “But we don’t have confirmed reports that they were behind the Samara bombings.”
