Iraqi army says it seized 20 suspects and ‘a Qaeda leader’

 

By Mazen Abdulhameed

 

Azzaman, October 24, 2006

 

Iraqi troops are pressing ahead with their campaign against armed groups despite the upsurge in violence and casualties in their ranks.

 

An army statement faxed to the newspaper said the troops have intensified raids in the restive oil-rich city of Kirkuk, arresting 20 suspects among them ‘a Qaeda leader.’

 

The statement did not identify the leader but Qaeda is reported to be active in the area.

 

Five separate Iraqi army battalions aided by U.S. occupation troops are fighting in the province of Tameen, of which Kirkuk is the capital.

 

The mixed province where Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen compete for control has recently seen a rise in violence.

 

The province’s various ethnic and sectarian groups fight each other with several armed groups directing their fire against U.S. troops and Iraq security forces.

 

The statement said Iraqi soldiers seized weapons, rockets and artillery shells in their searches of towns and house-to-house hunt of rebels.