Iraqi security forces on Monday confirmed the arrest of an Al Qaeda leader and two of his aides in western Baghdad, according to a report by the Voices of Iraq news agency.
‘A force from 3rd Brigade raided Abu Ghraib area and arrested Ahmad Farhan and two of his close associates last Tuesday,’ Baghdad security plan spokesman Qassem Atta told a press conference in the city.
Atta played video footage showing Farhan, an emir (leader) of the international terrorist network, confessing to his ties with a wanted man called Abu Omar Al Baghdadi.
‘I receive support from Syria and Jordan and have got four groups with an emir and 25 members for each,’ Farhan said in the videotaped confession.
Atta said Farhan acknowledged his direct responsibility for 300 killings and 200 kidnappings, adding 17 hostages were freed and four kidnappers were arrested in Abu Ghraib.
‘Seventy-one wanted terrorists were arrested and ammunition seized in the area of Al Latifiya (south-east of Baghdad),’ Atta added.
Reviewing the achievement of the Fard Al Qanoun or Law Enforcement security plan for the period March 21-26, Atta said: ‘130 terrorists were detained, 227 suspects arrested, 25 hostages freed and large amounts of weapons seized.’
Also Monday, the Iraqi security forces found 430 anti-tank mines, reportedly ready for use, in a house in Jamila area in the mostly Shia Sadr district in eastern Baghdad.
Iraqi military spokesman Qasem Al Mawsouwi told a press conference that sectarian violence in Baghdad had decreased by 21 per cent in the last week.
Meanwhile, five US soldiers were killed and four wounded, the Aswat Al Iraq news agency reported Monday, citing US military sources.
Four of the soldiers died in a bomb attack Sunday in the province of Diyala, while a fifth was killed on the same day in north-western Baghdad.
Meanwhile, the US military command in the western city of Ramadi reported that Iraqi and US soldiers had begun a joint offensive against members of the Sunni terrorist group Al Qaeda in Iraq.
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