Wednesday, October 18, 2006
U.S. military: leader of murder cell captured
Military
Special Iraqi army forces, working with coalition advisors, captured the alleged leader of a murder and kidnapping cell in an early-morning raid yesterday in eastern Baghdad, military officials reported. The cell leader is suspected of directing the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Sunni and Shiia Muslim citizens in Baghdad and has connections to illegal armed groups there, officials said. He also is believed to be connected to attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. The operation was conducted as part of Operation Together Forward with the goal of capturing criminals inciting sectarian violence, denying them sanctuary, and providing for a safe and secure Iraq, officials said.
As of Oct. 15, Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers had cleared more than 95,000 buildings, 80 mosques and 65 muhallas, detained more than 214 terrorist suspects, seized more than 1,700 weapons, registered more than 750 weapons and found more than 41 weapons caches in support of Operation Together Forward. The combined forces had also removed more than 210,810 cubic meters of trash from the streets of Baghdad.
