Senior leader of al-Qaida in Iraq detained

Source: Xinhuanet | 12-21-2006 09:32

BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The American troops in Iraq captured a senior al-Qaida leader and five suspected insurgents during a raid in Mosul, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

The leader, who was military Emir of Mosul City in 2005 and later military Emir of Karkh in Baghdad, was arrested during a raid on Dec. 14, the military said in a statement without disclosing the name of the captured leader.

"The terrorist leader was attempting to flee from the location when Coalition Forces chased him across a street and detained him," said the statement.

During 2005, the insurgent leader "coordinated vehicle borne improvised explosives device attacks and kidnap for ransom operations in Baghdad,'' the statement added.

"He also reportedly organized an attempted shoot down of a Coalition Forces helicopter in an Adhamiyah neighborhood in May 2006," it said.

Few months after Adhamiyah incident, the leader fled Baghdad "due to Coalition Forces closing in on him,'' according to the statement.

Editor:Du Xiaodan