Senior terrorist figure captured in Iraq

US forces in Iraq have captured one of the most senior members of Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network, US defence officials said.

The arrest of Aso Hawleri, also known as Asad Muhammad Hasan, late last week in the northern city of Mosul has not been announced. Larry Di Rita, chief spokesman for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, told reporters yesterday: “I’m not in a position to confirm” Hawleri’s capture.