US troops arrest suspected leader

United States soldiers today arrested a former Iraqi army major who is suspected of leading a Fedayeen cell in attacks on coalition forces, the US Army said.

Lt Col Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, said his soldiers raided a building in Qadisiyah, north of Tikrit, at around 2am after receiving information that the man was hiding in the area.

“He has been involved in organising attacks against coalition forces in southern Iraq … and bomb attacks in the Tikrit area,” Russell alleged.

Russell described the man as a mid-level ranking member of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s toppled regime and alleged that he was involved in a December 26 roadside bombing in Tikrit, in which no US soldiers were injured.

US troops conduct regular raids against suspected Fedayeen and Baath Party members in an attempt to stamp out attacks against coalition and Iraqi security forces.