US troops capture suspected Saddam cohorts

American forces captured six people today who are ”closely tied” to Saddam Hussein and his regime and are suspected of anti-coalition activities including attacks on helicopters, a US commander said.

The raids around Tikrit, Saddam’s home town, were targeted against Iraqis suspected of involvement in attacks on US troops and helicopters, said Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, a battalion commander in the 4th Infantry Division.

“The individuals are closely tied to the Saddam family and the former regime. They represent some of the last of the main network that we have been targeting for many months,” Russell said without providing details.

Elsewhere in Iraq: In Fallujah residents said today that two men suspected of having been informants for the Americans were killed by rebels. The killings followed warnings in pamphlets circulated in the area west of Baghdad warning Iraqis against co-operating with the occupation force.