Iraqi Police Arrest Extremist Leader

American Forces Press Service

June 22, 2009 - An Iraqi police special weapons and tactics team from Nasiriyah and U.S. advisors arrested two suspects, including a violent extremist leader, during an operation conducted in Fadhiliyah, Iraq, yesterday. The extremist leader, Walid Abbass, is linked to several acts of violence committed in Dhi Qar province, including several assassination attempts on local officials and a rocket attack that struck a mosque tower in Ur last month.

In other recent operations in Iraq:

-- An Iraqi SWAT team accompanied by coalition forces advisors killed a suspected former leader of a criminal network during an operation in Basra province June 20. As the team attempted to serve the warrant, the suspected terrorist came out of the building and began firing a pistol at them. The suspected terrorist was killed during an exchange of gunfire.

-- Iraqi soldiers and police, "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members and U.S. soldiers teamed up to detain 11 individuals wanted for acts of terrorism during a weeklong sweep operation conducted across Kirkuk province that ended June 19. Iraqi forces also discovered components of two possible improvised rocket launchers.

-- After receiving a tip from an Iraqi civilian, Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers seized a weapons cache June 17 in the Aqur Quf area, west of Baghdad. The same day, Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers arrested a suspected criminal during a joint operation conducted west of Baghdad.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)