Iraqis, With U.S. Advisors, Arrest Suspected Terrorists

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 8, 2009 - Iraq security forces, working with U.S. advisors, arrested eight suspected terrorists in Iraq in the past week, including a suspected terrorist leader who was a general in Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, military officials said. Two other suspects were killed Sept. 6 after firing on forces as they tried to arrest them. The special operations forces and U.S. advisors were on a mission in Basra to deliver court-issued warrants to charge them with smuggling and distributing arms to terrorist groups.

Here is a breakdown of the missions that led to the eight arrests:

-- In Salahuddin province in northern Iraq on Sept. 4, Iraqi security forces, with U.S. advisors, arrested three men suspected of operating and leading terrorist cells in the province and conducting bomb attacks against Iraqi forces.

-- In a separate Sept. 4 mission in Ninevah province, Iraqi soldiers arrested a suspect accused of attacking Iraqi and U.S. forces.

-- Iraqi commandos, with U.S. advisors, detained a suspected terrorist commander Sept. 5 while issuing a court order for his arrest. Najim Abdallah Zahwen al-Ujayli was wanted for allegedly commanding terrorist cells in and around the Tikrit area. Ujayli was a general in Saddam Hussein's prominent Hammurabi Armored Division of the elite Republican Guard force. Since the fall of Saddam's regime, he is suspected of being a key facilitator in various aspects of terrorist activities, including financial and logistical support and high-level terrorist activity.

-- Iraqi soldiers, along with U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist without incident in Baghdad on Sept. 3. The suspect is an alleged leader of a large insurgent group in Baghdad province. He was wanted for conducting bomb attacks against Iraqi security forces, government officials and civilians.

-- Iraqi commandos, with U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist on Sept. 3 in Diyala province. The man was arrested with a warrant and charged with emplacing roadside bombs and conducting indirect-fire attacks against Iraqi forces. He also is implicated in several murders.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)