PRESS RELEASE | May 5, 2008
Iraqi troops capture mid-level AQI leader, six other suspects
By None , MNC-I

BAGHDAD (May 4, 2008) – Soldiers with the 5th Iraqi Army Division and a Muqdadiyah Special Weapons and Tactics team, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained a mid-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and detained six other suspected terrorists in an operation in As Sa’diya, approximately 55 miles northeast of Baghdad, May 3.

ISF conducted the operation to detain the leader and disrupt the operations of an As Sa’diya-based AQI organization. The AQI group leader is suspected of managing AQI finances in the area and providing a safe haven for foreign fighters in the Hamrin Mountains. His group is also believed to be responsible kidnapping Iraqi citizens and attacking ISF with improvised explosive devices.

“The capture of these suspected terrorists will help to degrade the terrorist group’s ability to finance, plan and execute operations and will further reduce AQI’s influence over the local Iraqi civilian population,” said Col. Bill Buckner, MNC-I spokesman. -30-FOR MORE INFORMATION or for high-res photos, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS – IRAQ PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY E-MAIL AT: [email protected]