Al-Qaeda leaders captured

2005-09-17 17:42

Baghdad - US forces have arrested the two leaders of the al-Qaeda terror group in the main northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a statement said on Saturday.

Separately, Iraqi sources said a leader of the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar as-Sunna was seized overnight near the northern town of Tuz Khurmatu, the scene on Friday of a deadly attack on Shiite Muslim worshippers.

The US statement said coalition forces raided a suspected al-Qaeda hide-out in Mosul on September 5.

Captured were Taha Taha Ibrahim Yasin Becher, known as Abu Fatima, identified as al-Qaedas "emir of Mosul", and Hamed Saeed Ismael Mustafa, known as Abu Shahed, and identified as the organisations "west Mosul emir".

The statement said Abu Fatima had taken over his post after Abu Talha was captured in June and Abu Zubayr, who replaced him, was killed in mid-August.

It said Abu Shahed was responsible for organising al-Qaeda activities in west Mosul and was in line to succeed Abu Fatima in the event of his death or capture.

The military claimed that the seizure of the two men, both originally from the town of Tal Afar to the west, was evidence of the pressure al-Qaeda was under as the group traditionally filled the Mosul posts with locals.

Meanwhile, Iraqi and US forces captured Norman Mohammed, "one of the most important Ansar as-Sunna leaders in northern Iraq", Colonel Mohammed Fatah said.

He was nabbed in the village of Duzari, near Tuz Khurmatu, where a suicide bomber killed 11 Shiite worshippers and wounded 24 as they left an Iraqi mosque after Friday prayers.

Fatah said 700kg of explosives and mortar rounds were found at the site of the arrest.

- AFP