Tikrit, Aug 25: American forces captured seven men, two of them suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists and five believed responsible for attacks on American troops during a series of raids targeting members of the Fedayeen Saddam militia in the deposed leader's hometown, the military reported today. Also US troops operating south of Baghdad reported discovering a huge arms cache that included 400 cases of anti-aircraft shells, the US military reported today.
At the bombed UN headquarters in Baghdad, searchers were seen pulling five more bodies from the rubble. It was not immediately clear if the bodies were among the UN count of 20 dead. The top UN envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello was among the 23 killed in the suicide truck bomb attack.
No US troops were hurt in the raids in Tikrit, 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, according to the 4th Infantry Division 1st Battalion 22nd Regiment, which conducted the searches. The military said the captured men and some still being sought were suspected of organizing regional cells of the Fedayeen Saddam, the militia loyal to the deposed Iraqi leader and believed spearheading the guerrilla war against US occupation forces. The military gave no identities.
Near Hamurrabi, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, US troops discovered a large weapons and ammunition cache yesterday, 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman Maj. Josslyn Aberle said. Bureau Report