Ad-dawr, Iraq, May 15: Heavily armed US Army forces stormed into a village near the northern city of Tikrit before dawn today, seizing about 260 prisoners, including one man on the United States' ``most-wanted'' list of former Iraqi
officials. He wasn't immediately identified.
US troops encountered no resistance during the five-hour sweep, officers said. About 230 of those detained were being released later in the day, the military said.
Tikrit is Saddam Hussein's hometown, and the region around it is known as a hotbed of Baath party supporters and former high-ranking Iraqi military officials who enjoyed favored treatment under the now-deposed regime.
US officials said one of those arrested today was on the ``top 55'' list but did not give the suspect's name. The US Central command also announced the arrest of Fadil Mahmud Gharib, former Baath party chairman of the Babil district. It said he was no. 47 on the most-wanted list, but the statement didn't say when or where he was arrested and it did not appear that he was arrested in today's raid.
Five Iraqi Special Security Forces officers were also caught - including two Iraqi Army generals and a general from Saddam's security forces who had disguised himself as a shepherd.
``We're going to continue to hunt them until they get so tired of running that they give themselves up or we catch them,'' said Major Mike Silverman, operations officer for the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry, the Army division that staged the raid.
``I think it was very successful,'' Silverman said. ``We got one top-55 guy and about a dozen fairly bad guys off the street. And again we sent the message that we know the shadow regime is out there and it won't be tolerated."
Bureau Report
