By Xinhua
Baghdad : U.S. and Iraqi forces have detained a suspected militia leader in eastern Baghdad accused of killing up to 90 Sunni citizens, the U.S. military said on Saturday.
The troops detained the suspect on Thursday during a raid on his militia safe houses at al-Jadida district in eastern Baghdad, a military statement said.
“Since January, he and his group members are suspected of having executed more than 90 Sunnis, and since October 2006,evicted more than 135 Sunni families from their homes,” the statement said.
The military believed the houses of the displaced Sunni families are later used as torture sites and weapon-cache safe houses.
The suspect leads ten suspected terrorist cells to conduct “kidnapping, extrajudicial killings and displacements of Sunni citizens.”
He also was accused of commanding his cells to attack Iraqi and U.S, troops with roadside bombs and mortars, it said.
“In April, his group was suspected of kidnapping a local citizen and stealing the man’s vehicle. The group collected a $10,000 ransom before killing the victim and keeping the vehicle.”