By Xinhua,
Baghdad : U.S. troops captured Tuesday two suspected al-Qaida militants in two operations in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.
One wanted man, who is believed to be a security leader of al-Qaida branch in the city of Mosul, was captured along with four aides during a U.S. operation, a U.S. military statement said.
The suspect was accused of coordinating bomb attacks against the Iraqi police, the statement said.
Another wanted insurgent was captured in the city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, along with one of his aides in a separate operation, it said.
The suspect is reportedly a facilitator of suicide bombings and foreign fighters for the al-Qaida in Iraq, it added.
Earlier, the military said that it captured a suspected militia leader and five associates during an operation in the city of Kut, some 160 km southeast of Baghdad.
It said the suspect is a member of Iranian-backed “Special Groups” and is believed to be involved in the murder of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers.
According to coalition forces, the Special Groups, which consist of Shiite militia extremists, are funded, trained and armed by external sources. U.S. and some Iraqi officials have accused Iran of supporting the militias in Iraq, a charge Tehran has denied.