By Xinhua,
Baghdad : U.S. troops on Thursday captured three suspected special group “criminals”, including a leader during two raids on their hideouts in south and southeast Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Friday.
Acted upon intelligence reports, U.S. troops raided the residence of a suspected Iranian-trained Special Groups leader in the town of al-Mahaweel, some 70 km south of the Iraqi capital, and captured him without incident, a military statement said.
In another raid based on intelligence information, U.S. troops raided a hideout of another suspected special groups “criminal” in an area, roughly 30 km east of Kut, the capital of Wasit province, in southeastern Baghdad, the statement added.
The raid resulted in the capturing of the suspect who allegedly believed to be the primary weapons smuggler and financier for special groups elements in the area, it said, adding the suspect surrendered himself along with another one to the troops.
Recently, U.S. and Iraqi security forces captured or killed many militiamen affiliated to the special groups which, according to the coalition forces, consist of Shiite militia extremists funded, trained and armed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force operatives.
On Tuesday, the U.S. military said in a statement that its troops captured a suspected Shiite militia leader and five associates during an operation in the city of Kut, some 160 km southeast of Baghdad.
The statement said that the suspect is believed to be involved in murders of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers. U.S. and some Iraqi officials have accused Iran of arming, funding and training Shiite militia in Iraq, a charge Tehran has denied.