PoliBlog

Intriguing

Some new arrests:

Heavily armed U.S. Army forces stormed into a village near the northern city of Tikrit before dawn Thursday, seizing more than 260 prisoners, including one man on the United States' most-wanted list of former Iraqi officials.

U.S. 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.

[...]

U.S. officials said one of those arrested Thursday was on the "top 55" list but did not give the suspect's name. The U.S. Central Command announced Thursday 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 Thursday's raid.

Five Iraqi special security forces offers also were caught in the raid — including two Iraqi army generals and a general from Saddam's security forces who had disguised himself as a shepherd.

[...]

"I think it was very successful," Silverman added. "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."

Source: U.S. Takes 260 Prisoners in Iraq Raid