BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces have detained more than 140 suspects in sweeps through Mosul to try to cripple the country’s last major stronghold of Al-Qaeda fighters, a commander said Saturday.
The offensive, which began earlier this week, is the latest attempt to break the networks of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and other groups in the Mosul region in northern Iraq. But the insurgents have bounced back each time with little apparent damage to their ability to strike Iraqi and US troops and their allies.
The commander of Mosul operations, Maj. Gen. Hassan Karim Khudhair, told reporters the raids were carried out under strict secrecy to avoid the escape of “wanted targets.” He did not give further details.
He said at least 100 suspects were arrested and will face interrogations in Baghdad. Khudhair said the raids in Mosul were continuing.
In Baghdad, a bomb scare in Iraq’s Parliament Saturday forced authorities to evacuate the building, but no explosives were found, an Iraqi security official said.
The building in Baghdad’s protected Green Zone was cleared after a bomb-sniffing dog indicated the presence of explosives in the main chamber. The building was fully searched and no bomb was found, said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
