Several explosions were heard Tuesday in Baghdad, and a cloud of dust could be seen rising above the so-called Green Zone. It was not clear if a blast had taken place in the area, which was the headquarters of the former U.S.-led occupation authorities.
At least one of the blasts appeared to have been triggered by hand grenades tossed at a U.S. patrol in central Baghdad, said Master Sgt. David Larsen of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is responsible for the city.
About an hour later, an explosion occurred in the southeast part of Baghdad, wounding three Iraqi civilians and damaging a bulldozer, said Lt. Col. Jim Hutton.
Elsewhere, in Mosul, Iraqi fighters clashed with an Iraq National Guard patrol on Tuesday, killing one soldier and injuring nine, authorities said, according to The AP.
Two fighters hiding in an alley opened up on the passing patrol in Mosul. The guard forces counterattacked, killing one fighter and injuring another, said one Iraqi officer.
One Iraqi soldier was killed and nine injured during the clash, confirmed Leith Ibrahim, an official at al-Jumhouri hospital.
Also in northern Iraq, Kurdish security forces have captured 15 men, including one believed to be a senior leader of a local al-Qaeda-linked group, an official in a pro-American Kurdish party said Tuesday.
Among those arrested late Monday evening was a man identified as Hemen Banishiri, reportedly the second-in-command for the Kurdish group, Ansar al-Islam, said Saadi Ahmed, a senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's political wing.
The arrests took place in the city of Kirkuk and several other towns, Ahmed conveyed.
On Monday, Iraqi police launched a massive sweep of a Baghdad neighborhood, killing one person and rounding up hundreds of persons.
Just after dark, dozens of Iraqi police in pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fanned out into the Bab Alsheikh neighborhood and snatched suspects off the streets. Some fought back, setting off dozens of small gunbattles.
The operation was intended to crack down on "criminals, kidnappers and looters," said Hussein Ali Kamal, the deputy interior minister. One suspect died, two were injured while resisting arrest and hundreds were detained, he told The AP. (albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
