Iraqi troops kill 12, arrest 81 in Baghdad crackdown


Mon Feb 26, 9:44 AM ET




Iraqi troops have killed 12 "terrorists" -- including two wearing explosive suicide vests -- and arrested 81 in operations across Baghdad on Monday.


Baghdad Operational Command, which is overseeing a major security sweep by Iraqi and US forces to quell sectarian violence in the capital, said the killings and arrests had taken place since Sunday.


It said 32 people had been arrested in Mahmudiyah, southwest of Baghdad, on Monday while 12 people died in clashes with the security forces in various parts of the capital.


The two wearing suicide vests were killed in Al-Rashid district, it added, without elaborating.


US commanders have said they fear Al-Qaeda is turning to bomb vests rather than car bombs to get around tight controls placed on traffic in the city.


The defence ministry on Monday reported 49 "terrorists" arrested in Al-Zanbariya on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, among them three who admitted involvement in the bombing of the capital's Al-Rashid market place.


It said Iraqi troops also seized 33 AK-47 rifles, and caches of weapons and explosives.


US commanders expressed cautious optimism Monday that the 12-day-old security plan had begun to make progress, and reported that violence was down despite Al-Qaeda attempts to find new tactics to counter the operation.


"It will take time," said Brigadier General John Campbell (news, bio, voting record), commander of the US forces working with Iraqi police and troops in "Operation Fardh al-Qanoon" (Enforcing the Law), according to a statement.


"It's still too early to talk trends. Still, Iraqi and coalition commanders at all levels remain cautiously optimistic," he said, adding that bomb attacks have declined by more than 20 percent since February 14.


Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.



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good news, 81, shit that's a hell of a score.

unfortunately, due to our military having their hands tied, 186 will replace them tomorrow.

Too bad we have to take prisoners

Dam thats a good job.  Thats quite a haul of terrorist.

Good thing I can always count on ARFCOM to provide me with fair and accurate news of what's going on in Iraq.  

good for them

Bump...

Quoted: Good thing I can always count on ARFCOM to provide me with fair and accurate news of what's going on in Iraq.

Please enlighten us...we'll all be waiting to hear your full explanation of this crap you just posted, and it better be really good!

Good luck with your answer!  

HH

Good article, buddy...too bad someone open his mouth and farted in the thread.

HH

Quoted: Good thing I can always count on ARFCOM to provide me with fair and accurate news of what's going on in Iraq.

So if it isn't negative it's not true?

I surprised I didn't here about this achievement on NBC news? I wonder why

Quoted: I surprised I didn't here about this achievement on NBC news? I wonder why

Well, tonight NBC news reported on Dick Cheney's visit to Pakistan to urge Musharaf to crack down on Al Qaeda in the tribal region, the draft resolution to divy up Iraq's oil revenue, a suicide bomber who killed 10 people and just missed killing the vice president of Iraq, and a report about the US field hospitals in Iraq.