Iraq Press Roundup

The Shabab Al Iraq newspaper reports the U.S. Army announced Friday it killed 25 "criminals" during clashes with insurgents west of Baqouba.

The statement from the military said that "Multi-National forces have engaged in battles with insurgents on Friday that resulted in killing 25 criminals."

The report added that the Multi-National forces targeted a cell thought to be related to the "Iranian Revolutionary Guards" groups.

The report mentioned that the main person targeted was involved in smuggling weapons "from Iran to Baghdad."

"When the forces arrived," the paper cited the statement from the U.S. Army, "they were attacked and that made the forces respond with airstrikes."

Other reports from Iraqi security sources said that the 25 people killed were residents of the town and that 40 others were wounded in the airstrikes and attacks.

"Among the wounded and killed residents were women and children," the paper reports.

The security source added that residents are still looking for missing people under the wreck due to the "very strong airstrikes against the residents' houses."

In another report, the paper said that sources from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced that police patrols found eight bodies in Baghdad.

The source said, "The dead bodies were shot to death in different parts of their bodies, mostly in the head."

Another report said that a police source from Saladin province police demonstrated that the head of Saladin Support council died today due to the serious injury he had when an IED exploded on his convoy yesterday.

The report from the police also verified that the explosion took place Thursday and resulted in wounding Sheik Muaawia Al Jabara, the tribal leader of Jibour tribe in Saladin province.

"Sheik Jabara," the paper commented, "established and led, with a number of other tribal leaders, Saladin Support Council that fought hand in hand with the security forces against al-Qaida."

The paper also reported that a police source in Kirkuk city, north of Baghdad, said that six civilians were wounded when an IED exploded this morning in a crowded market.

"The six wounded, who are residents of the Turkmen majority city of Toozkhormato, 100 kilometers south of Kirkuk city, were taken to the hospital," the report added.

The Kurdish Al Ahali newspaper said today that the security committee head, at the Diwanyia city council, announced the arrest of a group of smugglers and thieves.

"This group that consists of six criminals admitted to carrying out crimes held against the residents of the city," the committee leader, Sheik Al Badri said.

Kul Al Iraq Newspaper said today that Imposing the Law Security Plan's spokesman, Brig. Gen. Qassim Ata, said that the plan is continuing to follow "the terrorists groups" as the security forces were able to arrest 60 terrorists, among them nine "princes" from al-Qaida in an air raid in Latifiya, south of Baghdad.

"One of the nine is an Egyptian," the spokesman said.

He also pointed out that the security forces arrested prominent leaders from al-Qaida, one of whom was in charge of bombing cars.

"In the operation in south of Baghdad" the spokesman said "three kidnapped Iraqis were freed."

According to the paper that cited Ata, one of the arrested figures admitted that he "killed, displaced, and raped people."

"The forces arrested Abu Bakr Al Salafi, who was in charge of setting up fake checkpoints to kill people on ethnicity," the Al Ahali Newspaper added.

The report added that 43 displaced families went back to their homes in the Sunni majority city of Adhamiya, and 20 other families went back to their homes in the Shiite majority city of Seliekh, east of Baghdad.