U.S. uncovers Mosul bomb plot

MOSUL, Iraq, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials in northern Iraq claim to have uncovered an al-Qaida plot to bomb Ninawa provincial headquarters in Mosul using an underground tunnel.

Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling with Multi-National Division-North said U.S. military forces captured two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq operatives during patrols near Mosul.

He said U.S. soldiers had searched an area near a bakery believed to be the source of a tunnel leading to the provincial hall, the U.S. Armed Forces newspaper, Stars and Stripes, said Wednesday.

During the raid forces discovered a large tunnel supported by wooden beams. Though there were no reports of explosives in the tunnel, the U.S. military said the alleged al-Qaida suspects tested positive for explosive residue.

Hertling said planning attacks against fellow Iraqis during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Tuesday, "shows that these organizations care nothing for the good people of Iraq."

Mosul has been a focal point of military raids against the remaining al-Qaida operatives in Iraq.

U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major military operation in Mosul in early May to target the Sunni group.