Campaign of arrests in Iraq

The American army announced the detention of 52 persons suspected to be involved in attacks targeted the American forces. This was in a campaign of inspection and arrest in al-Doura area to the south of Baghdad. Military sources said that among the detainees were 39 women and one child arrested in one house and they will be interrogated later.

The new attacks came despite what was announced by the chairman of the commission of the new Iraqi army lt. gen. Babaker Badrakhan Zeibari that the armed forces will be able during the next 6 months to restore back security in the country in collaboration with the police forces. This will permit the coalition forces to withdraw to their bases outside the Iraqi cities.

Concerning developments of the hostages kidnapping operations in Iraq, gunmen kidnapped one Jordanian businessman called Ibrahim Maharmeh from al-Mansour quarters in Baghdad on Sunday. Bilal Maharmeh said that the kidnappers of his brother asked for a ransom of $ 250,000 to release him. Worthy mentioning that several Jordanians and most of them are truck drivers were kidnapped in Iraq since the end of the war and released for a ransom.