U.S. soldiers raided a dozen buildings in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tukrit Friday, killing one Iraqi and detaining about 20.
U.S. officers claim members of Saddam's Baath Party are trying to reorganize to stage attacks on American troops, and one of the men detained Friday was described as a party official.
"Some of these guys are continuing to terrorize people out there, and that's going to take a while to work through," said Lt. Col. Phil Battaglia, commander of the infantry regiment that conducted the raid.
The raid, the second in Tikrit in as many days, started shortly after midnight when six Bradley Fighting Vehicles sealed off a residential district. Soldiers broke down gates and doors, forced their way inside and emerged with about 20 men, blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs.
In Najaf, police arrested two people Friday after gunmen shot automatic weapons and threw grenades outside the city's central shrine, the tomb of Imam Ali. Authorities said it was probably common crime, but some clerics blamed former Baath Party operatives.
The men arrested were later identified as two of the 16 suspects in the killing of Abdul Majid al-Khoei, a cleric stabbed to death last month by a mob at the tomb. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
