Senior Al Qaeda Leader Arrested, page 1

A senior leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq named Amir Khalaf Fanus was arrested by US troops on Friday in the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Amir Khalaf Fanus also known as the butcher was wanted for kidnapping and murder. Fanus was turned into coalition authorities by Iraqi citizens. Fanus is the highest ranking Al Qaeda that has been turned into US and Iraqi authorities by the local citizenry. Authorities are claiming that this indicates that Iraqi citizens are tiring of the insurgent presence in their communities.

cnn.netscape.cnn.com
al-Qaida Figure Arrested in Ramadi

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The American military Friday arrested a high-ranking member of al-Qaida in Iraq in the town of Ramadi, the U.S. Marines said.

Amir Khalaf Fanus, also known in the Ramadi area as ``the Butcher,'' was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said in a statement from the town, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

Fanus was No. 3 on a most-wanted list for Ramadi drawn up by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.

``He is the highest ranking al-Qaida in Iraq member to be turned into Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens,'' Pool said. ``His capture is another indication that the local citizens tire of the insurgents' presence within their community.''

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Well this shows to me progress is being made in Iraq. By that I mean that it shows a growing part of Iraqi society is turning against the insurgents. It shows that Al Qaeda's strategy of attacking Iraqi's shown to be cooperating with the coalition has backfired. I mean this happened in the heart of the insurgency in Ramadi. The insurgency may not be on its last legs but if this is indicative of the current mood of the iraqi population it doesn't bode well for Al Qaeda in Iraq.

[edit on 9-12-2005 by danwild6]

[edit on 14-12-2005 by asala]