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DUBAI, (Itar-Tass) - Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, whom
the US occupation authorities declared to be the
"target number one" in Iraq, has been arrested in
the city of Baakuba, the Emirate newspaper al-Bayane
reported on Tuesday referring to Kurdish sources.
Al-Zarqawi, leader of the terrorist group Al-Tawhid
Wa'al-Jihad, was recently appointed the director of
the Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq.
The newspaper's correspondent in Baghdad points out
that a report on the seizure of the terrorist, on
whom the US put a bounty of 10 million dollars, was
also reported by Iraqi Kurdistan radio, which at one
time had been the first to announce the arrest of
Saddam Hussein.
There have been no official reports about the arrest
of the terrorist. Al-Zarqawi, 38, a Jordanian, whose
real name is Ahmad al-Khalayleh, aims to turn Iraq
into a "new Afghanistan". According to Arab press
data, Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad group has divided Iraq
into several emirates. The group's independent
subdivisions at a strength of 50 to 500 militants
operate in the cities of Al-Falluja, Al-Qaim, Diala,
and Samarra.
The personnel of the group is on the whole
1,500-strong and includes Iraqis and citizens of
Arab and Islamic countries. There are demolition
experts and missilemen among them.
The group has depots of weapons and explosives in
various parts of the country. It intends to
frustrate the upcoming parliamentary elections that
are scheduled for the end of this month. Al-Tawhid
Wa'al-Jihad threatens to do away with Iraqi Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi and members of the interim
government.
http://www.tass.ru
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